Haftarah of Shekalim

Melachim II 12 : 1 - 17

This Haftarah tells the story of how King Yehoash raised funds for the renovation and restoration of the Temple, which by then was over one hundred years old. Yehoash has some of the most exciting back-story in all of Tanach, explaining why he was only seven years old when he became king, as the first verse tells us, and why it was so important to him to restore the Temple.

Two generations earlier, Yehoram, king of Yehudah, attempted to unite the southern kingdom of Yehudah with the northern kingdom of Israel by marrying the princess of Israel, Atalya. Atalya was the daughter of the evil Queen Jezebel and King Achav. A generation later, the dynasty of Achav was overthrown; the new king of Israel executed all descendants of Achav and Jezebel. This included Yehoram and Atalya's son, King Achaziah of Yehudah, who was visiting his cousin in Israel at the time. Atalya, upon learning that her son and her father's entire family had been murdered, decided to avenge them by murdering the royal family of Yehudah, all the descendants of David's lineage, not sparing even her own grandchildren.

Everyone thought that the line of King David had been extinguished. Atalya, Jezebel's daughter, ruled as queen of Yehudah.

But all was not lost: one little baby, Achaziah's son Yehoash, had been saved from the slaughter by his aunt, the princess Yehosheva. She took him to Yehoyada, the Cohen Gadol (High Priest), who raised him in complete secrecy, in the Temple itself. When Yehoash was seven years old, Yehoyada announced the prince's existence to the noblemen of Yehudah, and they staged a successful coup against Atalya.

That is how Yehoash became king at the age of seven, why Yehoyada is his father figure, and why it was important to him to raise money for the renovation of the Temple, "Beit-Hashem", where he had spent his early childhood.

Money plays a major role in this Haftarah, which you can see from the repetition of the word "silver" in the text. We learn that even a king of Yehudah of the dynasty of King David himself, raising money for the upkeep of the Holy Temple, is not spared the difficulties of fundraising.

The Haftarah introduces Yehoash, who followed his mentor Yehoyada in serving Hashem, with the minor failing common to almost all other kings of Yehudah of not enforcing the exclusivity of worship in the Temple.

1) Yehoash was seven years old when he became king.

(א) בֶּן שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים יְהוֹאָשׁ בְּמַלְכוֹ: פ

2) Yehoash became king in the seventh year of Yehu,

and for forty years

he ruled in Yerushalaim.

His mother's name was

Tzviah of Be'er Sheva.

(ב) בִּשְׁנַת שֶׁבַע לְיֵהוּא מָלַךְ יְהוֹאָשׁ

וְאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה

מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ

צִבְיָה מִבְּאֵר שָׁבָע:

3) Yehoash did the right thing in Hashem's eyes his entire life,

as he was instructed by

Yehoyada the Cohen.

(ג) וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוֹאָשׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי ה' כָּל יָמָיו

אֲשֶׁר הוֹרָהוּ

יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן:

4) Only the private altars were not removed;

the people would still sacrifice and burn incense on altars.

(ד) רַק הַבָּמוֹת לֹא סָרוּ

עוֹד הָעָם מְזַבְּחִים וּמְקַטְּרִים בַּבָּמוֹת:

Yehoash instructs the Cohanim, the priests, to raise funds for ongoing repairs of Beit-Hashem. Since Cohanim, like Leviim, had no independent means, they relied on wealthy donors to support them. Yehoash asks them to approach their donors for additional funds, and then to use that money for the necessary repairs. This did not work. The Cohanim clearly felt that whatever money came in from their sources should be given to them; the repairs could wait.

5) Yehoash said to the Cohanim:

All the dedicated silver

that is brought to Beit-Hashem, the census silver,

the silver of people pledging their worth,

all the silver that a person might feel like

donating to Beit-Hashem.

(ה) וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹאָשׁ אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים

כֹּל כֶּסֶף הַקֳּדָשִׁים

אֲשֶׁר יוּבָא בֵית ה' כֶּסֶף עוֹבֵר

אִישׁ כֶּסֶף נַפְשׁוֹת עֶרְכּוּ

כָּל כֶּסֶף אֲשֶׁר יַעֲלֶה עַל לֶב אִישׁ

לְהָבִיא בֵּית ה':

6) The Cohanim should collect,

from all their acquaintances;

and they will repair the breaches in the House,

everywhere they might find a breach.

(ו) יִקְחוּ לָהֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים

אִישׁ מֵאֵת מַכָּרוֹ

וְהֵם יְחַזְּקוּ אֶת בֶּדֶק הַבַּיִת

לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא שָׁם בָּדֶק: פ

7) It was the twenty-third year of Yehoash's rule,

the Cohanim had not made repairs.

(ז) וַיְהִי בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנָה לַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹאָשׁ

לֹא חִזְּקוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת בֶּדֶק הַבָּיִת:

King Yehoash devises a new plan: all of the money that the Cohanim collect through donations should go straight for repairs. That also did not work. The Cohanim had no incentive to collect donations that they would not get to keep.

8) King Yehoash called Yehoyada the Cohen and the Cohanim.

He said to them,

"Why aren't you repairing the House?

Now, don't collect silver from your acquaintances,

but rather put it into the repair fund."

(ח) וַיִּקְרָא הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹאָשׁ לִיהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן וְלַכֹּהֲנִים

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם

מַדּוּעַ אֵינְכֶם מְחַזְּקִים אֶת בֶּדֶק הַבָּיִת

וְעַתָּה אַל תִּקְחוּ כֶסֶף מֵאֵת מַכָּרֵיכֶם

כִּי לְבֶדֶק הַבַּיִת תִּתְּנֻהוּ:

9) The Cohanim preferred

not to collect silver from the people,

and not to repair the House.

(ט) וַיֵּאֹתוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים

לְבִלְתִּי קְחַת כֶּסֶף מֵאֵת הָעָם

וּלְבִלְתִּי חַזֵּק אֶת בֶּדֶק הַבָּיִת:

Finally, Yehoyada himself came up with a solution: a Tzedaka box, a "pushke". People who wished to donate for this cause could do so directly. The money was be collected and counted on a regular basis, and then used to pay the craftsmen - carpenters, builders, and stonemasons - who finally began to repair the old building.

10) Yehoyada the Cohen took one box,

and cut a hole in its door;

he placed it near the altar on the right

as people would come into Beit-Hashem,

and the Cohanim who were gate-keepers put into it

all the silver that was brought to Beit-Hashem.

(י) וַיִּקַּח יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן אֲרוֹן אֶחָד

וַיִּקֹּב חֹר בְּדַלְתּוֹ

וַיִּתֵּן אֹתוֹ אֵצֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ מִיָּמִין

בְּבוֹא אִישׁ בֵּית ה'

וְנָתְנוּ שָׁמָּה הַכֹּהֲנִים שֹׁמְרֵי הַסַּף

אֶת כָּל הַכֶּסֶף הַמּוּבָא בֵית ה':

11) When they would see

that there is a lot of silver in the box;

the king's accountant and the Cohen Gadol would go up,

they would sort and count

the silver found in Beit-Hashem.

(יא) וַיְהִי כִּרְאוֹתָם

כִּי רַב הַכֶּסֶף בָּאָרוֹן

וַיַּעַל סֹפֵר הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל

וַיָּצֻרוּ וַיִּמְנוּ

אֶת הַכֶּסֶף הַנִּמְצָא בֵית ה':

12) They gave the coined silver

into the hands of the contractors

who were assigned to Beit-Hashem.

They allocated it to the carpenters and builders

who were fixing Beit-Hashem.

(יב) וְנָתְנוּ אֶת הַכֶּסֶף הַמְתֻכָּן

עַל יְדֵי עֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה

הַמֻּפְקָדִים בֵּית ה'

וַיּוֹצִיאֻהוּ לְחָרָשֵׁי הָעֵץ וְלַבֹּנִים

הָעֹשִׂים בֵּית ה':

13) And to the builders and stone-hewers,

and for buying wood and stone,

to repair Beit-Hashem,

and for all expenses need to repair the House.

(יג) וְלַגֹּדְרִים וּלְחֹצְבֵי הָאֶבֶן

וְלִקְנוֹת עֵצִים וְאַבְנֵי מַחְצֵב

לְחַזֵּק אֶת בֶּדֶק בֵּית ה'

וּלְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא עַל הַבַּיִת לְחַזְקָה:

The money was dedicated for repairs, and therefore it was not used for any other purpose, not even for other uses in the Temple. The people in charge of the money were trustworthy, and were treated as such. Meanwhile, the Cohanim continued to receive the money that had been earmarked for their support.

14) But they wouldn't make for Beit-Hashem

silver cups, utensils, forks, trumpets,

or any other gold or silver utensil

from the silver that was brought to Beit-Hashem.

(יד) אַךְ לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה בֵּית ה'

סִפּוֹת כֶּסֶף מְזַמְּרוֹת מִזְרָקוֹת חֲצֹצְרוֹת

כָּל כְּלִי זָהָב וּכְלִי כָסֶף

מִן הַכֶּסֶף הַמּוּבָא בֵית ה':

15) They only gave it to the contractors,

and repaired Beit-Hashem with it.

(טו) כִּי לְעֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה יִתְּנֻהוּ

וְחִזְּקוּ בוֹ אֶת בֵּית ה':

16) And they did not audit the men

who were given charge of the silver

to give to the craftsmen,

for they were working on the basis of trust.

(טז) וְלֹא יְחַשְּׁבוּ אֶת הָאֲנָשִׁים

אֲשֶׁר יִתְּנוּ אֶת הַכֶּסֶף עַל יָדָם

לָתֵת לְעֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה

כִּי בֶאֱמֻנָה הֵם עֹשִׂים:

17)The silver of guilt offerings and the silver of sin offerings

was not brought to Beit-Hashem;

it went to the Cohanim.

(יז) כֶּסֶף אָשָׁם וְכֶסֶף חַטָּאוֹת

לֹא יוּבָא בֵּית ה'

לַכֹּהֲנִים יִהְיוּ: פ

In memory of my father, Peter Rozenberg, z"l

לעילוי נשמת אבי מורי פנחס בן נתן נטע ז''ל