Yehoshua 17: You Get What You Get and You Don't Get Upset

Judges 13: A Hero for Our Time

Shimshon is probably the most famous of all the Judges, and yet his story is very different than all others. The story begins in similar fashion to Gideon. An angel of God approaches to set up the leader. But this time it is different. The angel appears to Shimshon’s mother, before Shimshon is even conceived. וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ הִנֵּה־נָא אַתְּ עֲקָרָה וְלֹא יָלַדְתְּ וְהָרִית וְיָלַדְתְּ בֵּן (Judges 13:3) The angel also appears to Shimshon’s mother twice. His father does not seem to believe her, yet God will only appear to his mother. וַיָּבֹא מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים עוֹד אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה וְהִיא יוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּשָּׂדֶה וּמָנוֹחַ אִישָׁהּ אֵין עִמָּהּ (Judges 13:9) Shimshon’s mother is also told that he must be a Nazir, and she must follow Nazir rules in pregnancy. Yet, these rules are different than a regular Nazir. וְעַתָּה הִשָּׁמְרִי־נָא וְאַל־תִּשְׁתִּי יַיִן וְשֵׁכָר וְאַל־תֹּאכְלִי כָּל־טָמֵא׃ כִּי הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ בֵּן וּמוֹרָה לֹא־יַעֲלֶה עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ כִּי־נְזִיר אֱלֹהִים יִהְיֶה הַנַּעַר מִן־הַבָּטֶן (Judges 13:4–5) Shimshon is not forbidden from being near a dead body. He also cannot stop being a Nazir. Shimshon acts as a loner. He does not assemble tribal armies. He does not even have a small band of soldiers working with him. The only interaction with people of Israel in the story is when members of the tribe of Yehudah want to turn him over to the Philistines. וַיֵּרְדוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים אִישׁ מִיהוּדָה אֶל־סְעִיף סֶלַע עֵיטָם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְשִׁמְשׁוֹן הֲלֹא יָדַעְתָּ כִּי־מֹשְׁלִים בָּנוּ פְּלִשְׁתִּים (Judges 15:11) Shimshon also possesses super strength. This “superpower” is unique in the book of Judges, and in the Torah as a whole (putting midrashim aside). וַתִּצְלַח עָלָיו רוּחַ ה׳ וַיְשַׁסְּעֵהוּ כְּשַׁסַּע הַגְּדִי (Judges 14:6) The Shimshon story also contains lots of riddles. מֵהָאֹכֵל יָצָא מַאֲכָל וּמֵעַז יָצָא מָתוֹק (Judges 14:14) Shimshon’s mother names him, but without any reason. וַתֵּלֶד הָאִשָּׁה בֵּן וַתִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Judges 13:24) If someone is named in Tanach, there usually is a reason or God tells the individual to name them. Commentators give the following reasons for his name—Abarbanel explains that he would work for God his whole life (from the Hebrew shamash), the midrash explains that he was a source of light (from shemesh), Malbim explains that he would be an annoyance for the Philistines (from the Hebrew shimama), Radak says he was like the sun which stands alone in its brightness without any assistance (Shemesh). Why does the Shimshon story contain all of these unique attributes? Shimshon was the last of the named Judges in the book. The broken story, with half connections, is once again indicative of the time of Judges. Nothing seems to be going exactly right anymore. Even the great heroes do not fit the mold of the rest of Tanach.

Shoftim 12: Not so Great Expectations

One of the unique characteristics of Charles Dickens was his creative use of character names gave life and character traits for his characters. Names like Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol) as someone who is stingy, Thomas Murdstone (David Copperfield) who is harsh and strict, and Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, a woman who’s life is frozen in time, Perhaps Dickens got the idea from the story of Yiftach. The name Yiftach means open up, and Yiftach’s story is about taboos that he broke or opened up for the first time. In chapter 11, according to some opinions, Yiftach followed through with his promise to sacrifice his daughter. This decision broke an extreme taboo in Israel against human sacrifice. The idea that a leader of the people would want his daughter killed shook the foundations of society such that the people mourned the date for years after. In chapter 12 Yiftach breaks another taboo. The people of Ephraim had blustered before about not being included in the battles of the Judge. Under Gideon they were quite upset. He mollified them by claiming they were helpful by acting as closers working to diffuse the situation instead of inflaming it. Even Devora took umbrage with the lack of assistance from certain tribes with the battle of Sisera, but besides a rebuke in Shirat Devorah, she does not take any further action against them. At the end of Joshua, Pinchas leads an army to confront the outer tribes for building an altar. However, the show of force may have been a negotiating tactic as not a single arrow is shot. Instead, the tribes reach a peaceful understanding. In chapter 12, Yiftach has no patience for the people of Ephrayim. Instead, he opens up the taboo of inter-tribal conflict gong so far as setting up checkpoints to block and kill members of a brother tribe testing fellow Israelites based on their dialect. Once broken, this taboo will be taken to the extreme later on in the book. A Judge is supposed to be someone who leads by example. Yiftach, despite his battlefield expertise, ends up hurting the Israelites by opening them up to further downfall.

Shoftim 11: Daughter of Mine, Tell me Where Have You Been?

Eager to gain G-d’s support against Ammon, Yiftach makes a calculated mistake. He vows that the first thing that walks into his barn will be given as a burnt offering to G-d. וַיִּדַּר יִפְתָּח נֶדֶר לַה׳ וַיֹּאמַר אִם־נָתוֹן תִּתֵּן אֶת־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן בְּיָדִי׃ וְהָיָה הַיּוֹצֵא אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִדַּלְתֵי בֵיתִי לִקְרָאתִי בְּשׁוּבִי בְשָׁלוֹם מִבְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וְהָיָה לַה׳ וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עוֹלָה (Judges 11:30–31) Like Yaacov’s proclamation to Lavan cursing the individual who stole Lavan’s idols that doomed Rachel, this vow turns tragic. Yiftach’s daughter is the one who walks into Yiftach’s barn. Based on Yiftach’s promise, his daughter should have been sacrificed. What actually happened? When his daughter walks in, the Navi adds that “she was his only child, he had no other son or daughter” (verse 35). וְרַק הִיא יְחִידָה אֵין־לוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ בֵּן אוֹ־בַת (Judges 11:34) This recalls the command of G-d to Avraham to take his son, his only son, that he loves, before the Akeidat Yitzchak. קַח־נָא אֶת־בִּנְךָ אֶת־יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַבְתָּ אֶת־יִצְחָק (Genesis 22:2) On the one hand this could mean that he would have to sacrifice her, on the other hand, Avraham ultimately did not have to sacrifice Yitzchak. Perhaps the reference to Akadat Yitzchak hints that she was not actually sacrificed. Next, Yiftach tears his clothes and tells his daughter that he is upset because he made a vow and cannot retract it. Ripping clothes is connected to mourning. The implication is that he was “pre mourning” his daughter’s death. By stating that he could not go back on the vow it adds impact to the gravity of the situation. The Midrash in Bereishit Rabbah 60:3 chastises both Yiftach and Pinchas, the Kohen gadol at the time, for not getting together to have the vow annulled. Annulment is possible for most vows under halacha. Neither approached the other, accounding to the midrash, as each wanted the other to come to him. As a result, both Pinchas and Yiftach were punished. Pinchas lost his prophetic vision and Yiftach had to sacrifice his daughter. How Pinchas could still be alive at the time of Yiftach is a whole other issue. Yiftach’s daughter responds that Yiftach made a vow, so Yiftach should follow through because G-d kept His side of the bargain. She then asks for two months to go with her friends and “lament and bewail my maidenhood”. וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל־אָבִיהָ יֵעָשֶׂה לִּי הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה הַרְפֵּה מִמֶּנִּי שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים וְאֵלְכָה וְיָרַדְתִּי עַל־הֶהָרִים וְאֶבְכֶּה עַל־בְּתוּלַי אָנֹכִי וְרֵעוֹתָי (Judges 11:37) The midrash interprets this request as Yiftach’s daughter taking matters into her own hands to find a legal loophole. Some commentators latch onto “bewail my maidenhood” as a hint from the text that she was condemned to a life of solitude and not that she was killed. She should have been lamenting her life, not her maidenhood. Next, “after two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She had never known a man. So it became a custom in Israel / for the maidens of Israel go every year for four days and sing for the daughter of Yiftach” (verses 39–40). וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים וַתָּשָׁב אֶל־אָבִיהָ וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת־נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר וְהִיא לֹא־יָדְעָה אִישׁ וַתְּהִי־חֹק בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל׃ מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה תֵּלַכְנָה בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת־יִפְתָּח הַגִּלְעָדִי אַרְבַּעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה It seems like Yiftach followed through with his oath, and as a result the date lived in infamy. But, the Navi never directly mentions that he killed her. Some commentators focus on the second part. They explain that she was sent to a solitary life and was only allowed visits four days a year from other maidens, which is why this ceremony was mentioned. If Yiftach indeed killed his daughter, it is yet another tragic example of the lawlessness during the time of Judges, where even those who tried to be loyal to God, still had a dark side.

Shoftim 10: Dodo Bird

Judges is a unique book. Each chapter or few chapters takes place in a different era with different leaders. Some of the Judges have long backstories, but some have no stories at all. Chapter 10 falls into the latter category. Tola the son of Puah the son of Dodo comes after Abimelech with only his location listed. וַיָּקָם אַחֲרֵי אֲבִימֶלֶךְ לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל תּוֹלָע בֶּן־פּוּאָה בֶּן־דּוֹדוֹ אִישׁ יִשָּׂשכָר וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב בְּשָׁמִיר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם (Judges 10:1) The only interesting thing about Tola is that his lineage seems to span two generations with the addition of “ben Dodo” in his name. This is unique for Judges, which leads some commentators to explain that dodo here means “his uncle,” meaning that Tola was a relative of Abimelech’s uncle. Others disagree pointing to the fact that Abimelech’s mother was not an Israelite. These commentators believe that Dodo was just the name of his grandfather. The name Dodo appears later on in the lineage of some of David’s warriors. After him is Yair the Giladite. Yair has a little more color with thirty sons riding thirty donkeys controlling thirty cities. וְאַחֲרָיו הָיָה יָאִיר הַגִּלְעָדִי וַיִּשְׁפֹּט אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה׃ וַיְהִי־לוֹ שְׁלֹשִׁים בָּנִים רֹכְבִים עַל־שְׁלֹשִׁים עֲיָרִים וּשְׁלֹשִׁים עֲיָרִים לָהֶם לָהֶם יִקְרְאוּ חַוֹּת יָאִיר עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ הַגִּלְעָד (Judges 10:3–4) This description will come up again with other limited‑detail judges in chapter 12. The number 30 is most likely a way to show that Yair’s party was powerful. Why do some Judges not have back stories? The straightforward answer is that nothing important happened during this time period. Things may have stayed the status quo, and so there was nothing for the book to record—both good or bad. On a deeper level, though, the lack of any story about certain Judges is another way the text comunicates the haphazard nature of the time period. Judges is not a hereditary book. Judges come from different tribes and families. Sometimes God will “introduce” the judge, but sometimes the judges just appear. It is also unclear of the judges overlapped or were truly sequential. Each one comes from a different tribe or family without any continuity. The people are not invested in maintaining the stories of each of their leaders because they soon fall back into a malaise and then move on to someone else.

Shoftim 9: Was Avimelech a Judge?

One of seventy sons, Abimelech kills his brothers and then is appointed leader of the people of Schchem and a band of hooligans. But is Abimelech a Judge? He does not conquer an enemy of the Israelites. Although the people of Shchem appoint him as a ruler over them, it does not seem like he even ruled over the city. The word used to describe his “reign” is “Vayasar” (verse 22). Rashi interprets this as “he ruled as a prince.” But Ralbag is not as convinced. He says the Navi does use the word “Judge” for a reason. Vayasar implies that Abimelech held sway on his own accord and definitely did not rule over all of Israel. The word does appear anywhere else in the book of Judges. The text is also ambiguous as to whether it was the Israelite inhabitants fo Schchem that appointed him as their leader or if it was the Canaanite inhabitants. The people are referred to as “baalai Shchem.” This may have a double meaning. They were both the inhabitants of Shchem, but also the Baal worshipers of Shchem. Beside verse 22, the word Israel appears only at the very end, after Abimelech is crushed by the millstone. “When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone went home” (verse 55). This cryptic verse could mean that the people discussed in the chapter were Israelites, or it could mean that the people of Israel were finally rid of this mafia boss and could return to their homes safely. If Abimelech was not a true judge, then why include his story? 1) to shows the lawlessness of the time. Focusing on Abimelech and his band of outlaws gives some nice flavor to what it was like to live in Israel at the time of the Judges. Roving gangs could hold sway over groups of cities without any recourse. 2) to show again that Yerubaal was correct that kings are bad news because the children of a ruler can be bad. Yerubaal was a courageous ruler who helped lead the Israelites out from under Midyanite control. He pursuaded the people to leave Baal and destroyed houses of worship. His son did the opposite. He led a gang of thugs to terrorize the countryside. He partnered with the local inhabitants of Shchem and profited from the idol centers. He killed Yerubaal’s entire family.