Rosh Chodesh Adar and Shabbat Shekalim 

This Friday evening begins both 'Rosh Chodesh Adar' and, unlike usual Sabbaths, has also been called, 'Shabbat Shekalim'.

As discussed (1), a 'Rosh Chodesh' is the first day of a month and is celebrated every month, just as 'Shabbat' is celebrated every week. Why has the concept of 'Shekalim' been associated with this week's Shabbat?

Collecting Shekels

Collecting the Shekels at the Time of the Census

The Torah says we are to celebrate Yom Hakippurim in the seventh month of the calendar (Tishrei) and in Numbers 1:1, a census was taken on the first day of the second month (the month of Iyar) [7] but this was not the only census commanded by the Torah. Interestingly, shekels began to be collected in the month of Adar, nine months before Tishrei.

The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle states,

"The half-shekel had to be paid before the first of the Hebrew month of Nisan. However, in order to remind the people of this duty, proclamations were made for payment on the first of Adar - the month that comes before Nisan ... (To put this into context, Purim falls in Adar and Passover in Nisan)" [8].

Why are we required to pay our Yom Hakippurim (Tishrei) atonement shekel when we take a census (Iyar)? Why was the shekel paid around the months of Nisan and Adar and not Iyar?

Shekels for Atonement

The 'Oral Torah' provides an account of practice taking place in this respect, 

'On the first day of Adar they give warning of the Shekel dues. On the 15th thereof, they read the Megilla in walled cities (meaning the scroll of Esther); and repair the paths and roads and pools of water' (Shekalim 1:1) [9].

As stated by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle,

"The paths and roads needed to be repaired after the winter rains in readiness for the Passover pilgrimage ... and the pools of water, or mikvas, needed to be ... kosher, or valid. As a result of this ruling by the rabbis, it became customary on the Shabbat before the first of Adar, to read from two Torah scrolls - the weekly Torah portion from one and the verses about paying the half-shekel, from the other" [10].

In 2 Kings 12 we are told about Joash, king of Jerusalem who, 'did what was right according to Y-hova' although did not fully carry out His instructions concerning idols.

King Joash says to the priests that the money collected from gifts, vows and the census should be used to repair the Temple. This ended up problematically however as suggestions were made that the repairs were not being carried out (2 Kings 12:6-16).

Should census shekels be collected for repairs? Should we read about this from two Torah scrolls? And should this regulation be discussed on Shabbat?

Shabbat Shekalim?

This in fact is the fundamental question of this post - can we change Shabbat into 'Shabbat Shekalim'? Are we allowed to make proclamations about census shekels on this day? Does commemorating Shabbat Shekalim affect our observance of Shabbat and also, Rosh Chodesh? What must be done to observe Shabbat? Sabbath laws are a vast topic and will be discussed in a later post.

References

[1] IsraelAlia post on Rosh Chodesh Adar: https://www.facebook.com/IsraelAliaCovenant/photos/a.1116629065019118/4206743992674261/

[2] 'Kopher': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3724.htm.

[3] For more on why I write name of G-d as I do, please see: https://www.israelalia.com/g-ds-name/.

[4] 'Negeph': https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5063.htm.

[5] A unit of Israeli currency.

[6] IsraelAlia post on Yom HaKippurim: https://www.facebook.com/IsraelAliaCovenant/photos/a.1116629065019118/3902035769811753/.

[7] For the Hebrew calendar, please see: https://www.israelalia.com/hebrew-calendar/.

[8] Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, 'What Shabbat Shekalim means': https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/what-shabbat-shekalim-means/.

[9] For the passage in the 'Oral Torah', please see: https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Shekalim.1.1?lang=bi.

[10] As Note 8.