MISHNAH: Coins which are found between the sheqalim and the voluntary gifts, if closer to sheqalim they have to be given to sheqalim, closer to voluntary gifts to voluntary gifts; in the middle they have to be given to voluntary gifts¹As explained at the end of the Mishnah, in general coins found are assigned to the box closest to the place where the coins were found. Only if the coins are strictly in the middle between two boxes they are assigned to the more holy use. Since voluntary gifts are strictly for elevation offerings but sheqalim are used for all needs of the Temple, voluntary gifts represent the more holy use.. Between wood and incense, if closer to wood they have to be given to wood, closer to incense to incense; in the middle they have to be given to incense²Incense is an offering in itself, whereas wood is only an auxiliary to offerings on the altar; incense is more holy.. Between nests and young birds for elevation sacrifices, if closer to nests they have to be given to nests, closer to young birds for elevation sacrifices to young birds for elevation sacrifices; in the middle they have to be given to young birds for elevation sacrifices³According to the rabbis, nests contain one bird as purification offering and one as elevation offering, whereas young birds for elevation sacrifices are all elevation sacrifices; the latter are more holy.. Between profane money and Second Tithe^\4, if closer to profane money they have to be given to profane money, closer to Second Tithe to Second Tithe; in the middle they have to be given to Second Tithe. This is the principle: one follows proximity; in the middle one is stringent.

HALAKHAH: “Coins which are found between the sheqalim and the voluntary gifts,” etc. It would only be necessary between sheqalim and nests⁵Since Mishnah 6:7 states that the horn for nests is next to the two for sheqalim, how can coins be found between sheqalim and gifts?! They were arranged like a snail⁶Greek κοχλίας, “snail with a spiral shell”. If the horns are arranged almost in a circle, the box for new sheqalim is next to the last box for gifts. If they would be in a straight line then the box near to “nests” is that for “old sheqalim”, which are never used for sacrifices and therefore the coins found halfway should be given to “nests”.. Would it not be necessary that it be given to sheqalim⁷Since “gifts” provide private sacrifices but sheqalim public ones, the sanctity of sheqalim should be greater than that of “gifts”.? Some want to say, maybe they would remain with the excess of the lodge⁸Which are not used for sacrifices.. Some want to say, in the middle it is as if he died. ⁹This text to the end of the paragraph is from Halakhah 2:5, Notes 81–83. The origin of the text is there, since the last two sentences, about the High Priest’s flour offering, have no connection with the topic under discussion here. Rebbi Yasa said, when I still was there, I heard the voice of Rav Jehudah asking Samuel, if somebody had set his sheqel apart and died? He told him, they shall fall to the gift account. The excess of his tenth of an ephah, Rebbi Joḥanan said, one shall bring them to the Dead Sea. Rebbi Eleazar said, it shall fall to the gift account.

And it is difficult. May purification offering be brought as elevation offering¹⁰If coins lie in the middle between nests and young birds for elevation sacrifices, there is a 50% chance that the money was brought by a woman for her obligatory nests. How can one justify a rabbinical rule that assigns the money to elevation sacrifices against a possibly biblical injunction against doing this?? Rebbi Ḥizqiah (brother)¹¹The correct reading is preserved in B, א׳ (אָמַר) “said”. in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish: It is a stipulation of the Court that the excesses be brought as elevation sacrifices¹²Everybody bringing a gift to the Temple knows that these will be evaluated by Temple rules and the donor accepts these rules by giving. Therefore the money never was absolutely dedicated for purification offerings.. By what is that woman atoned for¹³Since the money may have been given by a woman needing purification, if it happens that her monies were used as elevation offering, how can she ever eat sancta? The sentence and the next are reproduced at the end of the Chapter (7).? Rebbi Isaac said, it is a stipulation of the Court that the providers of nests also provide the disqualified ones¹⁴The provider has to provide a few extra birds which are treated as possible purification offerings (a situation impossible for four-legged animals) but are not eaten.. Would it not also be necessary between incense and wood, and frankincense, and gold for the cover¹⁵The Mishnah does not treat a number of other possible cases.? As it is stated at the end, “one follows nearness; in the middle one is stringent.”

MISHNAH: Coins found near vendors of animals always are Tithe money¹⁶Most kosher animals sold in Jerusalem are sold to pilgrims who use their tithe money for their living expenses in Jerusalem. If not all this money is spent during their visit, the remaining coins used to be given to their hosts, to be used to buy food consumed in purity according to the rules of second Tithe. Therefore the presumption is that money in the hand of resident Jerusalemites found near venders of animals for slaughter is Second Tithe money. The finder will have to use the coins according to Tithe standards.. On the Temple Mount, profane. In Jerusalem, during the remainder of the year they are profane, during the holidays everything is Second Tithe.
Of meat found in the Temple courtyard, limbs are elevation sacrifices and cuts purification sacrifices¹⁹Elevation sacrifices have to be dissected into limbs (Lev. 1:6,12) before being brought to the altar, but purification sacrifices have to be eaten by the Cohanim in the holy precinct and for this purpose have to be cut into portions.; in Jerusalem well-being sacrifices²⁰Since usually meat in Jerusalem is from a family sacrifice.. In either case it has to lose its shape and be taken out to be disposed of by burning²¹The meat can neither be eaten nor brought to the altar since it might be impure or otherwise disqualified; it cannot be disposed of immediately since it might be pure and qualified. One has to wait until the time allotted for each kind having passed and the meat automatically becoming disqualified; this is the remainder of the day for elevation sacrifices, the remainder of the day plus the following night for purification sacrifices, and the following day for well-being sacrifices..
If it was found in the countryside²⁶Palestine outside of Jerusalem and its surroundings., limbs are carrion²⁷Since the butcher did not care to cut it into slices, one must assume that it was notkosher and thrown away for the dogs., cuts are permitted²⁸If there are no sources of non-kosher meat in the neighborhood.. On holidays, when meat is abundant, even limbs are permitted²⁹Since for big family meals one may buy whole limbs and cut them after cooking..

HALAKHAH: Would it not be necessarily holy on the Temple Mount¹⁷Since it is forbidden to enter the Temple Mount in private business (Mishnah Berakhot9:8), how can there be a presumption that monies lost there are profane?? Rebbi Abba, Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: There is a presumption that no Cohen will remove money from the lodge unless it is redeemed by an animal¹⁸The money legitimately in the hands of private persons on the Temple Mount is money received from the Temple for delivery of goods or services. While the origin of the money is from the Temple, it is legitimately profane in the hands of its owner..

Rebbi Eleazar in the name of Rebbi Hoshaia: Diversion of attention requires {loss of} shape²²Sacrificial meat which is left unattended even for a moment cannot be used any more; it has to be kept as is until the time of its sacrificial use has elapsed and then disposed of by burning outside the sacred domain. Babli Pesaḥim34a.. Rav Hoshaia said, the Mishnah says so, “it has to lose its shape and be taken out to be disposed of by burning.” ²³The rest of this Halakhah is missing in B. Rebbi Yose says, this is correct. You may not eat it for maybe its shape already is lost. <you may not burn it²⁴On the altar. for maybe its shape is not lost>²⁵Missing in the Leiden text, added from ג. Cf. Note 21. Therefore it had to say, “it has to lose its shape and be taken out to be disposed of by burning”.

³⁰This Halakhah is missing in B. Rebbi Crispus in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Ḥanina: One flogs for carrion limbs because of carrion31; and the Mishnah says so: “limbs are carrion, cuts are permitted.” Are cuts not really permitted? And similarly, one flogs for carrion limbs because of carrion.

Rebbi Crispus in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Ḥanina: If they were strung they are permitted³²If all butcher shops in the neighborhood are kosher and all households eat kosher, nobody expends the work to string pieces (or sausages) together if they are not kosher and have to be fed to the dogs.. ³³This sentence is missing in ג and B but there is no reason to doubt its authenticity. Ten stores, nine sell carrion and one sells kosher slaughtered meat, if it was switched, he worries. For what is found, one follows the majority. Ten stores, nine sell kosher slaughtered meat and one sells carrion, if it was switched, he worries³⁴In the language of the Babli (Ketubot15a), “anything whose provenience is fromknown fixed sources is considered as 50–50”, and therefore one has to consider the switched package as coming from the store which sells carrion, whether this is one in ten or nine in ten.. For what is found, one follows the majority³⁵If a package of meat is found and provenience and buyer are unknown..