In the times of the Beis HaMikdash when the the Machatzis HaShekel was given was a bracha recited?
Answer:
Provided that berachos were already instituted, some write that the berachah was made (Ri ben Bakar (the teacher of the Ramban); Chacham Tzvi 122).
Note that the rationales used for explaining why we don’t make a berachah on tzedakah won’t apply here (see here for details).
However, some argue that giving the machatzis ha-shekel is a hechsher mitzvah, and a berachah is therefore not recited.
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