The terumah [i.e., what they put into the baskets] — what did they do with it? They bought temidin (the daily burnt-offerings), mussafin (the additional offerings), their libations, the omer, the two loaves, the show-bread, and all the communal offerings [including the incense]. The watchers of after-growths on shevi'ith (the sabbatical year) take their pay from the terumah of the lishkah. [The "aftergrowths" are what grow of themselves from what was left of the harvest. Watchmen are paid to see to it that the poor do not pick them on the shevi'ith, and they are brought for the omer on Pesach and for the two loaves on Shavuoth, which come only from the new produce and from Eretz Yisrael. The watchmen may be paid from the terumah, for what is needed for the offering is as the offering itself in this regard.] R. Yossi says: If one wishes, he may donate his services as an unpaid watchman. [And even though he acquires the after-growths from hefker (renounced property) by watching them gratis and bringing them, so that they are his — R. Yossi holds that an individual offering can be converted to a communal one.] They said to him: Do you not agree that they (these offerings) may come only from the congregation? [And if he watched the after-growths gratis and brought them and acquired them, they are found not to come from the congregation (the rabbis holding that an individual offering cannot be converted to a communal one.) The halachah is in accordance with the sages.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
התרומה מה היו עושין בה – that they placed into the boxes – what did they do with them?
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Introduction
This mishnah begins to discuss what they did with the money from the appropriation.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
וכל קרבנות הצבור – including incense.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
What did they do with the appropriation? They bring with it the daily burnt-offerings ( and the additional burnt-offerings ( and their libations, the omer and the two loaves and the showbread and all the other public offerings. This section contains a list of some of the public offerings that were purchased from the appropriation. Tamidim see Exodus 29:38, Numbers 28:3; musafim see Numbers 28:9 ff.; the omer Leviticus 23:10-11; the two loaves Leviticus 23:16-17; the showbread Leviticus 24:5-9.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
ספיחים – grain that comes up on its own from what was fell off/dropped at the harvest, and we give payment to the guards (i.e., these men were hired to prevent people from collecting the aftergrowth) so that poor people would not glean/gather them in the Seventh year, and bring from the Omer on Passover and the two loaves on Atzeret/Shavuot, for these do not come other than from חדש/new grain and from the Land of Israel. And we give them their payment from the Terumah/sacred donations, for the needs of the sacrifice are considered like the sacrifice itself.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Those who guard the aftergrowths of the seventh year take their wages out of the appropriation from the chamber. Rabbi Yose says: [if a man wished] he could volunteer to watch without payment. But they said to him: you too admit that they can only be offered out of public funds. While it is forbidden to work the land during the seventh year, it is permitted to eat produce that grows on its own. This produce was necessary for the omer, the grain brought between Pesah and Shavuot, and the two loaves, brought on Shavuot, because these both had to come from newly harvested produce. To make sure that there was some grain in the fields the Temple would hire guards to watch the aftergrowths. These guards took their salary from the shekels. Rabbi Yose says that if an individual wishes to guard the fields without pay, he is free to do so. The other sages respond that his opinion is problematic. Rabbi Yose agrees that public sacrifices, those listed in section one, must come from public funds and not from individual donations. If one were to volunteer to watch the aftergrowths, he would by law become their owner and it would turn out that the omer and the two loaves would be coming from private donations. Therefore, individuals must take payment in return for guarding the fields.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
שומר חנם – and even though he acquired them for that which was ownerless, for when he guarded them for free and brought them, they are his. Rabbi Yosi holds that an individual sacrifice is different from the community sacrifice.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
אף אתה אומר כו' – that is to say, if you admit that they don’t come other than frm the community, and if you guarded them for free and brought them, he takes possession of them. It is found that they do not come from the community [offerings] since the Rabbis hold that an individual sacrifice does not change into a community [sacrifice], and the Halakha is according to the Sages.
