Half-Shekel
[A] (halacha 222)
It is stated in Maseches Sofrim1: 'And all of Israel must give their shekalim before Shabbos Zachor, and one may not say of them that they are for the purpose of atonement, but rather for the purpose of a donation2'.
And so it is brought in the Mordechai3: 'And that which we give three half-coins for Purim is because it is written in Parashas Ki Sisa three times "machatzis ha-shekel" (half-shekel)'.
An additional reason was stated by the Rebbe in the sicha of Taanis Esther 57494: 'And it may be said that the giving of three half-shekalim on Taanis Esther is also corresponding to the three days that Esther decreed a fast, as it is written "וְצוּמוּ עָלַי גו' שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים" ("And fast for me... three days")'. And in the sicha of the night after Shushan Purim 5749 the Rebbe added5: that it is stated in the sefarim that on the day of the fast one should give the value of the meals to tzedakah, and it turns out that the giving of tzedakah in the number of three (three half-shekalim) is in place of the fast of three days'.
And so ruled the Rema6: 'Some say that before Purim one should give half of the coin that is established in that place and at that time, as a remembrance of the half-shekel that they would give in Adar; and since "terumah" is written three times in the parasha, one should give three .. And some say that one gives a half-shekel to tzedakah apart from these three halves, but we do not practice thus'.
★ ★ ★
Question: Who is obligated to give?
Answer: The Rema wrote there: 'And only one who is twenty years old and above is obligated to give it'.
But the Magen Avraham wrote7: 'This is according to the view of the Rav Ovadiah Bartenura [=that the obligation of the half-shekel was only from those twenty years and above], but the Tosafos Yom Tov wrote that the poskim disagree and hold that one who is thirteen is obligated [=in the half-shekel, and only the terumah for the work of the Mishkan was from twenty], and women are exempt. In the Hagahos Minhagim it is written that women and children are obligated, and I do not know from where he derived this. And it is stated in the Mishnah that any minor whose father began to give the shekel on his behalf may no longer cease. In a place where they are accustomed to give the money to the chazzan there is no prohibition in the matter, for whoever gives, gives with the intent of the minhag [Masas Binyamin siman 54], but one does not thereby fulfill the obligation of matanos la-evyonim unless they distribute from it to the poor'.
And the reason for the views that women are obligated in the remembrance of the half-shekel, even though they are exempt from the half-shekel, the Kaf Ha-Chaim wrote8: 'And it appears that it is because it is written regarding the shekalim "to atone for your souls", and therefore one gives also on behalf of the women and children in order to atone for the soul. And see in Maseches Shekalim there that he wrote: even though they said one does not exact a pledge from women, slaves, and minors, if they gave the shekel one accepts it from them, and all the more so in the present time when it goes to tzedakah:'
In practice many of the poskim wrote that the custom is to give on behalf of all the members of the household, as the Leket Yosher wrote9: 'And also the women and maidens in Austria each give three halves, and even the pregnant woman gives on behalf of her unborn child. Because the Mordechai [minor] wrote it is written "all who pass" '. And the Rema wrote10: 'And Mahari Brin wrote that even pregnant women give three halves, and your mnemonic is "this they shall give... all who pass", end of quote'.
And so wrote the Levush11: 'And we are accustomed to give Purim money on behalf of each and every one, even on behalf of the children, as a remembrance of the shekalim that they would announce upon them in Adar, and not for the purpose of atonement, for those came as a donation for the daily korban, and we distribute them to the poor for the expenses of the joy of Purim, and the minhag is to give three halves as a remembrance of the half-shekel, for it is written three times in the parasha of the half-shekel'.
And so wrote the Mishnah Berurah12: 'But the custom is to give even on behalf of his minor children, and a pregnant woman on behalf of her fetus; it is stated in the Mishnah that any minor whose father began to give the shekel on his behalf may no longer cease'.
In the Sefer Ha-Minhogim13 under the heading 'Minhogim of the Rebbe' it is brought that he gives the half-shekel also on behalf of the Rebbetzin and the minor sons and daughters, except that in a note there it is written regarding the minhogim of the Rebbe 'it is understood that this is not a directive for the public'. However, in the sicha of Taanis Esther 574914 the Rebbe said: 'And as is well known, the minhag is to give also on behalf of all the members of the household'15. And in the sicha of the eve of the 24th of Adar I 575216 the Rebbe said: 'And how good and how pleasant it would be that they also educate the minors to give three half-shekalim from their own money, and in a manner that the parents help them, so that they can give it with expansiveness, and that they still have enough money remaining for their needs, such that they lack nothing'.
Notes:
1 פכ"א ה"ג ↩
2 ראה בשו"ת מנחת אלעזר ח"א סי' ל: 'דאף שבמסכת סופרים פכ"א נזכר זה וצריכין ישראל לתת שקליהם קודם פ' זכור וכו' מ"מ כיון שסיים שם במקום קרבן ומתנות לאביונים ע"ש ואנו נוהגים ליתן מתנות לאביונים בפ"ע וגם לא נהגו ליתן קודם פ' זכור ובעל כרחך דלא פסקו כהך דמס' סופרים שהוא ממס' חיצוניות ולא הביאו דין זה הרי"ף והרמב"ם וטוש"ע כלל…משמע שאינו חיוב מדינא רק שנתן טעם למנהג שנותנים ג' מחציות לפורים אבל לא בתורת חיוב שצריך ליתן כן רק שנתן טעם למנהג' ↩
3 מסכת מגילה רמז תשעז בהגה"ה ↩
4 תו"מ ח"ב ע' 439 ↩
5 תו"מ שם ע' 460 ↩
6 או"ח סי' תרצד ס"א ↩
7 שם ס"ק ג ↩
8 ס"ק כז ↩
9 או"ח עמוד קנח ענין א ↩
10 דרכ"מ סי' תרצד ↩
11 או"ח סי' תרפו ה"ב ↩
12 סימן תרצד סק"ה ↩
13 ע' 74 ↩
14 תו"מ ח"ב ע' 439 ↩
15 ובשם הגרמ"ש אשכנזי ז"ל כתבו שהורה לתת גם עבור העוברים על יסוד הפוסקים הנ"ל ↩
16 שיחות קודש ח"ב ע' 788 ↩
[B] (halacha 223)
Question: When is the time for giving?
Answer: It is written in the Maharil1: 'At Mincha, when one goes to the synagogue, one gives the half-shekel'. And so wrote the Rema2: 'And one should give it on the night of Purim before praying Mincha, and so we are accustomed in all these countries'.
And the Magen Avraham wrote3: 'And in our country we give in the morning before the reading of the Megillah'. But on his words the Pri Megadim wrote there: 'And we are accustomed to give the half-shekel before Mincha'.
And so it is written in the Sefer Ha-Minhogim: 'The half-shekel is given on the day of the fast'.
If so, lechatchilah one gives the half-shekel before Mincha of Taanis Esther, but one who did not give should make it up afterward during the remainder of the fast, and in any case one should make an effort to give before the reading of the Megillah on the day of Purim4.
Question: How much must one give?
Answer: It is written in the Maharil (Minhagim), Hilchos Purim: 'And Mahari Segal said that every person twenty years old and above is obligated in the half-shekel, and it is: 34 of the heller [coin] (=34 of the heller coin that was widespread then), and the mnemonic is "וְהַדַּל לֹא יַמְעִיט מִמַּחֲצִית הַשָּׁקֶל" ("and the poor shall not give less than the half-shekel"). In Mainz it amounts to the value of three pehmush. And one who gives his shekel must also give Purim money, which is three halves of the country's currency'.
That is, the Maharil practiced giving two types of gifts: a. three coins of half the country's currency, but this in addition to the gift b. of silver of the weight of a half-shekel5.
But the Rema there disagreed with the Maharil and wrote: 'And one should give three large halves in these countries, for there is no coin that has the name "half" upon it apart from this; and in the countries of Austria they should give three half-weiners, which are also called halves, and so for each and every country .. And some say that one gives a half-shekel to tzedakah apart from these three halves, but we do not practice thus'.
That is, the Rema decided that the minhag is to give only three times a coin that has the name "half" upon it, and not to add also the silver of the weight of a half-shekel as the Maharil practiced.
However, in practice the Sephardic rabbis directed to give silver of the weight of the half-shekel of the Mikdash. And they did not mention in their minhag to give three "half" coins. As is written in the Sefer Pdeh Es Avraham6: 'And it is the measure of three drachms of refined silver, and in our time it is the measure of half a mejidi that is current among merchants'. And so wrote in the Chesed L'Avraham7.
And so wrote in the Sefer Kaf Ha-Chaim8: 'And therefore 1) one whose means suffice should make a remembrance of the half-shekel in completeness, that is, that he give a coin that is found in that place whose name is "half" and that has in it refined silver of the measure of the half-shekel or more, as the Rambam wrote in chapter 1 of Hilchos Shekalim regarding the shekalim that applied in the time of the Beis [Ha-Mikdash], and its measure is three drachms of silver as is written in the Shulchan Aruch YD siman 305 regarding the redemption of the firstborn, see there. 2) And if such is not found in his place, then he should give a silver coin with which he can purchase a half-shekel, that is, three drachms of silver, for the remembrance in the present time is no better than the redemption of the son which is biblical, where he may give silver or the value of silver as written in the Shulchan Aruch there, but in any case one should give silver if possible as a remembrance of the half-shekel which was silver. 3) And if his means do not suffice for this, then he should give a coin whose name is "half" that is customary in that place according to his ability, whatever it may be, since it is only for a mere remembrance'. And such is the Sephardic minhag9 to make an effort to give the value of a half-shekel in the time of the Beis [Ha-Mikdash], approximately 9 grams of pure silver (at the rate of these days this is approximately 26 NIS).
But the minhag of the Ashkenazim is as the words of the Rema, that the main thing is to give 3 coins of the coin that has the name "half" upon it. As the Minchas Elazar wrote10: 'And we have only the words of our master the Rema, to give a lesser coin that has the name "half" upon it and not the value of the half-shekel at all … even though the Sephardim apparently were somewhat concerned for that of Maseches Sofrim, as I cited above from the Sefer Pdeh Es Avraham and from the Sefer Ruach Chaim regarding the minhag of Izmir (yet I do not know if they too are particular to give even the poor person the value of a half-shekel, and as it appears from the words of the Mahari Ayash in the Mateh Yehuda mentioned above that they were not accustomed to be particular even among the Sephardim, this one reduces and that one adds) in any case we Ashkenazim fulfill our obligation according to the Rema, to give only small lesser coins as a remembrance of the half-shekel as mentioned'.
And such is the minhag, as the words of the Rema, to give three coins of "half" of that country.
★ ★ ★
Question: What does one do in countries such as in Europe where there is no coin called "half," since the coins are cent amounts?
Answer: The Minchas Elazar wrote there: 'In any case one should not be stringent since it is only a matter of minhag, and since they will still reckon and recall the reckoning of "half" — meaning that this is the coin that we are accustomed to give for the half-shekel — therefore it is still a remembrance of the half-shekel. And what shall the people of a country do who have no coin that has the name "half" upon it, shall they uproot their dwelling from that country? And that which the Rema wrote that they should do so in each and every country, to give the coin that has the name "half" upon it, that is, if such a coin is found it is more correct in order to make a remembrance of the half-shekel, but in a country where no coin is found that is inscribed with "half," certainly one should not be stringent to add the value of the half-shekel as His Honor wished to say, especially since it is still called by people "half" as well, as mentioned'.
And so wrote in the Darkei Chaim V'Shalom11: 'And his view was, in halacha, that regarding the half-shekel one need not be particular how much it should be, and it is permitted to give the smallest coin, and one may give one heller which is half of the coin of two hellers, even though the name "half" is not called upon it and the heller is now a whole coin, nevertheless one fulfills the half-shekel with this. But he himself was stringent that it be a coin upon which the name "half" is called, and since in our countries there was no coin inscribed with the name "half dinar" or "perutah," he therefore had ready for this three coins of another country that were inscribed with the name "half," such as half a mark, and in the later years (he changed in this and did not wish to take a mark) he took three half shillings and separated for each one these three coins for the half-shekel and redeemed them immediately, and gave in their place and as their price much good and weighty currency of the country'.
If so, in practice one can fulfill this minhag of a remembrance of the half-shekel with a coin of 50 cents, but if there is a possibility to give a coin that has the name "half" upon it, that is preferable.
Notes:
1 מנהגים - הלכות פורים אות ד ↩
2 או"ח סי' תרצד ס"א בהג"ה ↩
3 שם ס"ק ב ↩
4 כשיטת המג"א. לוח כולל חב"ד ↩
5 ראה במידות ושיעורי תורה פל"א הע' 14 כמה גרם כסף היו מטבעות אלו שמציין מהרי"ל ↩
6 לרבי אברהם פאלאג'י מערכת המם - מחצית השקל ↩
7 אבן שתיה, עין הקורא נ״ג ↩
8 סי' תרצד ס"כ ↩
9 חזו"ע ע' קב ↩
10 שו"ת ח"א סי' ל ↩
11 אות תתמג ↩
From the 'Shoneh Halacha' project - Daily halacha with reasons and sources
Link to the group (silent): 'Shoneh Halacha - Chabad Minhogim'
Join the WhatsApp group