The Torah states on four occasions that the shekel, a standard weight or coin of silver, is equivalent to twenty gerah, the latter being a smaller measurement. Elsewhere, in the book Deuteronomy, it states, “Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small,” that could be used for deceiving customers. A recent discovery brings together these two edicts, as Aryeh Savir writes:

Israeli archaeologists digging in the City of David in Jerusalem’s Old City came upon an extremely rare finding from the days of the First Temple—a biblical weight called a gerah that was probably used by a cheater [who lived around] 589 BCE.

The weight is made of reddish limestone, smoothed and well-polished, and on its upper part appear two deeply engraved straight, parallel and thick lines, indicating a weight of two gerah, or 0.944 grams. However, when weighed, the researchers were surprised to find that it weighed 3.61 grams—more than three times its expected weight.

Only one other gerah weight was discovered in Israel.

On Tuesday, a Hizballah drone attack injured three people in northern Israel. The next day, another attack, targeting an IDF base, injured eighteen people, six of them seriously, in Arab al-Amshe, also in the north. This second attack involved the simultaneous use of drones carrying explosives and guided antitank missiles. In both cases, the defensive systems that performed so successfully last weekend failed to stop the drones and missiles. Ron Ben-Yishai has a straightforward explanation as to why: the Lebanon-backed terrorist group is getting better at evading Israel defenses. He explains the three basis systems used to pilot these unmanned aircraft, and their practical effects:

These systems allow drones to act similarly to fighter jets, using “dead zones”—areas not visible to radar or other optical detection—to approach targets. They fly low initially, then ascend just before crashing and detonating on the target. The terrain of southern Lebanon is particularly conducive to such attacks.

But this requires skills that the terror group has honed over months of fighting against Israel. The latest attacks involved a large drone capable of carrying over 50 kg (110 lbs.) of explosives. The terrorists have likely analyzed Israel’s alert and interception systems, recognizing that shooting down their drones requires early detection to allow sufficient time for launching interceptors.

The IDF tries to detect any incoming drones on its radar, as it had done prior to the war. Despite Hizballah’s learning curve, the IDF’s technological edge offers an advantage. However, the military must recognize that any measure it takes is quickly observed and analyzed, and even the most effective defenses can be incomplete. The terrain near the Lebanon-Israel border continues to pose a challenge, necessitating technological solutions and significant financial investment.