Whole and Half - for Parshat Shekalim

To become one with another person, you must first recognize that you are but a broken half. Only then can you give all of yourself and become whole.

To become one with the Infinite Light, you must know you are but a broken half, the Infinite Light is your other half, and only then can you give all of yourself and become whole.

Pekudei 5741:61-62; Torat Menachem 5749 vol. 2, pg. 180.

« Previous

G-d with the Oppressed

Cursed and Blessed

By Tzvi Freeman

From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Subscribe and get your dose daily. To order Rabbi Freeman’s latest book, Wisdom to Heal the Earth, click here.

Browse Book

Wisdom to Heal the Earth »

By Tzvi Freeman

Buy Book

Wisdom to Heal the Earth is a revolutionary new look at Tikun Olam based on the teachings of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.

In this Book

Join the Discussion

Sort By:

NewestOldest

11 Comments

jim dallas May 18, 2017

i don't look for esoterics to understand, rather look at the raw material and seek to recognize that which is there indicated and trust in One who is the author and source of what is to be found....hopefully, certain called for possibilities will become evident and available....but yet you are right, His Light is a major part of our/my being! thanks! Reply

K. January 6, 2015

Marriage of the Heart In reading this DD in concert with the one previous: "Open for me" ... i can see how it seems the above 'whole and half'' diminishes the mystery or the potentiality of the previous.

I think mankind's exhaustive fictions around 'whole and half' are not necessarily of Divine origin. Would He wish we thought of ourselves this way? Broken? Mankind in general prefers to acclimatize at the level of 'mars versus venus' with mars being the paradigme of masculinity, venus being of the realm of femininity ... so the 'incompleteness' results because we are only looking at the dynamics of 1 universe?

Truly, it is God's will that we see ourselves as capable of progressive transformation when we partake of the 'manna en sof' or the Infinite Light ... & our willingness to bring about harmony here thru the tikune process ...

Trusting fully in HIM is the key.
And through co-participation with Ha Shem we bring about the wholeness that is desired. Reply

Brenda Toronto, Canada January 5, 2015

Piece Of The Whole There is no whole if the pieces (each of us) don't recognize that we belong to the whole as one system. Reply

Anonymous Montreal January 5, 2015

The Heart Nachman of Bratzlav said “Nothing is as whole as a heart that has been broken.”.
Divine sparks of creation are scattered throughout the shards of the broken heart of our universe....through our broken hearts and mitzvos we are to help God do what God is unable to do on God’s own – to perform Tikkun Olam.

The truth? “God is close to the broken-hearted.” The path to our wholeness comes not from overcoming, but embracing the broken-ness! Reply

Yaakov Yosefbarhu Bulverde March 18, 2014

Half Shekel Half shekel is what we bring to atone and be counted by HaShem from the Temple. You must bring the total of a Half Shekel when coming to the L-rd. But the other Half Shekel shows how we must come together as a community. Reply

Tzvi Freeman March 18, 2014

Re; Enough! There is one thing that G‑d saw in His creation and said it was "not good."

"It is not good that man is alone."

And yes, He created Adam this way. And before He brought Adam his other half, G‑d first brought every animal to him, so that Adam should recognize that he is but a half of a whole and that he is alone. And only then, did G‑d bring him Chava, so that he would not be alone. Reply

Anonymous Montreal March 18, 2014

Enough! Enough talk about broken and halves...are you saying that GOD made imperfect creations, that only priests, gurus, rabbis and other holy people can give us guidance as to becoming whole. "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good"

But our wise men did not believe god, they must have heard something else, and needed to see man as unfinished to do their jobs.

I like GOD, he has a lot to say about us, yes we are sinners, but broken, no way. Reply

Anonymous March 18, 2014

Love this! Love this! Thank you so much for posting it :) Reply

Amanda Pomona, NJ March 16, 2011

Whole and Half This article is the very best, and so true!! Reply

Patsy Lubbock March 4, 2011

Whole and Half Beautiful. Reply

Smadar Lorie Thornhill, ON/Canada March 4, 2011

Whole and Half If one single cell holds everything there is to become a COMPLETE human being, then how can we say that we are only half. We are always whole. We are always complete. This way we can connect with Him with the knowing that we are ALREADY one with the Infinite. Reply

More in this section

Join the Discussion