YINR 929: Tanach Yomi

“Joshua was now old, advanced in years. The LORD said to him, “You have grown old, you are advanced in years; and very much of the land still remains to be taken possession of” (Verse 1). The end of last chapter ended on a positive note with the list of defeated kings. Chapter 13 opens with a very different message. God is upset that the people have not conquered more land. Joshua is described as...

At the end of the chapter, the Navi lists the 31 kings defeated as part of the conquest of Canaan. The kings are listed in column fashion and each king is listed with the number one after. Why are they listed in this way? Why not count them sequentially? Radak explains that each king was not a ruler of only one city, but was the ruler of one main city and many affiliated cities. The one next to ea...

“But the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them; tomorrow at this time I will have them all lying slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots’” (verse 6). וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אַל־תִּירָא מִפְּנֵיהֶם כִּי מָחָר כָּעֵת הַזֹּאת אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן אֶת־כֻּלָּם חֲלָלִים לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־סוּסֵיהֶם תְּעַקֵּר וְאֶת־מַרְכְּבֹתֵיהֶם תִּשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ (Joshua...

Frustrated in their attempt to defeat the Israelites, five kings in Canaan decide to take out their frustrations on the Gibeonites for making peace with the Israelites. Reminiscent of the battle of the five kings and four kings at the time of Avraham, this battle drags the Israelites into an inter Canaan dispute. Interestingly, the treaty with the Gibeonites in the last chapter did not seem to inc...

Faced with an ascendant Israelite army the Gibeonites try a little trickery of their own. They disguise themselves as foreigners and ask Joshua for a peace treaty. Without consulting God, Joshua and the people agree to the treaty. When it is quickly revealed that the Gibeonites were playing games, Joshua is stuck. On the one hand, the Israelites were instructed to wipe out the seven nations. On th...

The conquest of Jericho was almost entirely divine. God help set up the miracle brought about by the Kohanim, the Ark, and the people. With the city’s defenses in shambles, it was easy for the Israelite army to overrun the city. Ai is different. After the poorly conceived attack that lead to defeat in the last chapter, Yehoshua gets a second chance to show his military acumen. God provides the pep...

After six chapters of triumphs, things unravel quickly in chapter seven. There are important factors missing in the first attack on Ai as opposed to the attack on Jericho. God was not part of the planning process. Joshua consults with his army and not God. The people decided to go into Ai with a smaller force. That displays a level of hubris after one victory. Joshua also did not follow through wi...

“Joshua fit the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down…” (https://youtu.be/IsEmF9urYDk). The story of the conquest of Jericho is one of the Bible stories that is famous beyond Judaism, including a popular Christian hymn describing the heroic battle (performed by Elvis in the linked clip). The story itself is a combination of a variety of strategies concocted by God and Joshua to announ...

After crossing the Jordan, God instructs Joshua to make sure the people are circumcised. After the mass circumcision, the people celebrate Pesach. Both of these incidents are firsts post Exodus. “At that time the LORD said to Joshua: Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites a second time.” בָּעֵת הַהִיא אָמַר ה׳ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עֲשֵׂה לְךָ חַרְבוֹת צֻרִים וְשׁוּב מֹל אֶת־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל שׁ...

In the middle of chapter 3 there is a verse that seems out of place: “Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Yisrael, out of every tribe a man” (verse 12). וְעַתָּה קְחוּ לָכֶם שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר אִישׁ מִשִּׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד לַשָּׁבֶט (Joshua 3:12) The Navi does not explain what should be done with these twelve people, and the story simply continues. It is not until...

Chapter three and chapter four comprise one long story detailing the crossing of the Jordan river. The story parallels the story of the Israelites crossing the Yam Suf. This time, however, instead of the two walls of water, the Jordan only halts on one side. Joshua introduces the crossing in similar fashion to Moshe, namely, that the splitting will show that God will lead the people to victory. “A...

The second chapter of Yehoshua is the perfect example of the books of the Prophets referencing stories in the Torah. These references show both contrasts and connections between the well-known stories in the Torah, and the current ones being played out. Three examples in Chapter 2. The chapter begins with Yehoshua sending two spies to Jericho. It is no coincidence that Yehoshua’s first act as lead...

Joshua had the unenviable task of following up Moshe’s leadership. How does one take over from the first and greatest leader of a nation? The book of Joshua begins with a double dose of support. The name Moshe appears ten times in the first chapter, more than any other chapter in the book. “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ attendant…” וַי...

I will admit it. Every year on Simchat Torah I get emotional listening to the last chapter of the Torah. The chapter is both beautiful and mournful at the same time. Moshe—the greatest prophet the world will ever know, a man who spoke face to face with God—is held back just at the last moment before reaching the land of Canaan. One can feel the mixed emotions in Moshe’s heart during verses 1–4 and...

At the end of his life, Yaacov was given the opportunity to bless his 12 sons. At the time, his family was just that- a small family living in a strange land. Now Moshe is given the opportunity to bless Yaacov’s twelve sons. Only this time, they are no longer a small family- but a large nation. A few thoughts on each blessing: Reuven: Moshe lists him first as he is the first born of Yaacov, but th...

It is fitting that Moshe’s trajectory ends with a song. Back in Exodus 15, Moshe’s leadership role began with a song—Az Yashir. That song was sung in conjunction with the Israelites, with Moshe leading the way. This song is a solo—sung by Moshe and directed at the people. Az Yashir is written as a series of interlocking bricks in the text—symbolic of the bricks that the Israelites toiled over in E...

The final message is nigh. Moshe begins the introduction tohis song and blessings: “I am now one hundred and twenty years old, I can notgo out and come in.” בֶּן־מֵאָהוְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹםלֹא־אוּכַל עוֹד לָצֵאת וְלָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 31:2) The Hebrew “latzeit v’lavo” literally means go out and comein. Ostensibly, Moshe is saying that he is 120 years old and cannot move aroundanymore. T...

The Talmud in Bava Metzia 59b discusses a dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua regarding the ritual purity of a stove. Rabbi Eliezer called upon miracles to prove his position, including a heavenly voice. Rabbi Yehoshua stood and declared: “It is not in the heavens!” (verse 12). לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִוא (Deuteronomy 30:12) God had given the Torah to the people, and by doing so transferred...

Moshe’s final farewell address commences in chapter 29. He begins by reaffirming the covenant of the Torah itself: “I make this covenant, with its sanctions—not with you alone, but both with those who are standing here with us this day before our God and with those who are not with us here this day” (verse 13). לֹא אִתְּכֶם לְבַדְּכֶם אָנֹכִי כֹּרֵת אֶת־הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת וְאֶת־הָאָלָה הַזֹּאת׃ כִּ...

Chapter 28 addresses the other half of the covenantal equation: the blessings and the curses. At first glance, the two lists seem to parallel one another closely, but a closer look reveals subtle and meaningful differences. Both sections open with a conditional introduction. Blessings are promised if the people obey God and faithfully observe the commandments, while curses follow if the people fai...

God commands the people to split onto two mountains with six tribes on one and six on the other. One side answers amen to the blessings and one side answers amen to the curses. God then pronounces twelve curses. “When you cross the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim for the blessing… and these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse.” אֵלֶּה יַעַמְדוּ לְבָרֵךְ אֶת־הָעָם עַל־הַר גְּרִזִים…...

The chapter begins with the commandment to bring the first fruits, but it also contains a passage that is a significant part of the Pesach Haggadah. The passage is a mini history of the Israelites. It describes them going down to Egypt, God saving them from the Egyptians with signs and wonders. God then brings the people to the land of milk and honey and now the people bring the first fruits to Go...

Chapter 25 contains the commandment to remember Amalek. This is fulfilled every year by a special reading of the end of this chapter on the Shabbat before Purim. Haman is described as Haman the Agagite, and Agag was the king of Amalek in the time of King Saul in the book of Samuel, making the reading about Amalek particularly appropriate for that Shabbat. The story of Amalek first appeared earlier...

In the middle of chapter 24, the Torah discusses tzaraat. “In cases of tzaraat be most careful to do exactly as the Levitical priests instruct you. Take care to do as I have commanded them; remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the way after you left Egypt.” (verses 8–9) הִשָּׁמֶר בְּנֶגַע הַצָּרַעַת לִשְׁמֹר מְאֹד וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יוֹרוּ אֶתְכֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם כַּאֲשֶׁ...

The struggle between the southern slave holding states and the northern mostly free states reached a boiling point in the mid 19th century before the start of the Civil War. As a last act of desperation to try to hold the Union together, Stephen Douglas and Henry Clay helped pass the Compromise of 1850. One part of the Compromise was the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Under this act, all law enforcem...