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Perek 2

Mishnayos Shekalim Perek 2 Mishnah 1

שקלים פרק ב׳ משנה א׳

1
When people who live far from Jerusalem wish to send to Jerusalem the shekels that have been levied from their community, they may combine their shekels and exchange them for darics [darkonot], which are large gold coins, due to the burden of the way. Instead of carrying large amounts of shekels, the agents who deliver the funds will bring a much lighter burden of gold coins with them. The mishna adds: Just as there were collection horns in the Temple to receive the half-shekel contributions, so too there were collection horns in the rest of the country, i.e., areas outside of Jerusalem. The local inhabitants placed their half-shekels in these horns, which were later brought to Jerusalem. § With regard to the residents of a town who sent their shekels to the Temple and they were stolen from the agent on the way or were lost, if the collection of the chamber had already been collected before these shekels arrived, the agents must take the oath of a bailee to the treasurers [gizbarin]. After the collection of the chamber, all the shekels that have been contributed become the property of the Temple, so the Temple treasurers who are in charge of this property become the opposing litigants of the agents. If the ceremony has not yet been performed and the contributions have not yet been collected into the baskets, the shekels are considered the property of the residents of the town, and therefore the agents must take an oath to absolve themselves to the residents of the town. Since those shekels are still considered the property of the residents of the town because the shekels never reached the Temple, they have not fulfilled their obligation. Therefore, the residents of the town must contribute other shekels in their place. If, after the residents of the town contributed other shekels, the original shekels were found or the thieves returned them, both these original shekels and those newly contributed ones have the status of consecrated shekels and belong to the Temple. However, they do not count for the following year. The people cannot claim that since they contributed twice in one year they are exempt from contributing the next year.
מְצָרְפִין שְׁקָלִים לְדַרְכּוֹנוֹת מִפְּנֵי מַשּׂוֹי הַדֶּרֶךְ. כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהָיוּ שׁוֹפָרוֹת בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ, כָּךְ הָיוּ שׁוֹפָרוֹת בַּמְּדִינָה. בְּנֵי הָעִיר שֶׁשָּׁלְחוּ אֶת שִׁקְלֵיהֶן וְנִגְנְבוּ אוֹ שֶׁאָבָדוּ, אִם נִתְרְמָה הַתְּרוּמָה, נִשְׁבָּעִין לַגִּזְבָּרִים. וְאִם לָאו נִשְׁבָּעִין לִבְנֵי הָעִיר, וּבְנֵי הָעִיר שׁוֹקְלִין תַּחְתֵּיהֶן. נִמְצָאוּ, אוֹ שֶׁהֶחֱזִירוּם הַגַּנָּבִים, אֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ שְׁקָלִים, וְאֵין עוֹלִין לָהֶן לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה:
א׳

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.

מצרפין שקלים לדרכונות. בני העיר שקבצו שקליהם יכולים להחליפם בדרכונות. והוא מטבע של זהב כדכתיב בעזרא דרכמוני זהב, להקל מעליהם משאוי הדרך:

שופרות. תיבות שפיהן צר למעלה כעין שופר שפיו צר מלמעלה והולך ומרחיב, כדי שלא יוכלו ליטול מהן כלום. כההיא דכתיב ביהוידע (מלכים ב י״ב:י׳) ויעשו ארון אחד ויתנוהו בהיכל וכו׳ ויקוב חור בדלתו. והיו עומדים בעזרה, וכל אחד מביא שקלו ונותן בו:

כך היו במדינה. בירושלים. ולדברי רמב״ם בשאר ערי ישראל:

בני העיר ששלחו שקליהם. ביד שליח להוליכם ללשכה:

אם נתרמה התרומה. שהיו רגילים לתרום מהקופות לצורך הקרבנות. והיו תורמים על הגבוי ועל העתיד לגבות כדי שיהיה חלק בקרבנות אף לאותם שעדיין לא שקלו:

נשבעין. השלוחים:

לגזברים. דהואיל ונתרמה תרומה על המעות הללו קודם שנאבדו הרי נעשו כאילו היו ברשות הגזברים משעה שנתרמה תרומה עליהן, וכשנגנבו או אבדו ברשות הגזברים נגנבו או אבדו, הלכך נשבעים השלוחים לגזברים ונפטרים. ואע״ג דאין נשבעין על ההקדשות, שבועה זו תקנת חכמים היא כדי שלא יזלזלו בהקדשות:

ואם לאו. שבשעה שאבדו עדיין לא נתרמה תרומה ולא הוציאו מעות מן הקופות על העתיד לגבות, ברשות הבעלים אבדו, הלכך נשבעים השלוחים לאנשי העיר ונפטרים. ואנשי העיר חוזרין ושוקלים שקלים אחרים תחתיהן, שהשקלים הראשונים שאבדו לא עלו להן: