Daily Tanach Wednesday 5th Adar Sefer Melachim 2 Chapter 12 Part 2: The Temple fund and its use for the Temple repairs

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* The article below is an excerpt from the above Sefer
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  • A charity box is set up for the sanctification monies to be kept inside: Yehoyada the priest took a chest and made a hole in it for the sake of the money donations of the temple to be placed inside. The chest was positioned [in the Azara[1]] near the altar by the right side [of the people who would walk into the temple[2]]. Whenever a person would enter the temple [with a donation], the priests and the guards [entrusted with the keys of the temple[3]], would put the money into there.
  • The money is counted and is used to pay for temple repairs: When those appointed over the chest saw that the chest was full, the king’s scribe and the high priest removed the money and counted it to see its total sum. The counted money was then given over to the managers who were appointed over the temple repairs. The money was spent on carpenters and builders who worked in the temple, and also for the wall builders and stonecutters. The money was also used to buy wood and quarried stones to repair the damage of the temple. In short, the money was used for all the temple repairs. However, the funds were not used to make the vessels of the temple, such as silver pitchers, musical instruments, basins, trumpets, or any golden or silver utensils, as all the money was already used for the temple repairs. [However, once the temple repairs were completed, then the leftover donation monies were used to make these vessels.[4]]
  • The managers are entrusted with the money: Those who receive the monies and oversaw the repair work were trusted to use the money properly and pay all the workers, and therefore they were not required to explain what the money was used for to the treasurers.
  • What was done with the leftover sacrifice monies: The leftover moneys from the monies that were donated for buying offerings, were not entered into the charity chest which was used for temple repairs but rather these leftover moneys were given to the priests [who would use it to buy extra offerings for the altar[5]].

[1] Rashi 12:10

[2] Rashi 12:10

[3] Rashi 12:10

[4] Metzudos Dovid 12:14

[5] Rashi 12:17

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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