Yehoshua - Perek 6: “The Fall of Yericho”
Summary
Summary
Why did Hashem cause the city to be conquered this particular way?
The Radak and the Ralbag explHa’ain that there is an important lesson to be learned from here. The audience of this miracle were expected to take note that the walls did not fall because of the might of the sword but rather because of prayer to Hashem. This in turn leads us to question: who precisely were the intended audience? The most obvious the audience are the other city state nations in Canaan. This was not a conventional battle by any standard. However, it could well be that the audience of this miraculous battle were not the nations of Canaan but Israel themselves.
The walls of this city fell in the face of the word Hashem as expressed in the dimension of seven. Seven kohanim, with seven shofaros, performed seven circuits and blew their shofaros seven times, and then everything collapsed. Hashem demonstrated that He is the all-powerful Creator when it comes to all the battles that are going to ensue. This event is a tone setter.
It is worthwhile noting that the Malbim explHa’ains that the aron was in fact carried behind the soldiers, which is unusual. In the desert the aron had always gone in front of the soldiers. Based on this detHa’ail, the Malbim explHa’ains that this is an indication that as miraculous as this process clearly a weaning process from the miraculous to the military. In order to allow them to become a self-sufficient nation, the military is going to have to take more force as miracles diminish. It is also noteworthy that as miraculous as it was that the walls of Yericho did fall, at the end of the day, the conquest was not completed at that moment. It was actually the soldiers who had to enter the city and fight. Within the miraculous process, there was still a regular battle. This is an important image for one of the themes of our book.
Part 3: The Curse on Anyone who Rebuilds Yericho (6:26-27)
Summary
Why did Yehoshua make this oath that no one would ever rebuild the city?
The Rambam explHa’ains the reason for this oath was that Yehoshua wanted to ensure that this miracle and its influence were long-lasting. If the city was going to be rebuilt in the next decade, then nobody would remember what had taken place, namely that the walls had fallen down supernaturally, and that this incredible tone-setting miracle happened at the beginning of the conquest of the Land. Yehoshua therefore made sure that this was going to be an enduring victory, a long-lived miracle that all generations would remember by seeing these destroyed walls.
- We are told that Yericho is completely fortified.
- Yehoshua receives specific instructions to surround the city and instructs the soldiers to walk a circuit around the city once a day for six days.
- During the procession, there will be seven kohanim, each carrying a shofar in front of the aron.
Summary
- On the seventh day, they are called upon to repeat this process seven times, they then blow the shofaros. As this happens, everyone is told call out in a loud voice and the wall will fall.
- At this point, Yehoshua warns the people that they are not to take anything from the city as spoils. All is to be destroyed, with the exception of gold and silver which will be taken for the House of Hashem – such a declaration is known as a cheirem.
- The spies go in and save Rachav and her family as they promised.
- The nation burnt down the entire city, killed all its inhabitants and destroyed all its contents.
Why did Hashem cause the city to be conquered this particular way?
The Radak and the Ralbag explHa’ain that there is an important lesson to be learned from here. The audience of this miracle were expected to take note that the walls did not fall because of the might of the sword but rather because of prayer to Hashem. This in turn leads us to question: who precisely were the intended audience? The most obvious the audience are the other city state nations in Canaan. This was not a conventional battle by any standard. However, it could well be that the audience of this miraculous battle were not the nations of Canaan but Israel themselves.
The walls of this city fell in the face of the word Hashem as expressed in the dimension of seven. Seven kohanim, with seven shofaros, performed seven circuits and blew their shofaros seven times, and then everything collapsed. Hashem demonstrated that He is the all-powerful Creator when it comes to all the battles that are going to ensue. This event is a tone setter.
It is worthwhile noting that the Malbim explHa’ains that the aron was in fact carried behind the soldiers, which is unusual. In the desert the aron had always gone in front of the soldiers. Based on this detHa’ail, the Malbim explHa’ains that this is an indication that as miraculous as this process clearly a weaning process from the miraculous to the military. In order to allow them to become a self-sufficient nation, the military is going to have to take more force as miracles diminish. It is also noteworthy that as miraculous as it was that the walls of Yericho did fall, at the end of the day, the conquest was not completed at that moment. It was actually the soldiers who had to enter the city and fight. Within the miraculous process, there was still a regular battle. This is an important image for one of the themes of our book.
Part 3: The Curse on Anyone who Rebuilds Yericho (6:26-27)
Summary
- Yehoshua places a terrible curse on anyone who ever decides to rebuild Yericho. He declares that anyone who decides to rebuild the city, will bury their first child upon laying the foundation, and will bury their last child when completing it when attaching the doors.
- Hashem explicitly supports Yehoshua and his renown spread throughout the land.
Why did Yehoshua make this oath that no one would ever rebuild the city?
The Rambam explHa’ains the reason for this oath was that Yehoshua wanted to ensure that this miracle and its influence were long-lasting. If the city was going to be rebuilt in the next decade, then nobody would remember what had taken place, namely that the walls had fallen down supernaturally, and that this incredible tone-setting miracle happened at the beginning of the conquest of the Land. Yehoshua therefore made sure that this was going to be an enduring victory, a long-lived miracle that all generations would remember by seeing these destroyed walls.