LETTER TO LUBAVITCH WORLD HEADQUARTERS

Third Light, 27 Kislev 5757 (8/12/96)

Lubavitch World Headquarters
770 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, New York 11213
USA

RE: Restoration of the Holy Half-Shekel.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Shalom. It is my great honor to inform you that we are restoring the sacred Commandment of giving a Machatzit Hashekel on Purim, to commence with the Purim of 5758, to coincide with the 50th year celebrations in 1998.

The Half-Shekel comes to teach the unaffiliated that "I am at least Half a Shekel", and the zealous that "I am only Half a Shekel". The "rich shall not give more, nor the poor less"; whether that speaks of material wealth or Mitzvah observance, all are equal in the eyes of Heaven regarding the fulfillment of this Commandment.

A Matbeah Shel Aish that will build walls of Aish, and herald in the Geulah Shleimah, Mamash! In the Holy words of HaGaon Harav Yosef Dov Soloveichik,OBM, to the Frediker Rebbe at the United Lubavitcher Yeshivot Dinner in 1942; "Rabbi Yishmael says: The five fingers of Hashem's right hand each represent Redmption. With His little finger He showed Moshe how to make the Holy Ark. With His second finger G-d struck the Egyptians; with the third finger He engraved the Tablets. With the fourth finger, G-d showed Moshe, "Israel should give this Half-Shekel for their Redemption." With His thumb and the whole hand G-d will strike the enemies of Esua and Yishmael."...This finger (pointing to the Rebbe) wrote the Luchot. LET THE COMMUNITY FINGER DEMONSTRATE AND PROVIDE THE 'SHEKEL'. THIS WILL CAUSE THAT THE THUMB AND THE HAND WILL DESTROY ESAU AND YISHMAEL WITH COMPLETE REDEMPTION THROUGH MASHIACH TZIDKAYNU."

I speak as one of those predicted by the Rebbe in his Meimer of 28 Nisan 5751.

Work is currently under way to sign up participating existing Jewish institutions worldwide. We are turning to Chabad to fill in the gaps, and will expect you to reach out to every Jew not within distance of a participating institution, to assure that every Jew, everywhere in the world, will have a chance to participate in this great Mitzvah. Our goal for the first year is to reach 605,550 coins donated. Chabad can do that easily!

I am requesting that you provide me with a liason permanently based in Jerusalem, a Levi B'Tafkid, to coordinate logistics and Hasbarah.

I also call on you to review until memory the Rebbe's Sha'arei Hamoadim, Chodesh Adar, pages 145-228, and review Mesechet Shekalim of the Yerushalmi, because we are going to have a lot of explaining to do and the Shlichim had better know their stuff.

A complete archive of the project can be found on the Internet at: israelvisit.co.il/beged-ivri .

G-d Bless,


Reuven Prager
Beged Ivri

cc:

    Mr. David Bar Illan, Prime Minister's Office
    Mr. Moshe Klirs, IGCMC
    Mr. Michael Kahanov, Brink's


LETTER TO LUBAVITCH WORLD HEADQUARTERS

Shushan Purim, 15 Adar II 5757 (24/3/97)

HaRav Benyamin Klein Lubavitch
World Headquarters
770 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn,
New York 11213
USA

RE: Chabad's Role in Restoring the Holy Half-Shekel.

Dear Rabbi Klein,

Shalom! As a follow up to our meeting on 4 Adar II, I am enclosing a copy of the letter we sent to your office on 27 Kislev 5757.

It is with great awe that I can now inform you that the Half-Shekel is a physical reality. Production began on Purim, 14 Adar II 5757. This past Purim was an historic Purim for another reason also, it was the last Purim that Klal Yisrael did not give the Holy Half-Shekel.

With all due respect, the Rebbe did not say in his Meimer of 28 Nisan 5751, that "one of you will shlepp around from Beit Din to Beit Din"; The Rebbe said "one of you will restore a ceremony that will bring the Geulah Shleimah."

The restoration of the giving of the Holy Half-Shekel will bring the Geulah Shleimah. The Half-Shekel is now a physical reality. Any debate on it at this point is only rhetoric.

The Rebbe put a great many people through an awful lot of trouble so that this would come about. The Rebbe has prepared you and all the Shlichim for the Geulah Shleimah. The Rebbe alluded to this project in that very same Meimer. We anticipate that you will treat this as if the Rebbe is standing in front of you saying; "Here is the gate, the time has come, let us pass through." Or, in the words of HaRav Yosef Dov Soleveichik, "Let the community finger demonstrate and provide the SHEKEL..."

I would again like to thank you and the library office for your cooperation in providing the list of Chabad institutions worldwide which will be posted shortly on the Half-Shekel website as potential points of sale and collection of the Half-Shekel ceremonial coins.

Looking foward to your continued cooperation.

G-d Bless,

Reuven Prager

cc:

    Mr. Bobby Brown, Prime Minister's Office
    Mr. Michael Kahanov, Brink's


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