Commentary for Shekalim 8:8

מחצי כבש ולמטה במערב – the Kohanim/priests who obtained the privilege by the arbitration regarding the limbs of the daily offering to bring them up would not bring them up all at one time, but would place them on the ramp and walk to the chamber of Hewn Stones (where the Sanhedrin sat) to recite the Shema and afterwards return and offer up the limbs on top of the Altar as it is taught [in our Mishnah] here, that they are placed on the lower half of he Altar-slope. For the ramp was thirty-two cubits long and from its half-way point downward, they would place them, and the width of ramp was sixteen cubits and on its lower half to the western side, they would place them (i.e., the limbs of the daily offering).

Introduction The first half of this last mishnah teaches where the limbs of certain sacrificial animals were placed before they were burned on the altar. We should note that it is quite uncertain as to why this mishnah is placed here. The second half teaches that the laws of shekels and first fruits were only in force when the Temple in Jerusalem still stood.

ושל ראשי חדשים – from it half-way point and upwards which is on the rim of the Altar that surrounds it and toward the east.

The limbs of the daily burnt-offering were placed on the half of the ramp [to the altar] downwards on the west side. On the southern side of the altar there was a ramp, 32 cubits long and 16 cubits wide. When the priests would bring the sacrifices up to the altar, they would not bring them all up at once. Rather they would bring them half way up, place them on the west side of the altar, go back down, read the shema and then they would bring them all the way up to the top of the altar.

אינן נוהגים אלא בפני הבית – Shekalim because they are for the needs of a sacrifice, and since there is no sacrifice, there are no Shekalim. But regarding the First Fruits, as it is written (Exodus 23:19): “The choice first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God." At the time when you have a Temple, you have First Fruits; when you don’t have a Temple, you don’t have First Fruits.

Those of the additional offering ( were placed on the half of the ramp downwards on the east side. The limbs of the additional offering were placed on the east side so as not to confuse them with those of the daily offerings.

אבל מעשר דגן וכו' נוהגים בפני הבית ולשא בפני הבית – for the Holiness of the Land [of Israel] is never invalidated. Therefore, it is necessary to separate out Terumot and Tithes and for the Tithe of Cattle, you must separate a tenth. But in Tractate Bekhorot (see Chapter 9, Mishnah 1), they stated that they invalidated the tithe of the cattle so that it should not come regarding it as a stumbling block/snare.

While those of the new moon offerings were placed on top of the rim of the altar. Again, in order to distinguish between the different sacrifices, they put the limbs of the new moon offerings on a rim that went around the altar, instead of on the ramp.

המקדיש שקלים ובכורים – which was not practiced other than when the Temple stood, but if one separated them when the Temple no long existed, they are sanctified.

[The laws of] the shekels and of the first-fruit are in force only when the Temple stands, but [the laws of] the tithe of grain and of the tithe of cattle and of the firstborn are in force both when the Temple exists and when the Temple does not exist. The first fruits (bikkurim) and the shekels must be brought to the Temple. Hence, when the Temple no longer stands, these laws are no longer in force. In contrast, tithes of grain, cattle and the first-born of animals are given to priests and Levites and hence these laws remain in force even when the Temple no longer stands. The cattle tithe and first-born animals cannot be eaten immediately. Rather they wait until the animal becomes somehow flawed and thereby unfit for sacrifice. Then it may be eaten. We should note that according to the Talmud, the rabbis said that the laws of animal tithes are no longer in force, lest someone eats them before they become flawed.

בכורים אינן קדש – since it is explicitly written concerning them (Exodus 23:19): “you shall bring to the House of the LORD your God,” even if he had separated them post-facto, they are not holy and the name/title of Bikkurim/First Fruits does not take effect upon them because the Temple doesn’t exist. But Maimonides explains that one who sanctifies Shekalim and First Fruits for the upkeep and maintenance of the Temple that he already has, but according to his explanation, the reason for why, according to Rabbi Shimon that Shekalim are holy, and First Fruits is not holy is not clear. But the Halakha is according to Rabbi Shimon.

One who dedicates shekels or first-fruits [when the Temple does not exist], they are holy. Rabbi Shimon says: one who says “the first-fruit be holy,” they are not holy. This section deals with someone who dedicates shekels or first fruits to the Temple at a time when the Temple no longer stands. According to the first opinion, the shekels or first-fruits are holy. They therefore both become prohibited for common usage. The shekels must be buried and the fruits are left until they rot. Alternatively, they may be thrown into the Dead Sea or some other place where no one will derive any benefit from them. Rabbi Shimon holds that since the Temple no longer stands, he can’t even dedicate the first fruits to the Temple. His statement is therefore meaningless. Congratulations! We have finished Shekalim. It is a tradition at this point to thank God for helping us to finish learning the tractate and to commit ourselves to going back and relearning it, so that we may not forget it and so that its lessons will stay with us for all of our lives. Shekalim is a tractate dedicated to the financial operation of the Temple in Jerusalem. It is interesting that the Mishnah sees this subject as being as worthy of study as any other topic, including the holidays, Shabbat, marital law etc. The financial support of the Temple is a commandment, one to be fulfilled properly and with a sense of its great import. Indeed, by financially supporting the Temple, Jews throughout the world were able to participate in its services. I am not USCJ’s fundraiser, but I would be amiss if I did not use this brief opportunity to thank those who support the Mishnah Yomit project and the other projects of the USCJ. May you continue to show your support by learning and by continuing to help others to learn as well. Most importantly, congratulations on learning another tractate of Mishnah. May you have the strength and time to keep on learning more! Tomorrow we begin Yoma.