Shekalim 10 - Remainder and remainder of remainder

The shekels donated to the Temple were used for buying sacrifices. These included daily offerings, Shabbat offering, wine, oil, the Bread of Vision, and other public offerings. A special problem was presented by the two loaves of bread brought on Shavuot when the year was Shmita. In Shmita year, one cannot plow and sow, so they would have no wheat at the end of the year! Therefore, the Temple would hire guardians to shoo away the animals and ask passers-by not to interfere with the wheat that grew of itself, which would be used on Shavuot. These people had to be paid - and not because of the lack of volunteers, but because in guarding the wheat, they could accidentally pick up the produce, thus acquiring it. Then it would not belong to the congregation later on. However, if they were paid, even if they took the produce, they would do so on behalf of the congregation and would not acquire it for themselves. This important payment had to be done with the same shekalim.

Some money would still remain in the chamber, and, being that their mitzvah was already accomplished, the money could be used for the goat of Yom Kippur and for the city walls and towers. If any money was still left, the Temple could use it for commerce - says Rabbi Ishmael. However, Rabbi Akiva says that it would be degrading. He also says that surplus money from donations to the poor cannot be used for commerce but must be held for any contingency. Rabbi Akiva himself was a charity administrator.

Art: The Lesson in Charity by Henri Nicolas van Gorp

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