Become Complete

The Netivot Shalom used the idea of the מחצית השקל to teach the importance of taking our place as part of the community. The idea of a half shekel showed something incomplete. Half is still missing and is completed when one connects with his Judaism. One method of completion would come when one is careful to share his Torah knowledge with others. The Rabbis say that דברי תורה אינם מתקיימים ביחיד, that words of Torah are not fulfilled when one is alone. We complete the other half when we cleave to Hashem. We do this by trying to have our daughters marry a Talmid Chacham, or our sons marrying the daughter of a Talmid Chacham. And we can further cleave to Hashem by being close to the גדולים, the great rabbis of the generation. We are to accept that we cannot remain hermits. We must be involved with the needs of the community, share our Torah knowledge, and cleave to Torah scholars.