Standing Together in Unity Parshat Nitzavim opens: “Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem” — you are all standing here today. Every Jew, from leaders to water carriers, stood together before Hashem. Chazal teach this is arvut — kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh — we are responsible for one another. That unity is not only the opening of…
This Shabbat, we read Parshat Shekalim, the first of the Arba Parshiyot—a reminder of the mitzvah of the half-shekel, which Bnei Yisrael gave to sustain the Communal Korbanot. But this mitzvah is far more than just a historical tax. The Gemara Yerushalmi reveals something incredible:Haman paid a sum of silver to buy the right to…