This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shekalim—the special Sabbath that comes just before the beginning of the month of Adar, always a few weeks before Purim.

In our portion, we read about the half-shekel tax: an annual contribution that adult Israelites were required to give to support the communal life of the people.

It originally applied only to adult men, but the spiritual principle transcends that historical context. The half-shekel teaches us that sacred community is built when everyone contributes. Not just men. Not just a few. Not just the wealthy. Not just the leaders.

Everyone.

And I would suggest we take this even further—not only Jews, but anyone connected to Jewish life, the “Jew-adjacent”: partners, loved ones, fellow travelers, supporters. Anyone who strengthens the fabric of our community.

What makes this mitzvah so powerful is that it must be observed yearly. It’s not a one-time commitment.

What an important reminder. Belonging isn’t something you declare once and then walk away. It must be renewed, again and again. That truth echoes beyond this week’s Torah portion and into the present moment. In his “State of World Jewry” address last week in New York, Bret Stephens made the case with elegant simplicity: the Jewish future won’t be secured by grand gestures alone, but by millions of small acts of renewed commitment by each and every one of us who cares about Jewish life.

It’s simple: just ten percent more.

Be ten percent more involved.
Ten percent more committed.
Ten percent more knowledgeable.
Ten percent more generous.
Ten percent more curious.
Ten percent more present.

A modest but meaningful increase—one that requires greater effort, to be sure, but is entirely doable.

And it must be sustained. It’s not a one-time effort. Like the half-shekel itself, it is a yearly, ongoing commitment to be more connected, more engaged, more involved.

So let’s ask ourselves:

Can we grow ten percent this year?
Can we learn more?
Can we give more—show up more for one another, for our community, for God?

When we do, the community benefits.
Our people benefit.

But so do we.

We become better. Happier. More inspired. More filled with purpose.

May this Shabbat remind us that holiness is built through shared responsibility—and that even ten percent  more commitment can create lasting change.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yoshi