Exodus 30:13
“ זֶה יִתְּנוּ, כָּל-הָעֹבֵר עַל-הַפְּקֻדִים–מַחֲצִית הַשֶּׁקֶל, בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ: עֶשְׂרִים גֵּרָה, הַשֶּׁקֶל–מַחֲצִית הַשֶּׁקֶל, תְּרוּמָה לַיהוָה”
“Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to YHVH.”

Exodus 30:14 “כֹּל, הָעֹבֵר עַל-הַפְּקֻדִים, מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה, וָמָעְלָה–יִתֵּן, תְּרוּמַת יְהוָה”
“All who are registered, 20 years of age and older, are to give a contribution to YHVH.”

Exodus 30:16 “וְלָקַחְתָּ אֶת-כֶּסֶף הַכִּפֻּרִים, מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְנָתַתָּ אֹתוֹ, עַל-עֲבֹדַת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד; וְהָיָה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְזִכָּרוֹן לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, לְכַפֵּר עַל-נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם.”
“You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and give it for the service of the tent of meeting (Holy Tabernacle), that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before YHVH, to make atonement for your souls.”

The Torah commands each person to give Machatzit HaShekel — half a shekel of silver (שמות ל:י״ג). The traditional measure equals approximately 9.6 grams of pure silver, which today is about $24. But its true meaning is not financial — it is spiritual.

In Kabbalah, the “half” teaches that no individual is complete alone. The lower half represents Malchut, the human vessel, while the upper half represents Zeir Anpin, the flow of Divine attributes from Chesed through Yesod. When we give the half-shekel, we acknowledge that our life-force is completed only through connection to Hashem. Silver (כסף) alludes to Chesed, loving-kindness, the flow of Divine sustenance. By offering silver, we sweeten judgments and draw blessings into Malchut.

The mitzvah also carries the power of remembrance (זיכרון). Just as we followed Hashem when leaving Egypt — stepping into the wilderness with faith — the half-shekel renews that covenant. It reminds us that true life comes from aligning our will with the Divine will. Through this act, we unify the Sefirot above and strengthen our spiritual root in the Tree of Life, drawing protection, sustenance, and elevation for the soul.

The word Shekel שקל is numerically 430, the same as for ‘soul’ נפש. It also means ‘weight.’ It reveals the direct connection between the redemption of the soul and the Shekel.
The word for ‘half’ is מחצית, and it reveals a lot of related secrets.
The middle letter צ, numerically 90, is the aspect of Yessod that provides us with the gate to the upper world. The letters in green on the right and left of צ Yessod form the word חי, ‘Life,’ numerically 18 (1+8=9). The first and last letters are far from Yessod and spell מת, ‘dead.’

We give half a shekel on Purim’s eve before reading Esther’s scroll. In this reading, we find that Haman gave the king 10,000 talents of silver to kill the Jews. He used the word ‘silver’ כסף and ‘weight’ אשקול (Esther 3:9). We want to make our connection before the reading to eliminate all aspects of ‘Haman’ from bringing negativity.

When we give the money, we say “This is ‘Zecher l’Machatzit HaShekel’” ‘זכר למחצית השקל.’ The word ‘Zecher’ זכר is also important as it connects to the verse in the Torah.

You may transfer your Half-a-Shekel to the daily zohar, and if you mention the names, I will make the meditation for you.

Since the silver value has increased significantly over the last year, the value of the Half-A-Shekel today is $26. Women are not obligated, but some continue the tradition of giving from previous years. Because it is a ‘remembrance’ of the command, some rabbis say that the head of the family gives the full value of 9.6 grams of silver and the rest of the family half of a local currency (US = 50 cents for every 20 years old and above, or 13 years and older)

Tap here to give Half a Shekel