שקלים א׳Shekalim 1

Perek 1 of 8 in Shekalim — 7 mishnayot

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Mishnah 1א׳

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 the month of Adar a proclamation is made about the [giving of the] shekalim and about kilayim [forbidden mixed plantings]. On the 15th of the month the Book of Esther is read in cities. Additionally, they repair the roads between cities, the roads within cities, the mikvaot [pools for ritual immersion], take care of all public needs, mark graves and remove the kilayim [from the fields].

Mishnah 2ב׳

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

Rabbi Yehuda said: At first they used to uproot [kilayim] and would throw it away before them. When sinners began to multiply [i.e. when people did not remove the kilayim] they would uproot it and throw it on the roads. [Eventually,] they decreed that the entire field should be declared ownerless [and anyone can take food from these fields - because the owners did not remove their kilayim at all].

Mishnah 3ג׳

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 15th [of Adar] tables would be set up [in order to exchange money] throughout the land. On the 25th they would set up in the Temple. When they moved to the Temple they began to mortgage [property and other valuables for coins]. Who did they take mortgages from? Levites, Israelites, converts and freed slaves. They did not take mortgages from women, slaves and children. Any child whose father has begun to pay the shekel for him, [the father] cannot stop paying the half-shekel on his behalf. They did not take mortgages from priests for the sake of peace.

Mishnah 4ד׳

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:

Rabbi Yehuda said: Ben Bukhrei testified in Yavneh saying that a priest that contributes the half-shekel is not sinning. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said to him: This is not true. In fact, any priest who does not give a half-shekel is sinning. Rather, the priests interpreted the verse for their own benefit, "And every meal-offering of a priest shall be wholly made to smoke; it shall not be eaten" (Leviticus 6:16): If the omer [barley measure] offering and the lechem hapanim [showbread, displayed in the Temple] offering are ours, how can they be eaten?

…and 3 more mishnayot in this perek.

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Mishnah, Torat Emet 357 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: Sefaria Community Translation — CC0