Commentary for Eduyot 1:10
הַפּוֹרֵט סֶלַע שֶׁל מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, בְּכָל הַסֶּלַע מָעוֹת, וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, בְּשֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף וּבְשֶׁקֶל מָעוֹת. הַדָּנִים לִפְנֵי חֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה דִינָרִים כֶּסֶף וּבְדִינָר מָעוֹת. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה דִינָרִים כֶּסֶף וּבִרְבִיעִית כֶּסֶף בִּרְבִיעִית מָעוֹת. וְרַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אוֹמֵר, אַרְבָּעָה אַסְפְּרֵי כָסֶף. שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר, יַנִּיחֶנָּה בַחֲנוּת וְיֹאכַל כְּנֶגְדָּהּ:
One who exchanges a sela of second-tithe money in Jerusalem [i.e., if he exchanged a sela that he had for copper coins to expend them for the needs of a second-tithe meal — Beth Shammai say: For the whole sela, coins [i.e., if he wishes to exchange all the selaim that he has for coins, he may do so.] And Beth Hillel say: A shekel in silver and a shekel in coins. [i.e., he should exchange only half, lest he not remain in the city until he has spent all of them and he deposit them in the city until the next holiday and the coins deteriorate. And if he re-exchanges them for selaim, the money changer will profit twice, and ma'aser sheni will lose.] Those who deliberate in the presence of the sages, [i.e., Shimon b. Azzai, Shimon b. Zoma and Chanan Hamitzri] say: For three dinars, silver, and for one dinar, coins. [i.e., he should take coins only for one dinar, and three silver dinarim should remain.] R. Akiva says: For three dinars, silver; and for the fourth, a quarter in coins. [i.e., For the fourth silver dinar, he should take only a fourth in copper coins, and three-quarters, silver, so that he ends up with one-sixteenth of a sela in copper coins alone.] R. Tarfon says: Four esperi, silver. [A silver dinar equals five esperi (a Greek coin, which is still called by the same name), so that a sela equals twenty esperi. Therefore, in exchange for a dinar, he receives four silver esperi and one espero of copper (coins), and he ends up with one-twentieth of a sela in copper coins alone.] Shammai says: Let him leave it in the shop and eat in accordance with it. [i.e., He should not exchange it for coins at all, lest he forget and render them chullin (i.e., non-sanctified); but let him leave the sela with the shopkeeper and eat corresponding to its worth, until it is used up. The halachah is in accordance with Beth Hillel alone.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
One who exchanges a sela from second tithe in Jerusalem: Beth Shammai says: “Copper coin for the whole sela.” And Beth Hillel says: “Silver for one shekel and copper coin for one shekel.” The disputants before the Sages say: “Silver for three denars and copper coin for one denar.” Rabbi Akiva says: “Silver for three denars and for the fourth silver, copper coin.” Rabbi Tarfon says: “Four aspers in silver.” Shammai says: “He must leave it in the shop and eat on the credit thereof.” This mishnah discusses the person who arrives in Jerusalem with his silver sela of second tithe and wishes to exchange it for copper coins so that he can buy small quantities of food. According to Beth Shammai he must exchange the entire sela for copper. This is consistent with Beth Shammai’s opinion in the previous mishnah: one cannot exchange silver second tithe with silver, but only with copper. According to Beth Hillel, he may exchange half of the sela for a silver shekel and the other half for copper. Again, Beth Hillel holds that since he is exchanging part of the sela for copper he may also exchange part for silver. Rabbi Akiva takes Beth Hillel’s position even further. A person may exchange even ¼ of the sela (denar) for copper and the rest (3/4) for silver. A sela is worth four denars. Rabbi Tarfon goes even further. For the fourth denar he may even take four aspers of silver and one asper’s worth of copper. An asper is 1/5 of a denar. Shammai again is strictest. He holds that he shouldn’t exchange the sela at all. Rather he should leave it at a store and eat on credit.