Pekudei - Shekalim - Rosh Chodesh

Hi,

This week we read from three Torah scrolls:
1. The weekly portion, Pekudei.
2. The special portion for Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the month on the Hebrew calendar.
3. The special portion of "Shekalim" for the Shabbat preceding the month of Adar. This year Adar actually begins on Shabbat, and so we read Shekalim on the Shabbat that is first day of Adar.

The three portions are read in that order, because of the frequency with which they occur - the Torah portion occurs every week, Rosh Chodesh occurs 12 times per year, and Shekalim is once a year.

Pekudei
Pekudei begins with a list of the amounts of metal used in making the Mishkan’s (Tabernacle's) different parts. It continues to decribe the clothes made for the Kohanim.
We then learn about the assembly of the Mishkan. On the first day of the month of Nisan, after the Jews had been in the desert for almost one full year, Moshe collected all of the components and assembled the Mishkan.
A cloud then descended, signifying Divine approval of the construction. The cloud served to lead the Jews, remaining on the tent until it was time for the Jews to disassemble the Mishkan and travel to their next stop.

Rosh Chodesh
The Rosh Chodesh reading describes the offerings brought in the Mishkan, and later the Beit haMikdash [Temple], on Shabbat and on Rosh Chodesh. This portion comes from the Parshah called Pinchas.

Shekalim
This portion comes from the beginning of the portion of Ki Tisa, and it describes a mandatory one-time donation of a half-Shekel per soldier to the Mishkan.
After the first year, this donation became an annual Mitzvah. Every Jew (and not just every soldier) gave to the Mishkan, and later to the Beit haMikdash in Jerusalem. The donations were used to purchase offerings and incense, and the leftover money was used for improvement of the building itself and for specific communal needs.
We read this portion at the start of the month of Adar because Adar was the traditional month for the half-Shekel donations; the community would begin to make use of the collected Shekalim in the following month, Nisan. Thus the reading serves as a reminder to send in the donations.
Jews today continue to make this donation, but in the temporary absence of a Beit haMikdash we give it to tzedakah.

Have a great day,
Mordechai