Yehoshua - Perek 8: “Capture of Ha’ai”
Part 1: The conquest of Ha’ai (8:1-29)
Summary
What was the symbolism of Yehoshua pointing his spear in the air?
There seems to be a level of parallel to anther event. The words used when Hashem instructs Yehoshua to raise his spear in our story are almost identical to the words used when Moshe was told to stretch out his hand over the Red Sea before splitting it. Both of these are divine commands to the leader of Israel. Both precipitate a resounding victory against the enemies of Israel. However there is a notable difference. Moshe’s outstretched arm performs a miracle while Yehoshua’s outstretched arm is a signal for a military planned ambush. This underlines one of the central themes in the book of Yehoshua –the movement from reliance upon miracles to the work of Israel as they enter the land.
Part 2: The Altar Yehoshua builds after the Battle (8:30-35)
Summary
What was the purpose behind writing the Torah on stones at this point?
This whole process of writing the Torah on stones is actually discussed in the the book of Devarim, chapter 27. There Hashem commanded that on the day that Israel were to cross the Yarden river, they should write the Torah on stones and then declare the twelve curses and the blessings mentioned in Parshas Re'eh where between mount Grizim and mount Eival. (The curses themselves are detailed in Parshas Ki Savo.)
Fascinatingly enough, if one reads those verses in Devarim 27 carefully, it sounds like this procedure should take place on the day they enter into the land of Israel. It is true that Yehoshua did command that the nation of Israel take stones out of the river and placed them in Gilgal on the day they crossed the Yarden. However, Yehoshua did not immediately do anything more with these stones. He did not write upon stones nor build the alter until now, after the battles of Yericho and Ha’ai. This leaves us with the following question: What really happened? Did Yehoshua ignore the explicit divine command?
The commentators debate this. One group of commentators suggest that this event in chapter 8 did indeed occur earlier. Supernaturally they all walked sixty miles into the Land of Israel on the day they crossed the Jordan to actually place the stones there and carry out the whole procedure. According to this approach, these six verses are out of chronological order in Tanach. They belong earlier just following the crossing of the Yarden.
Other commentators take exactly the opposite direction. They say that Yehoshua could not fulfil that command then, as it was not practical. He tried the best he could, by taking stones at the time they crossed the river and he now took another set of stones to write the Torah once he was able to have access to mount Grizim and mount Eival.
The Malbim carefully formulates a more nuanced approach. Upon closer analysis of the verses in Devarim 27, there are actually two commandments, the first is to create a monument on the day Israel arrive in the land, and the second is to write the Torah on the stones. The latter is not timebound to the day Israel arrives. He therefore suggests that Yehoshua fulfilled both segments of his instructions, both in regard to the monumental stones on the side of the Yarden in Gilgal, and the stones on which the entire Torah is written, here next to mount Eival and mount Grizim, which happens a little later in the story.
How can you write the entire Torah on stones?
The Torah takes a long time to write and requires a large area to be written. How is that possible to accomplish on stones? Rav Saadia Gaon is quoted in the Radak suggests that Yehoshua did not write the entire Torah. According to him, Yehoshua wrote the headings of all the commandments. This is fascinating because Rav Saadia Gaon was one of the leaders of that movement of the monei hamitzvos - the people who counted the commandments, himself. He felt that it was very important that the commandments be counted and listed. Perhaps that this is what took place at this historic moment.
Summary
- Yehoshua receives instructions for the battle plan ahead of the second attempt to conquer the city of Ha’ai.
- He is told is that the spoils of the city are to be permitted for the Israelites to benefit from, unlike the treatment of Yericho.
- He creates an ambush tactic.
- Yehoshua sets aside five thousand men to initiate a frontal attack as a decoy, and places three thousand men behind the city.
- He places another group of thirty thousand soldiers behind the city.
- The king of Ha’ai and his army see the five thousand men approach the city and send out their armies out to attack them. The Israelite army flees, as before.
- As instructed by Hashem, Yehoshua points his spear heavenwards as a sign to the ambush party.
- They ambush party the city, burn it down. The soldiers of Ha’ai realize they are surrounded. The inhabitants of the city are killed and spoils are taken.
What was the symbolism of Yehoshua pointing his spear in the air?
There seems to be a level of parallel to anther event. The words used when Hashem instructs Yehoshua to raise his spear in our story are almost identical to the words used when Moshe was told to stretch out his hand over the Red Sea before splitting it. Both of these are divine commands to the leader of Israel. Both precipitate a resounding victory against the enemies of Israel. However there is a notable difference. Moshe’s outstretched arm performs a miracle while Yehoshua’s outstretched arm is a signal for a military planned ambush. This underlines one of the central themes in the book of Yehoshua –the movement from reliance upon miracles to the work of Israel as they enter the land.
Part 2: The Altar Yehoshua builds after the Battle (8:30-35)
Summary
- Yehoshua builds an alter on mount Eival, near the area of Shechem.
- He writes the entire Torah on stones and reads out the Torah and the blessings and curses of Parshas Re’eh.
What was the purpose behind writing the Torah on stones at this point?
This whole process of writing the Torah on stones is actually discussed in the the book of Devarim, chapter 27. There Hashem commanded that on the day that Israel were to cross the Yarden river, they should write the Torah on stones and then declare the twelve curses and the blessings mentioned in Parshas Re'eh where between mount Grizim and mount Eival. (The curses themselves are detailed in Parshas Ki Savo.)
Fascinatingly enough, if one reads those verses in Devarim 27 carefully, it sounds like this procedure should take place on the day they enter into the land of Israel. It is true that Yehoshua did command that the nation of Israel take stones out of the river and placed them in Gilgal on the day they crossed the Yarden. However, Yehoshua did not immediately do anything more with these stones. He did not write upon stones nor build the alter until now, after the battles of Yericho and Ha’ai. This leaves us with the following question: What really happened? Did Yehoshua ignore the explicit divine command?
The commentators debate this. One group of commentators suggest that this event in chapter 8 did indeed occur earlier. Supernaturally they all walked sixty miles into the Land of Israel on the day they crossed the Jordan to actually place the stones there and carry out the whole procedure. According to this approach, these six verses are out of chronological order in Tanach. They belong earlier just following the crossing of the Yarden.
Other commentators take exactly the opposite direction. They say that Yehoshua could not fulfil that command then, as it was not practical. He tried the best he could, by taking stones at the time they crossed the river and he now took another set of stones to write the Torah once he was able to have access to mount Grizim and mount Eival.
The Malbim carefully formulates a more nuanced approach. Upon closer analysis of the verses in Devarim 27, there are actually two commandments, the first is to create a monument on the day Israel arrive in the land, and the second is to write the Torah on the stones. The latter is not timebound to the day Israel arrives. He therefore suggests that Yehoshua fulfilled both segments of his instructions, both in regard to the monumental stones on the side of the Yarden in Gilgal, and the stones on which the entire Torah is written, here next to mount Eival and mount Grizim, which happens a little later in the story.
How can you write the entire Torah on stones?
The Torah takes a long time to write and requires a large area to be written. How is that possible to accomplish on stones? Rav Saadia Gaon is quoted in the Radak suggests that Yehoshua did not write the entire Torah. According to him, Yehoshua wrote the headings of all the commandments. This is fascinating because Rav Saadia Gaon was one of the leaders of that movement of the monei hamitzvos - the people who counted the commandments, himself. He felt that it was very important that the commandments be counted and listed. Perhaps that this is what took place at this historic moment.