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Maseches Shekalim Daf 9
Mar. 31st, 2021 12:09 amDaf 9
Rabban Gamliel, who was Nasi and also just generally incredibly rich, and who was famously so disrespectful that the other sages removed him as Nasi and replaced him with Rabbi Elazar "I am like a man of seventy years" ben Azarya until he apologized to Rabbi Yehoshua... had a special annoying custom involving Chatzi Shekel. See, the whole point of Chatzi Shekel is that everyone's coin, no matter how rich they are, counts equally. Even if they don't actually use your coin to buy sacrifices and it just becomes part of the leftover money used for the maintenance of the Beis Hamikdash, your contribution still earns you equal zechus. Not good enough for Rabban Gamliel. He still needs to get special consideration as a rich and powerful and important person. So when did he give his Chatzi Shekel? He waited until they were withdrawing the money to buy the sacrifices, and he made eye contact with the person withdrawing the money, and then he tossed his coin so it would land on top of the pile and would be clearly his so the person withdrawing would be sure to use his coin to buy sacrifices with. Even though technically it didn't matter, he still had to throw his weight around to get special treatment. Proving that the 1% play by different rules than the rest of us.
Rabban Gamliel, who was Nasi and also just generally incredibly rich, and who was famously so disrespectful that the other sages removed him as Nasi and replaced him with Rabbi Elazar "I am like a man of seventy years" ben Azarya until he apologized to Rabbi Yehoshua... had a special annoying custom involving Chatzi Shekel. See, the whole point of Chatzi Shekel is that everyone's coin, no matter how rich they are, counts equally. Even if they don't actually use your coin to buy sacrifices and it just becomes part of the leftover money used for the maintenance of the Beis Hamikdash, your contribution still earns you equal zechus. Not good enough for Rabban Gamliel. He still needs to get special consideration as a rich and powerful and important person. So when did he give his Chatzi Shekel? He waited until they were withdrawing the money to buy the sacrifices, and he made eye contact with the person withdrawing the money, and then he tossed his coin so it would land on top of the pile and would be clearly his so the person withdrawing would be sure to use his coin to buy sacrifices with. Even though technically it didn't matter, he still had to throw his weight around to get special treatment. Proving that the 1% play by different rules than the rest of us.