Yalkut Shimoni on Nach Reader

"And our elders and all the inhabitants of our land said to us" (Joshua 9:11). Rabbi Yochanan said: it is written "zekeneinu" [defectively, which can be read "zekenenu"] - elders of shame [reading the word as related to "shame," as the Gibeonites disparaged their own counselors who devised the deception]. This accords with the view of Rabbi Yochanan, who said: wherever Sodom is mentioned and "righteous men" should appear, it is written "tzadikm" [defectively, hinting that they were not truly righteous].

"And now you are cursed" (Joshua 9:23). Rabbi Eleazar said: he cursed them like the serpent, as it says, "And now you are cursed," and it is written, "And now you are cursed" (Genesis 3:14, of the serpent). And it is written, "And the men of Israel said to the Hivite" - and were they Hivites? Were they not Gibeonites? Rather, they acted as the serpent acted. The serpent said: I know that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "On the day you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). But I will go and deceive them, and they will go and act, and I will inherit the earth for myself. So too these said: we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "You shall utterly destroy them" (Deuteronomy 20:17), and it is written, "You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods" (Deuteronomy 7:2). We will go, and they will cut a covenant with us. Whichever way you turn it: if they kill us, they will have transgressed the oath; if they let us live, they will have transgressed the decree. Either way they are punished, and they do not inherit the land.

"And Joshua made them on that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD" (Joshua 9:27). Moses decreed concerning them for that generation, as it is written, "From the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water" (Deuteronomy 29:10). You, Joshua, decreed concerning them for the time when the Temple stands, as it is written, "And Joshua made them on that day hewers of wood." David came and decreed concerning them for the time when the Temple does not stand, as it is written, "And the king called the Gibeonites; now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel" (2 Samuel 21:1-2). (This is written in remez 861.)

"And it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard" (Joshua 10:1). This place makes its inhabitants righteous: Adoni-Zedek ["my lord is righteousness"] and Melchizedek ["king of righteousness"]. Jerusalem is called "righteousness" ["tzedek"], after "righteousness lodged in her" (Isaiah 1:21).

"And it came to pass, as they fled before the children of Israel, that the LORD cast down upon them great stones from heaven, and they were on the descent of Beth-Horon" (Joshua 10:11). Our Rabbis taught: one who sees the crossing-places of the Sea, the crossing-places of the Jordan, the crossing-places of the streams of Arnon, the hailstones of Elgavish, the stones of Beth-Horon, the stone that Og king of Bashan hurled, the stone upon which Moses sat when he made war with Amalek, the wife of Lot, and the walls of Jericho that were swallowed up in their place - all of these require one to give praise and thanksgiving before the Omnipresent. The stones of Beth-Horon, as it is written, "And it came to pass, as they fled before the children of Israel."

"Then Joshua spoke" (Joshua 10:12). There is an "az" ["then"] referring to the past, and there is an "az" referring to the time to come. "Then [az] men began to call" (Genesis 4:26). "Then [az] she said, A bridegroom of blood" (Exodus 4:26). "Then [az] Moses sang" (Exodus 15:1). "Then [az] Israel sang" (Numbers 21:17). "Then [az] Joshua spoke." "Then [az] David said." "Then [az] Solomon said" (1 Kings 8:12). These refer to the past. And there is an "az" for the time to come: "Then [az] you shall see and be radiant" (Isaiah 60:5). "Then [az] your light shall break forth as the dawn" (Isaiah 58:8). "Then [az] the lame shall leap as a deer" (Isaiah 35:6). "Then [az] the eyes of the blind shall be opened" (Isaiah 35:5). "Then [az] the virgin shall rejoice in the dance" (Jeremiah 31:13). "Then [az] our mouth shall be filled with laughter" (Psalms 126:2). "Then [az] it shall be said among the nations" (Psalms 126:2). These refer to the time to come. There are ten songs. The first was in Egypt, as it says, "The song shall be to you as in the night when a feast is hallowed" (Isaiah 30:29). The second was sung at the Sea: "Then Moses sang." The third was said over the well: "Then Israel sang." The fourth that Moses spoke: "And it came to pass when Moses finished writing" (Deuteronomy 31:24). The fifth that Joshua said: "Then Joshua spoke." The sixth that Deborah and Barak said: "Then Deborah and Barak sang" (Judges 5:1). The seventh that David said: "And David spoke to the LORD" (2 Samuel 22:1). The eighth that Solomon said: "Then Solomon said." The ninth that Jehoshaphat said, as it says, "And as they went out before the army they said, Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever" (2 Chronicles 20:21). And one for the time to come, as it says, "Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the faithful" (Psalms 149:1). For all the songs that have passed are called by a feminine term, for just as a female gives birth, so the deliverances that passed had subjugation following after them. But the deliverance that is to come is called by a masculine term, for it has no subjugation after it, as it says, "Israel is saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation" (Isaiah 45:17).

"Sun, stand still at Gibeon" (Joshua 10:12). This is what Scripture means: "It is I who made the earth and created man upon it; My own hands stretched out the heavens, and all their host I commanded" (Isaiah 45:12). Rabbi Yonatan said: The Holy One, blessed be He, set conditions with the sea, that it should split for the children of Israel. This is the meaning of "and the sea returned at the break of morning to its strength [le-eitano]" (Exodus 14:27) — to its stipulated condition [le-tena'o]. Rabbi Yirmiyah son of Rabbi Elazar said: Not with the sea alone did the Holy One, blessed be He, set a condition, but with everything created in the six days of creation, as it is said, "My own hands stretched out the heavens, and all their host I commanded" (Isaiah 45:12). I commanded the sea to split before the children of Israel. I commanded the sun and the moon to stand still before Joshua, as it is said, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon." I commanded the heavens and the earth to fall silent before Moses, as it is said, "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak" (Deuteronomy 32:1). I commanded the ravens to feed Elijah, as it is said, "and the ravens brought him bread" (1 Kings 17:6). I commanded the fire not to harm Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. I commanded the lions not to harm Daniel. I commanded the heavens to open before Ezekiel, as it is said, "the heavens opened and I saw visions of God" (Ezekiel 1:1). I commanded the fish to spit out Jonah, as it is said, "and the LORD spoke to the fish, and it spat out Jonah" (Jonah 2:11). This is what Scripture means: "I know that whatever God does shall endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it, and God has done it so that men should fear before Him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14). Rabbi Yosei son of Zimra said: At the beginning of the world's creation the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Let the waters be gathered and the dry land appear" (Genesis 1:9). Why then is it written, "He who summons the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the face of the earth, the LORD is His name" (Amos 5:8)? So that they should fear before Him. A parable: this may be compared to a province that rebelled against the king. What did the king do? He brought one harsh legion and surrounded it, so that the inhabitants of the province should see and fear before him. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world. On the day that should have been long, Jacob came and the sun set out of its season, as it is said, "and he lodged there, for the sun had set" (Genesis 28:11). Joshua came and made the night day, as it is said, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon." Thus the righteous diminish and add to His words, so that creatures should fear before Him. The Holy One, blessed be He, created seas; Moses made the sea dry land, as it is said, "and the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea" (Exodus 14:29). Elisha came and made dry land into sea: "Thus says the LORD: Make this valley full of ditches" (2 Kings 3:16). The Holy One, blessed be He, created winter and summer; Elijah came and made winter into summer: "As the LORD lives, there shall not be these years dew or rain" (1 Kings 17:1). Samuel came and made summer into winter, as it is said, "Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain" (1 Samuel 12:17). The Holy One, blessed be He, created the upper realms for the upper beings and the lower realms for the lower beings, as it is said, "The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, but the earth He has given to the children of men" (Psalms 115:16). Moses came and made the lower realms upper and the upper realms lower, as it is said, "and Moses went up to God" (Exodus 19:3), and "the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19:20).

This is what Scripture means: "From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is praised" (Psalms 113:3). From the moment the sun rises until it sets, it praises the Holy One, blessed be He. And so you find that when Joshua stood at Gibeon and wished to silence the sun, he did not say, "Sun, stand at Gibeon," but rather, "Sun, be silent [dom] at Gibeon." For every moment that it moves it praises the Holy One, blessed be He, and so long as it praises it has the strength to remain. Therefore Joshua said to it, "Be silent." The sun said to him: You say to me, "Be silent"? Does a lesser one open his mouth and say to one greater than himself, "Be silent"? I was created on the fourth day and you were created on the sixth day, and you say to me, "Be silent"? Joshua said to it: A freeborn youth who has an aged slave — does he not say to him, "Be silent"? Did not our father Abraham acquire the heavens and all within them, as it is said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19)? And not only that, but you bowed down like a servant before Joseph, as it is said, "and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me" (Genesis 37:9). The sun said to him: You say that I should be silent? Then who will speak the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He? Joshua said to it: Be silent, and I will speak the praise, as it is said, "Then Joshua spoke" (Joshua 10:12) — and "then" means nothing other than song, as it is said, "Then Moses sang" (Exodus 15:1).

"And the sun was silent and the moon stood still — is this not written in the Book of Jashar?" (Joshua 10:13). Rabbi Chalafai brought support for this from here: "and to rule over the day and over the night" (Genesis 1:18) — these are the righteous, who rule over what was created to give light by day and over what was created to give light by night. Rabbi Chanan in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak brings it from the end of the book [of the Torah's blessing of Joseph]: "but his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall fill the nations [melo ha-goyim]" (Genesis 48:19). Is such a thing possible [literally, that his seed fill the nations]? Rather, this refers to Joshua, who arose from him, who stops the orb of the sun and the moon, which rule from one end of the world to the other. And there are those who bring it from the end of the Torah: "the firstborn of his ox, majesty is his" (Deuteronomy 33:17). Is it possible to say so? Rather, this refers to Joshua, who arose from him, and so forth, as above. Rabbi Shimon son of Yochai said: It was the book of Deuteronomy. Joshua's deputy took it and showed it to the orb of the sun, and said to it: Just as I have not been silent from this [study of Torah], so too be silent before me. Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: He said to it, "Wicked slave, did you not buy yourself with my father's silver?" — that is, did not my father so behold you in a dream, "and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me" (Genesis 37:9)?

What is the Book of Jashar [the Upright]? Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said: This is the book of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are called upright, as it is said, "Let my soul die the death of the upright [yesharim]" (Numbers 23:10). Rabbi Elazar says: This is the book of Deuteronomy, in which it is written, "and you shall do what is upright [ha-yashar] and good" (Deuteronomy 6:18). Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: This is the book of Judges, in which it is written, "each man did what was upright in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6, 21:25). "And the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens" (Joshua 10:13). And how long was that day? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: twenty-four hours — it traveled six and stood still six, traveled six and stood still six; the whole matter was as one full day. Rabbi Elazar says: thirty-six — it traveled six and stood still twelve, traveled six and stood still twelve; its standing still was as a full day. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani says: forty-eight — it traveled six and stood still twelve, traveled six and stood still twenty-four, "and it did not hasten to set for about a full day" (Joshua 10:13), implying that at first it was not a full day. There are those who say in the Tosefta that Rabbi Yehoshua disputes: he says twenty-four — traveled six and stood still twelve, traveled six and stood still twelve, its standing still as a full day. Rabbi Elazar says thirty-six — traveled six and stood still twelve, traveled six and stood still twenty-four, "and it did not hasten to set for about a full day," implying that at first it was not a full day. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani says forty-eight — traveled six and stood still twenty-four, traveled six and stood still twenty-four, comparing its standing still to its setting: just as its setting was a full day, so its standing still was a full day. It was taught: Just as the sun stood still for Joshua, so it stood still for Moses and for Nakdimon ben Gurion. As for Joshua, this is from Scripture; as for Nakdimon ben Gurion, this is from tradition. For Moses, from where do we know it? Rabbi Elazar said: it is derived by the linked word "I will begin" [achel]: it is written here, "I will begin to put the dread of you" (Deuteronomy 2:25), and it is written there, "I will begin to magnify you" (Joshua 3:7). Rabbi Yochanan said: it is derived by the linked word "give" [tet]: it is written here "I will begin to put [tet] the dread of you," and it is written there, "on the day the LORD gave [tet] the Amorite" (Joshua 10:12). Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: it is from the verse itself, "who will hear the report of you" — "and they shall tremble and be in anguish before you" (Deuteronomy 2:25), when did this happen? At the time the sun stood still for him. They raised an objection: "and there was no day like it before it or after it" (Joshua 10:14). If you say it concerns the hours, they were not so much greater. And if you say it concerns the hailstones, were there not such, as it is written, "and as they fled before the children of Israel, the LORD cast down upon them great stones" (Joshua 10:11)? The sixth wonder: from the day the heavens and earth were created, the sun and moon and stars rise to give light upon the earth, until Joshua came and waged the war of Israel, and the eve of the Sabbath drew near, and he saw the distress of Israel, that they should not desecrate the Sabbath, when he saw the wise men of the nations consulting the constellations to come against Israel. What did he do? He stretched out his hands toward the light of the sun and the light of the moon and pronounced the Name over them, and each one stood in its place thirty-six hours until the going-out of the Sabbath, as it is said, "and the sun was silent and the moon stood still" (Joshua 10:13). And all the kings of the earth saw it and were astonished, for there had been nothing like it since the world was created, as it is said, "and there was no day like it before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened to the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel" (Joshua 10:14).

"As for all the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel did not burn them, except Hazor alone, which Joshua burned" (Joshua 11:13). Rabbi Elazar says: He burned it by tradition — the Holy One, blessed be He, said it to Moses, and Moses said it to Joshua. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: In three places the nations of the world gathered to wage war, and the Holy One, blessed be He, did not let them stand. And where did they gather? At Hazor, and so forth. And one of them is: "and they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them" (Genesis 35:5).

"As the LORD commanded Moses His servant" (Joshua 11:15). There is a case of Rabbi Yishbav, who arose and distributed all his property to the poor, and Rabban Gamliel sent word to him: Did the sages not say a fifth of one's property to the poor? But was not Rabban Gamliel before [the council of] Usha? Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Bun said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Such was the law in their hands and they forgot it, and the second generation arose and agreed with the view of the first — to teach you that anything upon which a court risks its life, in the end endures, as it was said to Moses at Sinai. And this accords with what Rabbi Mana said: "for it is no empty thing for you" (Deuteronomy 32:47) — and if it is empty, it is empty because of you, for you do not labor in it; "for it is your life" (ibid.) — when you labor in it. Rabbi Tanchuma in the name of Rabbi Huna: "And Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur made all that" — it does not say here "that which Moses commanded," but rather "that which the LORD commanded" (compare Exodus 38:22); even matters he had not heard from his teacher, his own view agreed with what was said to Moses. Rabbi Yochanan in the name of Rabbi Bana'ah: "As the LORD commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses" — it does not say here "of all that Moses commanded him," but "that the LORD commanded Moses," even matters he had not heard from his teacher. And the rabbis said: "For the LORD will be your confidence" (Proverbs 3:26) — these are the matters in which you are a fool [kesil]; "and will keep your foot from being caught" — Rabbi Dosa says: from error in ruling; Rabbi Levi says: from harmful spirits. Rabbi Ba said: "from your purse" [reading mi-kis lekha] — if you give charity from your purse, the Holy One, blessed be He, guards you from harmful spirits, from plagues, and from the like.

"The king of Jericho, one" (Joshua 12:9). Rabbi Ze'ira and Rabbi Yirmiyah in the name of Rav: The Song of the Sea and the Song of Deborah are written as a half-brick over a whole brick and a whole brick over a half-brick. But the ten sons of Haman and the kings of Canaan are written as a half-brick over a half-brick and a whole brick over a whole brick. What is the law — is this manner of writing required as a precept, or does its absence invalidate? Rabbi Yosei bar Chanina, the son of the brother of Rabbi Oshaya, said: Do you remember when we stood before the shop of Rabbi Oshaya, your beloved, and Rabbi Abba bar Zavda passed by, and we asked him, and he said in the name of Rav: its absence invalidates? Rabbi Chiyya the son of Rabbi Acha of Jaffa, and Rabbi Yirmiyah in the name of Rabbi Ze'ira: one must recite it in a single breath. And the ten sons of Haman are with them.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: All those thirty-one [variant: thirty-two; variant: sixty] kings whom Joshua killed were all at the feast of our father Abraham, as it is said, "and Abraham made a great feast" (Genesis 21:8) — great ones were there. But were they not thirty-one? Rather, this accords with what Rabbi Berachyah and Rabbi Chelbo and Rabbi Parnach said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: "The king of Jericho, one" (Joshua 12:9) — there is no need for Scripture to say "one," except that it means him and his viceroy. Rabbi Yehudah said: Now, were these thirty-one kings all in the Land of Israel? Rather, just as they do in Rome today, where every king who has not acquired a palace in Rome says he has done nothing, so too every king who had not acquired estates and holdings in the Land of Israel said he had done nothing. This is the meaning of "and I gave you a desirable land, the most beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations" (Jeremiah 3:19).

"The five lords of the Philistines" (Joshua 13:3). Scripture opens by saying five, yet it goes on to reckon six. Rabbi Yochanan said: their handles [the staffs, or scepters, of the lords] were five. Rav Chisda said to Rav Telifa bar Avina: Go write "their handles" in your letter and explain it; for it is written, "and the Avvim that dwell in the villages" (and so the sixth people is accounted for). And this differs with Rav, for Rav said: the Avvim came from Teiman [the south]. And why is their name called Avvim? Because they ruined [iv'u] their place. Another explanation: because they desired [iv'u] many gods. Another explanation: because everyone who saw one of them was seized by a convulsion [ivit]. And they had sixteen rows of teeth, every single one of them.

Resh Lakish said: There are many passages of Scripture that seem fit to be burned like the books of heretics, and yet they are the very body of the Torah. "And the Avvim that dwell in the villages as far as Gaza" (Deuteronomy 2:23). What practical difference does this make? It follows from what Abimelech made Abraham swear, as it is written, "now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me" (and with my offspring). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let the Caphtorim come and dispossess the Avvim, who are Philistines, and let Israel come and dispossess the Caphtorim. Similar to this: "for Heshbon was the city of Sihon" (Numbers 21:26). Similar to this: "the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion" (Deuteronomy 3:9). Similar to this: "and the people he removed to the cities" (Genesis 47:21). What practical difference does this make? That they should not be called by their brothers a people of exiles.

"And the children of Judah drew near to Joshua" (Joshua 14:6). We find a drawing near for war, a drawing near for prayer, and a drawing near for appeasement. A drawing near for war, as it is said, "and Joab drew near, and the people that were with him, to battle" (2 Samuel 10:13). A drawing near for prayer, "and it came to pass at the time of the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet drew near" (1 Kings 18:36). A drawing near for appeasement: "and the children of Judah drew near to Joshua" to appease him.

"I am forty years old this day" (Joshua 14:7). Our Rabbis taught: the days of the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness were forty years less one; the days of the Tent of Meeting at Gilgal were fourteen years, seven during which they conquered and seven during which they divided the land; the days of the Tent of Meeting at Nob and Gibeon were fifty-seven; there remained for Shiloh three hundred and seventy less one. The days of the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness were forty less one. Whence do we know it? As it is said, in the first year Moses made the Tabernacle, in the second it was set up and he sent the spies. The fourteen at Gilgal, seven during which they conquered, whence do we know it? Because Caleb said, "forty years old was I when Moses sent me," and now "behold, I am this day eighty-five years old" (Joshua 14:7,10). When they crossed the Jordan how old was he? Seventy-eight, and he said eighty-five; behold, seven during which they conquered. And seven during which they divided, whence do we know it? If you say from this, that as seven they conquered so seven they divided; and if you say, because no fourteen years are found after the city was smitten. At Nob and Gibeon fifty-seven, as it is written, "and it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off his seat" (1 Samuel 4:18). And it was taught: when Eli the priest died, Shiloh was destroyed and they came to Nob; when Samuel died, Nob was destroyed and they came to Gibeon. And it is written, "and it came to pass, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long, for it was twenty years" (1 Samuel 7:2). Which are the twenty years? Eleven of Samuel himself, and two of Samuel and Saul, and seven that David reigned in Hebron. And it is written, "and the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; in Hebron he reigned seven years" (1 Kings 2:11). And it is written, "and he began to build it in the second month, in the fourth year of his reign" (1 Kings 6:1, with 2 Chronicles 3:2). There remained for Shiloh three hundred and seventy less one.

It was taught: Israel spent four hundred and fifty years in the land from the time they entered it until they went out of it, which are seventeen jubilees. And so it says, "in the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was smitten" (Ezekiel 40:1). When is the new jubilee proclaimed? At the beginning of the jubilee. But if they are seventeen jubilees, how are fourteen years lacking? Say therefore: seven years they were conquering and seven years they were dividing.

"Forty years old was I" (Joshua 14:7). We learn from here that in the earlier generations they begot children at the age of eight, as it is written, "and Azubah the wife of Caleb died, and Caleb took to him Ephrath, who bore him Hur" (1 Chronicles 2:19), and it is written, "and Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah" (Exodus 31:2; 38:22). Now when Bezalel made the Tabernacle, how old was he? Thirteen, as it is written, "every man according to his work which they did" (Exodus 36:4). And it was taught: in the first year Moses made the Tabernacle, in the second it was set up and he sent the spies, and it is written, "forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me" (Joshua 14:7). Subtract the fourteen that Bezalel was, and there remain twenty-six; subtract two for the three births that overlap, and it is found that each one begot at eight.

"And they gave Hebron to Caleb." But Hebron was a city of refuge! Abaye said: only its outskirts [were given to him]. And so it says, "but the field of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession" (Joshua 21:12). "And the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba [the city of four]" (Joshua 14:15). Because four righteous men dwelt in it: Aner, Eshkol, Mamre, and Abraham. And because four righteous men were circumcised in it: Aner, Eshkol, Mamre, and Abraham. And because four matriarchs were buried in it: Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah. And because four patriarchs were buried in it: Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And on account of its master, who was four: Anak and his three sons. Rabbi Azariah said: from there Abraham went out and pursued the four kings, the world-rulers, which adds up to a confederation of four. First it went to Judah, and afterward to Caleb, and afterward to the priests, and afterward to the Levites; for it is one of four despised places in the Land of Israel. And which are they? Rabbi Yitzchak said: Dor and Naphath-dor and Timnath-serah and Hebron. And the Rabbis said: Danah and Kiriath-sannah and Timnath-serah and Hebron.

"The greatest man among the Anakim" (Joshua 14:15). "The man" is Adam the first man. "The great" refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were called great. Of Abraham it says, "and the LORD has blessed my master exceedingly, and he has become great" (Genesis 24:35). Of Isaac it is written, "and the man waxed great, and grew more and more until he became very great" (Genesis 26:13). Of Jacob it is written, "and the boys grew" (Genesis 25:27). And Esau was included with them, but he corrupted his deeds and despised the birthright and became small, as it is said, "behold, I have made you small among the nations" (Obadiah 1:2).

It was taught: Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: Since Scripture weighs the deeds of the Land of Israel against the deeds of the land of Egypt, as it says, "like the deeds of the land of Egypt" and so forth (Leviticus 18:3). Why did the Canaanites merit to dwell upon their land for forty-seven years, as it says, "and Hebron was built seven years before Zoan of Egypt" (Numbers 13:22)? Because they honored Abraham our father, for they said to him, "You are a prince of God in our midst" (Genesis 23:6); for this they merited to dwell upon their land for forty-seven years. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rabbi Yehudah ben Lakish: behold it says, "the great man among the Anakim, and the land had rest from war" (Joshua 14:15). The sons of Canaan, who honored Abraham our father, merited that the land should be quiet for them. "The great man among the Anakim, and the land had rest" — what has the one matter to do with the other? This teaches that the war did not rest from the Canaanites except by the merit of Abraham, because they treated him with honor and said to him, "You are a prince of God in our midst; my lord, hear me" (Genesis 23:6,11). And further, a remnant survived among them, and from them some went to Africa. And if, in the case of the Canaanites, because they honored him his merit stood by them even though they did not walk in his ways and did not love the Omnipresent, then his sons who walk in his ways and perform acts of righteousness and loving-kindness — how much more so!

Another interpretation: "the great man among the Anakim" (Joshua 14:15). Rabbi said: this is Abraham. And why does it call him great? Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra: the strides of Abraham our father were three mil. Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon says: a mil, as it says, "a path his feet had not trodden" (Isaiah 41:3) — the final letters of "who acted" (mi pa'al) spell, in reverse, mil. Rabbi Nechemiah in the name of Rabbi Aibu: his feet did not even gather dust when he pursued the kings, but he was like one who walks from his house to the synagogue. Another interpretation: why does it call him great? Because he was fit to have been created before Adam the first man. But the Holy One, blessed be He, said: perhaps he will spoil things, and there will be no one to come after him and repair it. Said the Holy One, blessed be He: behold, I will create Adam first, so that if he spoils things, Abraham will come and repair in his place. Said Rabbi Abba Kahana: a man who has a sagging beam, where does he set it? In the middle of the house, so that it can bear the beam before it and the beam after it. So too Abraham — the Holy One, blessed be He, set him in the middle of the generations, so that he might bear the generations before him and the generations after him. Said Rabbi Levi: one brings the orderly woman into the house of the disorderly woman, but one does not bring the disorderly woman into the house of the orderly woman.

"And the border went up to the shoulder of the Jebusite" (Joshua 18:16). This is what Scripture says: "And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth" (1 Samuel 19:18), and it is written, "Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah" (1 Samuel 19:22). Said Rabbah: what has Naioth (Naiot) to do with Ramah (height)? Rather, they sat in Ramah and busied themselves with the beauty (noi) of the world. They said: it is written, "And you shall arise and go up to the place" (Deuteronomy 17:8) — this teaches that the Temple is higher than all the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel is higher than all the lands. They did not know where its place was. They brought the book of Joshua. Concerning the tribe of Judah it is written, "and the border went up," and concerning the tribe of Benjamin it is written "and it went down" ("and went up and turned" is not written). They concluded: this is its place. They thought to build it at Ein Etam, which is high. They said: let us bring it down a little, as it is written, "and he dwells between his shoulders" (Deuteronomy 33:12). And some say: it was a tradition that the Sanhedrin is in the portion of Judah and the Divine Presence in the portion of Benjamin, and if we raise it up too high, too much would be apportioned to Judah; better that we bring it down a little, as it is written, "and he dwells between his shoulders." And over this matter Doeg the Edomite envied David, as it is written, "for the zeal of Your house has consumed me" (Psalms 69:10). And it is written, "A song of ascents: Remember, O LORD, for David all his affliction; how he swore to the LORD, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: I will not enter the tent of my house... I will not give sleep to my eyes... until I find a place for the LORD, dwellings for the Mighty One of Jacob. Behold, we heard of it in Ephrath" (Psalms 132:1-6) — this is Joshua, who comes from the tribe of Ephraim; "we found it in the fields of the forest" — this is Benjamin, of whom it is written, "Benjamin is a wolf that tears" (Genesis 49:27).

"And the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-Sefer" (Judges 1:11). And in another place it says, "Danah and Kiriath-Sannah, that is Debir" (Joshua 15:49). It turns out there are four names for it. And what need do the inhabitants of the world have in this? Rather, it is that four kingdoms were contending over it, this one saying "it shall be called by my name" and that one saying "it shall be called by my name." And are these matters not a fortiori? If even the refuse of the Land of Israel — they contend over it — how much more so for the praise of the Land of Israel! Similarly: "Go up to this Mount Abarim, Mount Nebo" (Deuteronomy 32:49), and in another place it says, "Go up to the top of Pisgah" (Deuteronomy 3:27). It turns out it is called by three names. And what need do the inhabitants of the world have, and so forth.

"And the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-Sefer" (Judges 1:11). Said Rava: from where do the Persians call a book "dibra"? From here, and so forth.

"And Caleb said: whoever strikes Kiriath-Sefer" (Judges 1:12). It was taught: one thousand seven hundred a fortiori inferences, gezera shava arguments, and fine points of the scribes were forgotten during the days of mourning for Moses. Said Rabbi Abbahu: even so, Othniel ben Kenaz restored them through his sharp dialectic, as it says, "And Caleb said: whoever strikes Kiriath-Sefer and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter" (Judges 1:12). What is "Achsah"? That whoever sees her becomes angry (ko'es) at his own wife.

Said Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: four asked improperly; to three of them it was answered properly, and to one it was answered improperly. Eliezer the servant of Abraham, as it is written, "and it shall be that the maiden to whom I say" and so forth (Genesis 24:14) — one might think even a lame woman, even a blind woman. Rebekah was set before him. Caleb: "And Caleb said: whoever strikes Kiriath-Sefer" (Judges 1:12) — behold, had a slave captured it, he would have given him his daughter. But it was answered for him properly, and Othniel ben Kenaz captured it. Saul son of Kish, as it is written, "and it shall be that the man who strikes him, the king will enrich him with great wealth and will give him his daughter" (1 Samuel 17:25) — one might think even a slave, even a mamzer. David was set before him. Jephthah the Gileadite, as it is written, "and it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house... I will offer it up as a burnt offering" (Judges 11:31) — one might think even an unclean animal. His daughter was set before him. And this is what the prophet said to Israel: "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?" (Jeremiah 8:22).

"And Othniel ben Kenaz captured it" (Judges 1:13). This is what Scripture says: "And the sun rises and the sun sets" (Ecclesiastes 1:5). Said Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: do we not know that the sun rises and the sun sets? Rather, before the Holy One, blessed be He, causes the sun of one righteous person to set, He causes the sun of another righteous person to rise. The day Rabbi Akiva died, Rabbi was born, and they applied to him, "And the sun rises" and so forth. The day Rabbi Avin died, Rabbi Avin his son was born, and they applied to him, "And the sun rises" and so forth. The day Rabbi Oshaya the man of Tiria died, Rabbi Oshaya his son was born, and they applied to him, "And the sun rises and the sun sets." Before the sun of Eli set, the sun of Samuel rose, as it says, "and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down" and so forth (1 Samuel 3:3). Said Rabbi Yochanan, like that perfect calf (Genesis 15:9): before the sun of Sarah set, the sun of Rebekah rose. Before the sun of Moses set, the sun of Joshua rose. Before the sun of Joshua set, the sun of Othniel ben Kenaz rose, as it says, "And Othniel ben Kenaz captured it."

"And Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it" (Judges 1:13). So Caleb is a son of Kenaz? But it is written, "Caleb son of Jephunneh" (Numbers 13:6). What is the meaning of "Jephunneh"? That he turned away [panah] from the counsel of the spies. And is he a son of Kenaz? But it is written, "And Caleb son of Hezron" (1 Chronicles 2:18). Rava said: Indeed, he is the son of Hezron. Then why is Othniel called the brother of Caleb, "son of Kenaz"? He was the brother of Caleb through his mother, for Caleb was the stepson of Kenaz [Othniel's father; the two shared one mother]. This is also precise, for the verse says "the Kenizzite" and does not say "son of Kenaz."

"And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him" (Judges 1:14). Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: She said to him, just as a donkey, when there is no straw in its trough, brays, so too a wife who has no produce within her house cries out. "You have given me a land of the Negev" (Judges 1:15) - a man dried out [menugav] of all good; "so give me springs of water" - a man who has nothing but words of Torah. "And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs" - the One to whom the secrets of the upper and lower worlds are revealed, let her seek her sustenance from Him. The fig, that is Othniel, that is Jabez. Othniel - because God answered him [ana'o El]; Jabez - because he counseled and instilled [ribbetz] the Torah in Israel. And what was his name? Judah. "The living one, Simeon, is his name." And how do we know that God answered him? As it is written, "And Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying" (1 Chronicles 4:10): "If You will indeed bless me" - with Torah; "and enlarge my border" - with disciples; "and Your hand will be with me" - that I not forget my learning; "and You will keep me from harm" - that I have companions like myself; "that it may not grieve me" - that the evil inclination not afflict me from studying. If You do this for me, well and good; and if not, behold I go down in my decline to the grave. This is the teaching of Rabbi Natan. Rabbi Judah the Prince says: "If You will indeed bless me" - with fruitfulness and increase; "and enlarge my border" - with sons and daughters; "and Your hand will be with me" - in commerce; "and You will keep me from harm" - that I have no headache, no earache, no eye pain; "that it may not grieve me" - that the evil inclination not afflict me. If You do this, well and good; and if not, behold I go down in my decline to the grave.

"And Kinah and Dimonah and Adadah" (Joshua 15:22). Rav Huna bar Natan said to Rav Ashi: What is the meaning of what is written, "And Kinah and Dimonah and Adadah"? He said to him: It is counting the towns of the Land of Israel. He said to him: And do I not know that it is counting the towns of the Land of Israel? Rather, Rav Geviha of Bei Argiza explained a reason in it: Whoever harbors envy [kin'ah] against his fellow and stays silent [domem], the One who dwells forever [shochen adei ad] executes judgment for him. But then "Ziklag and Madmannah and Sansannah" (Joshua 15:31) - what is the meaning of these too? He said to him: Were Rav Geviha here, he would explain a reason. Rav Acha of Bei Chozai explained it thus: Whoever has a cry over a withheld morsel [tza'akat legima] against his fellow and stays silent [domem], the One who dwells in the bush [shochen ba-sneh] executes judgment for him.

It is taught: Rabbi Yoshiyah says, the Land was apportioned to those who came out of Egypt, as it says, "according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit" (Numbers 26:55). What does "to these the Land shall be divided" teach? On account of the women and the minors. Rabbi Yonatan says: the Land was apportioned to those who entered the Land, as it says, "these are the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand" - "to these the Land shall be divided." What does "according to the names of the tribes of their fathers" teach? Scripture made this inheritance different from all inheritances in the Torah, for in all inheritances the living inherit the dead, but here the dead inherit the living. Rabbi says: To what is the matter comparable? To two priestly brothers in a city, one with a single son and one with three sons. They went to the threshing floor; this one took one se'ah and those took three se'ah, and they brought it to their father, then returned and divided it equally. So too with those who entered the Land: this one took a field of one se'ah and those a field of one se'ah, and they bequeathed to their fathers, the dead inherited the living, and then they divided equally. Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon says: this one took his portion and his father's portion, and that one took his portion and his father's portion - thus "to these the Land shall be divided" is upheld, and "according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit" is upheld. So if a man came out of Egypt with ten sons and at the entry to the Land he had five sons, I apply to him "to the few you shall lessen his inheritance" (Numbers 26:54). And if a man came out with five sons and at the entry he had ten, I apply to him "to the many you shall increase his inheritance." When the daughters of Zelophehad saw that the Land was being apportioned to males and not to females, they all gathered together to take counsel. They said: the compassion of flesh and blood is not like the compassion of the Omnipresent. The compassion of flesh and blood favors males over females, but the One who spoke and the world came into being is not so; His compassion is upon males, upon females, and upon all, as it says, "He gives bread to all flesh" (Psalms 136:25), giving to the beast its food, and it says, "The LORD is good to all, and His compassion is over all His works" (Psalms 145:9). "And the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher son of Gilead drew near" (Numbers 27:1) - Scripture traces their lineage in praise: this is a righteous person, child of a righteous person. And anyone whose deeds are concealed and whose ancestors' deeds are concealed, yet Scripture traces his lineage in blame, is wicked, child of the wicked. "Son of Manasseh son of Joseph" - just as Joseph cherished the Land of Israel, so there came from him those who cherished the Land of Israel. "Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah" (Numbers 27:1) - is whoever comes first in the verse first in deed? Scripture says, "And Mahlah, Tirzah" (Numbers 36:11), telling that they were equally weighed against one another. Rabbi Natan says: the strength of women is greater than the strength of men. The men said, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt" (Numbers 14:4), but the women said, "Give us a possession" (Numbers 27:4).

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: the daughters of Zelophehad were all equally weighed, as it is written, "and they became" - one identical "becoming" for all of them (Numbers 36:11). It is taught: the daughters of Zelophehad were wise, they were expositors of Scripture, they were righteous. They were wise, for they spoke at the fitting moment, as Rabbi Shmuel son of Rabbi Yitzchak said: that very day Moses our teacher was sitting and expounding the passage of levirate marriage. They said to him: if we are like a son, let us inherit like a son; and if not, let our mother undergo levirate marriage. Immediately "Moses brought their case" (Numbers 27:5). They were expositors, for they were saying: had he had a son, we would not have spoken. They were righteous, for they married only those fitting for them. It is taught, Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: even the youngest of them was not married at less than forty years old. Is that so? But did not Rav Chisda say: a woman married under twenty bears children until sixty, married at twenty bears until forty, and married at forty bears no more? Rather, because they were righteous, a miracle was performed for them as for Jochebed, who bore a child at one hundred and thirty years.

Rabbi Judah says: when the angels came to Abraham, he ran to bring a calf, and the calf ran to the Cave of Machpelah, and he entered after it and saw Adam and Eve lying on their beds, with candles kindled over them and a sweet fragrance like a pleasing aroma. Therefore he desired it for a burial holding. He spoke to the people of Jebus to purchase it from them for a sale of gold and an eternal deed. Now were they Jebusites? Were they not Hittites? Rather they were called after the name of the city. They would not accept this from him; they said: we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, will in the future give all these lands to your seed - make a covenant with us that your seed will not inherit the city of the Jebusites. And he made a covenant with them, and afterward purchased the Cave of Machpelah from them. What did the men of Jebus do? They made copper images and inscribed upon them the covenant of the oath, and set them up in the city square. When Israel came to the Land, they wished to enter the city but could not, because of the covenant, as it says, "and the Jebusites dwelling in Jerusalem" (Joshua 15:63). And King David wished to enter and they would not permit him, as it says, "and they said to David, saying, You shall not come here" (2 Samuel 5:6). David saw that oath and turned back, as it says, "and David dwelt in the stronghold and called it the City of David" (2 Samuel 5:9). They said: we will not let you enter until you remove these images upon which Abraham's oath is written, as it says, "unless you remove the blind and the lame" - and as it says, "the blind and the lame shall not come into the house" (2 Samuel 5:8); heaven forbid that blind and lame people came to the Temple - rather these were the images, as it says, "they have eyes but they do not see" (Psalms 115:5), "hated by David's soul," for David hated idolaters. David said: whoever ascends first and removes these images shall be chief; and Joab son of Zeruiah went up and became chief. And afterward he purchased the city of the Jebusite in an eternal sale, as it says, "and David gave to Ornan" (1 Chronicles 21:25).

"Taanath-shiloh" (Joshua 16:6). Rabbi Chama bar Chanina says: that anyone who sees Shiloh sighs [mit'aneach] over the eating of the holy offerings [that ceased there]. Rabbi Abbahu said: "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring [alei ayin]" (Genesis 49:22) - the eye [ayin] that did not wish to take pleasure in what was not its own, let it merit and eat to the fill of its eye.

It is taught: the Land of Israel is destined to be divided among thirteen tribes, whereas at first it was divided only among twelve tribes. And it was divided only with money [to equalize values], as it is written, "between many and few" (Numbers 26:56). Rabbi Judah said: a se'ah in Judah was worth five se'ah in Galilee. And it was divided only by lot, as it is written, "only by lot shall the Land be divided" (Numbers 26:55), and only by the Urim and Thummim. How so? Elazar was clothed in the Urim and Thummim, and Joshua and all Israel stood before him, and an urn of the borders lay before him; he would be directed by the Holy Spirit and say: if Zebulun comes up, the border of Akko comes up with it. He drew the tribes from the urn and Zebulun came up in his hand; he drew the borders from the urn and Akko came up in his hand. And again he was directed by the Holy Spirit and said: if Naphtali comes up, the border of Ginnosar comes up with it - and so for each and every tribe. The division of the World to Come will not be like the division of this world. In this world a man who has a field of orchard has no field of grain, and one with a field of grain has no orchard; but in the division of the World to Come there will be no man of Israel who does not have a portion in the lowland, in the hill country, and in the Negev, as it is written, "the gate of Reuben one, the gate of Simeon one" (Ezekiel 48:31). And the Holy One, blessed be He, divides it Himself, as it says, "and these are their divisions, says the LORD" (Ezekiel 48:29). The master said: the Land of Israel is destined to be divided among thirteen tribes. The other portion is for whom? Rav Chisda said: for the prince, as it is written, "and they who serve the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall serve it" (Ezekiel 48:19). Rav Pappa said to Abaye: say it is merely for a common laborer. He said to him: concerning you the verse says, "and the remainder shall be for the prince, on this side and on that side of the holy offering and of the possession of the city" (Ezekiel 48:21).

"And the border of Taanath-shiloh" (Joshua 16:6). Rabbi Hama bar Hanina said: A strip of land went out from the portion of Joseph and entered the portion of Benjamin, and upon it an altar was built; and Benjamin the righteous was distressed over it, longing to swallow it up into his own portion, as it is written, "and the border turned about eastward" (Joshua 16:6). Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: "and the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush" (Deuteronomy 33:16) — the eye [of Benjamin] that did not wish to enjoy what was not his, let it merit and feed from among that which lies between its borders.

"And the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying: Why have you given me one lot and one portion as an inheritance, seeing I am a great people, since hitherto the LORD has blessed me" (Joshua 17:14) — and gave me twenty thousand five hundred more than my brother Ephraim in the order of Pinchas, and the blessing "so shall your seed be" was fulfilled in me. "And Joshua said to them: If you are a great people, get up to the forest" (Joshua 17:15) — go and hide yourselves in the forests, so that the evil eye not have power over you. They said to him: We come from the seed of Joseph, over whom the evil eye has no power, as it is written of him, "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a fountain [alei ayin]" (Genesis 49:22). And Rabbi Abbahu said: Do not read "by a fountain [alei ayin]" but "rising above the eye [olei ayin]" [i.e., above the power of the evil eye]. Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: From here — "and let them grow into a multitude [ve-yidgu] in the midst of the earth" (Genesis 48:16): just as fish [dagim] of the sea, over whom the evil eye has no power, so too the seed of Joseph, over whom the evil eye has no power.