Yehoshua Perek 24

Yehoshua Perek 24 -
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study
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A Summary provided by Rabbi Jack Abramowitz of the Orthodox Union:

Yehoshua gathered the people in Shehem and gave a recap of Jewish history to that point. Terah was an idolator, but G-d chose his son Abraham and promised the land of Canaan to his descendants. Abraham had Isaac, Isaac had Jacob and Esau, Jacob and his family went down to Egypt... (If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s part of the Passover Haggadah.) Then Moses and Aaron, plagues in Egypt, splitting the Red Sea, and 40 years in the wilderness. After struggles with Balak and Balaam, they crossed the Jordan, took Yeriho and inherited the land. Yehoshua then charged the people to wholeheartedly serve Hashem and only Hashem. The people replied that they would never dream of following foreign idols after all Hashem has done for them. Yehoshua warned the nation that if they strayed, the consequences would be dire. He then wrote the Book of Yehoshua until this point. Yehoshua passed away at the age of 110. At this juncture, the Nabi relates that Joseph’s bones, which were taken out of Egypt by Moses, were buried in Shehem, although this no doubt happened much earlier.

Elazar the Kohen Gadol died sometime subsequent to Yehoshua and was succeeded by (and buried by) his son Pinchas. The Book of Yehoshua starts by comparing Yehoshua to his teacher Moses. However, in chapter one, Moses is called the “servant of Hashem” and Yehoshua is merely “the attendant of Moses.” The Book ends calling Yehoshua a “servant of Hashem,” the same title previously reserved for Moses. Despite the fact that Yehoshua did not merit the full 120 years of his teacher, he did earn this rare distinction, bestowed upon him by no less than G-d Himself.

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Yehoshua Perek 23

Yehoshua Perek 23 -
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study
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A Summary provided by Rabbi Jack Abramowitz of the Orthodox Union:
At age 110, Yehoshua realized that he wouldn’t live much longer, so he gave words of encouragement to the Jewish people. He reminded them of all Hashem did for them and urged them to be strong in their observance of the Torah. Yehoshua restated the prohibition on intermarriage, found in the Torah in Parashat Va’eschanan. If the Jews intermarry, Yehoshua cautions them, Hashem will cease to drive out the Canaanite nations. Just as G-d has brought about every good thing He promised, if the Jews turn their backs on Him, He will bring about all the punishments about which He warned them.

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Yehoshua Perek 22

Yehoshua Perek 22 -
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study
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A Summary provided by Rabbi Jack Abramowitz of the Orthodox Union:

Now that all 12 Tribes received their land, the men of Reuben, Gad and half of Menashe moved into their portions. Almost immediately, however, there was an enormous problem, as these two and a half Tribes assembled a giant altar on the eastern side of the Jordan River. This was a huge source of concern to the other ten Tribes. Perhaps they were starting a competing Mishkan, which would be a rebellious act. The ten Tribes in Israel proper dispatched Pinchas and other emissaries to the two and a half Tribes. They reminded Reuben, Gad and half- Menashe of the consequences of the sin with the idol of Peor in the wilderness, and of Ahan’s sin and how others died for it. The two and a half Tribes in Trans-Jordan were surprised, to say the least. “G-d forbid!” they exclaimed. “We would never do that!” No, they explained, the intent of their altar was the exact opposite of rebellion. Because they were on the opposite side of the Jordan, they were afraid that their descendants would not realize that they, too, had a share in the religious center of Israel.

Therefore, they built a replica of the altar as a constant reminder of the Mishkan, then in Shiloh. They named this model “Ed” - “Witness.” The representatives of the ten Tribes found this explanation satisfactory and departed in peace.

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Yehoshua Perek 21

Yehoshua Perek 21
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study

Next, the leaders of the Tribe of Levi approached Elazar and Yehoshua to apportion to them the cities and fields promised to them in Parashat Masei. The Leviyim were divided into four groups: the Kohanim, the rest of the descendants of Kehat, the descendants of Gershon and the descendants of Merari. Each of these groups received its own cities. In total, 48 cities were apportioned to the Leviyim, along with the surrounding fields. The Nabi tells us that the Leviim approached Elazar and Yehoshua in Shiloh. Shiloh was the site of the Mishkan. Until the Mishkan was established in its place, the Leviyim did not assume their “full-time” religious duties, which were the catalyst for their receiving cities, rather than a territory like the other Tribes. The Kohanim received their cities in the portions of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon. These were near Shiloh, where the Mishkan was located, and near Jerusalem, where the Bet HaMikdash would ultimately be built.

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Yehoshua Perek 20

Yehoshua Perek 20
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study

Now that all 12 Tribes were settled in their portions, it was time to designate the cities of refuge as Hashem commanded Moshe in Parashat Masei. These were cities where those who killed accidentally would flee. They would have to reside there until the death of the Kohen Gadol. (What did the Kohen Gadol have to do with manslaughter? One explanation, given by the Talmud in Makkot (11a) is that if he, as spiritual leader, had done a better job, such things wouldn’t happen.) Moshe himself dedicated three cities on his side of the Jordan in Parashat Va’ethanan, but they did not become active until the cities were dedicated in Eres Yisrael proper.

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Yehoshua Perek 19

Yehoshua Perek 19
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study

Next came the portion of Shimon, which, oddly enough, was scattered throughout the portion of Judah. One reason is given in the text of the Nabi itself: Judah’s territory was simply too big for a single Tribe. Another reason can be found in the brachos (blessings) given to the 12 sons of Jacob by their father. Because of the incident caused by Simeon and Levi in Shechem, Jacob said that they would be scattered in Israel, to prevent them from consolidating their forces. Levi was scattered by nature of their Temple service; Simeon was scattered simply because of Jacob’s words. The rest of the chapter discusses the portions of Zevulun, Yissahar, Asher, Naftali, and Dan. Dan’s territory was not sufficient for their growing Tribe, so they conquered the city of Leshem and renamed it Dan, after their ancestor. (This actually happened in the period of the Judges, but is recorded here because of its relevance.)After the Tribes all received their portions, they gave Yehoshua a city of his choosing in Mount Ephraim. This fulfilled a previously unrecorded commandment of Hashem.

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Yehoshua Perek 18

Yehoshua Perek 18
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study

The Tribes of Judah and the sons of Joseph were settled in their territory, as were the Tribes with land in Trans-Jordan. Since Levi did not have a territory, this left seven Tribes waiting to receive their portions. Yehoshua had each of these Tribes select three members who would survey the land and describe its features. The land would then be divided into seven portions and distributed by lottery. The first portion drawn went to the Tribe of Benjamin and fell in between the portions of Judah and Ephraim. The Nabi describes the territory in some detail, then ends with a listing of cities in the territory, one of which was Jerusalem. But wait! Didn’t we say, back in chapter 15, that Jerusalem was in Judah’s territory? Actually, the city of Jerusalem was shared by the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

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Yehoshua Perek 17

Yehoshua Perek 17
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study

Continuing the territory of Joseph’s sons, the Nabi moves on the half of the Tribe of Menashe that did not settle in Trans-Jordan. Elazar the Kohen Gadol and Yehoshua were now approached by the daughters of Selofhad. You may recall that these five women approached Moshe in Parashat Pinhas, saying that their deceased father had no sons. G-d instructed Moshe that they should inherit their father’s portion in Eres Yisrael. At this time, that promise was fulfilled. The Tribe of Menashe, accompanied by Ephraim, complained to Yehoshua that the land they received was not sufficient, since they were a very large Tribe. During the time between the first census taken in the desert and entering the Land, Menashe had grown more than any other Tribe. They may have expected Yehoshua’s sympathy, as he was from Ephraim, but the division of land was ordained by G-d. Yehoshua suggested that they clear some forest land in their territory. The Tribes of Joseph’s sons balked out of fear of the Canaanite forces there. Yehoshua assured them that they would be victorious, despite the enemy’s chariots.

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Yehoshua Perek 16

Yehoshua Perek 16
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study

A short chapter - a mere ten verses - starts a description of the territory of the sons of Joseph. Their territory extended from the Jordan opposite Yeriho to Beth-El. In addition to their own territory, Ephraim had cities that extended into the territory of Menashe. Canaanite residents remained in Gezer, one of these cities, and they became laborers.

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Rabbi Harold Sutton - The Duplicity of The Gib'onim

Rabbi Harold Sutton answers why Yehoshua asked the Gib'onim a seemingly redundant question - the question of why the Gib'onim tricked B'nei Yisrael. His point is developed through an analysis of the reasons behind the trickery and an analysis of standard protocol for attacking the nations that lived in Eres Kena'an at the time.
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Recorded on Monday Nov. 3rd, 2014 at 8:45 PM in Congregation Hohma U'Mussar, Brooklyn, NY, 11223.

Yehoshua Perek 15

Yehoshua Perek 15
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study

The Nabi now details the land given to each Tribe. Judah’s territory was in the south. It extended from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the Dead Sea on the east. Jerusalem was at the northern end of Judah’s territory, which extended southward into the Negev desert. The division of the land started with Judah because Caleb was from the Tribe of Judah. Since he approached Yehoshua to fulfill Moses’ promise in the last chapter, Yehoshua dealt with Judah’s portion first. Giving Caleb Hebron would have been problematic if Judah were not assigned the portion in which it fell. However, it was G-d’s will that Caleb receive Hebron, so Judah did indeed receive the right parcel of land. Hebron was still occupied by giants when Caleb inherited it. He offered the right to marry his daughter Ahsah to whoever removed the giants from the land. Caleb’s half-brother Otniel conquered Hebron and married Ahsah.

Caleb gave them the land that contained springs. (This incident actually occurred after the death of Yehoshua and is recorded chronologically in the Book of Judges.) The chapter concludes with an extensive list of cities in the portion of Judah. Jerusalem, however, could not be completely conquered in the time of Yehoshua and the Yevusim continued to maintain a presence there.

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Yehoshua Perek 14

Yehoshua Perek 14
Sefer Yehoshua is taught by Mr. Jesse Salem; Founder of Tanach Study

The remaining nine and a half Tribes were assigned their portion by lottery. Yes, the Nabi reminds us, Jacob’s son Joseph became two Tribes: Ephraim and Menashe. Sometimes we consider Ephraim and Menashe the sons of Joseph as one and then Levi is Tribe #12. In the context of dividing the land, however, Ephraim and Menashe are two Tribes and Levi is not included. Caleb ben Yefuneh, like Yehoshua, was one of the twelve spies dispatched by Moses in Parashat Shelah. Because they were the only two spies to bring back a favorable report, Caleb and Yehoshua were the only members of their generation who merited entering the Land of Israel. Furthermore, Moses promised Caleb the land that only he was brave enough to scout out: Hebron. Yehoshua fulfilled the promise of Moses and gave Caleb Hebron as his inheritance.

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