Shoftim 6: Testing, Testing, 1,2,3

Shoftim 6: Testing, Testing, 1,2,3

Chapter 6 begins with a messenger (or angel) of God again coming to the people and telling them that God took the people out of Egypt and so they should follow Him and stop worshipping idols. When the angel (or messenger) comes to Gideon to appoint him as judge, Gideon has an amazing response. “If God is with us, why do all of these bad things happen? Where are all the wonders we keep hearing about from our fathers saying ‘did not God bring us up from Egypt?’” (verse 13). וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו גִּדְעוֹן בִּי אֲדֹנִי וְיֵשׁ ה׳ עִמָּנוּ וְלָמָּה מְצָאַתְנוּ כָּל־זֹאת וְאַיֵּה כָל־נִפְלְאֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר סִפְּרוּ־לָנוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לֵאמֹר הֲלֹא מִמִּצְרַיִם הֶעֱלָנוּ ה׳ (Judges 6:13) Gideon’s response is a direct retort to the angel of God at the start of the chapter. How long should the Israelites in the land be beholden to the stories of the past when the present seems so different. It is also a stark reminder that there is no one left in the land that was alive to witness the great miracles of the past. Gideon then responds in a way that is reminiscent of Moshe’s response to God—how can I be Your servant to save the people? I am not worthy! Gideon then asks for three miracles in this chapter, each one seems to be a test to see if God is with him. But the tests themselves reveal a deeper meaning and motivation behind them that match Gideon’s complaint to the angel at the beginning of the chapter. The first comes in the beginning when the angel tells Gideon to set out a sacrifice—complete with liquids—onto a rock. The angel then touches the sacrifice and a fire appears, burning the sacrifice and the angel disappears into the flame. וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אֶת־קְצֵה הַמִּשְׁעֶנֶת אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ וַיִּגַּע בַּבָּשָׂר וּבַמַּצּוֹת וַתַּעַל הָאֵשׁ מִן־הַצוּר וַתֹּאכַל אֶת־הַבָּשָׂר וְאֶת־הַמַּצּוֹת וּמַלְאַךְ ה׳ הָלַךְ מֵעֵינָיו (Judges 6:21) There will be a similar scene later in Kings II when Eliyahu tests the priests of Baal. But this test with fire is reminiscent of the first time Moshe encountered God at the burning bush. A flame appears out of nowhere. Here, though, the fire consumes everything as opposed to nothing. The next two tests come at the end of the chapter. Gideon asks that one morning dew fall only on a piece of wool and the next that the dew fall everywhere except the wool. This second test could also be a test of the stories told of the Exodus. During the plagues, God would make sure that the plagues only harmed the Egyptians. The Israelites, who were sometimes one house over, were left unharmed. Similarly, the two tests here show that God is able to single out one thing from everything around it. The three tests, therefore, are God’s is response to Gideon’s challenge of the lost stories of the miracles of the Exodus. Gideon challenged these stories and God responds by showing Gideon that these stories, and the great victories that surrounded them, were real. Just like the people of old were saved, so too God will assist Gideon in saving the people today.

Shoftim 5: Wake up Devorah! Wake up!

Like Moshe after the defeat of the Egyptians, the Israelites after the defeat of Og, and Moshe again at the end of his life, Devora composes an epic poem describing her victory. The Song of Devora is a complex poem that includes rhymes (e.g., verse 3—“melachim” and “roznim”): repeated words (the word “az” appears five times), narrative (verses 24–30 recalling the story of Yael): midrash (verse 20: “The stars fought from heaven, From their courses they fought against Sisera”): praises (verse 18: “Zebulun is a people that mocked at death, Naphtali—on the open heights”): זְבוּלוּן עַם חֵרֵף נַפְשׁוֹ לָמוּת וְנַפְתָּלִי עַל־מְרוֹמֵי שָׂדֶה (Judges 5:18) and curses (verse 23: “Curse Meroz!” said the angel of the LORD. “Bitterly curse its inhabitants, Because they came not to the aid of the LORD, To the aid of the LORD among the warriors”): אוֹרוּ מֵרוֹז אָמַר מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אָרוֹר אָרֹר יֹשְׁבֶיהָ כִּי לֹא־בָאוּ לְעֶזְרַת ה׳ לְעֶזְרַת ה׳ בַּגִּבּוֹרִים (Judges 5:23) Devora also references herself twice: “Deliverance ceased, Ceased in Israel, Till I arose, O Deborah, Arose, O mother, in Israel!” (verse 7) חָדְלוּ פְרָזוֹן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל חָדֵלּוּ עַד־שַׁקַּמְתִּי דְבוֹרָה שַׁקַּמְתִּי אֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל (Judges 5:7) and “Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, strike up the chant! Arise, O Barak; Take your captives, O son of Abinoam!” (verse 12). עוּרִי עוּרִי דְבוֹרָה עוּרִי עוּרִי דַּבְּרִי־שִׁיר קוּם בָּרָק וּשְׁבֵה שֶׁבְיְךָ בֶּן־אֲבִינֹעַם (Judges 5:12) Focusing on these last two verses, what do these two verses mean? Why does Devora need to wake herself up? The Talmud in Pesachim 66b explains that the second verse is a direct result of the first verse. In the first verse, Devora was haughty and claimed that she was the reason that the Israelites were saved. Even if this was true, she was not humble. Because she was not humble, she lost the divine spirit. A true prophet, like Moshe, needs to be humble. The second verse is the literal wake‑up call for her to snap out of her haughtiness and return to her humble roots. She displays this by immediately praising Barak, and not herself. When she does this, the divine spirit returns. This is a nice message but does not seem to match the story. This chapter is simply the epic poem recounting the story. If she lost her divine spirit mid‑song, it does not seem to be so consequential. Because this is an epic poem, it is not out of the ordinary that part of it would be praise for the songwriter. In fact, the message could be against those who doubted that a woman could achieve such a victory. There is also a grammatical issue. The translation of verse 7 could be “deliverance ceased, ceased in Israel until you arose, O Devorah…” This phrasing would imply that a chorus sang this part to Devora. The chorus would then appear in verse 12, calling out to Devora to awaken. Isaiah uses this double phrase in chapters 51 and 52 of Isaiah. Because Isaiah lived after Devora, he must have borrowed the phrasing and meaning from her poem. • Isaiah 51:9 עוּרִי עוּרִי לִבְשִׁי־עֹז זְרוֹעַ ה׳ עוּרִי כִּימֵי קֶדֶם דֹּרוֹת עוֹלָמִים “Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD; awake as in days of old, generations long past…” • Isaiah 51:17 הִתְעוֹרְרִי הִתְעוֹרְרִי קוּמִי יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר שָׁתִית מִיַּד ה׳ אֶת־כּוֹס חֲמָתוֹ “Rouse yourself, rouse yourself, arise, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His wrath…” • Isaiah 52:1 עוּרִי עוּרִי לִבְשִׁי עֻזֵּךְ צִיּוֹן לִבְשִׁי בִגְדֵי תִפְאַרְתֵּךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַם עִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ “Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, holy city…” Both times it’s symbolic of God and Jerusalem awakening to achieve glory and strength once again. Therefore, it’s possible that the chorus here is rousing Devora to victory.

Shoftim 4: First of Her Name

For the first time in Israelite history, the nation has a female leader. Females had played important roles in the past. The foremothers were integral in the development of the nation. Miriam played a leading role in the Exodus and sang a special song with the women after the splitting of the sea. The daughters of Tzelofchad helped change the rules of inheritance. But Devora the prophetess was the first to be the leading figure. Her role also seems to be accepted by the people without any controversy, and although Barak is a prominent figure, he is not on the same level as her. The introductory verse “Devora, wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess; she led Israel at that time” (verse 4) is quite telling. וּדְבוֹרָה אִשָּׁה נְבִיאָה אֵשֶׁת לַפִּידוֹת הִיא שֹׁפְטָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֵת הַהִיא (Judges 4:4) So far there have been three other judges; none of those judges are also referred to as a prophet. Devorah has this extra level to her leadership. Before Devorah, there were three previous judges. The first two—Otniel and Ehud—the text explains that God raised them up to assist the people: “The Israelites cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised a champion for the Israelites to deliver them: Othniel the Kenizzite, a younger kinsman of Caleb” (3:9) and “Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised up a champion for them: the Benjaminite Ehud son of Gera, a left handed man” (3:15). וַיִּזְעֲקוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־ה׳ וַיָּקֶם ה׳ מוֹשִׁיעַ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּשִׁיעֵם אֶת־עָתְנִיאֵל בֶּן־קְנַז (Judges 3:9) וַיִּזְעֲקוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־ה׳ וַיָּקֶם לָהֶם מוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־אֵהוּד בֶּן־גֵּרָא בֶּן־הַיְמִינִי אִישׁ אִטֵּר יַד־יְמִינוֹ (Judges 3:15) Devora, it seems, becomes a judge of the people on her own. The verse passively describes that she led the people at the time. The first three judges were all warriors in some way, but Devora is the first one who is described as also having an administrative role: “She used to sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would come to her for decisions” (verse 5). וְהִיא יוֹשֶׁבֶת תַּחַת תֹּמֶר דְּבוֹרָה בֵּין הָרָמָה וּבֵין בֵּית־אֵל בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם וַיַּעֲלוּ אֵלֶיהָ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַמִּשְׁפָּט (Judges 4:5) Devora also has the authority to summon Barak into battle: “She summoned Barak son of Abinoam, of Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, has commanded: Go, march up to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun’” (verse 6). וַתִּשְׁלַח וַתִּקְרָא לְבָרָק בֶּן־אֲבִינֹעַם מִקֶּדֶשׁ נַפְתָּלִי וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הֲלֹא צִוָּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵךְ וּמ Barak requests that she go with him into battle as support even if, as Devora says, it could harm his reputation. Barak is not worried about it at all. The interaction between the two resembles that of Moshe and Joshua. Devora, like Moshe, was the prophet and true leader. Joshua was the disciple warrior that followed the guidance of the leader. The battle with Cisra is similar to the battle with Amalek wherein Moshe and Devora direct the battle from afar, yet Barak and Joshua fight in the trenches. Deborah thus emerges not as a co leader, but as the clearest heir to Moshe’s model of leadership—prophetic, directive, and covenant anchored—while Barak, like Joshua before him, succeeds precisely because he knows when to follow.

Shoftim 3: Get in my Belly!

The era of judges begins with a bang with the story of Ehud and Eglon. After a brief generic interlude describing Otniel as the first of the judges, the text tells the gory and crafty story of the second Judge, Ehud ending in a climatic murder scene with some guard deception reminiscent of The Godfather when Michael Corleone kills Sollozzo & McCluskey, Besides being an exciting chapter, chapter 3 also is a good example of the text utilizing certain words in different ways. Ehud was from the tribe of Binyamin. The text uses creative word play to explain that he was left handed—matching the shorthand for Binyamin—“Yimini”—with the roundabout way of saying left handed—“eter yad yamin.” וְאֵהוּד בֶּן־גֵּרָא הַבִּנְיָמִינִי אִישׁ אִטֵּר יַד־יְמִינוֹ (Judges 3:15) Eglon’s guards would know to check the left side to protect against a cross body sword or dagger pull. They did not think to check the right side. The “hand” theme continues in the same verse: “It happened that the Israelites sent tribute to Eglon by his hand.” וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִנְחָה בְּיַד־אֵהוּד בֶּן־גֵּרָא אֶל־עֶגְלוֹן מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב (Judges 3:15) The right side/left hand set up is repeated when Ehud stabs Eglon in the stomach: “Reaching with his left hand, Ehud drew the dagger from his right side and drove it into his belly” (verse 21). וַיִּשְׁלַח אֵהוּד אֶת־יַד־שְׂמֹאלוֹ וַיִּקַּח אֶת־הַחֶרֶב מֵעַל יֶרֶךְ יְמִינוֹ וַיִּתְקָעֶהָ בְּבִטְנוֹ (Judges 3:21) Later in the chapter, Ehud blows on a shofar to rally the people and declares: “‘Follow me closely,’ he said, ‘for the LORD has delivered your enemies, the Moabites, into your hands.’” וַיִּתְקַע בַּשּׁוֹפָר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם וַיֵּרְדוּ עִמּוֹ בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־הָהָר וְהוּא לִפְנֵיהֶם׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם רִדְפוּ אַחֲרַי כִּי נָתַן ה׳ אֶת־אֹיְבֵיכֶם אֶת־מוֹאָב בְּיֶדְכֶם (Judges 3:27–28) After the Israelites defeat Moab, the text declares: “On that day, Moab was under the hand of Israel; and the land was tranquil for eighty years” (verse 30). וַתִּכָּנַע מוֹאָב בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא תַּחַת יַד יִשְׂרָאֵל וַתִּשְׁקֹט הָאָרֶץ שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה (Judges 3:30) Besides the nice, almost poetic, way that the use of hands appears in the chapter, there could be a deeper message. Back in the Torah, the “hand of God” was used to depict the power of Hashem. For example: “Hashem said to Moshe: ‘Can the hand of Hashem become short? Now you will see if My words will occur unto you or not’” (Numbers 11:23). וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה הֲיַד ה׳ תִּקְצָר עַתָּה תִּרְאֶה הֲיִקְרֶה דְבָרִי לְךָ אִם־לֹא (Numbers 11:23) Perhaps the text is sending a subtle message that the hand of God was controlling this entire story; keeping His people safe.

Shoftim 2: In the Arms of an Angel

“An angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, ‘I brought you up from Egypt and I took you into the land which I had promised on oath to your fathers. And I said, “I will never break My covenant with you”’” (verse 1). וַיַּעַל מַלְאַךְ ה׳ מִן־הַגִּלְגָּל אֶל־הַבֹּכִים וַיֹּאמֶר אַעֲלֶה אֶתְכֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם וָאָבִיא אֶתְכֶם אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם וָאֹמַר לֹא־אָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם לְעוֹלָם (Judges 2:1)Who is the angel of the Lord? According to the Targum, this was a generic navi. The Midrash says that this was Pinchas son of Elazar the Kohen. Pinchas had a role at the end of the book of Joshua leading a delegation against the tribes in the trans Jordan. Perhaps he had some leadership role that would give him the authority to make this pronouncement. If it was Pinchas, though, why not just say it was Pinchas? As shown above, he has appeared recently, so it would not be out of place. In both the Targum and the Midrash, this angel of the Lord is a person. Most likely, the motivation behind these interpretations is that this is the first of the cycle of saviors coming to the people to try to get them to change their ways. The problem is that this phrase was almost universally used to mean an actual angel in the Torah. For example, in Shmot, an angel of the Lord speaks to Moshe from the burning bush and an angel of the Lord blocks Balaam and his donkey. Why would God need to send an actual angel to deliver the message in Judges? Perhaps this angel is not just any angel, but the one that helped protect the Israelites throughout their journey in the wilderness. It is the angel that protected them at the beginning at the Sea of Reeds: “And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Yisra᾽el, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them” (Exodus 14:19). וַיִּסַּע מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים הַהֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵי מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּלֶךְ מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיִּסַּע עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן מִפְּנֵיהֶם וַיַּעֲמֹד מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם (Exodus 14:19) It is the same angel that God later promised would help them wipe out the inhabitants of the land: “I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Kena῾ani, the Emori, and the Ḥitti, and the Perizzi, the Ḥivvi, and the Yevusi” (Exodus 33:2). וְשָׁלַחְתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ מַלְאָךְ וְגֵרַשְׁתִּי אֶת־הַכְּנַעֲנִי הָאֱמֹרִי וְהַחִתִּי וְהַפְּרִזִּי הַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי (Exodus 33:2) Now it makes sense that God would send this angel to address the people concerning their inability to get rid of these same nations.