Yair haGiladi

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1. The Right Man at the Wrong Time

   Haftarot: Hukat

   Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

   Yiftah of Gilad is described between the era of saviors and the era of leadership. Yiftah could become a savior, having won the war for Israel, but he desired to be a leader - which is beyond his reach. He demonstrates this desire by taking a frivolous oath. Instead of finding a way to nullify the oath and spare his daughter, he stubbornly decides to see it through. This lack of willingness to compromise is inappropriate for a leader in times of peace.

2. "Renew Our Days as of Old"

   Rabbi Michael Hattin

   The tenth chapter of Sefer Shoftim, occurring about midway through the book, is transitional in character. After the death of Avimelekh, the book records two minor judges : Tola' son of Pua from the tribe of Yissachar, and Yair of Gil'ad from the Transjordanian branch of the tribe of Menashe - who shared the same name as his illustrious ancestor, but not the same success.  Both served for a total of 45 years but precious little is recorded of their exploits.  In fact, the text does not even mention the oppressor from whom they rescued the people. With the demise of the two minor judges that followed Avimelech, the book again reverts to the convention of recounting Israelite betrayal and Divine displeasure, in order to indicate that we are now about to embark upon another new historical era, marked by further decline.

3. Matot: Why Is The End of Bamidbar So Anticlimactic?

   Rabbi David Fohrman |

   The Torah is a book of great drama, why does the narrative ends with a seemingly-unnecessary story about a random conquest of some towns? In this week and next week, Rabbi Fohrman paints a picture of epic connections to the stories of Jacob, Joseph and Judah.

    

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