Spiritual and
Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach;
JOSHUA, JUDGES, SAMUEL, KINGS (Nevi’im Rishonim) These four books ostensibly are merely the history of Israel from the entry into the Promised Land until the destruction of the Temple and the temporary loss of independent statehood. In fact they are actually, in a specifically Jewish sense, the most deeply religious and spiritual books of the Bible. One does not have to be specifically Jewish to see or feel the religion and spirituality in the revelations of the prophetic writings or in the words of the Tehillim. They speak to all people, as evidenced by the fact that the Bible is still the world's bestseller and there are millions of non-Jews who regularly recite the Psalms. However, it is specifically and intrinsically Jewish to understand that G-d is revealed in the prosaic material, in the political, social and military events in the lives of ordinary men and women, kings and leaders that are described in the Nevim Rishonim. Here are described the ideology and religious thoughts in Judaism, while in Chronicles we have the purely historical. The War Against Idolatry (Shoftim
8:24-27) Following an old tradition, Gideon collected the booty that the Israelites had taken from the Midianites, to become a tribute and thanks to Hashem for the victory. There was 1700 shekel of golden earrings taken from the Midian warriors; referred to in our text as Ishmaelites. [The common identification of the Arabs with the Ishmaelites is questionable at least in the biblical records that often use that term, not for the descendants of Abraham’s son, but for many non-Arabic peoples, such asthe Midianites in our story and in that of Yosef.] Then there were the golden chains shaped like the crescent, taken from the necks of their camels, and purple garments, considered to be luxuries. However, instead of bringing the spoils to the Mishkan at Shilo, Gideon made an eifod and placed it in his home at Ofra. We can simply see this as evidence that Gideon was an ‘am haaretz’, that this was a halakhic error, since the eifod was a garment to be worn by the Kohen Gadol (Exodus 28:6, Hoshea 3:4, 1 Samuel 23:9) in the Temple and to make profane use of it, for whatever purpose was sacrilege. However, the use of the words ‘snare - a trap’ and the effect on all of Israel, would seem to indicate a far more serious deviance, one that raises serious religious questions. These are the transforming of originally correct things or pious acts into something bordering on or actual idolatry. World and Jewish history is full of examples similar to that of Gideon’s eifod. “And He buried Moshe in a valley in the land of Moab; but no man knows of his sepulcher to this day” (Devarim, 34:6). It would have been fitting and important for us to have the grave of Moshe Rabbeinu, father of all the prophets, servant of G-d, Lawgiver, who spoke face to face with Hashem, clearly marked and covered appropriately. What a spiritual center and source of guidance that would have been? But the Divine wisdom saw that such a tomb would eventually become a snare, leading to idolatry. “Why did Hashem hide the grave site of Moshe from the knowledge of Mankind? He knew that the Temple would be destroyed and the people exiled, then, perhaps they would come to his grave and weep and pray to him” (Sota, 13a). The same thought lay behind Yaakov’s request not to be buried in Egypt, where he would become the object of the Egyptians worship (Bereshit Raba, 96:5b) It is not only graves that can be transferred into idolatry, but even things commanded by G-d, may be mistakenly made into objects of false worship. “Make for yourself [Moshe] a serpent and place it on a standard. Everyone who has been bitten [in the plague of vipers], who looks at the serpent of copper, shall be saved (Bamidbar 21:8). Does the snake kill or heal? However, when Israel raises their eyes on high [to G-d] and subject their hearts to their father Who is in Heaven, they will be cured. If they do not [do that, but rely on looking at the serpent], they will be destroyed” (Mishna Rosh HaShana 3:8). We see that King Hezkiah destroyed the copper serpent even though Hashem had commanded Moshe to make it in order to heal those bitten by the plague of serpents. In his day it had become an instrument of idol worship, therefore, “and he broke in pieces the copper serpent... for until those days the Children of Israel burnt incense to it” (2 Kings 18:4). The prophet Yirmiyahu laments that the Bet HaMikdash, instead of being a meeting place for the people and G-d, a center for their spiritual and moral lives, had become a talisman, in which the people believed had the power by virtue simply of its very existence - instead of their own deeds, to protect and save them. “Amend your ways and your actions, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust not in lying words saying ‘the Temple of G-d, the Temple of G-d” (Jeremiah 7:3-4). It seems that it is not always easy for us to recognize the clear differences between being moved to greater spirituality by the memorials of salvation, the material symbols of religion or the graves of righteous people and ascrib- ing divine powers of healing, redemption or of life and death to them. This is the difference between legitimate spirituality and idolatry. This is the mistake that Gideon and Israel made with regard to the eifod that originally was meant to express thanks to Hashem but then became a snare; so his story ends with his alternative name that alluded to the idol baal. This is the sixth installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times” [The
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