Why the Land of Tov Was Named for Its Freedom From Tithes

Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 66:2

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And Jephthah fled from before his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tov" (Judges 11:3). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Why was its name called Tov ["good"]? Because it is exempt from the tithes.

Themes

Holy LandCommandmentsWisdom

Continue Reading

Midrash AggadahThe Daughters of Zelophehad Marrying Within the TribeThe daughters of Zelophehad had already won the hardest fight: the right to inherit their father's land when he died with no sons. Now came the catch. The TorahBen SiraBen Sira on How God Honored Moses in the HeightsBen Sira chapter 45 gives us a glimpse, a whisper of what it meant for Moses and Aaron to be elevated by God. "And God honored him, and strengthened him in the Ben SiraAaron's Eternal Covenant to Guard the SanctuaryBen Sira, in his wisdom, reminds us of the immense task Aaron undertook. He says, "And who, in his nobility, his heart, atoned for the children of Israel." AaroBen SiraSolomon's Golden Age of Wisdom and ProsperityThe Book of Ben Sira, a work of wisdom literature from around the 2nd century BCE, sings the praises of this legendary monarch. It tells us that after David, SoBen SiraTrue and False Prophets of YerovBen Sira doesn't mince words, does he? He calls him "wide in stupidity and lacking in wisdom." Reḥov'am, was the son of King Solomon, a hard act to follow to beBen SiraPhinehas Beyond the FirmamentIncense fills the air, music swells, and then Simon the High Priest appears. He's just completed the sacred service, and the sight is so breathtaking, so imbued