Posted on 12/16/2023 3:29:15 AM PST by Adder
I may be Jewish but I think I give the best Christmas present. I am a coin collector and I enjoy giving my Christian friends an ancient coin known as the widowโs mite. I will be doing it again this Christmas.
According to Mark 12:41-44 (King James):
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
That should be appreciated by anybody with an appreciation of Israel or history. I know I would.
Could you post a picture of the coin?
I think that’s it at the bottom of the article, in its holder.
They are fairly common, you can buy them by the dozen.
Individually, they have very little value, and used in ancient commerce were negotiated by weight.
A denarius that matches the text would be from before 33 AD and include the word Caesar on it. Those are hard to find, probably because they are in demand for the Biblical association. Later period denarri are much more common
This is one of my favorite readings from the Gospel.
Well, that's certainly an, um, interesting take on today's situation in Israel, I must say.
I would suggest that, if this Mr. Witkov is so interested in reflecting on the events that led to the Feast of Dedication, it might do him well to contemplate as well why the temple that Antiochus desecrated, and into whose treasury the widow contributed her two mites, no longer exists.
$114...that’s pretty cheap for a tiny piece of history.
Go for it. ๐
One ancient coin connecting two great religions
The image/packaging looks like typical merchandize for to attract religious folks. It's got some Bible verse references on its sleeve.
I wondered what these wee mites were going for, so I looked that up. Here's Amazon's page:
Widow's Mite NGC Certified Ancient Coin
$114.69
Here's a much cheaper gift option, for people of ordinary means and ways -- the *modern* half shekel. (A half shekel is better known for its ancient function as the Temple tax.)
0.5 Israeli New Shekel equals
0.14 United States Dollar
Dec 16, 10:26 AM UTC
As you can see, it's not worth much of anything compared to a *modern* pruta [ืคึฐึผืจืึผืึธื ], but there really is
NO COMPARISION
Half-Shekel -- Metaphor for Entanglement
PUT DOWN YOUR LOAD WITH A HALF SHEKEL
On a numeric basis, one word "pruta" [ืคึฐึผืจืึผืึธื ] = 300, which is the value of the letter shin [ืฉ], which appears on a mezuzah. It's also the sum total of the Spirit of Elohim [ืจืื ืืืืื] which which first appeared in Genesis 1:2, hovering over the face of the waters. And then God said, "Let there be light".
Additional inscriptions
It is customary to write two inscriptions on the back of the parchment:
the Hebrew word ืฉืืโ (Shaddai)
the phrase "ืืืื ืืืืืกื ืืืืโ"Shaddai, ["Almighty"] one of the biblical names of God, also serves here as an acronym for Shomer Daltot Yisrael, "Guardian of Israel's doors". Many mezuzah cases are also marked with the Hebrew letter ืฉโ (Shin), for Shaddai.
"ืืืื ืืืืืกื ืืืืโ" is a Caesar cipherโa one-letter shiftโof the third, fourth, and fifth words of the Shema, "Adonai, Eloheinu, Adonai", "The Lord, our God, the Lord"; it is written on the back of the case, opposite the corresponding words on the front.[23] This inscription dates from the 11th century and is found among the Hasidei Ashkenaz (medieval German Jewish mystics).
ย
... and she threw in two mites, which make a far thing:
Two "pruta" = 600, the value of a mem sofit, the final form of the letter mem: ื
On that note, regarding the purpose of the half shekel for the at-one-ment of souls (How can a coin atone for a soul? It's still a mystery.), "when all these souls are 'complete'":
The 600,000 Souls of All Israel Found in the First Letter of the Torah
It seems to me that the famous midrash misses something obvious -- kind of like not noticing the air that we breathe [until its gone], because it is simply part of the default fabric of existence...
In the allegory, Moses is looking at a coin that is on fire. But then again, it's just a metal coin. How can it be on fire? A simple meaning is that when God looked into Moses' eyes, He saw the reflection of the coin, meaning that Got saw
Moses' eyes light up.
Same thing over here:
Exo 3
3. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt:
4. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses; And he said, Here am I:
A rare bird!
This analogy was used in the Mars2020 press kit to explain how Perseverance the rover was going to be the 'twitcher', by observing Ingenuity in action:
Twitcher's point (star): Perseverance's parking spot during the Ingenuity flight tests. "Twitcher" is a British (and now Martian) term for those who travel long distances to see a rare bird. Located about 330 feet (100 meters) from the edge of the flight zone, the site should be relatively level. Twitcher's Point also must allow direct line-of-site between the rover and the helicopter during all portions of potential flight tests for optimal radio communications and imaging.
>>>
A schematic of the flight zone (blue oval) where Ingenuity will conduct its first flight activities. First, Perseverance will drop the debris shield covering Ingenuity, drive to the helipad (innermost box) to drop off the helicopter, and then move out to a safe distance at Twitcher's Point (the star). The helicopter would start its test program at the helipad, fly out a pre-programmed flight path, and return again to the helipad. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/ingenuity/landing/mission/
One ancient coin connecting two great religions
Anyone still reading? Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? Excited to learn so much more that there is to learn?
For along with the everlasting peace of Mashiach will come the explanation of the reasons for the exile...*
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/137085/jewish/Mem.htm
If ever a soul provided evidence of being present at both Sinai and Pentecost, it was Waylon Jennings':
Everlasting peace: the Sabbath day is the best day ever for Torah study. Whatever you do, though, don't light any fires!!!
Meanwhile, it was always midnight in King David's house. Excellent -- right on the money!
Yet... the 5th ingredient in the recipe for the anointing oil is one of those protracted mysteries.
I suspect that's because unlike the modern widow's mite, it's not sold in stores.
* ๐ด๐ด ๐ค
"The Haftara of Miketz is quite rarely read. See this old post from 2010 showing how rare it is. This is the last time it is read in the 5700s." Haftarat Miketz, 5784That's for today's Sabbath. I noticed that it begins like this, where even the "end" [ืงืฅ] comes around when Solomon wakes up:
15 And Solomon awoke, and behold [ืึทืึผึดืงึทึฅืฅ ืฉืึฐืึนืึึนื ืึฐืึดื ึผึตึฃื] (it was) a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
16 Then came two women, harlots, to the king, and stood before him.https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2492535/tdate/12-16-2023/p/haftarah/jewish/Miketz-Torah-Reading.htm
It must have been a very intense dream. Year 5784 is year 1955 in the Era of Destruction, 305:08 in the 19-year cycle, the metonic cycle that returns the lunar and solar calendars to the same time and season.
Iโve thought itโd be best to own an ancient Roman coin. Now I want a prutah instead.
Selections from three relevant k-words:
It’s at the site.
On a coin site they go for as little as 34$
That’s impressive...knowing you could handle a coin that was also handled by people in the time of Jesus...for $34.
They are marked up for Christmas. They usually go in the $10 range.
Here’s one with a display card for $30.
That’s still high for that coin, but with the card, it would make a nice gift.
Thanks. I’ll look after Christmas.
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