The Flip Side of the Coin, By Dovid Fellerman

This weeks parsha of “Shekalim” describes the half-shekel coin that every Jew was required to contribute to the communal coffers on a yearly basis. Rashi cites a Midrash on “Zeh Nitnu” Moshe had a difficult time comprehending what the Machatzis Hashekel was, so The Ribbono Shel Olam showed him a Machatzis Hashekel of fire for him to comprehend the dynamics of it. The obvious question is what was so hard for him to understand? Where were the complexities? The Gemara tells us that we see that there were a couple of times where Moshe had difficulty understanding what Hashem meant. For example in Parshas Terumah Moshe had a hard time comprehending the Menorah, which is very understandable because the Menorah is a very elaborate and complex object.

The Gemara says that Moshe had difficulty distinguishing between the different sheratzim. So Hashem showed him the many different Sheratzim for him to learn the distinctions. But what could be so difficult about understanding a coin? It’s not anything intricate or complex! It’s a common everyday object.

The Chevron Rosh Yeshiva Zatzal says a beautiful p’shat. There are many things in the world with which we perform mitzvos. But Moshe understood that there are two fundamental conditions needed for things to qualify for a mitzvah, called “Cheftza D’Mitzvah”. Some things are natural products like a lulav, an esrog, haddasim, aravos. The Ribbono Shel Olam says you take these things together and it does something in the olamos. These are products that the Ribbono shel Olam produced and we take them and we use them for a mitzvah.

Another example of a form of cheftza d’mitzvah would be cowhide. One forms the klaf from the cowhide and then writes on it and it acquires kedushah. It’s a manmade object which man can infuse with kedushah, by forming it into tefillin.

But to do a mitzvah with a coin that was just minted…Moshe couldn’t understand that such an object has the potential for kedushah. He didn’t presume that something that wasn’t created for a mitzvah can be turned into a vehicle for kedushah.

Therefore, Hakodosh Baruch Hu told Moshe that this coin, created by man without any machshavos, can be a kaparah if given l’shem mitzvah. If you take any object, any thought process or any ma’asa they all have the potential for kedushah. Hashem was teaching us an eternal lesson, outcomes depend on our actions. But most important of all, He was teaching us the tremendous power of our thoughts and actions. We have the awesome ability to take a piece of metal minted into a coin by a goy and infuse it with a kedushah that transforms our sins into a kaparah. A lowly metal becomes a catalyst for supreme greatness.

A couple of years back when the Rabbonim in Eretz Yisroel issued their ruling that wigs with hair from India were forbidden for use by married women because they were made from material offered as sacrifices for avoda zara, the immediate reaction of countless women was to remove their wigs until the source of their hair could be verified and receive rabbinical sanction.

One such woman, a teacher in the fourth grade of a school in the State Religious School System (Mamlachti Dati), appeared before her students one day wearing a snood in place of her customary wig. In response to the curious inquiries of her pupils she explained that the prohibition had been issued by the rabbis and proceeded to elaborate on the importance of obeying such halachic rulings.
Upon hearing this, one pupil suddenly removed the wig she was wearing, exposing the baldness of her head which had hitherto been unknown to her classmates.

All the praises heaped by the Rabbonim upon the married women who bravely obeyed their directive pale beside the courage of this youngster who made an amazing Kiddush Hashem with the simple removal of her human hair wig.

When one’s actions are pure and the intentions noble then the strands of a human wig strung in the service of idol worship can become infused and saturated with the kedushah of mitzvah performance.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the everyday grind and routine. But can you imagine that by having the right thoughts we can turn a breakfast of Cheerios and oatmeal into one of Godliness. Every bracha we make, every interaction we have and every word we utter, with the appropriate thoughts can become holy and pure.

All it takes for the ordinary to become extraordinary are the intent and thoughts behind our actions. With the right intentions, desires and aspirations all the mundane moments of our lives can become etched forever in eternity and every act that we perform will be a continuous sanctification of Hashem’s Name.

Where are your thoughts today?