Good evening. We will begin our new series of Mishnayos with a timely Mishna. The Mishna is found in Masechet Shekalim, Perek Aleph, Mishna Aleph. The Mishna begins: Be-echad Be-adar, on the first day of Adar, just a short two weeks ago, משמיעין על השקלים ועל הכלאים. The Beis Din would start reminding the people that it was time to start thinking about bringing the half shekel, the Machatzis HaShekel, which every Jew needed to contribute a half shekel to the upkeep of the Beis HaMikdash, and that money was used to pay for the Korbanos of the Beis HaMikdash and for other necessary expenses of the Beis HaMikdash. Ve-al ha-kilayim, and also the Beis Din would, because the winter was just being finished, the rainy season was over and crops were starting to sprout, it was a good time to remind everybody that they should check their fields to make sure that Kilayim, the forbidden mixtures of different types of species growing together, or in your vineyards and wheat and your vegetables, and making sure that Kilayim is not being grown together and to weed it out. And so that would take place on the first day of Adar. In fact, a remnant of that we find in the Mishna in Megilla, which we learned together two years ago, in which the Mishna tells us that there were four special Parshios that are read from the Torah: Parshas Shekalim, Parshas Zachor, Parshas Parah, and Parshas HaChodesh. They are read starting just before or on Rosh Chodesh Adar through Rosh Chodesh Nissan, and the first one being Parshas Shekalim, which is again to remind us that the Mitzva of bringing the half shekel, of giving the half shekel to the Beis HaMikdash, is upon us. But more importantly, we continue in our Mishna: Be-chamisha asar bo, on the fifteenth day, which was the day that we just concluded, what we call Shushan Purim, on the fifteenth day, קורין את המגילה בכרכין, that those who live in the walled cities, as we learned in Masechet Megilla, would read the Megilla on what we call Shushan Purim. But more importantly, as we turn our attention to the future towards Pesach, U-mesaknin es ha-drachim, they would start to fix the roads. We know from Masechet Chagigah that there is a Mitzva of being Oleh Regel. There was a Mitzva for all the Jews, especially those living in Eretz Yisrael, to make their way to Yerushalayim to bring the Korban Pesach. It's a special Mitzvas Aseh to bring the Korban Pesach. And not only is it the Mitzva of Oleh Regel of coming to Yerushalayim, but a special Mitzva of bringing the Korban Pesach. So many of the Jews would fulfill their obligation certainly on Pesach. So U-mesaknin es ha-drachim, after the rainy season they would start to fix the roads that may have been ruined during the winter, Ve-es ha-rechovos, and they would also fix the streets as well in case they got ruined during the winter, Ve-es mikva'os ha-mayim, and also the Mikva'os ha-mayim. Remember, during the rainy season the Mikva'os would be filled, and making sure that the Mikva'os were ready to handle the people who wanted to purify, to L'hitahar themselves as they made their way closer to Yerushalayim. Not only did they have to go into the Mikva, but they also would have themselves sprinkled by the ashes of the Parah Adumah, but in order to do that they first had to become Tahor as well. So that Beis Din would make sure that they were fixing all these things so that the public would have the ability to use the Mikva'os and the streets in order to get to Yerushalayim. ועושין כל צרכי הרבים, and they also would do everything else that was necessary in order to make sure that the public would be ready and getting ready for Pesach. U-metzayinin es ha-kevaros, and they would identify, mark the graves, again because one of the most severe forms of Tuma is somebody who becomes Tamei mes, someone who gets near to a dead body or into a cemetery. So in order to make sure people did not become Tamei of this sort because then they would need to be sprinkled by the Parah Adumah ashes, U-metzayinin es ha-kevaros, they would mark the graves to make sure people stayed away from the graves and did not become Tamei. ויוצאין אף על הכלאים, and also, having reminded people on the first of Adar to start clearing their fields of Kilayim, the Beis Din would send messengers into the fields to start looking for the Kilayim to rip it up as well in case people were not listening to them. And that concludes our first Mishna, again Masechet Shekalim, Perek Aleph.