Quotation for Shekalim 3:2
בְּשָׁלשׁ קֻפּוֹת שֶׁל שָׁלשׁ שָׁלשׁ סְאִין תּוֹרְמִין אֶת הַלִּשְׁכָּה, וְכָתוּב בָּהֶן אָל''ף בֵי''ת גִימ''ל. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר, יְוָנִית כָּתוּב בָּהֶן אָלפ''א בֵית''א גָמל''א. אֵין הַתּוֹרֵם נִכְנָס לֹא בְּפַרְגּוֹד חָפוּת, וְלֹא בְּמִנְעָל, וְלֹא בְּסַנְדָּל, וְלֹא בִּתְפִלִּין, וְלֹא בְּקָמִיעַ, שֶׁמָּא יַעֲנִי, וְיֹאמְרוּ מֵעֲוֹן הַלִּשְׁכָּה הֶעֱנִי, אוֹ שֶׁמָּא יַעֲשִׁיר, וְיֹאמְרוּ מִתְּרוּמַת הַלִּשְׁכָּה הֶעֱשִׁיר. לְפִי שֶׁאָדָם צָרִיךְ לָצֵאת יְדֵי הַבְּרִיּוֹת כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לָצֵאת יְדֵי הַמָּקוֹם, שְׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר לב) וִהְיִיתֶם נְקִיִים מֵיְיָ וּמִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, וְאוֹמֵר (משלי ג) וּמְצָא חֵן וְשֵׂכֶל טוֹב בְּעֵינֵי אֱלֹהִים וְאָדָם:
With three baskets of three sa'ah each (shekalim) are removed from the lishkah. [The shekalim were placed there (in the lishkah) and they were taken out in three baskets of three sa'ah each. Rambam writes that first three large baskets of twenty-seven sa'ah each are filled and from these, three baskets of nine sa'ah each are filled. This is an unnecessary, forced explanation.] And they were marked "aleph," "beth," "gimmel" [to know which had been filled first, to buy the communal offerings from that first; then, from the second; then, from the third.] R. Gamliel says: It was written in Greek: "alpha," "beta," "gamla." [They would write it in Greek because of (Genesis 9:27): "G d will beautify Yefeth and he will dwell in the tents of Shem" — the beauty of Yefeth will dwell in the tents of Shem; and there is no language among the sons of Yefeth more beautiful than the Greek language. The torem (the one who removes shekalim from the lishkah) may enter neither with: a bordered garment, (pargod chafuth) [When the garment is long and doubled from the bottom, that doubled fold is called "pargod chafuth." The torem may not enter thus attired so that he not be suspected of concealing lishkah monies in it.], (nor may he enter with) a shoe, a sandal, tefillin or an amulet [lest they say he undid the thread and placed money inside], lest he grow poor and people say: "Because of the sin of (stealing from) the lishkah, he has become impoverished"; or lest he grow rich and they say: "From the proceeds of the lishkah he has grown wealthy." For one must be upright in the eyes of men just as he must be upright in the eyes of the L rd, as it is written (Numbers 32:22): "And you shall be clean of the L rd and of Israel," and (Proverbs 3:4): "And you shall find grace and goodly understanding in the eyes of G d and man."