- שומרי ספיחין בשביעית נוטלן שכרן מתרומת הלשכה
The opening Mishnah of the fourth perek list items that were initially withdrawn from the treasury chamber. Among the list it states, שומרי ספיחין בשביעית נוטלין שכרן מתרומת הלשכה – Those who watch over the aftergrowths of the shemittah year receive their wages from the initial funds withdrawn from the lishkah. Since the Omer and Shtei Halechem must be brought from the new crop, Beis Din hired watchmen to prevent animals from treading on the sefichin and to ask people to refrain from taking the barley and wheat because it had been reserved for these two offerings.
The Gemara asks how this payment could be done? The Tiklin Chaditin explains that it is not appropriate that shekalim be given directly to the watchmen and deconsecrated in his possession with nothing taking its place in consecration. The Gemara answers that we take money from a moneychanger and give it to the harvesters and watchmen before the Omer is offered. Then, when the time to bring the Omer arrive, they would bring money from the shekalim withdrawn from the box and deconsecrate the money onto the Omer. The deconsecrated money would then go to repay the moneychanger. The amount given was for the final issaron that would make up the Omer offering, which was one tenth of the three se’ah that was initially harvested.
- שלש לשונות הן
The next Mishnah continues to list items that were funded from shekalim which includes the לשון של זהורית - the strip of red wool, which is thrown into the parah adumah when it is being burned. Rebbe Yishmael bar Nachman said in the name of Rebbe Yochanan, שלש לשונות הן – There are three strips of red wool, and each one has a distinct minimum weight. של שעיר בסלע – The red strip of the se’ir l’Azazel, which must be long enough to divide into two, has the weight of one sela. Before the goat is pushed off the cliff, the red strip that was tied to its head was divided into two. One strip would be tied to a rock and the other half would be tied to the goat’s horns. The red strip of the metzora, which does not need weight or length does not need to weigh more than a shekel. The red strip of the parah adumah, which must be heavy so that it will fall into the heart of the fire, must be the weight of two selaim.
- People paid from שירי הלשכה
The next Mishnah lists the items that were purchased from the משירי הלשכה, the funds that remained in the Temple treasury after the initial funds were withdrawn. The Gemara identifies people that were paid from these funds.
- Talmidei Chochomim who teach the Kohanim hilchos shechitah, kabbalah, and zerikas hadam.
- Those who examine offerings for blemishes or correct the Sefer Torah in the Azarah as well as the judges who determined fines in monetary cases.
There is a machlokes if the women who weave the paroches are paid from shekalim or from the bedek habayis. The dispute is whether the paroches have the status of a korban since the blood of Yom Kippur and other offerings is thrown at them or if they are given the status of Temple construction since they serve in place of a wall.