RABBI MAROOF ON PARSHAS MISHPATIM VE SHEKALIM

This is the week of Shabbes Parshas Shekalim, one of four Shabbasos not coinciding with a holiday or a rosh chodesh, on which customarily an extra portion is read - necessitating the taking out of two Torah scrolls.

On Shabbes Parshas Shekalim, the extra passage comes from Ki Sisa, reminding us of the half-shekel offering.

[The other three special shabbasos are Parshas Zachor (zachor = remember; featuring the final part of Parshas Ki Setzei - remember what Amalek did to you), Parshas Parah (from Chukas, featuring the red heifer, the 'parah adumah'), and Parshas HaChodesh (from Bo, about the first day of Nissan and the sanctification of the new moon).
Parshas Ki Setzei: Dvarim 21:10 - 25:19 "Ki seitzei lamilchama al oivecha unesana Adonai Elohecha beyadecha veshavisa shiveyo" (When you go to war against your enemies, and HaShem your God, delivers them into your hand, and you will emprison it in emprisonment).
Parshas Chukat: Bamidbar 19:1 - 22:1 "Zos chukas ha Torah" (this is what the Torah decrees).
Parshas Bo: Shmos 10:1-13:16 "Vayomer Yhwh el-Moshe bo el-Paro" (And the Lord said to Moses 'go in to Pharaoh...')]


Here are Rabbi Joshua Maroof's thoughts about why this parsha is added:
http://vesomsechel.blogspot.com/2007/02/parashat-shekalim_1734.html
He sees a collective share and atonement in the annual half shakel contribution, and posits the reading of the parsha as education preceding the mitzva.


Rabbi Maroof also finishes discussing Parshas Yisro here:
http://vesomsechel.blogspot.com/2007/02/doing-justice.html
There is a basis of justice in the Torah, and truth is valued greatly.


Regarding this week's sidra, Mishpatim, Rabbi Maroof compares chukim (statutes, decrees) and mishpatim (judgements, ordinances), and quotes the Rambam:
http://vesomsechel.blogspot.com/2007/02/hukkim-and-mishpatim.html
The chukim are those commandments which have non-obvious reasons, some of which cannot be understood at all, whereas mishpatim are like the ten commandments, relatively straightforward and having clear raisons d'etre.


Note: Parshas Shekalim describes how the number of the Hebrews in the wilderness was counted by totalling the half-shekel contributions for the construction and maintenance of the Mishkan, each contribution being a half shekel.

There is a symbolic link between Shekalim, and Purim (coming up soon), as both reference a census - by shekalim in the one, by purim (lots) in the other.