BSD
Shkolim 18a
13 Shevat, 5785 – 2/11/2025

1- After the ‘diversion’ describing שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר שֻׁלְחָנוֹת שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה הִשְׁתַּחֲוָיוֹת הָיוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ , the last משנה of this פרק, finally addresses the topic of our מסכתא:

.שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר שׁוֹפָרוֹת הָיוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ

2- So we have 13 Pushkes – שׁוֹפָרוֹת for various purposes, each with a particular label. They were shaped like a שופר so that no hand can be inserted into them.

This topic is placed in שקלים מסכת due to the fact that the first Pushke was for the actual שקלים that were collected every year throughout the world. If one wanted to bypass all the collectors, he would insert his מחצית השקל into Pushke #1. תִּקְלִין חַדְתִּין – New Shkolim.

From this Pushke they שקלים would be placed in the לשכה.

Pushke #2 was for ‘old Shkolim’. תִּקְלִין עַתִּיקִין. This one was for those that missed giving a מחצית השקל in the previous year.

The משנה continues enumerating the other 11 Pushkes.

3 – The latter part of the משנה (and following גמרא) touches on a קדשים topic, with an interesting historical story.

We generally find many מדרשים explaining פסוקים in ש”ס etc. by the תנאים and אמוראים.

Our משנה describes a story where a מדרש on פסוקים was recorded hundreds of year before the תנאים – in the time of the first בית המקדש!

Now, the כהן גדול at the time of יואש המלך was יהוידע. He is on the list of the מסורה – one of the people by which the תורה was transmitted, going back to משה רבינו.

Rambam in his Hakdomo to the Yad:
אליהו קיבל מאחיה השילוני ובית דינו, ואלישע קיבל מאליהו ובית דינו, ויהוידע הכהן קיבל מאלישע ובית דינו.

4 – יהוידע הכהן had an issue with a פסוק חומש.

Here are some parameters to understand his issue.
קרבנות in general are of two categories.
Obligatory ones – חובה, such as עולה, חטאת and אשם.
Donated ones – נדבה. Such as שלמים and עולה.

A חטאת or אשם are brought as a כפרה – sin offering with part of the animal placed on the מזבח and the rest (meat and hide) going to the כהנים.

An עולה (brought as a חובה or נדבה) is all burnt on the מזבח, except for the hide which the כהנים keep.

However, when discussing the laws of an אשם, when the meat in eaten by the כהנים, the פסוק concludes by saying:
אָשָׁם הוּא אָשֹׁם אָשַׁם לַהשם.

להשם usually means, like an עולה , totally consumed on the מזבח.
So how do we reconcile this?

To be continued.

5 – We mentioned an interesting idea about a story in מסכת שבת.
10 a.

The משנה states וְלֹא יִקְרָא לְאוֹר הַנֵּר. One should not read by the light of a candle on שבת. No reason for this prohibition is offered.
However, in 12b, the גמרא quotes a תוספתא: that states the reason for this הלכה: Do not read by candle light for one may adjust the wick.

לֹא יִקְרָא לְאוֹר הַנֵּר, שֶׁמָּא יַטֶּה. אָמַר רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן אֱלִישָׁע: אֲנִי אֶקְרָא וְלֹא אַטֶּה. פַּעַם אַחַת קָרָא וּבִקֵּשׁ לְהַטּוֹת. אָמַר: כַּמָּה גְּדוֹלִים דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים לֹא יִקְרָא לְאוֹר הַנֵּר. רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר: קָרָא וְהִטָּה, וְכָתַב עַל פִּנְקָסוֹ: אֲנִי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן אֱלִישָׁע קָרִיתִי וְהִטֵּיתִי נֵר בְּשַׁבָּת; לִכְשֶׁיִּבָּנֶה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ אָבִיא חַטָּאת שְׁמֵנָה״!?

One may not read a book on Shabbat by the light of the lamp, lest he adjust it. Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha said: I will read and will not adjust, as I will certainly not forget that it is Shabbat. However, once he read a book by candlelight and he sought to adjust the wick. He said: How great are the words of the Sages, who would say that one may not read by candlelight. . Rabbi Natan says: That was not the way it happened. Rather, he read and actually adjusted the wick, and he wrote afterward in his notebook [pinkas]: I, Yishmael ben Elisha, read and adjusted a lamp on Shabbat. When the Temple will be rebuilt I will bring a fat sin-offering as atonement for my sin.

As others point out – the story with Reb ישמעאל, is only brought down as part of the תוספתא where a reason is given. The dry הלכה in the Mishna, where no reason is given, is not followed by the story of Reb ישמעאל.

Why?

The answer is that when no טעם of a גזירה is given, there is less of a chance that one may say : I know the reason and it does not apply to me.

In the תוספתא where a reason is offered, it follows with a story to teach us that despite what one may think, a גזירה is not bound by the reason. Even if one thinks that the reason does not apply, the גזירה must still be adhered to.

As the גמרא writes in עבודה זרה, on 35a that the חכמים, when announcing a new גזירה, would (sometimes) not divulge the reason behind the enactment of the גזירה until 6 months.

דְּאָמַר עוּלָּא כִּי גָּזְרִי גְּזֵירְתָּא בְּמַעְרְבָא לָא מְגַלּוּ טַעְמָא עַד תְּרֵיסַר יַרְחֵי שַׁתָּא דִּלְמָא אִיכָּא אִינִישׁ דְּלָא סְבִירָא לֵיהּ וְאָתֵי לְזַלְזוֹלֵי בַּהּ.