שקלים ב׳:א׳ - ב׳:ב׳

מצרפין שקלים לדרכונות – the people of the city that gathered together their Shekels can exchange them for Darics (i.e., a Persian gold coin) and this is a gold coin as it is written in Ezra (2:69): “[In accord with their means, they donated to the treasury of the work:] gold-6,100 drachmas, [silver -5,000 minas, and priestly robes – 100],” to ease from upon them the burden/weight of the way.

שופרות – chests whose openings from the top were narrow like a Shofar whose top is narrow from the top and continues to widen in order that people would not be able to take from them anything, as it is written regarding Jehoiada (II Chronicles 24:8): “[The king (Jehoash) ordered that] a chest be made and placed [outside of the gate of the House of the LORD],” (II Kings 12:10): “[And the priest Jehoiada took a chest] and bored a hole in its lid….” They were standing in the Temple courtyard, and everyone was bringing his Shekel and giving it.

כך היו במדינה – in Jerusalem, and according to the words of Maimonides, in the rest of the cities of Israel.

בני העיר ששלחו שקליהם – by the hand of an agent to bring them to the Temple treasury (for congregational sacrifices).

אם נתרמה התרומה – as they were accustomed to donate from the baskets for the needs of the sacrifices, they would donate on what was collected and what would in the future be collected, in order hat there would be a part of a the sacrifices, even for those who had yet not given their Shekels.

נשבעין – the messengers.

לגזברים – to the treasurers, for since the Terumah had been appropriated on these monies, before they were lost, they are made as if they were in the domain of the treasurers from the time that the Terumah had been appropriated, for if they were stolen or lost, they were stolen or lost while in the domain of the treasurers; therefore, the agents swear to the treasurers and they are exempted/dismissed, for even though they don’t take an oath on the sacred property of the Temple, it is a decree of the Sages in order that they not disregard the sacred property of the Temple.

ואם לאו – that at the time when they were lost, the Terumah had not yet been appropriated, and they had not removed the monies from the baskets for what would be collected in the future, it was in the domain of the owners that they were not, therefore, the agents swear to the men of the city and are exempted, and the men of the city go back and collect [for donation] other Shekels in their place, for the first Shekalim that were lost don’t count for them.

הנותן שקלו לחבירו לשקול על יד – for him, and the agent went and paid the Shekel (i.e., half-shekel) on his own behalf.

אם נתרמה התרומה – prior to his giving the Shekel to the treasurer.

מעל – he who paid it (i.e., the Shekel) in on his own behalf, for as soon as the Terumah was appropriated on that which would be collected in the future, that specific Shekel that his fellow gave him to pay on his behalf was [already] in the sacred domain [of the Temple] and when he gave on his behalf, he benefitted from the sacred donations, for if he had not given this Shekel on his behalf, they would have exacted a pledge from him, as is taught in the Mishnah above in the first chapter (Mishnah 3), for from when they sat in the Temple, they began to take pledges and it was found that he benefitted from what belonged to the Temple, and he is liable for a sacrifice of sacrilege.

השוקל שקלו מן ההקדש – the monies that were in his hand which were sanctified for the repair of the House, and when he thought that they were non-holy and donated his Shekel from them, and the Terumah had been appropriated, and they bought an animal with that Terumah and sacrificed it or obligated the person who made his donation a sacrifice of sacrilege but not before, because that which is sanctified [and belongs to the Temple] remains sanctified as it was in every place where he is and did not change. And when the animal was sacrificed, and he intended that it be from money, everyone who gave his Shekel in the Terumah of the Temple treasury is made as if he purchased the animal with those monies of Hekdesh/belonging to the Temple and sacrificed it and benefited because they did not have him take a pledge for his Shekel and he became liable for a sacrifice of sacrilege. But the first part of the Mishnah also as it is taught – when his fellow gave him his Shekel on his behalf and he gave the Shekel for himself that he committed sacrilege, that is, also when the animal was sacrificed after the Terumah had been appropriated, for if it had not been taught in the first part of the Mishnah because it relied upon the concluding part of the Mishnah which explains the sacrilege of both of them. And this is the reason that he doesn’t commit sacrilege immediately, even though he already benefitted, because there is no sacrilege other than removing from that which is sanctified [and belonging to the Temple] to that which is non-holy. But someone who removes [funds] from one sanctified area to [another] sanctified area, even though he benefitted, he does not commit sacrilege other than when something is done with the second sanctified [monies]. And this is proven in the Jerusalem Talmud.

יאכל כנגדן – He must bring a Shekel and state that every place which is Second Tithe or Seventh year produce will be redeemed by this Shekel, for the Seventh year – its additional worth is like that which is dedicated to the Temple and the produce purchased with that Shekel should be eaten in Jerusalem for the sake of Second Tithe or eat them in the holiness of the Seventh year if the produce that was redeemed was seventh year produce.