{"id":10168,"date":"2022-04-11T19:02:32","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T16:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/?p=10168"},"modified":"2022-04-11T19:02:34","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T16:02:34","slug":"giving-our-half-shekel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/2022\/04\/11\/giving-our-half-shekel\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving our Half-Shekel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kxizmi22-ce46dd612f7f769fa34617ffd8bae61d\">\n.flex_column.av-kxizmi22-ce46dd612f7f769fa34617ffd8bae61d{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-kxizmi22-ce46dd612f7f769fa34617ffd8bae61d av_one_full  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-kxiznul3-ab1ac2b977b1b4040f55df8d93b8226d '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>It&#8217;s that time of year, between Purim and Passover, for the tradition giving charity recalling the half-shekel donation to the Temple.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_431\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-431\" class=\"wp-image-431 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/06\/image007-300x135.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/06\/image007-300x135.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/06\/image007-768x346.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/06\/image007-1024x461.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/06\/image007.jpg 1325w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-431\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Silver Half-Shekel coin. Obverse: A chalice from the Temple topped by the letter aleph, which means &#8220;First year&#8221;. Around it is inscribed \u201cHalf a Shekel\u201d. Reverse: A stem with three pomegranates surrounded by the words \u201cJerusalem the Holy\u201d.]<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The very name &#8220;shekel&#8221; reminds us that once, before the advent of coins, our ancestors weighed out pieces of silver. The shekel weight standard was the equivalent of 24 gera, a smaller denominational weight, while the &#8216;holy-shekel&#8217; was of 20 gera. The ancient half-shekel &#8211; whether the weight used during the First Temple period, or the Second Temple period almost pure-silver Syrian coin that was the tradesman&#8217;s highest standard, or the coin bearing the picture of a triple cluster of pomegranates, minted during the Great Revolt just before the destruction of the Second Temple &#8211; was in no way comparable to the shekel coin in circulation in Israel today. In the First Temple Period, a simple worker earned between one and one and a half gera a day. If we compare this to the minimum wage payable to a worker in Israel today, around 250 shekel for a day&#8217;s work, then the ancient half-shekel used in the Temple, worth 10 gera, would have been the equivalent of roughly two and a half thousand modern shekel, or 750 US dollars! So the half-shekel donation to the Temple was a serious and very meaningful contribution to the Temple&#8217;s expenses!<\/p>\n<p>Over the years at the sifting project, with the help of our many supporters and volunteers, we&#8217;ve merited unearthing examples of the half-shekel in its various manifestations &#8211; such as a <a href=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/portfolio-item\/coins10\/\"> silver half-shekel coin<\/a>, minted during the first year of the Great Revolt,\u00a0 and Judean <a href=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/portfolio-item\/weights_02\/\">four-gera<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/portfolio-item\/weights_01\/\">four-shekel<\/a> and half-shekel weights.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5052\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5052\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5052\" src=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/46866-low-res-300x242.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/46866-low-res-300x242.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/46866-low-res-450x364.jpg 450w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/46866-low-res.jpg 495w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5052\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 4 gera weight.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>How many more historically priceless finds lie buried in the Temple Mount soil? At this time of remembering the half-shekel donation to the Temple, you can help unearth and publish artifacts from the site of the Temple itself by giving your symbolic &#8216;half-shekel&#8217; donation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.half-shekel.org\/\">to the Temple Mount Sifting Project.<\/a>\u00a0 And while we&#8217;re on the subject of coins, our half-shekel donors&#8217; website offers a gift of a <strong>replica of the very half-shekel coin <\/strong>unearthed in the sifting project! You can also sponsor the expert cleaning and reading of coins unearthed in the sifting. We have already processed over 100 coins in the adopt-a-coin scheme and hundreds more are waiting for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.half-shekel.org\/fund\/?project_id=98&amp;step=1&amp;chosen_reward=14117\">donations to clean and decipher them<\/a>. Who knows which coin we&#8217;ll find next?!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2cuhei-388475164eca8064743e4a1f8579aa30\">\n.flex_column.av-2cuhei-388475164eca8064743e4a1f8579aa30{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-2cuhei-388475164eca8064743e4a1f8579aa30 av_one_full  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  column-top-margin'     ><style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kxj1vgv3-80bbc527d6e7907fc3baa83a6e7f0f01\">\n.av-horizontal-gallery.av-kxj1vgv3-80bbc527d6e7907fc3baa83a6e7f0f01{\npadding:3.75% 0px;;\n}\n.av-horizontal-gallery.av-kxj1vgv3-80bbc527d6e7907fc3baa83a6e7f0f01 .av-horizontal-gallery-inner{\npadding-bottom:25%;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-horizontal-gallery av-kxj1vgv3-80bbc527d6e7907fc3baa83a6e7f0f01 av-horizontal-gallery-large-gap av-horizontal-gallery-enlarge-effect  avia-builder-el-3  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  av-slideshow-ui av-control-default av-slideshow-manual av-loop-once av-loop-manual-endless av-horizontal-gallery-1' data-slideshow-data=\"{&quot;enlarge&quot;:1.3,&quot;animation&quot;:&quot;slide&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:false,&quot;loop_autoplay&quot;:&quot;once&quot;,&quot;interval&quot;:5,&quot;loop_manual&quot;:&quot;manual-endless&quot;,&quot;autoplay_stopper&quot;:false,&quot;noNavigation&quot;:false,&quot;bg_slider&quot;:false,&quot;keep_padding&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hoverpause&quot;:false,&quot;show_slide_delay&quot;:0}\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class='avia-slideshow-arrows avia-slideshow-controls' ><a href='#prev' class='prev-slide av-horizontal-gallery-prev' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue87c' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  tabindex='-1'>Previous<\/a><a href='#next' class='next-slide av-horizontal-gallery-next' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue87d' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  tabindex='-1'>Next<\/a><\/div><div class='avia-slideshow-dots avia-slideshow-controls av-horizontal-gallery-dots fade-in'><a href='#1' class='goto-slide active' >1<\/a><a href='#2' class='goto-slide ' >2<\/a><a href='#3' class='goto-slide ' >3<\/a><\/div><div class='av-horizontal-gallery-inner' data-av-height='25'><div class=\"av-horizontal-gallery-slider\"><div class=\"av-horizontal-gallery-wrap noHover\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-9995 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-9995 av-horizontal-gallery-img' width=\"600\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Soil-dumps-in-the-Kidron-valley-December-1999-1.jpg\" title='Soil dumps in the Kidron valley (December 1999)' alt='' srcset=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Soil-dumps-in-the-Kidron-valley-December-1999-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Soil-dumps-in-the-Kidron-valley-December-1999-1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Soil-dumps-in-the-Kidron-valley-December-1999-1.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Soil-dumps-in-the-Kidron-valley-December-1999-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Soil-dumps-in-the-Kidron-valley-December-1999-1-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" class='av-horizontal-gallery-link' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue869' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='Soil dumps in the Kidron valley (December 1999)' alt=''><\/a><\/div><div class=\"av-horizontal-gallery-wrap noHover\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-9981 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-9981 av-horizontal-gallery-img' width=\"600\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/The-Primers-sifting-the-soil-they-rescued-twenty-years-ago.jpg\" title='The Primers sifting the soil they rescued twenty years ago' alt='The Primers, sifting the soil they rescued twenty years ago' srcset=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/The-Primers-sifting-the-soil-they-rescued-twenty-years-ago.jpg 600w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/The-Primers-sifting-the-soil-they-rescued-twenty-years-ago-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/The-Primers-sifting-the-soil-they-rescued-twenty-years-ago.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/The-Primers-sifting-the-soil-they-rescued-twenty-years-ago.jpg 600w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/The-Primers-sifting-the-soil-they-rescued-twenty-years-ago-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" class='av-horizontal-gallery-link' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue869' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='The Primers sifting the soil they rescued twenty years ago' alt='The Primers, sifting the soil they rescued twenty years ago'><\/a><\/div><div class=\"av-horizontal-gallery-wrap noHover\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-9982 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-9982 av-horizontal-gallery-img' width=\"600\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Saul-and-Sabina-Primer.jpg\" title='Saul and Sabina Primer' alt='Saul and Sabina Primer' srcset=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Saul-and-Sabina-Primer.jpg 600w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Saul-and-Sabina-Primer-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Saul-and-Sabina-Primer.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Saul-and-Sabina-Primer.jpg 600w, https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/Saul-and-Sabina-Primer-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" class='av-horizontal-gallery-link' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue869' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='Saul and Sabina Primer' alt='Saul and Sabina Primer'><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s that time of year for giving the traditional charity reminiscent of the half-shekel donation to the Temple. Here&#8217;s a little calculation of how serious that seemingly simple donation actually was! And some ideas for how to make your own half-shekel donation meaningful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":9789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[412,8],"tags":[83,140,442,221,290],"class_list":["post-10168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-funding","category-general","tag-coins","tag-half-shekel","tag-pessach","tag-purim","tag-weights"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/halfs-logo-440.png","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10168"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10199,"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10168\/revisions\/10199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmsifting.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}