Mesorat%20hashas for Shekalim 2:4

אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, מַה בֵּין שְׁקָלִים לְחַטָאת. שְׁקָלִים יֵשׁ לָהֶם קִצְבָה, וְחַטָאת אֵין לָהּ קִצְבָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף לִשְׁקָלִים אֵין לָהֶן קִצְבָה, שֶׁכְּשֶׁעָלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הַגּוֹלָה הָיוּ שׁוֹקְלִים דַּרְכּוֹנוֹת, חָזְרוּ לִשְׁקוֹל סְלָעִים, חָזְרוּ לִשְׁקוֹל טְבָעִין, וּבִקְּשׁוּ לִשְׁקֹל דִּינָרִים. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן, יַד כֻּלָּן שָׁוָה. אֲבָל חַטָאת, זֶה מֵבִיא בְּסֶלַע וְזֶה מֵבִיא בִּשְׁתַּיִם וְזֶה מֵבִיא בְּשָׁלשׁ:

R. Shimon said: What is the difference between shekalim and a sin-offering? [Why do Beth Hillel say that if one puts money away, saying: "This is for my shekel," the surplus is chullin, whereas if he says: "This is for my sin-offering," they concede to Beth Shammai that it is a gift (to hekdesh)?] Shekalim have a fixed amount, [it being written (Exodus 30:15): "The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less." Therefore, he must have intended only a shekel, and the rest is "hekdesh in error"], but a sin-offering has no fixed amount. [If he wishes, he can bring a sin-offering for a ma’ah of silver, and if he wishes he can bring one for a large sum. Therefore, the monies "take," and the surplus is a gift.] R. Yehudah says: Even shekalim have no fixed amount! When Israel went up from the exile, they would give darkonoth as the shekel. [The darkon was a coin of the Medean kingdom. It was of gold and worth two selaim and it was the standard coin of trade. And just as in the time of the first Temple, when their coin was a shekel, they would give a half-shekel; now, too, when it was a darkon, they would give a half-darkon.] Then they reverted to selaim. [After the Medean reign, the darkon was voided and they reverted to trading with selaim, their original currency minted at the time of the first Temple, and they gave a half-shekel as in the beginning.] Then they reverted to tevain. [The standard currency became tevain, i.e., a half-shekel.] They desired to give dinars [i.e., they desired to give half of that coin, one dinar, (the sela being two dinars); but this was not accepted from them. For it is permitted to add to the shekel of Scripture according to the difference in the currency minted at the time, but not to detract from it. We see, then, that shekalim, too, have no fixed amount, sometimes being more, sometimes less, their giving always the half-shekel of that time.] R. Shimon rejoined: In spite of that, each gave equally [i.e., Shekalim still cannot be compared to a sin-offering. For at all times, the half-shekel was equal for all — each gave the half-shekel of that time.] But (the amount for) the sin-offering [is never equal for all:] This one brings (a sin-offering) for a sela; that one, for two (selaim) and that one, for three. [And here we conclude that the rationale of Beth Hillel is as per R. Shimon.]

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