R. Yehudah says: Shekels too do not have a set limit while one cannot contribute less than the half shekel which was required at the time of Moses, there were times when they contributed more than a half shekel, for when Israel returned from the exile After the Babylonian exile, they would contribute darics A daric was a Persian gold coin which was worth two selas (and hence four shekels), and this coin was mentioned in the previous chapter. Later they contributed sela coins Some time later they began contributing half selah coins, these being equivalent to the shekels of the mishnah, which were half the value of the shekels of the Torah, and they wished to contribute dinars in the version of this mishnah which appears in the Jerusalem Talmud and in the mishnah of the Babylonian Talmud, the following words are added at this point: and they did not accept these from them namely the bet din refused to accept dinars, for it is forbidden to accept less than the value of a Scriptural half shekel, and the dinar was worth half a shekel of the mishnah, or a quarter of the Scriptural shekel.

Others explain that when the Jews first returned to Eretz Yisrael from the diaspora, the population was small and the Temple expenses were high. As a result they contributed a gold daric. Later, when the population increased, they reduced this to a sela. Finally, they reinstituted the amount mandated by the Torah, namely teva'in, which were worth half a Scriptural shekel. Later, though, when they wished to contribute even less, the Sages rejected this, for one cannot contribute less than the half shekel instituted by the Torah (Korban Ha'eidah; Rivevan; Ramban in his commentary on the Torah; Ravad). Others explain that they would give half the standard currency of any given era. In other words, when the standard currency was the daric, each person contributed half a daric; when the daric was replaced by the sela, each person contributed half a sela. At the time, however, that they began to use teva'in, they had to contribute whole teva'in, because the teva was equal to a Scriptural half shekel (Rambam; Hameiri; Bartenura).

Thus Rambam rules: The half shekel the commandment is to contribute half of the standard currency of that era even if it was a coin larger than the holy shekel.” But one may never give less than half of the shekel which they had at the time of Moses our Teacher, whose weight was a hundred and sixty barley grains (Hil. Shekalim 1:5; and see there Halakhah 6 and Ravad's comments). In any event, R. Yehudah proves from this that there is no set limit for the shekel.

R. Shimon said: Nevertheless they all contributed a like amount In every ear all would contribute the same coin for a half shekel, whether poor or rich. Thus shekels do have a set limit, whereas a hatat offering, one may bring for a sela and another for two and yet another three Every one can bring a hatat of whatever value he wishes, so that there is no set limit. Therefore whatever money was collected toward a hatat is consecrated, and the surplus money above the cost of the animal for a hatat is consecrated and is to be placed in the chest for donative burnt offerings

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