A little boy’s visit to an Israeli museum was meant to be educational, but it taught him a lesson nobody expected — one we can all learn from.

The incident last August happened at the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa in northern Israel, which is famous for its trove of ancient treasures. When it was founded by Reuben and Edith Hecht in 1984, their greatest wish was to let visitors get up close to art and history.

That’s exactly what happened when four-year-old Ariel Geller was there with his family. Curious about a large, clay jar, the boy pulled it slightly towards him to see if there was anything inside. But the heavy pot tipped, fell to the floor, and shattered into hundreds of pieces.

There were a lot of kids in the museum at the time and — when Ariel’s father, Alex, heard the crash — he prayed the damage had been caused by someone else. But when he turned and saw the reality, he was “in complete shock.”

Hoping the artifact was a just a model, he found some security guards and told them what happened. He even offered to pay for the damage.

Sadly, the casualty was not a replica, and it was no ordinary jar. It was a rare container from before the time of King David, likely from about 1150 B.C., and almost certainly used to carry oil or wine.

On display for 35 years, the pot was especially valuable because it was fully intact, unlike most finds that old.

Braced for the worst, the parents were astonished when museum director Inbar........

© Sarnia Observer