Child Discovers 2,000-year-old Coin After October 7 Evacuation

There are certain events that happen that give us a renewed source of hope. When the two hostages Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har were rescued earlier this month, the whole world felt lighter for a second. Our hostages are still alive. There is still the chance we can get them back safely. Our prayers have renewed vigor.

Then, there are discoveries. Sometimes, someone finds something that substantiates something from the Torah. It’s one of those moments where you almost wish your faith was enough, that you didn’t need that thing to show it to you while at the same time, feeling like it’s a gift from Hashem saying, ‘It’s okay, I’m here.’

One of those discoveries happened last week by an 11-year-old boy who found a 2,000-year-old coin that once belonged to the Hasmonean king and high priest Alexander Yanai, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. The child’s name is Nati Toyikar — he was evacuated from his home in Kibbutz Magen after the October 7 atrocities and is currently living in a hotel along the Dead Sea.

It was Nati himself who suggested his father report the finding after doing some research first. One of the archaeologists came down to meet Nati and gave him a certificate for his work.

Dr. Robert Cole, Head of the Coins Branch at the Antiquities Authority, said the coin that Nati found was minted in the 80s BCE in large quantities and that the finding provides evidence of military and the king’s conquests against the Kingdom of the Nabatim in Jordan. The coins were used to pay the king’s soldiers and to build and strengthen fortresses in the area.

One child’s discovery, a nation’s hope.

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