BS”D

Shkolim 3b (2)

Kislev 22, 5784. December 5th, 2023

1- We continued the topic if כהנים and לויים are obligated in מחצית השקל.

The Mishnah quotes an ancient מחלוקת from the time of יבנה , as to the participation of כהנים in מחצית השקל, between Reb Yochanan Ben Zakai and Ben Buchri. See here.

According to Ben Buchri there was no obligation on them and on the contrary, it’s preferred that they don’t participate. Reb Reb Yochanan Ben Zakai says they are obligated just as all ישראלים.

2- The גמרא has two approaches to explain these two opinions but first suggests a גימטריה to prove that all 12 שבטים including שבט לוי are obligated in מחצית השקל.

שמות ל, יג

זֶה יִתְּנוּ כָּל הָעֹבֵר עַל הַפְּקֻדִים מַחֲצִית הַשֶּׁקֶל בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ עֶשְׂרִים גֵּרָה הַשֶּׁקֶל מַחֲצִית הַשֶּׁקֶל תְּרוּמָה לַיהוָה.

The numerical value of זה is 12!

We mentioned a few other places the the גמרא use גימטריה as a basis for הלכה. The 30 days of נזיר and the ל”ט מלאכות of Shabbos – Shabbos 70a, see Rashi.  Mishna Nazir 5a 

3- The two approaches, one based on פסוקים the other based on logic:

A -It’s based on the interpretation of the words כָּל הָעֹבֵר עַל הַפְּקֻדִים. If it means, as per Reb Yochanan, all those that crossed the ים סוף then that would include כהנים and לויים as well.

If it means, per Ben Buchri, only ‘the ones that were counted’, then the כהנים and לויים who were not counted together (at the first counting of בני ישראל)  with the other שבטים are not included in the מצווה of  מחצית השקל.

B- Ben Buchri says there is an issue with כהנים giving מחצית השקל because it causes the מנחות bought using the money from the מחצית השקל to be in a sense a ‘personal’ מנחת כהן.

Now some of these מנחות are eaten by the כהנים and the problem with that is that the  פסוק says explicitly that a מנחה of a כהן is not to be eaten. וְכָל מִנְחַת כֹּהֵן כָּלִיל תִּהְיֶה לֹא תֵאָכֵל.

So being they are not obligated for this reason, it’s preferable for them not to participate, but if they do, they must ‘give it to the fund and proclaim that they are withdrawing any individual rights to the שקלים’.

4- The next Mishna continues as to who is obligated to give מחצית השקל.

We followed up on what was discussed last week:

• The Reb Akiva Eiger that since women are not obligated to give מחצית השקל they do not need to Daven מוסף.
• His quote from the בשמים ראש. The controversy about this book.
• The Tzemach Tzedek’s take on this and the Rebbe quoting him.

We added this week another interesting point prefaced by the story of a Lubavitcher Rov of great fame who was from the ישובים by the Tzemach Tzedek.

Reb Chaim Yehuda Leib Litvin of Sesnitza author of the שערי דעה. We mentioned the rumors as to why, despite being famous worldwide, ‘disappeared’ from the Lubavitcher map. See here about the new edition of the שערי דעה. 

מכתב בכתב ידו של אדמו”ר המהר”ש לחותנו, ר’ אברהם אבא, עם הוספה בכתב ידו של אדמו”ר הצמח צדק: “פ”ש ידידי חתנו המפולג המפורסם מהו’ חיים ליב שי'”^[1]

In any case, he was an ‘original’ thinker and wrote on many topics such as using the telegraph and telephone for Halachic purposes, such as a husband instructing a בית דין to give a גט via a telegraph or telephone.

 

Reb Chaim adds an interesting point to our topic as it relates to the Reb Akiva Eiger above. SD 17.

‘I want to say something original’ he begins. Based on the idea that all that didn’t participate in the מחצית השקל have no obligation to Daven מוסף, it follows that they should not be a חזן for מוסף.

If, as we mentioned in previous Shiurim, only those over 20 years of age are required to give  מחצית השקל then someone under the age of 20 should not be allowed to go to the עמוד for מוסף!

Mentioned that Reb Elchonon Spector uses this logic concerning כהנים Davning Mussaf according to Ben Buchri.

More next week.

א פרייליכן חנוכה