The Expulsion of the Canaanites

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1. Chapter 12: Conclusion: The Moral War

   Rabbi Michael Hattin

   This lesson concludes the discussion of the Torah’s attitude toward the Canaanite nations by examining more closely God's grave gift of the land of Canaan, as well as considering a very important disagreement among the commentaries concerning the Canaanites. Those that perfunctorily read the first half of Sefer Yehoshua in isolation, as a bloodthirsty account of wanton Israelite conduct, do a disservice to the text and to the ancient traditions behind it. Of course, no one can deny the tragedy of war or its cruelty but that must not blind us to the awful truth that some wars are nevertheless justified and even obligatory.

2. Israel's Tragic Lethargy

   Rabbi Michael Hattin

   Sefer Shoftim, while it tends to revolve textually around a series of inspired regional leaders, really traces the story of Israel's tragic lethargy.  The minority of tribes are involved in the continued conquest of Canaan but the vast majority of tribes are not. The Torah commanded the nation to uproot the Canaanite Nation from their midst and sure enough, it was not possible for the people to suffer an unrepentant Canaanite population in their midst while remaining aloof from their cultural and moral values.

3. Re'eh: Why Would Israel be Attracted to Canaanite Paganism?

   Rabbi David Silverberg