Shekalim 1

בְּאֶחָד בַּאֲדָר מַשְׁמִיעִין עַל הַשְּׁקָלִים וְעַל הַכִּלְאַיִם. בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בּוֹ קוֹרִין אֶת הַמְּגִלָּה בַּכְּרַכִּין, וּמְתַקְּנִין אֶת הַדְּרָכִים וְאֶת הָרְחוֹבוֹת וְאֶת מִקְוְאוֹת הַמַּיִם, וְעוֹשִׂין כָּל צָרְכֵי הָרַבִּים, וּמְצַיְּנִין אֶת הַקְּבָרוֹת, וְיוֹצְאִין אַף עַל הַכִּלְאָיִם:

On the first of Adar, proclamations are made for shekalim (the head-tax for the Temple). [Beth-din send throughout the cities of Israel and proclaim that they must bring their shekalim. For on the first of Nissan communal offerings must be brought from the new levy, viz. (Numbers 28:14): "This is the burnt-offering of the month in its month for the months of the year" — Renew the bringing of offerings from the new (half-shekel) levy (the root of "month" and "new" being the same in Hebrew). And "the months of the year" here (as referring to Nissan) is derived from (Exodus 12:2): "It (Nissan) is first for you of the months of the year." Therefore, the proclamation for the bringing of shekalim is advanced thirty days to the first of Adar.] and (proclamations are made) for kilayim (interdicted mixed sowing) [i.e., They proclaim that the other variety must be diminished until there not remain of it a rova of a kav to a sa'ah, as stated (Kilayim 2:1): Every sa'ah which contains a rova of a kav of a different variety must be diminished. Our rabbis explained that after the seeds are already grown even one in a thousand must be uprooted. For any two varieties, each of which by itself is permitted, but which are interdicted in admixture, do not lend themselves to bitul ("canceling out"). It is only when they are intermixed in sowing that diminution suffices, bitul obtaining with one in two by Torah law, so that it is not called a sowing of kilayim, and (the prescribed) diminution is required only because of "appearances" (marith ayin). But after they have grown, bitul does not obtain and everything must be uprooted so that only one of the varieties remains.] On the fifteenth (of Adar) the Megillah is read in the towns [surrounded by a wall from the days of Yehoshua the son of Nun. Because of the teaching (1:3): "On the fifteenth of Adar money-changers sat in the province," everything else that they did on that day was included.], and repairs are made on roads, streets [and marketplaces that were damaged by rains in the wintertime. They are repaired for the festival pilgrims. Some explain (that they are repaired) for the benefit of those who slew unwittingly, so that they can flee the blood avenger, as it is written (Deuteronomy 19:3): "Prepare the way for yourself."], and (repairs are made on) ritual baths. [If sediment accumulated in them, they are cleaned, and if the mikveh fell below the required amount, they would add drawn water to it and bring it up to that amount (the majority of the required forty sa'ah being kasher)], and all community needs are attended to [such as monetary litigations, capital cases, cases of stripes, the redemption of assessments, devotions, and dedications, the administration of the sotah's draught, the burning of the red heifer, the boring of (the ear of) the Hebrew bondsman, and the cleansing of the leper. And they would send (messengers) to open cisterns of stored water, so that the people could drink from them in the summertime, all these being community needs.] And graves are marked [so that Cohanim and bearers of taharoth (consecrated foods) not "tent" over them. They "marked" by crumbling lime and spilling it around the grave. In the rainy season the lime would dissolve so that it was necessary to repeat the process.] And they [deputies of beth-din] would also go out for (i.e., to root out) kilayim. [Even though they had already made proclamation in this regard on the first of Adar (see above), they did not rely upon it, fearing that the owners might not have uprooted it, and they went out and did so themselves.]

אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ עוֹקְרִין וּמַשְׁלִיכִין לִפְנֵיהֶם. מִשֶּׁרַבּוּ עוֹבְרֵי עֲבֵרָה, הָיוּ עוֹקְרִין וּמַשְׁלִיכִין עַל הַדְּרָכִים, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ מַפְקִירִין כָּל הַשָּׂדֶה כֻּלָּהּ:

R. Yehudah said: In the beginning, they (the deputies of beth-din would root out (the kilayim) and throw it down before them [the field owners, to shame them.] When transgressors increased, they would uproot it and throw it on the roads. [The owners rejoiced in that their fields were being weeded by others. What is more, they would place it before their animals (to eat), whereupon they instituted that they cast it upon the roads. But they still rejoiced in that their fields were being weeded,] whereupon they instituted that the entire field be declared ownerless (hefker), [for hefker beth-din hefker (a "hefker" pronouncement of beth-din is valid.)]

בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בּוֹ, שֻׁלְחָנוֹת הָיוּ יוֹשְׁבִין בַּמְּדִינָה. בְּעֶשְׂרִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה, יָשְׁבוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ. מִשֶּׁיָּשְׁבוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ, הִתְחִילוּ לְמַשְׁכֵּן. אֶת מִי מְמַשְׁכְּנִין, לְוִיִּם וְיִשְׂרְאֵלִים, גֵּרִים וַעֲבָדִים מְשֻׁחְרָרִים, אֲבָל לֹא נָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים וּקְטַנִּים. כָּל קָטָן שֶׁהִתְחִיל אָבִיו לִשְׁקוֹל עַל יָדוֹ, שׁוּב אֵינוֹ פּוֹסֵק. וְאֵין מְמַשְׁכְּנִין אֶת הַכֹּהֲנִים מִפְּנֵי דַּרְכֵּי שָׁלוֹם:

On the fifteenth (of Adar) money-changers sat in the province (medinah) [Jerusalem, and they made change for the half-shekel for those who brought the currency of their province and were unacquainted with the conversion rate.] On the twenty-fifth, they would sit in the Temple. [Since the time was drawing near, they would sit in the Temple, so that they (the people) would hasten to bring (their shekalim). Rambam explains that all the cities of Israel were called "medinah," and that on the twenty-fifth they sat in the Temple in Jerusalem.] From the time they sat in the Temple, they began to take pledges [from those who had not brought their shekalim.] Whom would pledges be taken from? Levites, it being written (Exodus 30:14): "All who pass to be numbered, from twenty years and above." And the Levites were not counted from twenty years.], Israelites, proselytes, and freed bondsmen; but not women, [it being written (Exodus 30:12): "Then each man shall give the ransom of his soul" — a man, and not a woman], nor bondsmen [bondsmen being obligated only in the mitzvoth that women are obligated in], nor minors [even one who showed two hairs, if he were less than twenty]. Any father who has begun to give the shekel for his minor son cannot leave off doing so. [And if his father dies, he must give the shekel for himself.] And pledges are not taken from the Cohanim [ even though they are obligated in the half-shekel] because of "the ways of peace." [Because they perform the sacrificial service, honor was accorded them, and they were depended upon not to defer their shekalim. And even if they did defer and not give them, beth-din stipulated that the shekalim be theirs in exchange for their service, just as allocations are made from the Temple treasury to others engaged in Temple work, as explained below.]

אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, הֵעִיד בֶּן בּוּכְרִי בְּיַבְנֶה, כָּל כֹּהֵן שֶׁשּׁוֹקֵל אֵינוֹ חוֹטֵא. אָמַר לוֹ רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, לֹא כִּי, אֶלָּא כָּל כֹּהֵן שֶׁאֵינוֹ שׁוֹקֵל חוֹטֵא, אֶלָּא שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים דּוֹרְשִׁים מִקְרָא זֶה לְעַצְמָן, (ויקרא ו) וְכָל מִנְחַת כֹּהֵן כָּלִיל תִּהְיֶה לֹא תֵאָכֵל, הוֹאִיל וְעֹמֶר וּשְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם וְלֶחֶם הַפָּנִים שֶׁלָּנוּ, הֵיאָךְ נֶאֱכָלִים:

R. Yehudah said: Ben Buchri testified in Yavneh: Any Cohein who gives the shekel does not sin thereby [even though he is not obligated to give it. The assumption (that he would be sinning) is that if he does give it, (what should be) a communal offering would be found to be coming (to a certain extent) from (the gift of) an individual. We are, therefore, apprised that he does not sin, in that he gives that half-shekel entirely to the congregation and we do not fear that there might be some reservation on his part in this regard.] R. Yochanan b. Zakkai said to him: To the contrary, any Cohein who does not give the shekel is a sinner [And the verse: "All who pass to be numbered" is to be expounded thus: "All who pass" through the Red Sea (for all of them passed through the Red Sea) "to be numbered" (both those who were numbered by themselves and those who were numbered with the rest of Israel) "shall give the terumah of the L rd." And even though it is written (Exodus 38:25): "And the silver of the numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents … for six hundred thousand and three thousand, etc.", that is written in respect to the terumah for the sockets, in which the tribe of Levi did not participate; but Cohanim, Levites, and Israelites participated equally in the terumah for the offerings.]; but the Cohanim expounded this verse for themselves [i.e., to their advantage], viz. (Leviticus 6:16): "And every meal-offering of a priest shall be entirely burnt; it shall not be eaten." (They said:) If the omer and the double loaves were ours (as they would be if the Cohanim contributed to their purchase with the shekalim) how could they be eaten! [The fallacy: It is only in respect to the meal-offering of an individual Cohein that it is written: "it shall be entirely burnt," and not in respect to an offering that he has a share in together with the congregation. And the halachah is that Cohanim are obligated to give the half-shekel, and pledges are not taken from them because of "the ways of peace."]

אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמְרוּ, אֵין מְמַשְׁכְּנִין נָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים וּקְטַנִּים, אִם שָׁקְלוּ מְקַבְּלִין מִיָּדָן. הַנָּכְרִי וְהַכּוּתִי שֶׁשָּׁקְלוּ, אֵין מְקַבְּלִין מִיָּדָן. וְאֵין מְקַבְּלִין מִיָּדָן קִנֵּי זָבִין וְקִנֵּי זָבוֹת וְקִנֵּי יוֹלְדוֹת, וְחַטָאוֹת וַאֲשָׁמוֹת. (אֲבָל) נְדָרִים וּנְדָבוֹת, מְקַבְּלִין מִיָּדָן. זֶה הַכְּלָל, כָּל שֶׁנִּדָּר וְנִדָּב, מְקַבְּלִין מִיָּדָן. כָּל שֶׁאֵין נִדָּר וְנִדָּב אֵין מְקַבְּלִין מִיָּדָן. וְכֵן הוּא מְפֹרָשׁ עַל יְדֵי עֶזְרָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (עזרא ד) לֹא לָכֶם וְלָנוּ לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לֵאלֹהֵינוּ:

Even though they said that pledges are not taken from women, bondsmen, or minors, if they give the shekel it is taken from them [on condition that they give it to the congregation entirely, so that a communal offering not come from an individual (gift)]. If idolators and Cuthites wish to give the shekel, it is not taken from them. Nor are the bird-offerings of zavim and zavoth [the turtle-doves and young pigeons brought by zavim and zavoth. This refers to "Cuthites" alone, zavim and zavoth not obtaining with idolators], (nor are the bird-offerings of) yoldoth (women who have just given birth), nor sin-offerings nor guilt-offerings taken from them; but vow and gift-offerings are taken from them. This is the rule: Everything which is vowed or donated (for the altar) is taken from them; anything which is not vowed or donated is not taken from them. [As we learned (Menachoth 73b) (Leviticus 22:18): "A man, a man" — to include gentiles who vow vows and gift-offerings as an Israelite. This tells me only of a burnt-offering, viz. (Ibid.): "which they will present to the L rd as a burnt-offering." Whence do I derive (the same for) peace-offerings? From (Ibid.): "Of all of their vows." Whence do I derive for inclusion birds and meal-offerings, wine, frankincense, and wood? From (Ibid.): "of all of their vows and all of their free-will offerings.] And thus is it stated by Ezra, [when the Cuthites desired to help them and sent to them (Ezra 4:2): "Let us build (the Temple) with you, for as you, will we seek out G d, etc." What did they answer?] (Ibid. 4): "It is not for you and us to build a house to our G d" [in partnership. You have no portion or grant or remembrance in Jerusalem. ]

וְאֵלּוּ שֶׁחַיָּבִין בַּקָּלְבּוֹן, לְוִיִּם וְיִשְׂרְאֵלִים וְגֵרִים וַעֲבָדִים מְשֻׁחְרָרִים, אֲבָל לֹא כֹּהֲנִים וְנָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים וּקְטַנִּים. הַשּׁוֹקֵל עַל יְדֵי כֹּהֵן, עַל יְדֵי אִשָּׁה, עַל יְדֵי עֶבֶד, עַל יְדֵי קָטָן, פָּטוּר. וְאִם שָׁקַל עַל יָדוֹ וְעַל יַד חֲבֵרוֹ, חַיָּב בְּקָלְבּוֹן אֶחָד. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, שְׁנֵי קָלְבּוֹנוֹת. הַנּוֹתֵן סֶלַע וְנוֹטֵל שֶׁקֶל, חַיָּב שְׁנֵי קָלְבּוֹנוֹת:

These are obligated to give a kolbon [kal-bon, i.e., something "light and small," which is added to the half-shekel]: Levites, Israelites, proselytes, and freed bondsmen; but not Cohanim, women, bondsmen, and minors. If one gives the shekel for a Cohein, a woman, a bondsman, or a minor, he is exempt (from the kolbon) [as when he lent them. For since they are exempt (from the half-shekel), they are not liable for the kolbon. And if he did not lend them, but paid for them, even if he gave the shekel for one who is obligated, he is exempt from the kolbon, as explained below.] And if one gives the shekel for himself and for his friend [(This, in an instance where he lends him. He gives one shekel: a half-shekel for himself, and a half-shekel that he lends his friend)], he is liable for one kolbon. [For this tanna holds that one who gives the half-shekel specified in the Torah is exempt from the kolbon, it being written (Exodus 30:13): "This shall they give" — Exactly as this shall they give and not more, so that with two who give one shekel, only one kolbon is given.] R. Meir says: Two kolbonoth. [R. Meir holds that one who gives a half-shekel is liable for one kolbon, so that if two give one shekel, they are liable for two kolbonoth. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Meir.] If one gives a sela [a whole shekel, to the Temple money-changer], and he takes a shekel ["a shekel" here is a half-shekel, i.e., he gets back half of what he gave], he is liable for two kolbonoth. [Here the first tanna concedes that he gives two kolbonoth: one to compensate for the half-shekel that he receives from the Temple, and one because he did not give the (exact) half-shekel specified in the Torah.]

הַשּׁוֹקֵל עַל יְדֵי עָנִי, וְעַל יְדֵי שְׁכֵנוֹ, וְעַל יְדֵי בֶּן עִירוֹ, פָטוּר. וְאִם הִלְוָם חַיָּב. הָאַחִין וְהַשֻּׁתָּפִין שֶׁחַיָּבִין בַּקָּלְבּוֹן, פְּטוּרִין מִמַּעֲשֵׂר בְּהֵמָה. וּכְשֶׁחַיָּבִין בְּמַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה, פְּטוּרִין מִן הַקָּלְבּוֹן. וְכַמָּה הוּא קָלְבּוֹן, מָעָה כֶּסֶף, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, חֵצִי:

If one gives the shekel for a poor man, for his neighbor, or for a man of his city, he is exempt (from the kolbon) [having given it to them as a gift.] If he lent it to them, he is liable. Brothers who are partners, [who divided (the inheritance) and then became partners], who are liable for the kolbon, [as any other two who gave a sela for their shekalim], are exempt from the beast-tithe. [They need not tithe all the beasts born to them all the days of their partnership, it being expounded (Bechoroth 56b) (Exodus 13:12): "…which shall be yours," and not that of partners, the verse being understood as referring to the tithe, though it speaks of the first-born.] And when they are liable for the beast-tithe [That is, when they did not divide, in which instance they are liable for the tithe, as expounded: I might think (that they are not liable for the tithe) even when they acquired it (the beast) as part of the estate (i.e., before division); it is, therefore, written: "shall be" — (there is liability) in any event], they are exempt from the kolbon. [For their father's property retains its status and it is as if the father gave the shekel for his sons or for his neighbors, in which instance he is exempt.] How much is a kolbon? A ma'ah of silver [one twenty-fourth of a sela, weighing sixteen se'oroth.] These are the words of R. Meir. The sages say: A half, [one forty-eighth of a sela, eight se'oroth. The halachah is in accordance with the sages.]