The Conquest of Jericho

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  1. Parashat Yitro

    Prof. Jonathan Grossman

    "When the horn ("yovel") sounds long, they shall ascend the mountain." What is the sounds that permits the nation to ascent onto the mountain that was previously forbidden to touch? After the divine presence had descended, the nation was meant to climb the mountain and meet God’s presence “face to face.” But the nation was scared and requested continued mediation from Moshe. While the fear of God is positive, there is a spiritual price to pay for preventing the direct encounter with God.

  2. The Angel of the Lord and the Battle of Yericho

    Rabbi Michael Hattin

    This lesson will discuss the appearance of God’s angel on the eve of the conquest wars. Yehoshua’s discussion with the angel will be compared to Moshe’s revelation in the Burning Bush, including the command to both to remove their shoes. The sanctity of the land that Yehoshua stands on - Eretz Canaan - demands that despite the upcoming warfare, the people and their victorious armies must never lose site of the land's sanctity, of a man's inherent worth, of the vision of a better world in which warfare is outdated and killing obsolete.

  3. The Fall of Yericho

    Rabbi Michael Hattin

    This lesson considers the strategy employed for Yericho's capture, and the extremely harsh 'ban' proclaimed by Yehoshua against its spoils. The story of Yericho is Israel's first encounter on the battlefield with the Canaanites. After circling the stout ramparts of Yericho for seven consecutive days, the walls of the city came crashing down. We will discuss the encirclement of the city, the motif of the number seven throughout the bible, and its application in the conquest of Yericho. 

  4. Israel's First Setback

    Rabbi Michael Hattin

    This lesson compares the biblical text with the archeological findings in Jericho, and then proceeds to explore the story of Akhan and his trespass, and Yehoshua’s response. This story is the background for the initial failure at the Ai, a sharp contrast with the initial success in Jericho. God stresses that  the destiny of Israel as a people is bound to their moral and ritual conduct.

  5. Spoils of War

    Rabbi Alex Israel

    In Ahav's second battle with Aram, God yet again intervenes in a miraculous manner as per the prophet's prediction. Ahav has Ben Haddad cornered, but spares his life for which he is harshly criticized by the prophet and is told that he has forfeited his life. What motivated Ahav's behavior? Was it class solidarity as was Shaul's behavior towards Agag? Was Ahav leveraging his military advantage to accrue huge political, military or financial benefits for the nation at large?  A comparison to the story of Yehoshu'a conquest of Jericho implies that Ahav's motives may not matter. The victory was not his but God's and he had no mandate to sell away any part of the victory for any price.

  6. Tanakh and Archaeology

    Part 6 - Yehoshua and the Conquest of the Land of Israel

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

    The conquest of the land of Israel is described at length in Sefer Yehoshua, and the conventional view, based on a superficial reading of the text, is that the process was completed in a short time, as was the subsequent process of the settlement of the tribes of Israel. This view was accepted among archaeologists of the previous generation. However, more recent developments have made clear that the approach that treats the conquest and settlement of the land as a uniform, quick phenomenon, contradicts the archaeological findings in several respects.

    These more recent findings offer support for the picture created by a more comprehensive and careful reading of the biblical account of the settlement of the land in which while there is a literary aim to describe a short process attributed entirely to Yehoshua, but in fact other descriptions in the Bible show that it was a lengthy process.

    The archeological theories surrounding Jericho and Ai are examined.

  7. Yehoshua Perek 6

    Jesse Salem | 24 minutes

    Yehoshua Perek 6 describes the miraculous conquest of Yericho and the saving of Rahav and her family. 

     

    Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com

  8. The Shofar of Sinai

    Prof. Jonathan Grossman

    "And it happened on the third day in the morning, there was thundering and lightning and a heavy cloud upon the mountain, and THE SOUND OF A SHOFAR WAS VERY LOUD, and the whole nation in the camp trembled ... and the sound of the shofar grew louder and louder."

    Throughout this shofar blast, which is becoming increasingly louder and stronger, the Shekhina is upon the mountain. If during this time it is forbidden for the people to ascend the mountain - or even to touch its very edge - then how are we to understand God's words, "When the shofar sounds long, they shall ascend the mountain?"

    The nation is fearful of the shofar blasts and the fire, and therefore they move away from the site. At the same time they ask Moshe to intercede between God and themselves. During the long blast of the shofar the nation was indeed supposed to ascend the mountain and hear God's words directly, but because of their fright at the loud noise and great fire, Moshe alone ended up ascending alone to "the cloud where God was."

     

    Translated by Kaeren Fish

  9. Yehoshua 5-6

    Matan Al Haperek

    Matan Al HaPerek - Neta Shapira

    At last the People of Israel take their first steps as a nation on its own land. Circumcision, the celebration of Passover, and the encounter with the angel serve as a preamble to the miraculous conquest of the first city in the land of Israel. We will explore the connections between circumcision, Passover, and inheriting the Land, while at the same time seeking to understand the broader significance of Yericho’s conquest.