If one lost his seal, he is asked to wait until the evening, [when Yochanan and Achiyah meet.] If he (Yochanan) has [a surplus] corresponding to the (sum of the) seal [he claims to have lost], it is given to him, and if not, he receives nothing. The date [the day and the month] was written on them [the seals] because of the deceivers [lest one of them find a seal that has fallen from his neighbor, or from Achiyah, or from Yochanan and come now to claim (libations). (But on the day that he found it, he would not come to claim them, realizing that the loser would be looking for it.) It is also to be feared (if there were no date) that one bought the seal at the "cheap rate" and held onto it until the price rose.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
ממתינים לו עד הערב – Yohanan and Ahiyah join together, if they found excess monies in the hand on Yohanan corresponding to the seal that [if] one states that he lost it, and they give it to him.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Introduction
This mishnah describes what happens if someone loses his seal, meaning he claims that he gave the money to Yohanan but by the time he got to Ahiyah to buy his libations the seal was lost.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
ושם היום כתוב – on the seal, a certain day and a certain month.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
If one lost his seal his case they wait [to deal] with him until the evening. If he lost his seal, then they tell him to wait until evening when they reckon the accounts.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
מפני הרמאין – lest some found a seal that fell from his fell, either from Ahiyah or from Yohanan, and he comes now to take it. Ut on the day that he finds it, he is not permitted to take it out, as the person who lost it searches after it. And furthermore, one must suspect that lest he purchased the seal at the lowest market price and hid it until the market price became more expensive.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
If they found [money left over] to the value of his lost seal, they give [it] to him and if not he gets nothing. If they find extra money equivalent to the amount his seal is worth, then they give him back the money or give him the flour, oil and wine for the libations he needs to bring. But if there is no extra money then he gets nothing, since it is possible that he is lying.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
On the seals was inscribed the name of the day because of the defrauders. They would put dates on the seals to stop fraud, or at least make it more difficult. The dates would prevent a person from claiming that he lost his seal and waiting until the end of the day in the hopes that Yohanan would have extra money. In such a case the person could get his money back and then take out the seal and get the libations from Ahiyah. By putting on dates this particular form of fraud became impossible.
