The Tribe of Shimon

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1. Ehud and Shamgar

   Rabbi Michael Hattin

   The geographical context of the kingdoms to the East of the Jordan River is presented as the background to the heroics of Ehud ben Gera.

   Shamgar ben Anat is described in one brief verse like Shimshon - a hero who fights the Philistines. A suggestion is raised that he is from the Tribe of Shimon. Did every tribe provide at least one judge? An attempt to reconcile a contradiction between the words of Rabbi Eliezer in the Talmud and the Yalkut Shimoni regarding this question is presented.

2. The Second Census

   Rabbi Yair Kahn

   The beginning of our parasha contains a rare scriptural phenomenon known as a "pesik be-emtza pasuk" – a break in the middle of a verse.  In the Torah scroll, there is a space between the beginning of verse 26:1, "When the plague was over," and the continuation of the pasuk, "Hashem said to Moshe and to Elazar son of Aharon the Kohen."

   This abrupt break itself demands an explanation, but the difficulty is compounded when we take a closer look at the context of this verse, that seemingly digresses from the general theme of the war with Midian. Suddenly, we find a thematic digression as the Torah introduces the recounting of Bnei Yisrael, the incident of the daughters of Tzelofchad, and the appointment of Yehoshua. This is followed by two halakhic sections, a lengthy description of communal sacrifices and a brief section dealing with personal vows. Finally, the Torah returns to the campaign against Midian and repeats the command to attack. Why is the command to attack Midian repeated? What is the meaning of this digression? Why was it necessary for the Torah to insert this entire section into such an inappropriate location? What is the connection between these sections to Sefer Bamidbar, and with the war against Midian?

3. Ehud and Shamgar

   Rabbi Michael Hattin

   The geographical context of the kingdoms to the East of the Jordan River is presented as the background to the heroics of Ehud ben Gera.

   Shamgar ben Anat is described in one brief verse like Shimshon - a hero who fights the Philistines. A suggestion is raised that he is from the Tribe of Shimon. Did every tribe provide at least one judge? An attempt to reconcile a contradiction between the words of Rabbi Eliezer in the Talmud and the Yalkut Shimoni regarding this question is presented.