Daf Ditty Shekalim 2: God’S Currency
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Daf Ditty Shekalim 2: God’s Currency 1 2 On the first of Adar they make a public announcement about the shekels and concerning kilayim. On the fifteenth: they read the Megillah [Esther] in walled cities, and they fix the roads and the streets and the ritual water baths, and they perform all public duties, and they mark the graves, and [messengers] go forth also concerning kilayim. GEMARA: The mishna taught that the court would issue a proclamation concerning the new shekels on the first of Adar. The Gemara asks: And why specifically on the first of Adar? The Gemara answers: This was done in order that Jews would bring their shekels to the designated Temple chamber in the proper time, as the shekels had to be collected before the beginning of Nisan each year. And this would ensure that the collection of the Temple treasury chamber would be collected from the new shekels at its proper time, which is on the first of the month of Nisan, i.e., the beginning of the Temple year. After that date all communal offerings must be purchased from the new shekels. And Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzḥak said: The collection of the Temple treasury chamber was performed each year on the same date as its first time, as it is written: 3 And it came to pass in the first month in the second 17 זי שּׁ ָָבּנה ָרהאשׁוֹן,ַ ִ ֶַֹבּדחשׁ ַויה ְִי ַויה ֶַֹבּדחשׁ ִ ָרהאשׁוֹן, ַ ָָבּנה שּׁ year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle ִיתֵנַהשּׁ -- ֶַֹדלחשׁ: אח ְֶָבּד קוּה ַ ,ם , וּ .was reared up .ָןְִכַּהשׁמּ Ex 40:17 “And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the Tabernacle was reared up” And a baraita was taught about this verse: On the day that the Tabernacle was erected, on that very day the funds were collected. The first of Nisan was thereafter permanently established as the date for the collection of the chamber. Rabbi Tavi said that Rabbi Yoshiya said in the name of Rabbi Kahana: It is stated here, with regard to the additional offerings of the New Moon: And their drink-offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a 14 די ְִיֶיהה ְִוְנֵסיכֶּהם, ֲִחיצִַהיהן ַָלפּר bullock, and the third part of a hin for the ram, and the fourth שׁוּ לְ שׁיִ תִ הַ ה ןיִ אָ ל יַ לִ רוּ בְ ﬠיִ תִ הַ ה ןיִ ןיִ הַ ה תִ ﬠיִ בְ רוּ לִ יַ אָ ל ןיִ הַ ה תִ שׁיִ לְ שׁוּ part of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt-offering of every ֶֶשׂבַלכּ -- ִן:ָיי תע אֹזתֹחל שֹׁבּדַ ,וֹשָׁדְֶח ְ ,וֹשָׁדְֶח שֹׁבּדַ אֹזתֹחל תע .new moon throughout the months of the year ישּׁהָשׁדְלח ָ.ָהַנְֵ ישּׁהָשׁדְלח Num 28:14 “This is the burnt-offering of every New Moon throughout the months of the year” and it is stated there, concerning the months of the year: ;This month shall be unto you the beginning of months' 2 ב ֹשׁזַּהדַהח הל רםשָׁחכֶֶ , ִיָ:םֳשֹׁאֶד ִראשׁוֹן .it shall be the first month of the year to you וּהא כָ ל ,םֶ חְ ל דָ ְשׁ יֵ נָשַּׁ ה .הָ ַָהי שׁד ְל,ֶכ ה Ex 12:2 “This month shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first of the months of the year to you” Just as “the months of” stated there are counted only from Nisan, the first month of the year, so too, “the months of” that is stated here, with regard to the new shekels, are counted only from Nisan. 4 Background to Shekalim Rav Avraham Adler writes:1 The Torah at the beginning of Parshas Ki Sisa commands us the mitzva of giving shekalim, where each male aged twenty and above must give half of the shekel coin. These donations will go towards the purchase of the numerous public korbonos that will be brought throughout the year. The Beis Hamikdosh had other expenses which were covered by the shekalim, such as the ingredients for the ketores and the lechem haponim, as well as the wages for those who produced them. The Time of the Giving of the Shekalim The Mishna starts by telling us that on the first day of Adar, Beis Din would send out messengers to every city with a Jewish population, reminding the people to give their machatzis hashekel. On the first of Adar proclamation is made regarding the shekalim and kilayim (the prohibition against planting together different species of vegetables, fruit or seeds – the proclamation serves as a warning to uproot any shoots of other seeds that appear among the grain). On the fifteenth of Adar, they read the Megillah in the walled cities and they would be sent out to repair the roads, fix the streets, measure the mikvaos (ensuring that they contained forty se’ah of water, and fix them), attend to all the needs of the public, and they would also go out to inspect the fields for kilayim. The Gemora asks: Why did they proclaim on the first of Adar regarding the shekalim? The Gemora answers: The Jews had to bring the shekalim in their designated time, so that the funds for the public offerings brought during the new year would be withdrawn from the new annual contributions in its proper time, on the first of Nissan. The Gemora offers two reasons why specifically this date. The first opinion is of Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchok, who says that this donation should take place on the same date of the inauguration of the Mishkon. In Parshas Pekudei, the Torah writes that the Mishkon was inaugurated on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Rabbi Tavi in the name of Rabbi Yoshiya quoted Rav Kahana's opinion that there is a gezeirah shavah between the word “chodshei” used in kiddush hachodesh (referring to Rosh Chodesh Nissan,) and the word “chodshei” used in general korbonos. Therefore, the Beis Hamikdosh’s supply of korbonos should be replenished on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Rabbi Yonah noted that Rabbi Tavi omitted the first half of the braisa. If we only had the second half of the braisa that Rabbi Tavi brought, then it would appear that one would be obligated to donate a machatzis hashekel every month of the year. The braisa continued by negating that but suggesting that one could donate the half shekel at any month one chose. Until the braisa concluded, based on this gezeirah shavah, that the mitzvah can only be performed in Nissan. Rav Huna explains that the word ‘mashmi’in’ means to proclaim. The Gemora cites a Scriptural source proving that there was a custom to remind people to bring the Shekalim. 1 http://dafnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Shekalim_2.pdf 5 Which Adar? There is a Mishna which states: The only differences between Adar I and Adar II are mikra megilla and matanos l’evyonim.” Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: The announcement of the Shekalim, and the announcement to uproot kilayim is also a difference between them (and these proclamations are made in the second Adar). Rabbi Chelbo, Rav Huna and Rav in the name of Rabbi Chiya the Great said that all people fulfill their obligation (of reading the Megillah) on the fourteenth (of Adar), for that is its time. Rabbi Yosi supports this statement (of R’ Yehoshua ben Levi) since there are sixty days from Rosh Chodesh Adar I until Rosh Chodesh Nissan. If the people were warned about Shekalim this early, they may forget to do it in the right time. The same is true for kilayim. On Rosh Chodesh Adar I, the shoots are too ripe, and it’s quite difficult to tell which are kilayim. Therefore, the announcement of the Shekalim and kilayim should be done on Rosh Chodesh Adar II, only one month prior to Nissan. More Details About Adar II The Mishna said that mikra megilla takes place on the fifteenth of Adar, and the Gemora immediately noticed that this contradicts general knowledge that the Megillah is read on the fourteenth. The Gemora answers that our Mishna refers to the inhabitants of walled cities from the time of Yehoshua Bin Nun, who are required to read on the fifteenth. The Mishna is hinting to us that the mitzvos that occur on the fifteenth of Adar (such as the announcement of the Shekalim and kilayim) – must be performed on Adar II. The only exceptions are eulogizing and fasting, which cannot be done on the fourteenth of both months of Adar. There is one more difference (about which Adar) concerning the dating of documents. The Gemora brings a machlokes (argument) between Rav Meir and Rav Yehuda. Rav Meir holds that one (when writing a contract) must write “Adar I” during the first Adar, but just plain “Adar” during the second, as the assumed Adar is the second. Rav Yehuda on the other hand, maintains that the assumed Adar is the first one, and “Adar II” must be specified during the second month. Introduction to Maseches Shekalim Talmud Yerushalmi With the onset of Maseches Shekalim, we turn our attention from the cycle of Talmud Bavli to the single tractate of Talmud Yerushalmi studied in the course of Daf Yomi. Many tractates of Mishnayos, such as Shekalim and most of Seder Zeraim, have a Talmud Yerushalmi commentary, but no Talmud Bavli. Among them all, Shekalim alone was included in the Vilna printing of Talmud Bavli for some reason.