Secret Within The Secret

Understanding Half Shekel Coin Collections Through The Eyes Of A Ukrainian Music Composer

Like the two sides to a coin, every person is able can make a difference. Time moves in a set direction, while memory tends to go in another, yet forgetfulness grows over time like grass. This is the meaning of the tradition of using half Shekel coins as commanded by Hashem. In doing so use a silver thread to tighten our bond with our Creator.

“Something was missing,” explained Alexander Shalom Vinar just as he began to uncover the majestic beauty and wisdom of the Torah. “My new reality of Shabbat, kashrut, mikvah, mitzvot, challah, chagim, T’hilim, the weekly parshah readings was all taking shape, but when I learned about the commandment of half Shekel, I was bothered that it was not widely practiced. Such a mitzvah is part and parcel of our mere survival!”

It is said that to express the most difficult matters clearly and intelligently is like striking coins out of pure gold. Mr. Shalom, a Ukrainian professional classical music performer by trade, was on the hunt for a piece of the puzzle. As a hobby he took on cutting stained glass.

A silver coin is the most perfect medium because it will preserve its own level having intrinsic and universal value that never dies; it is the surest resource of reliance. The tremendous power of giving a half Shekel and Shalom’s commitment to the program is underscored by the words of his grandmother, “Don't gain the world and lose your soul.”

Over the years, Shalom, now in his early fifties, has been quite careful when he speaks of his dreams, because a vision is an area where one can differentiate right and wrong with a straight face, but is always about the perspective of how you see the concept. Similarly, Jewish religion and its teachings are based on facts. As Shalom worked on his path of becoming a ba’al teshuva and reasoning the mitzvah of machazitz ha’Shekel, he sought out every available resource. “I was learning Parshot, Talmud, Rashi, Lubavitcher books, and asking everyone I could for their insight on bringing back a hidden tradition.”

The energy of the world has been anything but stress-free and in Shalom’s motherland of Ukraine, the test for survival is ever so real. Shalom believes that now, like the times of Purim during the bnei Yisrael’s forty years in the desert, or in the times of the first and second Temples, the mitzvah of giving half haShekel can once again save the Jewish nation and end the war with Russia.

For those suffering, help is not always complicated. Sometimes, it is at the tip of our fingers! Take for example the coins in your pocket. When they get worn with usage, they are expired and replaced with freshly pressed coins that glimmer with hope. Similar are customs from long ago that need new exposure.

Shalom who immigrated some 30 years ago made his way into a magnificent synagogue on 70th Avenue in Forest Hills to say a first tearful kaddish after the passing of his beloved mother. “Since that first prayer, I would get chills,” admitted Shalom. “Eleven years ago, I began my research and have a closeness with Parshat Ki Sisa that discusses atoning for our souls through machatzitz hashekel and today we have a global movement spearheaded by Chazaq and its CEO Rabbi Yaniv Meirov surrounding the enigmatic commandment, “Memory of Half haShekel”.

The involvement with Chazaq began in 2021 and with the help of a devoted army of enthusiastic staff members has evolved into educational material, including charity boxes, chocolate coins, and hamentashen being distributed in yeshivahs and to public school children. “Hashem has our children as guarantors to keep mitzvot and remember commandments. They are the first to learn, proposed Rabbi Meirov. It is now on the shoulders of our generation’s excited children to bring the idea home and watch as its spreads like wildfire to relatives and neighbors. their parents, relatives, neighbors to donate Half ha Shekel.

“Memory of Half haShekel” is a week-long commemorative event to raise awareness of the importance of giving half a Shekel to atone our souls, enjoy a healthy life, and ahead of Purim to give that we will hopefully receive in return good fortune.

Please note, a half Shekel is equivalent to seven grams of silver, or $10 per family member.

 By Lydia Musheyev, Program Coordinator for Chazaq