T his week, we read Parashat Vayakhel; this week is also a special Shabbat called Shabbat Shekalim, the first of several special Shabbatot before Passover. The other special Shabbatot are Shabbat Zachor, Shabbat Parah, Shabbat HaChodesh, and Shabbat HaGadol. The special maftir (last Torah reading) portion for Shabbat Shekalim is from the book of Exodus, chapter 30, verses 11 through 16. The reading describes a census of the Jewish People that was taken while the Jews were in the Wilderness, after their Exodus from Egypt. The Torah, in here and in other places, teaches that it is forbidden to count Jews in the ordinary manner; rather, the People should be called upon to contribute items, which would then be counted. In the case of this census, the item that was contributed by rich and poor alike was a half shekel, the " shekel" being the coin in use at the time, roughly equivalent to our dollar. The collected shekels, or " shekalim," in Hebrew, were then used for the construction and upkeep of the Mishkan, the portable Temple, which was used until the Temple found its permanent residence in Jerusalem (despite its destruction twice, the place retains its holiness). The equal participation of all the People symbolizes that all Jews must share in achieving national goals, by giving up one's selfish, personal interests for the sake of the nation. One who does so gains infinite benefit, because the mission of Israel is dependent upon the unity of the whole.