BS”D

Shkolim 2b

Mar Cheshvan 16, 5784. October 31, 2023

1 – We continued with the גמרא on 2a where it discusses the reason for announcing the collection of the  מחצית השקל a month before it is due. באחד באחד באדר משמיעין על השקלים .

This early announcement allows the collection and assures its arrival in ירושלים by ראש חודש ניסן.

The logic follows, that communities further away from ירושלים, would need to make that announcement and begin the collection much before ראש חודש אדר.

The גמרא mentions locations that the announcement was made ‘from the beginning of the winter’.

2 – Once the שקלים would arrive at the בית המקדש, it would be placed in 3 large bins or קופות.

3 times a year, an amount of שקלים would be removed from these large bins. as we will learn more in detail further on.

The three dates were 15 days before: פסח, שבועות and סוכות.

3 – We mentioned that although only half a שקל was given, the term used is שקל.

משמיעין על השקלים not משמיעין על חצי השקלים

Even our מסכתא is called שקלים and not מחצית השקל!

The Ramban explains that since the מחצית השקל  was what was needed to be every given every year, as time passed, the adopted name for the half Shekel, simply became ‘a ‘שקל. Meaning the giving of the half a שקל.

4 – Additionally the Ramban adds an interesting suggestion.

At the time there was a only a full Shekel (in Hebrew, or Sela in Targum) coin and Dinar coins. Four Dinar equaled   one Shekel/Sela. To give the מחצית השקל one would need to change a Shekel to 4 Dinar and give 2 Dinar for מחצית השקל.

This change, as we will learn further on, created a fee or commission that was paid to the money changer.

It is probable, says the Ramban, that during the second Beis HaMikdosh a special coin that had the value of a half a Shekel was minted.

A silver half shekel coin of the third year of the Great Revolt against Rome, minted in Jerusalem in 69 CE. (Israel Antiquities Authority/Tal Rogovski)

better image of same

The purpose was to make available a single coin to avoid the need of changing a full Shekel into 4 smaller Dinars.

This newly minted coin, with a value of only a half of a Shekel, was henceforth named Shekel. The original Shekel kept the name of a Sela – סלע.

5 – We repeated the story with the ‘Lost coin’.

Dani suggested this link in Hebrew.

https://www.hidush.co.il/hidush.asp?id=22316

In English here.

6 – Furthermore, continues the Ramban, when he moved to ארץ ישראל he found these two coins. A full Sela and a Shekel (half a Sela) which was used for מחצית השקל.

Sela coin, from the Bar Kochba revolt

This is how he describes the coins:

7 – For פרשת וירא we spoke about the amazing story with Reb Moshe Feinstein when he was a Rov in Luban in 1921.

In English, here.