Con tres cestas de tres sa'ah cada una (shekalim) se retiran de la lishkah. [Los shekalim se colocaron allí (en la lishkah) y se sacaron en tres cestas de tres sa'ah cada una. Rambam escribe que se llenan las tres primeras canastas grandes de veintisiete sa'ah cada una y de ellas, se llenan tres canastas de nueve sa'ah cada una. Esta es una explicación forzada innecesaria.] Y se marcaron "aleph", "beth", "gimmel" [para saber cuál se había llenado primero, para comprar las ofrendas comunales de eso primero; entonces, del segundo; luego, del tercero.] R. Gamliel dice: Estaba escrito en griego: "alfa", "beta", "gamla". [Lo escribirían en griego debido a (Génesis 9:27): "Di-s embellecerá a Yefeth y él morará en las tiendas de Shem"—la belleza de Yefeth morará en las tiendas de Shem; y no hay idioma entre los hijos de Yefeth más bello que el griego. El torem (el que quita shekalim de la lishkah) no puede entrar con: una prenda con borde, (pargod chafuth) [Cuando la prenda es larga y doblada desde el fondo, ese doble pliegue se llama "pargod chafuth". El torem no puede entrar vestido así, de modo que no se sospeche que oculta dinero de lishkah en él.], (Ni puede entrar con) un zapato, una sandalia, tefilín o un amuleto [para que no digan que desabrochó el hilo y colocó dinero adentro], para que no se empobrezca y la gente diga: "Debido al pecado de (robarle) la lishkah, se ha empobrecido"; o para que no se haga rico y digan: "De las ganancias de la lishkah se hizo rico". Porque uno debe ser recto a los ojos de los hombres como debe ser recto a los ojos del Señor, como está escrito (Números 32:22): "Y estarás limpio del Señor y de Israel". y (Proverbios 3: 4): "Y encontrarás gracia y buen entendimiento a los ojos de Di-s y del hombre".
Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
תורמין את הלשכה – they would separate the Shekalim from the chamber/compartment for the Shekalim were placed there and they would take from them in three funds; each fund of them was three Se’ah. But Maimonides wrote that we first fill the three large baskets of twenty-seven Se’ah and from them donate to three small baskets of nine Se’ah, and freely, he pressed to state this.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Introduction
This mishnah begins to teach how the appropriation of the shekels was made.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
וכתוב עליהן א' ב' ג' – to know which one was separated out first, and from it, they would purchase the community offerings first. And after that from the second one, and after that from the third one.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
In three baskets each of [the capacity of] three seahs they make the appropriation [of shekels] from the chamber. There were three baskets in the chamber, each containing enough space for three seahs worth of coins. This means that altogether in the year they expected 27 seahs worth of coins. If you’re wondering, a seah is about 8 liters, so we’re talking about 216 liters of volume of coins. I don’t know exactly how many coins this is.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
יונית כתוב עליהן – they were accustomed to do it in Greek because it is written (Genesis 9:27): “May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem.” The beauty of Japheth will dwell in the tents of Shem [Megillah 9a], and the language of “beauty” in the children of Japheth does not exist other than in the Greek language.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
And on them was inscribed: Aleph, Beth, Gimmel. Rabbi Ishmael says: Greek was inscribed on them, alpha, beta, gamla. The baskets were numbered, so that whichever one filled up first would be used first to buy public sacrifices. The sages debate whether the writing was in Greek or in Hebrew. It seems that one opinion demanded Hebrew because this is the Temple and Hebrew is the “lashon hakodesh” the holy language. Rabbi Ishmael allowed Greek because Greek may have been the more official business language of the time.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
פרגוד חפות – the clothing was long and we fold it from the bottom. That double rim is called a פרגוד חפות/hem in his cloak; cloak with sleeves. The person donating [Terumah]/making appropriation does not enter with the double rim in his cloak so that people would not suspect him that he placed into it from the monies of the compartment/chamber.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
The one who made the appropriation did not enter the chamber wearing either a bordered cloak or shoes or sandals or tefillin or an amulet, lest if he became poor people might say that he became poor because of a sin committed in the chamber, or if he became rich people might say that he became rich from the appropriation in the chamber. For it is one’s duty to seem be free of blame before others as before God, as it is said: “And you shall be guiltless before the Lord and before Israel” (Numbers 32:22), and it says: “And you will find favor and good understanding in the eyes of God and man” (Proverbs 3:4). The person who went in to count the coins and make the appropriation could not wear any piece of clothing that would cause others to suspect that he might have stolen something. This could only lead to bad results if he grew poor they would suspect him of being punished for having stolen the shekels, if he grew rich they would suspect of being rich because of the stolen money. The mishnah finishes with an important moral note. A person must carefully guard his public reputation, even if in his heart he knows that he is not sinning and even if he knows that in God’s all-seeing eyes he is not sinning. This is especially true of a person with a position of public responsibility. It is not enough to just be honest, one must also give the outward appearance of honesty as well. I believe that this is an important life’s lesson. A person’s reputation of honesty is important both for the moral character of that person himself and for the proper functioning of society.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
ולא בתפילין ולא בקמיע – so that people don’t say that he loosened the seam and placed into it money.
