Machatzit HaShekel--The Battle Against Cheap Stingy and Evil Eye (19 Min)

0:10This week we're in Parashat Terumah. So the parasha begins with something very interesting where Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu to speak to the children of Israel and...

1:38Zahav is gold; kesef, aside from meaning money, also means silver; and nechoshet means copper. So the Rambam has a very nice peshat on what really Hashem is saying here. The Chachamim, you know who the Chachamim are, say that... Hashem is actually telling us to make sure that each person gives, but only if their heart motivates them. Meaning, I don't need your money because everything is mine anyway. However, if you want to give now, now's the time... If you want to be the kli, you want to be the tool that I use to build the tabernacle. You want to be a partner in teshuva; you want to be a partner in kedusha. You want to be a partner in things that are meaningful, and not just yachts, not just by bitcoins, cars, watches, houses, and another extension to your house, and all the other things that we do with our life. You want to be a partner in something meaningful, something that actually lasts beyond this world. Now's the time to...

2:54only if your heart motivates you, meaning don't think you're doing me any favors. And now he gives details: Take from them gold, silver, copper. This signifies that there are different levels of giving because each person has a motivation to give, but Each person has a different motive to give, you know. They may all be motivated to give, but one guy might have the motivation to give 50 cents, another guy a dollar fifty, another guy three dollars and fifty cents, another guy a whole ten dollars, and another guy maybe 25 bucks. The other guy a hundred, and the gvir gives $300. The gvir you made a million dollars this year and they give 300 bucks. But he wants you to make sure that you use at least $150 in advertising to tell people he gave you $300. It's like the people that give a lot of money; they usually want you to advertise that they gave a lot of money. They give you a million; they want you to spend half a million on advertising that they gave half a million dollars. He says there are three types of givers. Now the flame says the following: Zahav (gold) is a shittah teivos. There are no ten boded.

4:13Each one of the letters of the word "Zahav" stands for a word. "Ze" means this. This giver is healthy. What does it mean that this giver is healthy? It means this guy that's giving, that he's a gold-level giver. Not necessarily that he gave a lot. He may have a lot, and he gave a lot. He may not have a lot, but he still gave. What does it mean? He gave before problems started. He's not giving because somebody's sick. He's not giving because, "Listen, do it to make sure to save my uncle. What happened? Oh, the doctor said he has three hours to live. Can you save him now?" Okay, you should have given it to me before those three hours. He's saying before anything bad, nothing bad has happened, Baruch Hashem, everything is good, parnasa tova, good marriage, the kids are good, everything is good. But I'm giving because I want to be a partner with Hashem. Zeh anoten bari, he's healthy-minded, healthy spiritually, healthy physically, everything is good, but I still want to give. Zeh anoten bari. This is a healthy giver. Kesef stands for rashei tevot, kesher ro'eh sakana poteach.

5:22Show a person who, when he sees danger, opens his pockets, opens his hand, and starts to give. What does it mean when someone starts saying, "Oh, the market started to drop, maybe this is a correction. Oh, it's only 10%. If it's 10%, if I give extra tzedakah now, I'll give the amount that I intended to give over three years right now, so maybe Hashem is going to stop the whole market for me. Oh..." The market is supposed to correct; it already doubled in the last couple of years, but no, it dropped 10%. But I still didn't make my million yet. I only made one million. I didn't make two, so maybe if I give 10,000 now, then Hashem is gonna change all of nature for me. He sees danger. He sees all of a sudden. He's coughing a little bit. He's coughing a little bit. The doctor says, "Listen, it's not a normal cough. It's not a normal cough. You know why? There's a little blood coming out. It's not a normal cough; there's a little blood coming out." You have to get some checks. He doesn’t know what it is yet. He doesn’t know what it is. But you know something's wrong. He sees danger. Danger is on the horizon. There’s a market correction. The wife doesn’t pay attention to him anymore. The husband doesn’t pay attention to her anymore. He forgot the anniversary. The kids don’t want to go to school anymore. The kid came, she caught the kid with no kippah on for the first time.

6:48The boss didn't answer your messages. You didn't get a raise this year. He sees sakana. He sees danger. Not verified. He doesn't know. He's not fired yet. He's not sick bar minan. Nothing. But he sees there's something going on. Okay, before it's too late. Hey, how much, how much did I just invest? Enough? Two hundred? How much? How much is needed to solve this danger? What do you mean, what are you protecting? I’ve got a million-dollar portfolio. You want to protect the million-dollar portfolio? For a hundred dollars? Do me a favor, put the hundred million dollars in the tzedakah box. You know, the charity box. What are you going to do with a hundred dollars? You're trying to protect a million-dollar house with a hundred dollars? Tzedakah! People spend, people spend a... Millions on shtuyot, you tell him to do a mitzvah like oh, why so expensive? Rav David Yosef, he is the son, is a big tzaddik. He comes to America often and speaks English perfectly. He is a big talmid chacham. He has what's called ayin tova. What's ayin tova? We hear a lot about ayin ra.

7:54I know somebody looks, if he looks at your car, just expect you to get a flat tire at the best-case scenario. Worst case, the car's going to blow up in a week. That's how I know people. They look at your car, they look at your house, they look at your wife, they look at your husband. Bli ayin hara, bli ayin hara, what's going to happen in a week? You know, it's already a clock, the clock is ticking. You're finished. He tells you, "Wow, you had a good job," just expect to fill out the paperwork for unemployment. Wow, you guys look at the nice couple. You are happily married, yet expect your wife to give you a divorce in a week? What happened? Oh, I've always not liked it. We know, always, all of a sudden always. Guys, I know there are people, even my mom's friends, who are jealous. They look at you and give you a compliment, but it's not a true compliment. It's more like a reminder that you really shouldn't have it; it belongs to them. They want it; they don't want you to have it. They are not happy that you have it. They act like they're happy, sometimes they will smile and say fine. Ah, I... But Rav David Yosef has an Ayin Tova. What's an Ayin Tova? He is really happy, from people that know him personally, he's really happy to see other people succeed. So much so that he's one of the only people, that I know of at least, that's willing to share his tormim. People that donate to him, to his kollels, to his yeshivot, to different things that he does. He knows there's different rich people. He tells other people, listen, you know, you need money for your kollel? Sure, call my guy.

9:21You need money for your yeshiva? Sure, call my guy. I have a guy. He has a lot of money. But he gave you money. That has nothing to do with you. Call him. Maybe he's going to give you money too. This is completely unheard of. Why? Because most people are scared. Most people, they're scared to show, you know, tell other people about their donors. Because they're worried. If he gives him, maybe he's not going to give me. People have a limited world mentality. It's the same thing in business, by the way. People are always scared that the competition opened up shop next door to them. They don't have any emunah in Hashem, and they think that just because this guy opened up shop next door, it means they're going to make less money. Or they think just because someone came up with a different product that maybe is better, it means they're going to go broke, and they'll start getting stressed out and start taking pills to calm down. People don't understand emunah. Somewhat, I'm told he mamash likes to help other people succeed. He tells a story: He goes to America one time, and he says the story himself. He comes to a rich guy's house, and as soon as he comes to the house, oh, Baruch Hashem, big house. Big house, more rooms than there are people.

10:41He says, Baruch Hashem, everything's good. How are you doing? Oh, yeah, listen. What do you think of my mezuzot? I just got new ones. Oh, Baruch Hashem, good. Mazal Tov. He goes, yeah, the guy's a thief. Who's a thief? Oh, the rabbi sold me the mezuzot. Can you believe it? $150 a mezuzah? Can you believe this thief? $150 for a mezuzah. I have 10 rooms in the house. I have to spend $1,500 on mezuzot. What a thief this guy is. WSF said, "I didn't say anything. I didn't say anything. I waited, and I wanted him to show me the ten rooms he wanted to show me in the house. So, my last ten rooms. Not because you have ten people, but because you want to show the ten rooms that are empty in case people come. So, he shows them the rooms, and he starts showing the closet. He says, 'Can you see this quality kind of wood? This wood comes from Italy.'" Best wood maker in the world made these woods special order for one hundred fifty thousand dollars. I spent on these closets one hundred fifty thousand dollars. What can you see? Can you smell what kind of wood this is? What I love, it's beautiful, right? Rav Wosner says, what, Atif? Who made the closets?

11:57He's my friend, I know him. He can't say he's my friend, I know him. He's not Atif. He says, "Atif, $150,000 for closets? Kvod HaRav, you don't understand the wood industry." That's why you're saying it's Atif. He says, your ears should listen to your foolish mouth. You don't understand the holy world. You don't understand what a valuable mezuzah is. You're thinking that one hundred fifty dollars is expensive. A real mezuzah should cost you five hundred dollars, a thousand dollars if you really want a mezuzah for a house like this. One mezuzah. But you're thinking one hundred fifty dollars is expensive. Why? You don't know anything. They call easily. We're in a hurry to call the rabbi, tif. We're in a hurry to call the rabbi, tif. Hashem says if you are giving to Me with a full heart, gold (zahav). If you have already seen danger on the horizon but you don't know what has happened, silver (kesef) is represented by this awareness of danger. But then there's copper (nechoshet). What's nechoshet? Netinat choleh she'omer tenu.

13:09This is the giving of someone that's already sick that just says just give it to him, give it to him. Why? He's on his deathbed. He says, "I have five hours to live. Just give him whatever he wants. Maybe he'll save me." It's too late, Rabotai. He's under five minutes to live. Sometimes people ask me, "Listen, why don't you do a shiur for refuah shlema?" Refuah shlema is for different people. No problem. I never say no, even though technically, people, you know, donate to do such a thing. I don't ask people. If you want to donate, donate. If you don't want to donate, don't donate. What can I tell you? I'm not going to not pray for somebody because you're cheap. But the problem is, the problem is when they tell you if wash them up when the guy is already on his deathbed. So, whatever, we do whatever we can. We pray, we learn, we mention them in the shiurim, and... And I say to the people, listen, my prayer alone, who am I? We try with this, with that, but it's not enough, though. Not enough. Other people doing teshuva, it's good. It's not enough. You give some donation, good. It's not enough. The sick person, the sick person, are they planning on doing teshuva? And keeping Shabbat? Or if they're a woman, are they going to be modest?

14:38Are they going to keep mitzvot, taharat mishpacha? And once in a while, you hear a fool say, "Oh, you know, they don't want to commit. I'm not sure. I'm not sure if they're ready to commit." Oh, so you'd rather be dead but immodest? Instead of alive but modest? You'd rather be a dead mechalel Shabbat rather than a living shomer Shabbat? But that's what it says in the Gemara. They're saying even in the gates of Gehinom, some people continue with their behavior. Oh, man. It's written in the Torah regarding Teshuva, repentance, and the significance of change. The Chasidim teach that even though the wicked are so entrenched in their sins, so accustomed to taking things that don't belong to them, and so used to going against Hashem in various ways, they persist in their behavior. They are so ingrained in their habits that even when presented with the truth, even when urged to listen and recognize the need for change, their deeply rooted behaviors often persist. You have to change. I had a woman one time tell me, "Listen, my husband beats me. My kids are drug addicts." This, oh Hashem, what kind of problems this woman has! Hashem, I tell her, "Listen, I can't help you unless you change your profile picture." Why? Every time you send a profile picture, I see your text, and you don't have clothes on in it. So either send it to me in some other way or change your picture. I can tell you that the first mitzvah is to focus on modesty. I don't need to know all your problems, but first, take on modesty.

16:02Take on modesty, keep Shabbat. She was listening. I think, I know you're right. I know I have to do teshuva. I have to be modest, but I'm not ready for that. What do you mean not ready? Your kids are drug addicts, your husband beats you, the neighbors hate you. What else do you want? What do you want, what do you want a bat kol to come from Shamayim? They tell you 'please do teshuva.' What do you want? What else do you want? Reshaim, even at the Petach of Gehinnom, they don't do teshuva. But the Chassid Yaavetz says a chiddush worth a million dollars. He says until the Petach of Gehinnom, until the gate of Gehinnom, they don't do teshuva. In Gehinnom, everybody does teshuva. Until the gate, no one does teshuva. No, the Reshaim, when they go inside, everybody does teshuva. Everybody does teshuva. So, Rabotai Yekarim, Hashem Yitbarach is telling us to give. Before you have to give, give before you get sick, give before there are problems. Because that shows Hashem that you know where it's coming from and you don't think that you're the one who made it. But even someone who gives on their deathbed, it's still better than not giving. Many times it's happened with tzedakah that it actually went into full effect and could save somebody's life.

17:25Now, there are many times during the year that a person is obligated to give, obviously. But right now, we have Rosh Chodesh Adar, which is on Thursday. A couple of days from now, all the way from Rosh Chodesh Adar until Purim, there's a mitzvah, an obligation. It's not just a nice thing to do; you are obligated to give something called machatzit ha'shekel, which is what this parasha is about. Maḥatsit HaShekel, or half a shekel, means 9.4 grams of pure silver. Obviously, people don't walk around with silver like they used to, so we replace it with actual money. I did myself the favor, and you can benefit from it, by actually calculating how much this is and... 9.4 grams of silver is approximately a third of an ounce. A third of an ounce of silver, with silver currently being at sixteen dollars and sixty cents an ounce, means approximately five dollars and fifty cents per person per household. So if it's just you, and you're single, give five dollars and fifty cents, or more if you want, and...

18:35But for this specific mitzvah, it is $5.50; anything more is a different mitzvah. But this one, you have to give $5.50; everybody gives $5.50. No, anything you give more than that is for different mitzvot, like maaser. But this specific mitzvah has to be precisely five dollars and fifty cents per person. If you have, let's say, ten people in your house, then you give $55. But you should give it to different things that are relevant to Torah and matters of that nature. This is one mitzvah that you have to fulfill from now until Purim.