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Perek 7

Mishnayos Shekalim Perek 7 Mishnah 1

שקלים פרק ז׳ משנה א׳

1
If money was found on the floor of the Temple between one of the collection horns marked shekels and the collection horn marked free-will offerings, that is to say, between the first and the thirteenth collection horns, in which funds contributed to the Temple were stored, the following distinctions apply: If the money was found closer to the horn marked shekels, it is allocated to the shekels; if it was found closer to the horn marked free-will offerings, it is allocated to free-will offerings; and if it was equidistant from the horn marked shekels and the horn marked free-will offerings, it is allocated to free-will offerings. If the money was found between the horn marked wood and the horn marked frankincense, that is, between the fifth and sixth horns, if it was closer to the horn marked wood, it is allocated to wood; if it was closer to the horn marked frankincense, it is allocated to frankincense; and if it was found equidistant from both, it is allocated to frankincense. If the money was found between the horn marked pairs of bird-offerings and the horn marked doves for burnt-offerings, i.e., between the third and the fourth horns, if it is closer to the horn marked pairs of bird-offerings, it is allocated to pairs of bird-offerings; if it was found closer to the horn marked doves for burnt-offerings, it is allocated to doves for burnt-offerings; and if it was found equidistant from both, it is allocated to doves for burnt-offerings. And similarly, if money was found anywhere else between a container for ordinary, non-sacred money and one containing second-tithe money, the following distinctions apply: If the money was found closer to the non-sacred money, it is allocated to the non-sacred money; if it was found closer to second-tithe money, it is allocated to second-tithe money; and if it was found equidistant from both, it is allocated to second-tithe money. This is the principle: In cases of doubt, the ruling follows whichever is closer, even if this involves being lenient, but if the money was found equidistant from both, the ruling follows whichever allocation involves being stringent.

מָעוֹת שֶׁנִּמְצְאוּ בֵּין הַשְּׁקָלִים לִנְדָבָה, קָרוֹב לַשְּׁקָלִים יִפְּלוּ לַשְּׁקָלִים, לַנְּדָבָה יִפְּלוּ לַנְּדָבָה, מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה יִפְּלוּ לַנְּדָבָה. בֵּין עֵצִים לִלְבוֹנָה, קָרוֹב לָעֵצִים יִפְּלוּ לָעֵצִים, לַלְּבוֹנָה יִפְּלוּ לַלְּבוֹנָה, מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה יִפְּלוּ לַלְּבוֹנָה. בֵּין קִנִּין לְגוֹזְלֵי עוֹלָה, קָרוֹב לַקִּנִּין יִפְּלוּ לַקִּנִּין. לְגוֹזְלֵי עוֹלָה יִפְּלוּ לְגוֹזְלֵי עוֹלָה, מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה יִפְּלוּ לְגוֹזְלֵי עוֹלָה. בֵּין חֻלִּין לְמַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי, קָרוֹב לַחֻלִּין יִפְּלוּ לַחֻלִּין, לְמַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי יִפְּלוּ לְמַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי, מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה יִפְּלוּ לְמַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי. זֶה הַכְּלָל, הוֹלְכִים אַחַר הַקָּרוֹב (לְהָקֵל). מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה לְהַחְמִיר:

א׳

מעות שנמצאו. קרוב לשקלים יפלו לשקלים – for after what is near we follow, as It is written (Deuteronomy 21:3): “The elders of the town nearest to the corpse,” and the one who states majority and near, follows after the majority; our Mishnah establishes that such as a case when Shekalim and freewill donations are equivalent.

מחצה על מחצה יפלו לנדבה – for they (i.e., freewill offerings) are more stringent than Shekalim, since they are all burnt offerings, but sometimes Shekalim are brought as sin-offerings which are consumed by Kohanim. But furthermore, the remnants of the Shekalim are used for the walls of the city and its towers.

מחצה על מחצה יפלו ללבונה – for frankincense is itself a sacrifice but wood is the requirement of a sacrifice.

מחצה על מחצה יפלו לגוזלי עולה – In the Jerusalem Talmud (Shekalim 19a), it raises an objection: it is all right if it is closer to young pigeons for burnt offerings, since according to the Torah, we follow after that which is nearer as if they are definitively from the young pigeons for burnt offerings. But, if it is half-way between them, out of doubt, we cast them in a stringency to the young pigeons for burnt offerings, but the woman who brought these monies, with what shall she gain atonement? For perhaps, they fell from obligatory bird-offerings and when you offer from them pigeon burnt-offerings, with what shall the woman gain atonement? And it (i.e., the Jerusalem Talmud) responds that the Jewish court that is appointed over the bird-offerings takes from the community [offerings] according to those monies that were found and causes them to be acquired by the owners of the monies that were found and they offer from them bird-offerings on the doubt, and the sin-offering will not be consumed.

מעות שנמצאו. קרוב לשקלים יפלו לשקלים. דבתר קרוב אזלינן דכתיב (דברים כ״א:ג׳) והיתה העיר הקרובה אל החלל. והאומר רוב וקרוב הלך אחר הרוב, מוקי מתניתין כגון ששקלים ונדבה שוין:

מחצה על מחצה יפלו לנדבה. דחמירא משקלים, דכולה עולות. אבל שקלים מביאין מהן פעמים חטאות שנאכלים לכהנים. ועוד, דשיירי שקלים לחומות העיר ומגדלותיה:

מחצה על מחצה יפלו ללבונה. דלבונה היא עצמה קרבן. ועצים מכשירי קרבן:

מחצה על מחצה יפלו לגוזלי עולה. בירושלמי פריך, בשלמא קרוב לגוזלי עולה כיון דמדאורייתא אזלינן בתר קורבה הוי כאילו ודאי הן מגוזלי עולה, אלא מחצה על מחצה דמספיקא שדינן להו לגוזלי עולה לחומרא, האשה שהביאה המעות הללו במה תתכפר, שמא מקיני חובה נפלו, וכשאתה מקריב מהן גוזלי עולה במה מתכפרת האשה. ומשני, ב״ד הממונים על הקינין לוקחים משל צבור כפי אותן מעות שנמצאו ומקנין אותן לבעלי המעות שנמצאו ומקריבין מהן קינין על הספק והחטאת לא תהא נאכלת: