V'Zot Ha Berachah - Haftarah - The Haftarah in Classical Rabbinic Interpretation

The Haftarah in Classical Rabbinic Interpretation

A Baraita taught that Joshua wrote the book of Joshua. Noting that Joshua 24:29 says, “And Joshua son of Nun the servant of the Lord died,” the Gemara (reasoning that Joshua could not have written those words and the accounts thereafter) taught that Eleazar the High Priest completed the last five verses of the book. But then the Gemara also noted that the final verse, Joshua 24:33, says, “And Eleazar the son of Aaron died,” and concluded that Eleazar’s son Phinehas finished the book.

Rav Judah taught in the name of Rav that upon the death of Moses, God directed Joshua in Joshua 1:1–2 to start a war to distract the Israelites’ attention from the leadership transition. Rav Judah reported in the name of Rav that when Moses was dying, he invited Joshua to ask him about any doubts that Joshua might have. Joshua replied by asking Moses whether Joshua had ever left Moses for an hour and gone elsewhere. Joshua asked Moses whether Moses had not written in Exodus 33:11, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. . . . But his servant Joshua the son of Nun departed not out of the Tabernacle.” Joshua’s words wounded Moses, and immediately the strength of Moses waned, and Joshua forgot 300 laws, and 700 doubts concerning laws arose in Joshua’s mind. The Israelites then arose to kill Joshua (unless he could resolve these doubts). God then told Joshua that it was not possible to tell him the answers (for, as Deuteronomy 30:11–12 tells, the Torah is not in Heaven). Instead, God then directed Joshua to occupy the Israelites’ attention in war, as Joshua 1:1–2 reports.

The Gemara taught that God’s instruction to Moses in Numbers 27:20 to put some of his honor on Joshua was not to transfer all of the honor of Moses. The elders of that generation compared the countenance of Moses to that of the sun and the countenance of Joshua to that of the moon. The elders considered it a shame and a reproach that there had been such a decline in the stature of Israel’s leadership in the course of just one generation.

Rabbi Yosé the son of Rabbi Judah said that after the death of Moses (reported in Deuteronomy 34:5 and Joshua 1:1), the pillar of cloud, the manna, and the well ceased. Rabbi Yosé the son of Rabbi Judah taught that when the Israelites left Egypt, Providence appointed three good providers for them: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. On their account, Providence gave the Israelites three gifts: the pillar of cloud of the Divine Glory, manna, and the well that followed them throughout their sojourns. Providence provided the well through the merit of Miriam, the pillar of cloud through the merit of Aaron, and the manna through the merit of Moses. When Miriam died, the well ceased, but it came back through the merit of Moses and Aaron. When Aaron died, the pillar of cloud ceased, but both of them came back through the merit of Moses. When Moses died, all three of them came to an end and never came back, as Zechariah 11:8 says, “In one month, I destroyed the three shepherds.” Similarly, Rabbi Simon taught that wherever it says, “And it came to pass after,” the world relapsed into its former state. Thus, Joshua 1:1 says: “Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,” and immediately thereafter, the well, the manna, and the clouds of glory ceased.

A Midrash taught that Joshua 1:1 includes the words “Moses’s attendant” to instruct that God gave Joshua the privilege of prophecy as a reward for his serving Moses as his attendant.

A Midrash read Joshua 1:3 to promise the Children of Israel not only the Land of Israel (among many privileges and obligations especially for Israel), but all its surrounding lands, as well.

A Midrash taught that Genesis 15:18, Deuteronomy 1:7, and Joshua 1:4 call the Euphrates “the Great River” because it encompasses the Land of Israel. The Midrash noted that at the creation of the world, the Euphrates was not designated “great.” But it is called “great” because it encompasses the Land of Israel, which Deuteronomy 4:7 calls a “great nation.” As a popular saying said, the king’s servant is a king, and thus Scripture calls the Euphrates great because of its association with the great nation of Israel.

Noting that in Joshua 1:5, God told Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you,” the Rabbis asked why Joshua lived only 110 years (as reported in Joshua 24:29 and Judges 2:8) and not 120 years, as Moses did (as reported in Deuteronomy 34:7). The Rabbis explained that when God told Moses in Numbers 31:2 to “avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites; afterward shall you be gathered to your people,” Moses did not delay carrying out the order, even though God told Moses that he would die thereafter. Rather, Moses acted promptly, as Numbers 31:6 reports: “And Moses sent them.” When God directed Joshua to fight against the 31 kings, however, Joshua thought that if he killed them all at once, he would die immediately thereafter, as Moses had. So Joshua dallied in the wars against the Canaanites, as Joshua 11:18 reports: “Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.” In response, God shortened his life by ten years.

The Rabbis taught in a Baraita that four things require constant application of energy: (1) Torah study, (2) good deeds, (3) praying, and (4) one’s worldly occupation. In support of the first two, the Baraita cited God’s injunction in Joshua 1:7: “Only be strong and very courageous to observe to do according to all the law that My servant Moses enjoined upon you.” The Rabbis deduced that one must “be strong” in Torah and “be courageous” in good deeds. In support of the need for strength in prayer, the Rabbis cited Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage, yea, wait for the Lord.” And in support of the need for strength in work, the Rabbis cited 2 Samuel 10:12: “Be of good courage, and let us prove strong for our people.”

The admonition of Joshua 1:8 provoked the Rabbis to debate whether one should perform a worldly occupation in addition to studying Torah. The Rabbis in a Baraita questioned what was to be learned from the words of Deuteronomy 11:14: “And you shall gather in your corn and wine and oil.” Rabbi Ishmael replied that since Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night,” one might think that one must take this injunction literally (and study Torah every waking moment). Therefore Deuteronomy 11:14 directs one to “gather in your corn,” implying that one should combine Torah study with a worldly occupation. Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai questioned that, however, asking if a person plows in plowing season, sows in sowing season, reaps in reaping season, threshes in threshing season, and winnows in the season of wind, when would one find time for Torah? Rather, Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai taught that when Israel performs God’s will, others perform its worldly work, as Isaiah 61:5–6 says, “And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, aliens shall be your plowmen and vine-trimmers; while you shall be called ‘Priests of the Lord,’ and termed ‘Servants of our God.’” And when Israel does not perform God’s will, it has to carry out its worldly work by itself, as Deuteronomy 11:14 says, “And you shall gather in your corn.” And not only that, but the Israelites would also do the work of others, as Deuteronomy 28:48 says, “And you shall serve your enemy whom the Lord will let loose against you. He will put an iron yoke upon your neck until He has wiped you out.” Abaye observed that many had followed Rabbi Ishmael’s advice to combine secular work and Torah study and it worked well, while others have followed the advice of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai to devote themselves exclusively to Torah study and not succeeded. Rava would ask the Rabbis (his disciples) not to appear before him during Nisan (when corn ripened) and Tishrei (when people pressed grapes and olives) so that they might not be anxious about their food supply during the rest of the year.

Rabbi Eleazar deduced from Joshua 1:8 that God created people to study Torah. Rabbi Eleazar deduced from Job 5:7, “Yet man is born for toil just as sparks fly upward,” that all people are born to work. Rabbi Eleazar deduced from Proverbs 16:26, “The appetite of a laborer labors for him, for his mouth craves it of him,” that Scripture means that people are born to toil by mouth — that is, study — rather than toil by hand. And Rabbi Eleazar deduced from Joshua 1:8, “This book of the Torah shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein,” that people were born to work in the Torah rather than in secular conversation. And this coincides with Rava’s dictum that all human bodies are receptacles; happy are they who are worthy of being receptacles of the Torah.

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi noted that the promise of Joshua 1:8 that whoever studies the Torah prospers materially is also written in the Torah and mentioned a third time in the Writings. In the Torah, Deuteronomy 29:8 says: “Observe therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may make all that you do to prosper.” It is repeated in the Prophets in Joshua 1:8, “This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then you shall make your ways prosperous, and then you shall have good success.” And it is mentioned a third time in the Writings in Psalm 1:2–3, “But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His Law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does he shall prosper.”

The Rabbis considered what one needs to do to fulfill the commandment of Joshua 1:8. Rabbi Jose interpreted the analogous term “continually” (תָּמִיד, tamid) in Exodus 25:30, which says “And on the table you shall set the bread of display, to be before continually.” Rabbi Jose taught that even if they took the old bread of display away in the morning and placed the new bread on the table only in the evening, they had honored the commandment to set the bread “continually.” Rabbi Ammi analogized from this teaching of Rabbi Jose that people who learn only one chapter of Torah in the morning and one chapter in the evening have nonetheless fulfilled the precept of Joshua 1:8 that “this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night.” Rabbi Johanan said in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai that even people who read just the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–9) morning and evening thereby fulfill the precept of Joshua 1:8. Rabbi Johanan taught that it is forbidden, however, to teach this to people who through ignorance are careless in the observance of the laws (as it might deter them from further Torah study). But Rava taught that it is meritorious to say it in their presence (as they might think that if merely reciting the Shema twice daily earns reward, how great would the reward be for devoting more time to Torah study).

Ben Damah the son of Rabbi Ishmael’s sister once asked Rabbi Ishmael whether one who had studied the whole Torah might learn Greek wisdom. Rabbi Ishmael replied by reading to Ben Damah Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night.” And then Rabbi Ishmael told Ben Damah to go find a time that is neither day nor night and learn Greek wisdom then. Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman, however, taught in the name of Rabbi Jonathan that Joshua 1:8 is neither duty nor command, but a blessing. For God saw that the words of the Torah were most precious to Joshua, as Exodus 33:11 says, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. And he would then return to the camp. His minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tent.” So God told Joshua that since the words of the Torah were so precious to him, God assured Joshua (in the words of Joshua 1:8) that “this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth.” A Baraita was taught in the School of Rabbi Ishmael, however, that one should not consider the words of the Torah as a debt that one should desire to discharge, for one is not at liberty to desist from them.

Like Rabbi Ishmael, Rabbi Joshua also used Joshua 1:8 to warn against studying Greek philosophy. They asked Rabbi Joshua what the law was with regard to people teaching their children from books in Greek. Rabbi Joshua told them to teach Greek at the hour that is neither day nor night, as Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, and you will meditate therein day and night.”

Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai taught that God used the words of Joshua 1:8–9 to bolster Joshua when Joshua fought the Amorites at Gibeon. Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai told that when God appeared to Joshua, God found Joshua sitting with the book of Deuteronomy in his hands. God told Joshua (using the words of Joshua 1:8–9) to be strong and of good courage, for the book of the law would not depart out of his mouth. Thereupon Joshua took the book of Deuteronomy and showed it to the sun and told the sun that even as Joshua had not stood still from studying the book of Deuteronomy, so the sun should stand still before Joshua. Immediately (as reported in Joshua 10:13), “The sun stood still.”

The Tosefta reasoned that if God charged even the wise and righteous Joshua to keep the Torah near, then so much more so should the rest of us. The Tosefta noted that Deuteronomy 34:9 says, “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hand upon him,” and Exodus 33:11 says, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. And he would then return to the camp; and his minister, Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, stirred not from the midst of the Tent.” And yet in Joshua 1:8, God enjoined even Joshua: “This Book of the Torah shall not depart out of your mouth, but recite it day and night.” The Tosefta concluded that all the more so should the rest of the people have and read the Torah.

Rabbi Berekiah, Rabbi Hiyya, and the Rabbis of Babylonia taught in Rabbi Judah’s name that a day does not pass in which God does not teach a new law in the heavenly Court. For as Job 37:2 says, “Hear attentively the noise of His voice, and the meditation that goes out of His mouth.” And meditation refers to nothing but Torah, as Joshua 1:8 says, “You shall meditate therein day and night.”

A Midrash deduced from Joshua 1:11 and 4:17 that Israel neither entered nor left the Jordan without permission. The Midrash interpreted the words of Ecclesiastes 10:4, “If the spirit of the ruler rise up against you, leave not your place,” to speaks of Joshua. The Midrash explained that just as the Israelites crossed the Jordan with permission, so they did not leave the Jordan River bed without permission. The Midrash deduced that they crossed with permission from Joshua 1:11, in which God told Joshua, “Pass through the midst of the camp and charge the people thus: Get provisions ready, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan.” And the Midrash deduced that they left the Jordan River bed with permission from Joshua 4:17, which reports, “Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying: ‘Come up out of the Jordan.’”

A Midrash pictured the scene in Joshua 1:16 using the Song of Songs as an inspiration. The Midrash said, “Your lips are like a thread of scarlet and your speech is comely,” (in the words of Song 4:3) when the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said to Joshua (in Joshua 1:16), “All that you have commanded us we will do, and we will go wherever you send us.”

The Gemara attributes to Solomon (or others say Benaiah) the view that the word “only” (רַק, rak) in Joshua 1:18 limited the application of the death penalty mandated by the earlier part of the verse. The Gemara tells how they brought Joab before the Court, and Solomon judged and questioned him. Solomon asked Joab why he killed Amasa (David’s nephew, who commanded Absalom’s rebel army). Joab answered that Amasa disobeyed the king’s order (and thus under Joshua 1:18 should be put to death), when (as 2 Samuel 20:4–5 reports) King David told Amasa to call the men of Judah together within three days and report, but Amasa delayed longer than the time set for him. Solomon replied that Amasa interpreted the words “but” and “only” (אַך, ach and רַק, rak). Amasa found the men of Judah just as they had begun Talmudic study. Amasa recalled that Joshua 1:18 says, “Whoever rebels against commandments and shall not hearken to your words in all that you command him, he shall be put to death.” Now, one might have thought that this holds true even if the king were to command one to disregard the Torah. Therefore, Joshua 1:18 continues, “Only (רַק, rak) be strong and of good courage!” (And the word “only” (רַק, rak) implies a limitation on the duty to fulfill the king’s command where it would run counter to Torah study.)