Three times a year they would remove (shekalim from) the lishkah. [They would deposit all the shekalim in one lishkah (compartment) in the Temple. And three times a year they would take from it and place (the shekalim) into three large baskets of three sa'ah for the purchase of communal offerings. The whole was not taken at one time for the needs of the entire year, for those in distant places had not yet brought all of their shekalim]: at the pross of Pesach [Fifteen days before the festival is referred to as the "pross" of the festival. For thirty days before the festival the halachoth of the festival are reviewed. ("pross," as in "prussah," i.e., half)], at the pross of Shavuoth, and at the pross of Succoth. And they (these time periods) are granoth ("threshing floors") for the beast-tithe. [These three times are three granoth for the beast-tithe, the sages having designated these times for the tithing of beasts that had been born. And just as (bringing the grain to) the threshing floor makes the grain subject to the tithe, so beasts that have been born may not be eaten after the arrival of these times until they are tithed. But before these times they may be eaten even if they have not been tithed. The sages designated these three times for the beast-tithe so that beasts be available for the festival pilgrims. For even though it is permitted to sell and slaughter and eat as long as the time of the "goren" has not yet arrived, still, people would not slaughter their beasts until they had tithed them. For one prefers doing a mitzvah with his property if he loses nothing thereby, as with the beast-tithe, the owner eating the tithed animal itself as a peace-offering. And if they did not tithe in these three periods, many would refrain from selling their beasts, not having tithed them, and beasts would not be available for the festival pilgrims.] These are the words of R. Akiva. Ben Azzai says: On the twenty-ninth of Adar, the first of Sivan, and the twenty-ninth of Av. R. Elazar and R. Shimon say: On the first of Nissan, the first of Sivan, and the twenty-ninth of Elul. [The reasons of all these tannaim, and (the bases of) their differences are explicated in the last chapter of Bechoroth.] Why did they say the twenty-ninth (of Elul) instead of the first of Tishrei? For it is a festival (Rosh Hashanah), and one cannot tithe on a festival, for which reason they moved it up to the twenty-ninth of Elul.
Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
בשלשה פרקים בשנה תורמין את הלשכה – all of the Shekalim would be placed into one chamber in the Temple and three times a year they would take from it and place them into three baskets/funds, for each basket was from three Se’ah in order to purchase from them the community offerings and they would not take all of it at one time for the needs of the entire year, for those who lived far way had not yet brought all of their Shekalim.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Introduction
Our mishnah teaches that three times a year they would take the gathered shekels out of the chamber in the Temple and appropriate them to buy public sacrifices. This time is connected to the period in which animals are tithed. In the remainder of the mishnah there are two other opinions as to when animals are tithed, and therefore as to when the shekels are appropriated.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
בפרוס הפסח – fifteen days before the Festival [of Passover] is called “half the period of preparation,” because thirty days prior to the Festival they would ask and expound upon the laws of the Festival. And the word "פרוס" is the language of a piece, meaning one-half.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
At three periods of the year the appropriation is made [from the shekels] in the chamber: Half a month before Pesah, half a month before Shavuot, and half a month before Sukkot, and these are also the threshing floors [the seasons] for the tithe of beasts, the words of Rabbi Akiva. According to Rabbi Akiva the shekels are appropriated at the same time of year that animals are tithed. I have translated “A half-month before” based on the Talmud. The mishnah itself says only “Before”, but uses a word which implies that this must occur at least a half-month before. The word “threshing floors” is borrowed from tithes for grain. The meaning is that in these three periods it becomes forbidden to eat any animal until every tenth animal has been tithed. The tithed animal still belongs to its owners, but its blood must be sprinkled on the altar and its meat eaten in Jerusalem. It seems likely to me that Rabbi Akiva said that animals were tithed before the holidays so that people would bring them to Jerusalem when they made their festival pilgrimages.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
והן גרנות של מעשר – these three periods are the fixed seasons for the tithing of cattle, and these times were fixed by the Sages to tithe the cattle that had been borne, and just as the harvesting season establishes for the tithing of grain, so too, these time periods establish prohibiting eating the cattle that were born until they are tithed, but prior to this period, it is permitted to eat them, even though they haven’t been tithed, but the Sages established these three times for the tithing of cattle, in order that they would be found for those who come up making pilgrimage for the Festivals, for even though it is permitted to sell and to slaughter and to eat all the time that the harvesting season had not yet arrived, even so, people would not slaughter them until they were tithed, for it is pleasant for people to fulfill a Mitzvah with their monies in which they are not lacking anything, such as the tithing of cattle, which of itself brings tithes and they eat it as a peace-offering. If they would not tithe at these three periods, many would be prevented from selling them, because they were not tithed, and there wouldn’t be cattle available for those coming up on pilgrimage.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Ben Azzai says: on the twenty-ninth of Adar, and on the first of Sivan, and on the twenty-ninth of Av. The remaining sages disagree as to when animals are tithed. Ben Azzai gives dates that are more precise and slightly differ from those given by Rabbi Akiva. The twenty-ninth of Adar is basically the same, as it is half a month before Pesah. The first of Sivan is only 7 days before Shavuot. He seems to give more time because there is not a lot of time between Pesah and Shavuot in which animals might be born. The third tithe is at the end of Av, because Ben Azai holds that animals born in Elul are tithed separately.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
בן עזאי אומר בכ"ט באדר – his reason is that all of these are a condition, and their disputes are explained in the last chapter of [Tractate] Bekhorot (Chapter 9, Mishnayot 5-6).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon say: on the first of Nisan, on the first of Sivan, and on the twenty-ninth of Elul. Why did they say, “On the twenty-ninth of Elul and not on the first of Tishre? Because the first of Tishre is a holy day, and it is not permitted to tithe on a festival, therefore they moved it up to the twenty-ninth of Elul. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon that the animals are tithed on the first of Nissan, which is similar to both Rabbi Akiva and one day after Ben Azai’s time. The second tithing period is on the first of Sivan, the same as Ben Azai. The third tithing period is on the twenty-ninth of Elul. The mishnah explains that they would have said the first of Tishre but one can’t tithe on the first of Tishre because it is a holiday, namely Rosh Hashanah. It seems that in this case he basically agrees with Rabbi Akiva who said half a month before Sukkot.
