The surplus of terumah [i.e., what is left over in the baskets on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, when offerings are brought from the new terumah] — What is done with it? Gold plate overlay (is bought) for the holy of holies [for the floor and the walls.] R. Yishmael says: The surplus of fruits is for the "summertime of the altar." [R. Yishmael is consistent with his view, above, that with the left-overs of the lishkah, wine, oil, and meal are bought. The profit from their sale is called "the surplus of the fruits," that is, their gain from the fruits that they bought. ("the summertime of the altar":) When the altar is idle, burnt-offerings are bought from this surplus. Just as sweet things are put on the table after the meal, so, after the obligatory offerings of the day, these burnt-offerings are brought (when there are no vow and gift offerings and the altar is idle)] and the surplus of the terumah is for ministering vessels. [R. Yishmael expounds (II Chronicles 24:14): "…what was left over of the silver, and they made of it vessels fro the house of the L rd." Which silver has left-overs? The terumah of the lishkah.] R. Akiva says: The surplus of the terumah is for the "summertime of the altar," [it (the terumah of the lishkah) having been separated for the purpose of offerings], and the surplus of libations is for ministering vessels. [The Temple treasurers would provide monies to the wine, oil and meal merchants to supply them with the requirements of the meal-offerings and libations of the entire year. If a merchant agreed to supply three sa'ah for a sela and the market price became four sa'ah for a sela, he must give four sa'ah, and that (additional) sa'ah is called "the surplus of libations." Also, when they "measured out" to hekdesh, they would do so amply, (and the treasurer would measure frugally.) The ample measure is called "the surplus of libations." It would be used for ministering vessels, the libations being consecrated in ministering vessels.] R. Chananiah, the adjutant high-priest, says: The surplus of libations is for the "summertime of the altar" [for both the libations and the burnt-offerings are thoroughly consumed], and the surplus of the terumah is for the ministering vessels. Both [R. Akiva and R. Chanina] did not concede in respect of "fruits" [as R. Akiva says above: "One does not trade in hekdesh." The conclusion is that by condition of beth-din all of the surpluses go towards burnt-offerings; and this is the halachah.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
מותר תרומה – that is what remains in the boxes/baskets on Rosh Hodesh Nisan, for then we bring sacrifices from the new sacred donations.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Introduction
Whereas in yesterday’s mishnah we learned what they did with the surplus from the shekels which remained in the chamber after the appropriation had been made, today’s mishnah teaches what they would do with the surplus of the appropriation itself. For instance, when the first of Nisan comes along they would begin to buy public sacrifices with a new appropriation, so what did they do with money left over from the old appropriation?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
צפוי לבית קדש הקדשים – for the floor and the walls.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
What was done with the surplus of the appropriation? [They would buy] plates of gold for covering the interior of the Holy of Holies. According to the first opinion, the extra money from the appropriation would be used to buy plates of gold to cover the walls and ceiling of the Holy of Holies.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
מותר פירות – Rabbi Yishmael, according to his reasoning, who said above that the surplus of the leftovers of the chamber, we purchase with them wines, oils and fine flour and the income that we make through them is called "מותר הפירות"/surplus of the gains of the produce – that is to say, what remained and was earned from the produce that they bought.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Rabbi Ishmael says: the surplus [from the sale] of the produce was used for the altar’s ‘dessert’, and the surplus of the appropriation was used for the ministering vessels. Rabbi Ishmael says that the surplus from the appropriation was used to buy ministering vessels. He holds that since this money was intended to be used for sacrifices it can also be used to buy the vessels which are used in offering the sacrifices. In yesterday’s mishnah we learned that with the money left in the chamber Rabbi Ishmael said they should buy wines, oils and flours and sell them for a profit. Here he says that the profit is used for the altar’s “dessert.” This refers to wholly burnt offerings that they would offer on the altar when there were no other sacrifices to be offered. This is like a “dessert” for the hungry altar.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
קיץ למזבח – when the altar is idle, we bring from them burnt offerings like the manner of human beings to bring up all kinds of sweets on to the table at the conclusion of the meal, so to, after they have completed bringing the obligatory [offerings] of the day, they bring these burnt offerings, when there are no votive or freewill offerings and the altar is idle.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Rabbi Akiba says: the surplus of the appropriation was used for the altar’s ‘dessert’, and the surplus of the libations was used for the ministering vessels. Rabbi Akiva says that “dessert” for the Temple comes from the surplus of the appropriation. The ministering vessels, on the other hand, were bought from the surplus of libations. This refers to extra flour and wine which were bought to make libations. The “extra” can happen when merchants promise to provide three seahs worth of flour for a sela (a coin). If the price of flour goes down to four seahs for a sela, the merchants have to bring four seahs, even though only three seahs are to be consecrated as libations. The Temple’s treasurers can sell the extra seah and with the profit pay for the ministering vessels.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
מותר תרומה לכלי שרת (see Chapter 3, Mishnah 2 of Tractate Shekalim) – a Biblical verse is expounded regarding this (II Chronicles 24:14): “[When they had finished, they brought] the money that was left over [to the king and Jehoiada (the High Priest); it was made into utensils for the House of the LORD,” What is the money that has leftovers? I would state that this is the sacred donations to the chamber.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Rabbi Hananiah the chief of the priests says: the surplus of the libations was used for the altar’s ‘dessert’, and the surplus of the appropriation was used for the ministering vessels. Rabbi Hananiah, the chief of priests, has yet another opinion about what to do with the extra money (doesn’t everyone love extra money!). His opinion is an opposite version of Rabbi Akiva’s. I find it interesting that we have here a priest, someone who would seemingly have known very well what went on in the Temple, and yet his opinion does not count any more than any of the other rabbi’s opinion.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
מותר תרומה לקיץ המזבח – for the needs of the sacred donations that were separated.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Neither of these [two sages] allowed [a profit from the sale of] the produce. The mishnah ends by noting that both Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Hananiah agree that they don’t use the shekels to buy produce and then sell it to make a profit, as was the opinion of Rabbi Ishmael. It seems that the editor of the mishnah strongly disagrees with Rabbi Ishmael and hence wishes to emphasize that all of the other sages disagree with him.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
מותר נסכים – the treasurers of the Temple treasury would furnish money to the owners of the wine, oils and fine flour to provide for the meal-offerings and libations all year. But if he (i.e., the owner) accepted upon himself to provide three Se’ah for a Sela and it (i.e., the going market price) stood at four Se’ah for a Sela, it was necessary for him to give four Se’ah and that Se’ah was the surplus from the libations. For just as they measure for the Temple treasury, so would measure that was cut through from end to end and overflowing. But the treasurer would erase the measure that was cut through from end to end which is called the surplus from the libations and make of them vessels of the ministry that the libations would be sanctified in vessels of the ministry.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
מותר נסכים לקיץ המזבח – when the libations ran out and the burnt offerings ran out.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
זה וזה – Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Hanina.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
לא היו מודים בפירות – just as Rabbi Akiba said above (Mishnah three of this chapter): They may not make profit from sacred property, and the conclusion is that it is a condition of the Jewish court regarding the surpluses that all of them should be offered as burnt offerings, and this is the Halakha.
