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Shekalim 19

Cleaning House

 In the context of the Gemara’s discussion of the שופרות used for donations to the Temple, the subject of King Yehoash’s method of collecting money arises. As we can see in two parallel sources (Melachim Bet 12 and Divrei haYamim Bet24) Yehoash was disappointed in the collections made by the Kohanim for repairs of the Temple, בדק הבית. He and the Kohen Gadol Yehoyada decided to take matters into their own hands and created the first pushke:

  מלכים ב יב: י וַיִּקַּח יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן אֲרוֹן אֶחָד וַיִּקֹּב חֹר בְּדַלְתּוֹ וַיִּתֵּן אֹתוֹ אֵצֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בימין (מִיָּמִין) בְּבוֹא-אִישׁ בֵּית יְהוָה וְנָתְנוּ-שָׁמָּה הַכֹּהֲנִים שֹׁמְרֵי הַסַּף אֶת-כָּל-הַכֶּסֶף הַמּוּבָא בֵית-יְהוָה

When the box was full, they would empty it out and use it to pay the craftsmen who did repairs in the Temple.

Yehoash ruled in the ninth century BCE, he was a contemporary of the prophet Elisha. Archaeological artifacts from that time period in Israel are few and far between. Therefore when antiquities collector Oded Golan announced ten years ago that he had bought an inscription that was written by Yehoash and talks about donations for repairs to the Temple, there was hoge excitement. Not only a mention of an early king of Judah but an artifact that substantiates a story in Tanakh! Here is the inscription:



The text goes like this (thanks Wikipedia)

Original Hebrew text[2]
English translation[3]
[אנכי · יהואש · בן · א]

חזיהו . מ[
הדה . ואעש . את . הב[...]
ה . כאשר . נמלאה . נד
בת . לב אש . בארץ . ובמד
בר . ובכל . ערי . יהדה . ל
תת · כסף · הקדשם · לרב ·
לקנת · אבן · מחצב · ובר
שם . ונחשת . אדמ . לעשת .
במלאכה . באמנה . ואעש
את . בדק . הבית . והקרת ס
בב . ואת . היצע . והשבכ
ם . והלולם . והגרעת . וה
דלתת . והיה . הים . הזה
לעדת . כי . תצלח . המלאכה

יצו . יהוה . את . עמו . בברכה
[I am Yeho'ash, son of
A]hazyahu, k[ing over Ju]dah,
and I executed the re[pai]rs.
When men's hearts became
replete with generosity in
the (densely populated) land and in the (sparsely
populated) steppe, and in all the cities of Judah, to
donate money for the sacred
contributions abundantly,
in order to purchase quarry
stone and juniper wood and
Edomite copper / copper from (the city of) ‘Adam,
(and) in order to perform
the work faithfully (= without corruption),—
(Then) I renovated the
breach(es) of the Temple
and of the surrounding
walls, and the storied structure,
and the meshwork, and the winding stairs,
and the recesses, and the doors.
May (this inscribed stone) become this day
a witness that the work has succeeded,
(and) may God (thus) ordain His people with a blessing.


Great, right? Not so fast. Oded Golan is know as the dealer who brought other sensational finds to light, among them the “James brother of Jesus” ossuary and the Israel Antiquities Authority views him with some suspicion. They brought in experts in ancient writing, in geology, in patina and anything else you might want. After seven years of investigation, the court ruled . . . inconclusive. No proof it was forged but no proof it was real either. The newest bizarre twist in the story is that the Antiquities Authority wants the inscription, even though they don’t think it is authentic. However, the Supreme Court ruled that it had to be returned to Golan. 

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