MISHNAH: If somebody collects coins and says, “these are for my sheqel,” the House of Shammai say, the excess is gift⁴²To be given into the gift account of the Temple treasury from which elevation offerings are bought to occupy the altar when otherwise it would be idle., but the House of Hillel say, the excess is profane⁴³As explained in the Halakhah and Mishnah 4, a sheqel is a fixed sum and it is reasonable to assume that only the amount necessary was dedicated. The price of an animal for a sacrifice is variable; since the person is ready to spend the entire amount, the entire amount is dedicated.. “That I shall take from these for my sheqel,” they agree that the excess is profane. “These are for a purification offering,” they agree that the excess is gift, “that I shall take from these for a purification offering,” they agree that the excess is profane.
Rebbi Simeon said, what is the difference between sheqalim and a purification offering⁵⁷As stated in Mishnah 3.? It is that sheqalim have a fixed value and a purification offering has no fixed value. Rebbi Jehudah said, sheqalim also have no fixed value. When Israel returned from the Babylonian exile they gave as Temple tax darics⁵⁸A Persian gold coin., they continued to give sela`im⁵⁹In old Babylonian sources the silā is the standard (Sumerian) unit of volume. In the Talmudim, it is the standard expression for the silver tetradrachma (approximately 14g), roughly corresponding to the old Phoenician sheqel. In the context here, a similar Persian coin must be intended. The vocalization סֶלַע is customary (from the Hebrew word “rock”); probably סִלַע historically would be more correct., they continued to give minted coins⁶⁰In this context meaning the silver didrachma., they wanted to give denars⁶¹But this reduction was never accepted, see the Halakhah.. Rebbi Simeon said, anyhow everybody gave the same⁶²While the value of the sheqel was not constant in time, at any given time everybody knew exactly what was required., but for a purification offering, one brings for a tetradrachma, another for two, and still another for three.

HALAKHAH: “If somebody collects coins,” etc. ⁴³As explained in the Halakhah and Mishnah 4, a sheqel is a fixed sum and it is reasonable to assume that only the amount necessary was dedicated. The price of an animal for a sacrifice is variable; since the person is ready to spend the entire amount, the entire amount is dedicated. Rebbi Yose in the name of Rebbi Eleazar, where do they disagree? If he collects small change⁴⁴One does not know what sum was accumulated without counting the copper coins. But since exactly 2 silver denars are needed, if silver coins are collected and the owner says, these are sheqalim, all of them are dedicated according to everybody.. But if he says, these [are for my sheqel ]⁴⁵Corrector’s addition. The addition is unnecessary as shown by all parallel sources and the following statement of R. Ḥizqiah. It obscures the main point that the collector of the coins says “these”, not “from these”. In the latter case everybody agrees that the excess is profane; in the first case R. Yose holds that “these” dedicated all coins in the box whereas R. Bevai holds that, in case the amount needed is known beforehand, only the amount needed is dedicated., everybody agrees that the excess is gift. Rebbi Ḥizqiah, Rebbi Bevai in the name of Rebbi Eleazar, where do they disagree? If he collects small change. But if he says, these, everybody agrees that the excess is profane. Rebbi Ḥizqiah said, a Mishnah supports Rebbi Bevai, [as we have stated]: “Rebbi Simeon says, what is the difference between sheqalim and purification offerings? It is that sheqalim are a fixed sum but purification offerings have no fixed price⁴⁶Mishnah 4..” Where do we hold? If about one who says, “that I shall bring my sheqel from these,” everybody agrees that the excess is profane. If about one who says, “that I shall bring my purification offering from these,” everybody agrees that the excess is gift⁴⁷Including the House of Shammai.. But we must deal with the case of one who says “these sheqalim”, since from the Torah they are a fixed amount the excess is profane, “purification offerings”, since their value is not a fixed amount from the Torah the excess is gift. How does Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish⁴⁸This name is impossible here; one has to read with the Babli sources “R. Simeon”, denying that the argument of R. Ḥizqiah is applicable to the reasoning of the House of Shammai. The reading of the text in Nazir, “R. Yose” also is possible; in that case he states that the argument of R. Simeon applies only if the stated intent is to collect monies for the Temple tax, not if the declaration is made on monies already available. In the latter case, R. Simeon may agree that the excess is earmarked for the Temple gift account. treat this? He explains it, if he collects small change following the House of Hillel. But did we not state⁴⁹Mishnah 5., “the excess of sheqalim is profane”? He explains it, if he collects small change following the House of Hillel. But did we not state, “the excess of the tenth of an ephah” [is profane]⁵⁰Addition of the corrector. Mishnah 5 clearly states that excess monies collected for a flour offering of a tenth of an ephah, probably not the daily offering of the rich High Priest (Lev. 6:12–16) but the purification offering of the very poor (Lev. 5:11–13), are dedicated for the gift account. The entire sentence is missing in B. In ג the reading is “the excess of a tenth of an ephah are sheqalim”. This is acceptable; the excess of coins collected for a sanctum may be used for another sacred purpose. While the sanctity of sheqalim is less than that of a flour offering, the switch will be permitted to the poor following the House of Hillel.? Still he explains it if he collects small change following the House of Hillel.

If somebody put aside his sheqel in the belief that he owed it and it turned out that he did not owe, it was not dedicated⁵¹The entire argument follows the House of Hillel who in Mishnah Nazir5:1 stated that dedication in error is void, against the opinion of the House of Shammai.. If he put aside two in the belief that he owed twice and it turned out that he owed only once, how do you treat the second? As one who believed that he owed it and it turned out that he did not owe, or as one who said “these”⁵²Following those who hold that dedicating “these coins” is a full dedication even if the value exceeds that of a sheqel.?

“When Israel returned from the Babylonian exile they gave as Temple tax darics,” denars⁶³Aurei, Roman gold denarii. The numismatic evidence shows that the Dareikos was worth about twice the aureus., “they continued to give sela`im,” as their meaning<sup>64</sup>The Accadic sila used in both Talmudim to designate the Roman tetradrachma., “they continued to give minted coins,” half tetradrachmas, they wanted to give denars,” quarters<sup>65</sup>With J. Levy reading as Latin quarta., but these were not accepted by the following: and we accepted for us as commandment to give a sheqel three times<sup>66</sup>Neh. 10:33, following the changed wording in B which is understood also in S. The usual translation is “a third of a sheqel.” The verse declares the collection of sheqalim a post-exilic institution. Babli Bava batra9a. in the year for the service in our God’s House. Rebbi Ḥilkiah in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: From here that a person has to give his sheqel three times a year; <from here that a person is responsible for the alienation of his sheqel three times a year;><sup>67</sup>Added from the other two sources. The omission in the text probably is a scribal error. from here that one does not importune people more than three times a year. Rebbi Abbin said, from here the three se`ah, from here the three boxes, from here the three collection times⁶⁸Mishnah 3:1–2: Money was disbursed from the sheqalim3 times a year; each disbursement yielded three boxes of sheqalim, three se`ah each..

It is written⁶⁹Ex. 30:13, reading הַפְּקוּדִים “the census” as Mishnaic Hebrew הַפִּקּוּדִים “the Commandments”.: This they shall give, everybody who violated the Commandments. Rebbi Jehudah and Rebbi Neḥemiah. One said, because they sinned⁷⁰Making the Golden Calf after 12 noon, Babli Šabbat89a, summarized by Rashi, Ex. 32:1. in the middle of the day they shall give half a sheqel; but the other said, because they sinned in the sixth hour they shall give half a sheqel; which is worth six grams⁷¹An Aramaic plural of Greek γράμμα, τό, “gram, scruple (as weight)”. One scruple is two oboloi, a third of a denar, approximately 1.2 metric grams, used here as name of a silver coin.. Rebbi Joshua the son of Rebbi Neḥemiah in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan ben Zakkai: Because they transgressed the Ten Commandments, each of them shall give ten gerah⁶⁹Ex. 30:13, reading הַפְּקוּדִים “the census” as Mishnaic Hebrew הַפִּקּוּדִים “the Commandments”.. Rebbi Berekhiah, Rebbi Levi in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish: Because they sold Rachel’s firstborn for twenty pieces of silver; each of them shall redeem his firstborn with twenty pieces of silver⁷²Num. 3:47. The firstborn is redeemed by 5 sheqalim. Since it is held that the sheqel in the Torah is equal to a Roman tetradrachma, Qiddušin1:3 Note 339, 5 sheqalim are 20 denarii. The generic expression “pieces of silver” is taken to mean the most common silver coin, the denar.
The homily is mentioned as introduction to the following one.. Rebbi Phineas in the name of Rebbi Levi: Because they sold Rachel’s firstborn for twenty pieces of silver and each of them received a minted coin^60,In this context meaning the silver didrachma.⁷³Since Joseph was sold by 10 of his brothers. The formulation of the homily shows that in later Amoraic times the word sheqel had lost its meaning denoting either a standard weight or a standard coin but became the label of a religious obligation., each of them shall give a minted coin as his sheqel.

MISHNAH: The excess of sheqalim is profane⁷⁴Mishnah 3.. The excess of a tenth of an ephah⁷⁵Either the daily offering of the High Priest, which is the only obligatory offering by a single person which is neither a purification nor a reparation offering, or the purification offering of the very poor, Lev. 5:11., the excess of nests⁷⁶Couples of pigeons or turtle doves, needed to permit the person access to sancta. of male sufferers from gonorrhea⁷⁷Lev. 15:14., the nests of female sufferers from flux⁷⁸Lev. 15:29., the nests of women after childbirth⁷⁹Lev. 12:8., or purification offerings, or reparation offerings, their excesses are gift⁴¹Meaning the coins given as sheqel.. This is the principle: of anything brought for a sin or as reparation the excess is gift.
The excess⁹⁴In all these cases the money was saved for the purpose of a certain type of sacrifice. If not all the money was actually used, the excess may be used later for the same purpose. It cannot return to profane status since “a promise to Heaven is like delivery to an individual”. of elevation sacrifices is for elevation sacrifices, the excess of flour offerings is for flour offerings, the excess of well-being sacrifices is for well-being sacrifices, the excess of Pesaḥ is for well-being sacrifices. The excess of nezirim is for nezirim, the excess of a nazir⁹⁵If money was collected in order to help any nazir who might apply for a subsidy for the cost of his sacrifices, the money remain in its status even if not used in the time frame originally envisaged. But if money either was set aside by a nazir himself or it was given to him personally for his sacrifices and not completely used, the excess goes to the Temple’s gift account. is for gift.