A Gift to the Community

According to authors Cross and Eshel’s reconstruction (below), this recently discovered Hebrew inscription records the transfer of an estate, including figs and olives, from a man named Yah\ad to the “Community,” the H|oµnî in Hebrew (highlighted in red). Yah\ad is the term used in the Dead Sea Scrolls to identify the communal group described by the scrolls. Although the final d (or dalet) of the term Yah\ad is partially broken, Cross and Eshel explain in the sidebar “The Key to the Community” why they believe Yah\ad is the only possible reconstruction. Their reconstruction, however, is a matter of hot dispute. A different reading—by Israeli paleographer Ada Yardeni—will appear in a future issue.