1,234. Paying for Public Works

Shekalim 4:7

The salaries of scribes who check Torah scrolls in Jerusalem and of judges who hear robbery cases in Jerusalem are paid from the treasury. These people are paid 90 maneh per year. If this is not enough, they are paid an additional amount to meet the needs of their wives, children and the rest of their households. They are paid this surplus even if they do not wish to accept it.

Shekalim 4:8

The two ramps – the one that led from the Temple Mount to the Mount of Olives on which the red heifer was brought and the one on which the goat sent to Azazel was brought – were paid for using the surplus money in the chamber (refer back to halacha 2:4). Similarly, any money needed for the altar for burnt offerings, the Temple and the courtyard was taken from the surplus in the chamber. Money needed to maintain the aqueduct, the Jerusalem city wall and its towers, and for all other needs of the city was taken from the surplus in the chamber. If a non-Jew, even a “resident alien” (ger toshav) offered to donate money for these things, or to participate in a public works project for free, his offer is not accepted. This is in accordance with Ezra 4:3, “It is not for you to build together with us” and Nehemiah 2:20, “You have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.”