Shabbos Bulletin Parshas Vayakhel 5776

Tefilla Halacha

What’s the din if b’dieved a tzibur was not able to read parshas shekalim on the appropriate Shabbos? Can they do a makeup next Shabbos or at some other time? At first glance one would think that the 4 parshiyos are just like the special readings done on any Yom Tov. If, for example, you don’t do the correct Torah reading on the first day of Pesach, you can’t make it up the week after Pesach. So too, if you miss reading Shekalim on the appropriate week, there is no makeup. R’ Akiva Eiger paskens this way, but the Eishel Avraham and Maharam Shi”k disagree. The gemara (Meg 29b) compares the takanah to read Shekalim to the din of learning hilchos yom tov 30 days before a chag. Since the new shekalim had to be brought by Rosh Chodesh Nisan, the reading was done 30 days earlier to give people advance notice to prepare. Obviously if you don’t start learning hilchos Yom Tov exactly 30 days before a chag, that doesn’t mean you should give up – aderaba – start the next day or as soon as possible! (Shu”T Maharam Shi”K 365)