The Jewish people’s behavior can leave you scratching your head. TY Shekalim 2

 Today we begin massekhet Talmud Yerushalmi (TY) Shekalim. There are two Talmuds, the Yerushalmi (the Land of Israel) Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud. The Talmud Yerushalmi was completed around the year 400 CE while the Babylonian Talmud was completed around the year 500 CE. Because of historical circumstances, the Babylonian Talmud became the one universally studied in the yeshivot. In Seder Moed (the tractates dealing with all the holidays) the Babylonian Talmud has 11 tractates out of a possible 12. The only tractate missing is Shekalim. Since massekhet TY Shekalim is printed after TB Pesakhim, Rabbi Meir Shapiro, who proposed studying daf yomi, made an executive decision to include TY Shekalim, the only tractate from the Talmud Yerushalmi in the daf yomi cycle.

Every adult male Jew contributed a half shekel to underwrite all the communal sacrifices. The rich could not donate more nor the poor less. (see Exodus 30:11-16). The biblical shekel had the value of four dinars, so the half shekel equaled two dinars. The talmudic shekel was worth only two dinars. Because the biblical half shekel had the same value of the talmudic shekel, our massekhet uses the term shekel to mean the biblical half shekel tax. Because the Temple’s fiscal year started on 1 Nisan, the first Mishna on today’s daf TY Shekalim begins “On the first day of Adar they (the court) proclaim regarding the payment of the shekalim...” (Art Scroll translation) to remind them of their obligation and to give them enough time to send in their half shekel before the deadline.

The Jewish people’s behavior can leave you scratching your head. “Rabbi Abba bar Acha said: You cannot comprehend the contradictory behavior of the nation. On the one hand they are solicited to donate gold for something evil like the Golden Calf, and they give. On the other hand, they are solicited to donate for something good like the Tabernacle, and also they give.” (Art Scroll translation)

Generosity seems to be hardwired into the Jewish DNA. When asked to donate for any cause, they rise to the occasion and are most generous. I rather that we make a mistake and donate to a bad or fraudulent organization from time to time (but not as a habit), than never donate at all even to a good cause.