Yehoshua - Perek 11: “Bidding for Peace"
Part 1: The Gathering of the Kings of the North and South (11:1-18)
Summary
Points to Ponder
How could Israelites wipe out so many men, women and children?
In this chapter, Yehoshua did as commanded, and wiped out every man, woman and child of the local nations and burned down their cities.
If we were to hear of such massacres on the news today, we would be thoroughly horrified. Is this what Torah Judaism advocates? Is this the behavior of a nation bearing the values of Hashem? How do we reconcile this issue?
R. Shimshon Raphael Hirsch comments (Devarim 7:16) that the repeated commands in the Torah to show no mercy on the Canaanite nations indicate how countercultural this command is to the Jewish people. It will remain in stark exception to the way Israel is meant to act and be. Israel is to be a nation which proclaims the value of life for all living creatures and certainly human beings. This seemingly merciless command to annihilate the Canaanite population is to be taken as an anomaly, carried out only because of special circumstances as expressly commanded by Hashem. Hashem had a reason why He wanted us to wipe these nations out, because of their own sins and because they would have been a nefarious influence. That is why the Torah must emphasize killing them so many times - because it is so out of sorts with the rest of our national culture and morality. And in fact, following this initial period of conquest of the land of Israel, unlike other major world religions, Judaism has not crusaded or declared jihad on surrounding nations with a small exception during the times of John Hyrcanus.
Part 2: Yehoshua’s careful adherence to Hashem’s command and the lack of attempts for peace by the nations of the Land (11:19-23)
Summary
Points to Ponder
Is peace something they were supposed to work towards or not?
In Devarim 20, the Torah teaches that when Israel besieges a city, it will need to bid for peace before attacking. The conditions of peace are that the besieged nation will agree to become subservient to the Israelites and adhere to the seven universal commandments of the children of Noach. That means the nations would need to pay taxes to Israel and be monotheistic.
If they will not accept these terms, then they are to be attacked. However, later in the very same paragraph, the Torah commands that Israel needs to annihilate all the seven nations of Canaan.
Does that mean the nations of Canaan get a bid of peace or are they considered the exception?
Rashi argues that it depends on how close they are to the nation of Israel. If they live nearby, then one must attack them without first offering peace. His reasoning is that if they are nearby, there is a strong possibility of having a pagan influence over their Israelite neighbors, and this must be avoided. However, all nations that are not immediate neighbors are offered peace before attack.
In contrast, the Ramban and the Rambam suggest that the offer of peace is a universal requirement which must be extended to all nations. Only if a given nation does not accept the terms, they can then be destroyed.
Considering this, understanding the events we have seen in the book of Yehoshua would depend on which view we follow. Rashi would suggest that these Canaanite nations were not offered peace, as they were in the heartland of Israel, and were they not eradicated, they would remain a thorn in the sides of Israel forever. For this reason, the Tanach tells the story of the pretext made by the Givonites that they had come from a faraway land.
In contrast, the Ramban and Rambam would suggest that Yehoshua did indeed send letters offering peace to all nations and yet no one accepted the terms. Hashem ensured that those nations would fight and lose their battles. If they had thought more carefully, they would have noticed a pattern of miracles and should have agreed to the terms of peace.
Summary
- Yavin, king of Chatzor gathers the kings of Madon, Shimron, Achshaf, and an army of the Emorites, Chitites, Perizites, Yevusites and the Chivites.
- Yehoshua is instructed not to be afraid, telling him that he will be victorious against this huge alliance.
- He is instructed, upon victory, to burn the chariots of the enemy and make their horses lame.
- Yehoshua is victorious in battle, and then captures each of these cities, but burns only the city of Chatzor, because Yavin of Chatzor was the one who brought this alliance together.
Points to Ponder
How could Israelites wipe out so many men, women and children?
In this chapter, Yehoshua did as commanded, and wiped out every man, woman and child of the local nations and burned down their cities.
If we were to hear of such massacres on the news today, we would be thoroughly horrified. Is this what Torah Judaism advocates? Is this the behavior of a nation bearing the values of Hashem? How do we reconcile this issue?
R. Shimshon Raphael Hirsch comments (Devarim 7:16) that the repeated commands in the Torah to show no mercy on the Canaanite nations indicate how countercultural this command is to the Jewish people. It will remain in stark exception to the way Israel is meant to act and be. Israel is to be a nation which proclaims the value of life for all living creatures and certainly human beings. This seemingly merciless command to annihilate the Canaanite population is to be taken as an anomaly, carried out only because of special circumstances as expressly commanded by Hashem. Hashem had a reason why He wanted us to wipe these nations out, because of their own sins and because they would have been a nefarious influence. That is why the Torah must emphasize killing them so many times - because it is so out of sorts with the rest of our national culture and morality. And in fact, following this initial period of conquest of the land of Israel, unlike other major world religions, Judaism has not crusaded or declared jihad on surrounding nations with a small exception during the times of John Hyrcanus.
Part 2: Yehoshua’s careful adherence to Hashem’s command and the lack of attempts for peace by the nations of the Land (11:19-23)
Summary
- The chapter tells us that Yehoshua carried all out his instructions exactly as Hashem commanded him, and no country or city other than Givon made peace with Israel.
- All other cities declared war and lost.
Points to Ponder
Is peace something they were supposed to work towards or not?
In Devarim 20, the Torah teaches that when Israel besieges a city, it will need to bid for peace before attacking. The conditions of peace are that the besieged nation will agree to become subservient to the Israelites and adhere to the seven universal commandments of the children of Noach. That means the nations would need to pay taxes to Israel and be monotheistic.
If they will not accept these terms, then they are to be attacked. However, later in the very same paragraph, the Torah commands that Israel needs to annihilate all the seven nations of Canaan.
Does that mean the nations of Canaan get a bid of peace or are they considered the exception?
Rashi argues that it depends on how close they are to the nation of Israel. If they live nearby, then one must attack them without first offering peace. His reasoning is that if they are nearby, there is a strong possibility of having a pagan influence over their Israelite neighbors, and this must be avoided. However, all nations that are not immediate neighbors are offered peace before attack.
In contrast, the Ramban and the Rambam suggest that the offer of peace is a universal requirement which must be extended to all nations. Only if a given nation does not accept the terms, they can then be destroyed.
Considering this, understanding the events we have seen in the book of Yehoshua would depend on which view we follow. Rashi would suggest that these Canaanite nations were not offered peace, as they were in the heartland of Israel, and were they not eradicated, they would remain a thorn in the sides of Israel forever. For this reason, the Tanach tells the story of the pretext made by the Givonites that they had come from a faraway land.
In contrast, the Ramban and Rambam would suggest that Yehoshua did indeed send letters offering peace to all nations and yet no one accepted the terms. Hashem ensured that those nations would fight and lose their battles. If they had thought more carefully, they would have noticed a pattern of miracles and should have agreed to the terms of peace.