Critical Analysis of a Jewish Leader: Gideon the Judge
INTRODUCTION
Gideon, son of Yoash,
was the fifth Judge of the Jewish people, in the time period between the death of
Joshua and the eventual rise of the kings of Israel. The story of Gideon
is not as well-known as that of Samson, Deborah or Samuel, yet his successes
and failures in leading the Jewish People portend many of the same successes
and failures that have occurred throughout Jewish history, especially since the
establishment of the Third Jewish Commonwealth (in the form of the modern State
of Israel) in the biblical Land of Israel. As the decisions of our
present and future leaders will affect the destiny of the Jewish people and its
future generations, it is incumbent upon us to analyze and understand, to the
smallest detail, the decisions and actions, whether for Good or for Bad, of our
past leaders. This is not done for the sake of defamation or disrespect,
rather purely for the sake of educating our present and future leaders so that
they will not repeat historic and tragic transgressions against the G-d of
Before a discussion of Gideon may
begin, the period of the Judges as a whole must be explained. Beginning
with the death of Joshua and the Elders, there was no official,
unanimously-approved national leader of the Jewish people. The result of
this chaos is discussed in the first chapter of the Book of Judges, as each
tribe acted individually to complete the conquest of its own portion of the
Land of Israel. Consequently, as has unfortunately occurred so often
during our history as a nation, after initial victories, Jeshurun became fat
(Deut. 32:15), and -- following their establishment of control over most of
the Land -- the Children of Israel lost their desire to continue
fighting. Numerous Hebrew tribes are mentioned as lacking any inclination
to expel the entirety of the Canaanite nations from their midst, despite the
clear Directive, and Promise of Success, from G-d.
In warning the Jewish people of the
disaster they were bringing upon themselves, an Angel of G-d informs the Jewish
people, in G-d s Name:
I
brought you up from Egypt and I brought you to the Land that I swore to your
forefathers. And I said, I shall never annul My Covenant with you, but
you shall not seal a covenant with the inhabitants of this Land; you shall
break apart their altars. But you did not hearken to My Voice!
What is this that you have done? So I also said, I shall not chase them
out before you, and they will be unto you [as thorns in your] sides, and their
gods will be a trap for you."
(Judges 2:1-3)
A chance to secure physical and
spiritual isolation, and therefore purity and holiness --Kiddush HaShem (Sanctification of G-d s Name) -- in the Land of
Israel was squandered by the Jewish People, who were subsequently punished for
this Chillul HaShem
(Desecration of G-d s Name) for many generations.
The Book of Judges is careful to
point out, however, that, throughout all the days of Joshua and the Elders who
led the Jewish people in the period immediately following his death, the Nation
of Israel served G-d fully. They continuously strived to remove the
Canaanite nations and their idolatrous practices from the Land of Israel, but
those tasks still remained unfinished at their death and would require
completion by the next generation. It was when that first generation passed
away that problems began to arise:
That
entire generation, as well, was gathered in to its forefathers. A new
generation arose after them that did not know HaShem,
or the Deeds that He had performed for Israel. (Judges 2:10-11)
A particularly tragic aspect of our
national history that is at the forefront of Gideon s story is our inherent
need to personally witness G-d s Miracles in order to have practical faith in
Him. It is as if we are brazenly proclaiming to G-d, the Master of the
Universe, that -- despite the many Wonders that He performed for our ancestors
-- for us to trust in Him (and thereby actually conduct ourselves in
accordance with His Will), we will first need to see tangible proof of
His Existence and Power. This construct is detrimental to the Jewish
people; for if proof must always precede faith, then the latter concept ceases
to exist. And so the demand for proof anew has been one of our nation s
stumbling blocks throughout our long history.
Indeed, as a new generation of Jews
arose in the Land of Israel, who remembered not the Miracles that G-d had
performed for His People in prior generations, so too -- midah
k neged midah (measure for
measure) -- a new generation of Gentiles arose, who remembered not the
invincibility of a Jewish Nation fighting in the Name of the G-d of Israel.
They had never ceased lusting for vengeance against the Jewish people, but now
they were no longer afraid, nor even hesitant, to attack G-d s Chosen
Nation. These factors combined to create the following pattern which
characterized the period of the Judges (see Judges 2:12-21):
1. The
Children of Israel, living in proximity to the remnants of the Canaanite
nations and being strongly influenced by them, stray from G-d and begin to
worship false gods.
2. G-d
punishes the Jewish people by allowing a foreign nation to subjugate them.
3. The
Children of Israel cry out to G-d to save them from their oppressor.
4. G-d
anoints a Judge to lead the Jewish people and to save them.
5. The
Jewish people return to serving G-d under the leadership of the Judge.
6. The
Judge dies, and there is no one to fill the leadership void. (Unlike the
Davidic kingship, the judgeship was not a hereditary position. Rather, G-d
would appoint anew the person that He would deem most fit to lead the Jewish
people during that time.)
7. The
Children of Israel forget G-d, and begin worshipping false gods once again.
At this point, the destructive cycle
is quite clear; yet it occurs over and over throughout the period of the
Judges. After describing this vicious cycle, Scripture goes on to explain
G-d s Purpose:
In
order to test Israel through them [the remnants of the Canaanite nations
remaining in the Land of Israel]: Are they observing the Ways of HaShem, to follow them as their forefathers observed, or
not? So HaShem let those nations remain,
without driving them out quickly, and He did not deliver them into Joshua s
hand. (Judges 2:22-23)
Thus begins the period of the
Judges, with G-d s clear Intention being to continually test His Beloved
People, to challenge them to overcome the burden left behind by previous
generations who did not drive out the inhabitants of the Land. Each generation
stumbled in this task, falling victim to the temptations and influences of
these inhabitants and the nearby nations. Yet, as foretold at the start
of the Book of Judges, whenever a generation would stumble and then receive its
due punishment at the hands of the nearby Gentile nations, G-d would inevitably
send His Agent, the Judge, to lead the Jewish people to physical victory and
spiritual return to G-d. Lest we think, however, that G-d chooses to save
and redeem us because of our own merit, the Prophet Ezekiel warns us: I do
this not for your sake, O House of Israel, but for My Holy Name s Sake, which
you have profaned among the nations. (Ezek. 36:22). As Israel is G-d
s earthly emissary to the nations of the World, the Jewish State s fate and
well-being, successes and failures, contribute directly to the Gentile nations
fear and respect -- or lack thereof -- for the G-d of Israel. When Israel
is subjugated by a foreign power, the Gentile nations mistakenly believe that
this demonstrates the supremacy and domination of their false gods over the G-d
of
And
He said to Abram, "Know with certainty that your offspring shall be aliens
in a Land not their own; they [the Jewish people] will serve them [that
nation], and they [that nation] will oppress them [the Jewish people] for 400
years. But also the nation that they shall serve, I shall judge, and afterwards
they [the Jewish people] shall leave with great wealth." (Genesis 15:13-14).
G-d uses the Gentile nations only as
a tool in punishing His Chosen Nation for their failings; but He never has, and
never will, abandon His Beloved People.
Finally, before an in-depth
discussion of any portion of the Hebrew Bible may begin, it must be expressed
that one of the many premises of this commentary is the belief that Scripture
does not waste words. There are no mistakes. If a particular word
is used, or a certain episode included, it is certainly meaningful and
important; and as always, there is a lesson to be learned.
PRELUDE TO THE ANNOINTMENT OF GIDEON
With this understood, the Book of
Judges finishes the story of Deborah (the Judge and Prophetess) by informing us
that there was peace in the Land of Israel for 40 years during her rule: ".
. . And the Land was tranquil for 40 years." (Judges 5:31).
When the story of Gideon opens, we
are first informed that the Children of Israel have begun to stray from G-d:
The
Children of Israel did what was Evil in the Eyes of HaShem,
so HaShem delivered them into the hand of Midian
[for] seven years. The hand of Midian grew powerful over Israel. In
the face of Midian, the Children of Israel made for themselves the dugouts that
are in the mountains, and the caves and strongholds. It happened that
whenever Israel would sow, Midian would ascend as well as Amalek and the people
of the East and they would overrun it. They would encamp against them and
destroy the produce of the Land, until the approach to Gaza. They would
leave no sustenance in
AN ANGEL OF G-D, AND THEN G-D
HIMSELF, SPEAKS TO GIDEON
An
Angel of HaShem came and sat under the elm tree in Ofrah, that belonged to Yoash,
the Abiezrite. His son, Gideon, was threshing wheat at the winepress, to
hide it from Midian. The Angel of HaShem
appeared to him, and said to him, "HaShem is
with you, O mighty hero!" Gideon said to him, "I beg you, my lord, if
HaShem is with us, why has all this happened to
us? And where are all His Wonders of which our forefathers told us,
saying, 'Behold, HaShem brought us up from
We are first introduced to Gideon,
already chosen to be the leader of the Jewish people, as he is being sought out
by an Angel of G-d. When the Angel appears to Gideon, the first thing he
proclaims is: G-d is with you, O mighty hero . G-d s Purpose, from the
start, is to demonstrate to Gideon the simple concept expressed in Psalms 20:8:
"Some with chariots, and some with horses, but we, in the Name of the
Lord our G-d, call out."
Gideon s primary shortcoming as a
leader is his consistent lack of practical faith in G-d s Ability to save and
protect the Jewish people. G-d had intended to preempt this fear by
blessing Gideon at the very outset. Nevertheless, Gideon s initial response to
the Angel demonstrates the collective skepticism of every generation of Jews
since the Exodus from Egypt. People tend to reject that which is
intangible in favor of that which is tangible. Gideon has faith in G-d;
yet it is a theoretical faith only. He understands that the G-d of Israel
exists; however, he does not initially trust -- especially after being under
subjugation to the Midianites for the past seven years -- that G-d is presently
willing and able to exercise His Power to put an end to the servitude and
humiliation of the Jewish people. He does accept that, in the Past, G-d
performed miracles for His People, but it is clear to Gideon that, in the
Present, G-d has abandoned His Children. In order to silence Gideon s
doubts, G-d Himself now rebuts Gideon, declaring that He is, indeed, sending
Gideon as His Messenger to save the Jewish People. In response, Gideon
tries to disarm G-d s rebuttal with an excuse, explaining how he is surely
neither worthy nor able to lead the Jewish people. However, Gideon s excuse is
repudiated by the Promise that, nonetheless, G-d will be with him. Once the
shields of Doubt and Excuse are denied to him by the Words of G-d, Gideon is
confronted with a test, the first of many with which G-d will confront him.
Shall he trust in G-d s clear and unmistakable Promise of Divine Protection,
thereby demonstrating true, practical faith in the G-d of Israel, or does he
still require a tangible proof of G-d s Power in order for him to truly
believe? In failing this very first test, Gideon reverts to one of the root
causes of national Jewish failure, namely the national Jewish leadership s lack
of practical faith in God s Power and Promises. Accordingly, he requests proof
from G-d in the form of a Sign. In order to satisfy Gideon s hunger for
tangibility, G-d decides to perform this Wonder for Gideon through the agency
of His tangible representative, the Angel.
So
Gideon went inside and prepared a young goat, and matzot
from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and put the broth in
a pot. He brought it out to him [the Angel] beneath the elm, and
presented it. The Angel of G-d said to him, "Take the meat and the matzot and place them on that rock, and pour out the broth
[onto it]" -- and he did so. The Angel of HaShem
stretched out the edge of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat
and the matzot. A flame went up from the rock
and consumed the meat and the matzot. Then the
Angel of HaShem left [from before] his eyes.
Gideon realized that it had been an Angel of HaShem!
Gideon said, "Alas, my Lord HaShem, because I
have seen an Angel of HaShem face to face !" HaShem said to him, "Peace to you. Do not be
afraid; you will not die!" Gideon built an altar there to HaShem, and called it, "HaShem
[is the source of] Peace." Until this day it is at Ofrah
of the Abiezrite. (Judges 6:19-24)
The Angel does something quite
strange here. He orders Gideon to place his offering to G-d on a rock,
and to take the soup and spill it on the offering. The Sages explain that
this allowed for an even greater miracle to take place, for not only did a fire
arise and consume the offering, but it consumed the offering while it was
drenched with liquid. While this was indeed a greater miracle, the explanation
of the Sages discusses only what was accomplished, rather than why it was
necessary. Surely, any magnitude of miracle ought to have sufficed to
convince Gideon of God s Power; and, consequently, fire arising out of a rock
to consume an offering, wet or dry, should have been more than enough to
satisfy Gideon. So the question remains: why did G-d feel it necessary to
create the greater miracle? In my opinion, the answer is that G-d wished
to chastise Gideon for his lack of practical faith in His Promise of Victory by
performing a feat which even the skeptical Gideon would not be able to doubt.
Indeed, we are informed that only after seeing this miracle did Gideon actually
believe in G-d as a practical matter, having realized that he had actually been
interacting with His Angel. Yet, HaShem goes a
step further and promises Gideon: Peace to you. Do not be afraid; you will
not die! This Declaration from G-d, in my opinion, carries a double
message. The primary message is that G-d will protect Gideon from any who
will try to harm him when he goes out to lead the Jewish People. The
secondary message, however, hints at a more immediate fear Gideon had at that
particular moment. Perhaps, after having realized that he had indeed argued
with an Angel of G-d, Gideon truly and honestly feared for his life.
Thus, his declaration: Alas, my Lord HaShem,
because I have seen an Angel of HaShem face to
face...! might have been one of fear rather than of wonder. G-d,
therefore, reassured him that there was no reason to fear; on the contrary, G-d
was bestowing upon him His Promise of Protection.
One last issue arises: Since Gideon
had been talking directly with G-d Himself prior to preparing the
tribute, why would Gideon be overawed and/or afraid from having dealt with His
Angel -- a subordinate (albeit magnificent) being? In my opinion, the
answer is that Gideon did not know that the rebutting Voice belonged to G-d,
because G-d did not overtly display His Presence to Gideon. Instead, G-d spoke
to Gideon through the guise of the Angel, and skeptical Gideon initially
believed that the Angel was nothing more than a man advocating a foolhardy
rebellion against Midian. Although Gideon belatedly realized that the man was,
in fact, an Angel, he did not know that the Voice that had emanated from the
Angel prior to his preparation of the tribute was G-d s Voice. Had he known
that, he would surely have exclaimed his shame and fear over having spoken to G-d
Himself with such skepticism.
At this point, Gideon builds an
altar as an open display of his devotion to G-d. As will be seen shortly,
G-d, however, decides to test Gideon s new-found practical faith. Why does G-d
need to test Gideon now that he has practical faith? The answer can be
found in the manner in which Gideon gained his practical faith. G-d will test
Gideon much the same way that Gideon tested G-d -- via midah k neged midah
(measure for measure). G-d s Word was not enough for Gideon; instead a
practical demonstration was required to convince him. So too, Gideon s
word (i.e., his newfound practical faith) is not enough for G-d, and instead a
practical demonstration is required. In addition, G-d never challenges a
person with a temptation he is unable to overcome, as we learn from G-d s
discussion with Cain following His Rejection of Cain s offering and His
Acceptance of his brother Abel s offering: "And HaShem
said to Cain, Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen?
Surely, if you improve yourself, you will be forgiven. But if you do not
improve yourself, Sin rests at the door. Its desire is toward you, yet
you can conquer it. " (Genesis 4:6-7). Thus, despite
Gideon s practical faith at this juncture, G-d desired to test him, and in so
doing, to strengthen him in preparation for the leadership role that he would
soon undertake.
FIRST TEST OF FAITH -- DEFYING HIS
OWN PEOPLE
It
happened that night that HaShem said to him,
"Take the young bull that belongs to your father and the second bull,
which is seven years old, and break apart the altar of the Baal that belongs to
your father, and cut down the Asherah-tree that is near it. Then build an
altar for HaShem, your G-d, atop the strong rock, on
a level place. Take the second bull and offer it up as an
elevation-offering, using the wood of the Asherah-tree that you will cut
down." Gideon took ten men from among his servants, and did as HaShem spoke to him; but since he was afraid to do it by
day, because of his father s household and the people of his City, he did it at
night. The people of the City arose early in the morning; and, behold, the
altar of the Baal had been broken and the Asherah-tree that was near it had
been cut down, and the second bull had been offered up on the newly built
altar! Each man said to his fellow, "Who did this thing?"
They searched and sought, and they said, "Gideon, son of Yoash did this thing!" The men of the City then
said to Yoash, "Bring out your son and he shall
die, because he has broken the altar of Baal and because he has cut down the
Asherah-tree that was near it." Yoash said to
all who were standing near him, "Will you take up the Baal s
grievance? Will you save it [the Baal]? Whoever aggrieved it [the Baal]
should die by morning; [because] if it [the Baal] is a god, it will take up its
grievance against him, for breaking its altar." On that day he [Yoash] renamed him [Gideon] Jerubaal,
saying, "Let the Baal take up the grievance against him [Gideon] for
breaking its altar." (Judges 6:25-32)
Upon receiving, for the fourth time,
a Promise of Divine Protection, Gideon is commanded by G-d to commit public
suicide -- by destroying the altar of Baal and the cultic Asherah tree that are
in the Jewish, but idolatrous, City of Ofrah and by
building, in their place, an altar to HaShem in the
midst of the City, upon which Gideon will slaughter his father s seven-year-old
bull as an offering to HaShem. Why is Gideon
instructed to kill the seven-year-old bull, but not the young bull? In my
opinion, the answer is as follows: The destruction of the seven-year-old bull
is intended to symbolize the impending destruction of Midian s seven-year
domination over Israel, while the salvation of the young bull is intended to
symbolize the salvation of and a new beginning for the Children of
Israel. Nonetheless, this was a daunting task, with much risk
involved. In fact, the person who does these things would seemingly need
a miracle to survive the predictable adverse public reaction.
The first question which arises is
the following: Why does G-d instruct Gideon to purposely endanger his own life,
essentially forcing Gideon to become entangled in a situation where he must
seemingly rely upon a miracle for salvation? Is there no other test which
G-d can use to measure Gideon s practical faith? The answer is a
resounding No. Only in situations where there is no choice but to
rely on G-d, and G-d alone, can true, practical faith be measured.
However, relying upon G-d is not the same thing as relying upon a
miracle. On the contrary, they are the antithesis of each other. The term
relying upon a miracle would describe the situation in which Gideon, having
only theoretical faith in G-d, refrained from acting at all and, instead,
merely waited for G-d Himself to destroy the offending altar and to raise in
its place an altar of His Own. Such a miracle would have rendered Gideon s
heretofore dangerous task completely unnecessary. Clearly, G-d does not want
Gideon to rely upon a miracle. Rather, G-d -- seeking to test whether Gideon
actually has practical (in addition to theoretical) faith in Him -- wants
Gideon to actually rely upon Him, and only upon Him. What does this mean? It
means that G-d expects Gideon to perform his assigned task without delay, while
having faith and trust in Him that He will do His Part at the appropriate time
and place according to His Plan. Here G-d is teaching Gideon an important
lesson. As a leader of the Jewish people, Gideon must first perform the
necessary but dangerous tasks, thereby creating Kiddush HaShem,
and only then expect Divine Assistance. By this point, Gideon has received
several clear and direct reiterations of G-d s Promise of Divine
Protection. Consequently, he has nothing to fear; for, no harm can come
to him. Therefore, this test of Gideon s newfound practical faith in G-d should
be, in reality, no test at all; for if Gideon truly has faith in G-d s Promise
of Protection, then there is no real danger to his life in fulfilling G-d s
Command to destroy the Baal s altar and to replace it with G-d s altar.
The second question which arises is
equally important. Why does G-d command Gideon to build an altar to Him,
when Gideon has already built an altar to Him (see Judges 6:24)? Logic
dictates that, apparently, the altar Gideon had already built did not fit G-d s
Requirements. G-d demands that His Name be proclaimed publicly, and
thereby be sanctified among all the people; and so He commanded Gideon to build
for Him an altar which would accomplish this task, as it was to be constructed
in the midst of the idolatrous City of Ofrah.
What then of the first altar? It would seem that Gideon, despite his
proclamation of practical faith in G-d, nevertheless built his altar in a place
away from the public eye, so as not to attract attention, and thereby endanger
himself, from the idol-worshipping citizens of Ofrah.
Accordingly, being well aware of Gideon s fears, G-d decided to test whether
Gideon s faith in Him was greater than his fear of Man in order to create a
Kiddush HaShem first among the people of the City and
then among all Israel. Moreover, it is clear that Gideon would not be
ready to confront Midian until he was first ready to confront -- and lead --
his own people. Gideon feared building an altar near his idol-worshipping
neighbors. So, measure-for-measure, G-d commanded him to build an altar in the
midst of the very City he feared, thereby providing Gideon with an opportunity
to conquer his fear of Man. Unfortunately, Gideon failed this first test.
Gideon s evident fear of his own people is established by the manner in which
he fulfills G-d's Command: But since he was afraid to do it by day,
because of his father s household and the people of his City, he did it at
night. Consequently, Gideon s delayed compliance and secretive conduct
reflected adversely on the City s recognition and awe of the G-d of
Israel. For, if Gideon had immediately and publicly destroyed the altar
of Baal and the Asherah-tree in the Name of the G-d of Israel during the
brightness of the day, then a majestic Kiddush HaShem
would have been created, because the sinful people of the City would have
recognized that Gideon was fearlessly acting in the Name of the True G-d, in
the manner of Phineas (see Num. 25:1-15); and, seeing this, the people of the
City would have been ashamed of their past infidelity and they would have
immediately returned to their Master. However, by shunning this course of
conduct, Gideon displayed, not his obvious faith in the G-d of Israel,
but rather his obvious fear of the people of the City. This is because
destroying the shrines at night was not a product of strategy; it was a product
of fear. And lest one wishes to argue, despite the verse s clear
declaration of Gideon s fear, that completing the mission at night was
nonetheless satisfactory to G-d, one must recall the purpose of Gideon s
mission. G-d s motives are clear and simple. He wishes to test
Gideon s newfound practical faith, and to create a Kiddush HaShem
among the people of the City. Gideon did indeed complete the physical
portion of his mission; he did indeed create a limited Kiddush HaShem, in that he succeeded in destroying the idolatrous
shrines and in building a new one to G-d in their place. Yet, this did
not cause the people of the City to return to G-d; instead, they sought revenge
against Gideon. Consequently, Gideon failed to complete the spiritual
portion of his mission. This is why Gideon s conduct reflected adversely on the
City s recognition of the G-d of Israel.
Despite the dilution of authentic
Jewish morality in modern Judaism, we must not forget G-d s View on this
matter, a View which is as eternal as is G-d Himself. A Jewish leader
must have neither regard nor respect for false gods and religions. A
Jewish leader must act with wanton disregard for the feelings of his nation s
enemies. And a Jewish leader is certainly not disturbed by the
embarrassment of his enemies. Let us not forget David s eternal words to
Goliath:
David
spoke to the men standing with him, saying, What will be done for the man who
slays this Philistine and removes disgrace from Israel? For who is this
uncircumcised Philistine, that he disgraces the battalions of the Living G-d?
... David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a
javelin -- but I come to you with the Name of HaShem,
Master of Legions, the G-d of the battalions of Israel that you have
ridiculed. On this day HaShem will deliver you
into my hand. I shall smite you and I will remove your head from upon
you; and I shall offer the carcass of the Philistine camp this day to the fowl
of the Heavens and to the beasts of the Earth! Then the whole Earth will
know that there is a G-d in Israel. (I
Samuel 17:26, 45-46).
By accomplishing his mission at
night, Gideon feared to treat the Baal and Asherah, and the inhabitants of Ofrah, as they deserved to be treated -- with open
contempt. Gideon did not trust in G-d s Promise of Protection to its
fullest, another grave failure on his part. And if one wishes to argue
that we are forbidden to place ourselves in a dangerous situation if it is
unnecessary, and that Gideon simply attempted to reduce the danger that inhered
in the mission while still completing the mission itself, then an important
lesson may be learned here. It is true, as a general rule, that we are
commanded to avoid dangerous situations at all costs and to never to place
ourselves in such situations needlessly. However, when G-d Himself
commands a person to embark on an inherently dangerous mission, this general
rule clearly does not apply. G-d s Purpose here, as stated above, specifically
related to the intrinsic danger of the mission. Unfortunately, Gideon s
fear of Man destroyed his opportunity to create an unqualified Kiddush HaShem.
Before this drama has finished,
however, another serious question arises. To where does Gideon disappear
after he has completed his mission? When the inhabitants of Ofrah search for Gideon in order to murder him for
desecrating their idolatrous shrines, where is Gideon to proclaim that the
Justice of the One True G-d has been done? Even a belated public
appearance by Gideon before the people of the City to explain the purpose
of his mission might well have compensated for the method by which he
conducted the mission, thereby creating a great -- albeit delayed -- Kiddush HaShem among the people. Yet Gideon is nowhere to be
found. On account of his fear of Man, Gideon once again misses an
opportunity to properly sanctify G-d s Name. And, without his presence and
public proclamation in the Name of G-d, the Kiddush HaShem
created by his mission remains limited. Instead, Gideon s father, Yoash, himself a (former) worshipper of the Baal (see
Judges 6:25), is forced to defend his son s actions and highlight the absurdity
of a mortal man being able to destroy a god and other mortal men being tasked
with avenging a god who is unable to avenge himself. Gideon should have
said these words and more, yet fearing the reaction of Ofrah
to his actions, Gideon failed to seize the opportunity. He thereby demonstrated
a weakness which might well be interpreted as G-d s Weakness -- a clear Chillul HaShem which arguably
negated the limited Kiddush HaShem created by Gideon
s successful mission.
Another interesting footnote to this
particular episode is the true financial and social status of Gideon s family.
While arguing with G-d, Gideon, in an attempt to shy away from the unwanted
responsibility being thrust upon him, stated that his family is from the
poorest segment of the tribe of Menashe. But this representation was
certainly false. For, G-d commands Gideon to take his father s cattle, and to
destroy his father's shrines. Then, Gideon chooses 10 men from among his
servants to accompany him on his night mission. Clearly, poor families
don t have livestock, shrines and servants. Gideon is further commanded
to build his altar to G-d in place of his father's shrines. As discussed
above, G-d desired an altar built in a public place to sanctify His Name.
Clearly, Yoash s shrines were in a location
significant enough to fulfill G-d s Requirement of a prominent location for His
Altar. More than that, when the townspeople sought to murder Gideon, Yoash chastised them, eventually convincing them to leave
the matter alone. It is quite clear that Yoash
was not the penniless, social outcast portrayed by Gideon. His father was
wealthy enough to own cattle and an altar, one which was in a prominent
location, and he was sufficiently respected to convince an enraged and
irrational mob to disband. Why would Gideon attempt to deceive Omniscient
G-d, especially given the absurdity of attempting to lie to Him? It seems
that Gideon was searching for excuses in a panic, and that he said whatever he
thought might cause G-d to leave him in peace. Once more though, G-d uses
the tool of midah k neged midah (measure for measure) to discipline Gideon.
Gideon claims his family is one of poverty, and not respected in the tribe of
Menashe. In response, G-d commands him to destroy his father s
nonexistent idols, and to remove his father s nonexistent cattle. And, as
a result of Gideon s lack of practical faith in G-d, G-d caused Gideon s
salvation from the City s wrath to come, not directly from Him (which would
have Divinely vindicated Gideon s actions and revealed him to be G-d s
Anointed) but rather from Yoash -- Gideon s
idol-worshipping father. This created a situation in which, midah
k neged midah (measure for
measure), G-d caused Gideon to be denied public recognition of his true status
among the people of Ofrah, just as Gideon had caused
G-d to be denied public recognition of His True Status among the people of Ofrah.
Finally, it is pointed out that, as
a result of his failure to effect an unqualified Kiddush HaShem
among the people of the City, Gideon receives a new name, Jerubaal
(created from Yoash s statement: let Baal take up ),
which associates him only with the destruction of the Baal idol (i.e., the
physical portion of his mission), rather than with the sanctification of G-d s
Name (i.e., the spiritual portion of his mission).
GIDEON S REQUEST FOR MORE SIGNS
All
of Midian, Amalek, and B nai Kedem gathered
together. They crossed [to the western bank of the Jordan River] and
encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. The Spirit of HaShem
clothed Gideon. He blew the shofar, and [the family of] Abiezer was
mustered after him. He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and it, too,
was mustered after him. He sent messengers to Asher, Zebulon, and
Naphtali, and they ascended to confront them [the forces of Midian, Amalek, and
B nai Kedem]. Gideon said to G-d, "If You wish to
save
Directly following the
aforementioned events, we are informed that Midian, Amalek, and the B nai Kedem have gathered together to attack the Children of
Israel. Immediately, the Spirit of G-d envelops Gideon, and he gathers an
army from the Hebrew tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zevulun, and Naftali.
Several questions arise here: Why does G-d need to envelop Gideon with His
Spirit? Hasn t Gideon seen G-d s Power? Doesn t he believe fully in
G-d? After all, no harm came to him as a result of his actions in Ofrah. What is the purpose and nature of this Spirit
of G-d?
G-d had previously informed Gideon
of his primary mission: to save the Children of Israel from Midian. This is no
secret to Gideon; yet he clearly takes no action to accomplish this
all-important mission, and to thereby alleviate the suffering of his people.
Once again, Gideon's leadership falters. Because Gideon clearly has no
intention of acting unless he is forced to do so, G-d causes the armies of
Midian as well as those of Amalek and B nai Kedem to
march against the Children of Israel. Yet, still Gideon does
nothing. Only after he is clothed by the Spirit of G-d does Gideon
finally act, calling together a Jewish army to combat the enemy forces. Gideon
is reluctantly stepping into the role of Jewish leadership, at every juncture
being pushed along by G-d. He is clearly not perfect, yet he is
nevertheless chosen by G-d to lead his generation out of subjugation. He
obviously has the potential, but his shortcomings lie in his inability to
practically trust in G-d. As a result of this, G-d chooses to strengthen
Gideon every step of the way, both with verbal Promises of Divine Protection
and with the metaphysical action of possessing him with His Spirit -- not to
deprive him of his free will, but rather to give him the strength to actually
trust in G-d despite the impending danger from the invading Gentile armies.
Much as G-d hardened Pharoah s heart in Egypt in preparation for Egypt s grand
destruction and the consequent Sanctification of G-d s Name, G-d strengthens
Gideon s heart in preparation for his role in Israel s imminent redemption from
Midian s oppression and in the Kiddush HaShem that
will follow. Gideon, however, consistently rebels against the destiny G-d has
set for him. At every turn, G-d strengthens Gideon, yet Gideon responds
by requesting yet another Sign and yet another Proof that G-d is both able and
willing to keep His Word.
Despite being possessed by the
Spirit of G-d, and taking the first step of gathering an army to defend against
Midian and its allies, Gideon wavers. True, in response to the Gentile
armies encamping in the Jezreel Valley, he did assemble an army from several
tribes. However, there is no mention of preparation for war, nor is there any
mention of troop movements, save for the initial gathering together of the
Jewish army. Gideon had assembled an army, but he was not yet ready to
engage in battle against Israel s enemies. Despite the Promise of Divine
Protection, despite the Spirit of G-d now enveloping him, despite the earlier
Sign of the meat and fire presented to him by the Angel, despite his survival
in the aftermath of his mission at Ofrah, Gideon is
afraid. He understands, in theory, that G-d has the Power to crush the
multi-nation army arrayed against him, and he has theoretical faith in G-d s
Promises. However, Gideon looks at the past seven years of Midianite
oppression, and asks himself, as he had previously asked the Angel of G-d: I
beg you, my lord, if HaShem is with us, why has all
this happened to us? And where are all His Wonders of which our
forefathers told us, saying, "Behold, HaShem
brought us up from Egypt?" For now HaShem
has deserted us, and He has delivered us into the grip of Midian.
True, in the Past, G-d did many great wonders and miracles for the Children of
Israel, but that was Then, and this is Now. For seven long years Midian
has ruled over Israel; why should tomorrow be any different? If G-d could
have ended the oppression at any time, why should tomorrow be the day?
And if G-d is not able to end the oppression at any time, then there is no
point in marching out to meet Midian on the battlefield. Furthermore,
Gideon certainly knows the odds he is facing, namely, a Jewish army of 32,000
soldiers (see Judges 7:3), certainly not trained in the arts of war for at
least the last seven years, facing a seasoned Midianite-Amalekite-B nai Kedem army of 135,000 strong (see Judges 8:10).
To Gideon, this disparity is clearly shocking. This, however, is the
inevitable result of his theoretical-only faith in G-d. Combined with
Gideon s aforementioned logic and his general fear of Man, this numerical
disadvantage would be enough to overwhelm anyone, except a Jewish leader who
fears only G-d. "Some with chariots, and some with horses, but
we, in the Name of the L-rd our G-d, call out."
(Psalms 20:8). This is the level of devotion G-d expects of an authentic
Jewish leader, and nothing less.
Whereas Gideon lacked full
commitment to G-d at this point, the Children of Israel did not. 32,000
Jewish souls took up Gideon s call to arms, prepared to fight for G-d and
Therefore, despite these 32,000 men
coming in the Name of the G-d of Israel to fight for their country, for their
Torah, and for their people, they receive no support from Gideon, neither
blessing nor pronouncement of the victory that G-d will bring to them. Rather,
they witness Gideon asking, nay begging, G-d for two specific Signs to validate
His Promise to save the Jewish People. This is not true Jewish
leadership, nor is it Kiddush HaShem (Sanctification
of G-d s Name). Were G-d s prior Promises inadequate for Gideon?
Did they expire? What of G-d s Declaration: Peace to you. Do not
be afraid; you will not die. ? What of the Angel s Declaration that
G-d is sending Gideon to save the Jewish People from Midian? Gideon needs
no Sign; yet he asks not only for one, but for two. Whereas the people
came of their own free will to fight for G-d, Gideon must be convinced to take
action, despite all of the Divine Promises of Protection he has already
received. And, in asking for these two Signs, Gideon creates an enormous Chillul HaShem (Desecration of
G-d s Name). Whereas the earlier Sign he asked of G-d was displayed in a
private setting, these later Signs are displayed in front of the entire nation
of Israel; for even those who were not present would certainly hear of it eventually.
Who is Man to demand proof from the Almighty? Even Gideon s manner of
requesting the second additional Sign betrays his understanding of how wrong it
is: Let not Your Wrath flare against me Yet Gideon does just
this, and worse. Asking for a specific type of Sign is arrogant enough.
However, a skeptical Gideon asks for just that, and then for its converse, so
that he can be sure that the essence of the Sign (i.e., the manipulation of
dew) is dictated by G-d rather than the vagaries of Nature.
AN ARMY TOO LARGE
Jerubaal,
who is Gideon, arose early with all the people who were with him and they
encamped near Ein-Charod; the camp of Midian was to his north, from the hill of
Moreh, in the valley. HaShem said to Gideon,
The people that are with you are too numerous for Me to deliver Midian into
their hand, lest
At this point, Gideon finally seems
prepared to go to battle, despite the quantitative military deficit he is
facing (135,000 to 32,000), because he truly does believe G-d will fight for
the Jewish People. The Signs of the fleece and dew had given Gideon the faith
in Victory that he had been lacking thus far. Gideon took the first major step
towards war by maneuvering his army near the army of Midian. G-d,
however, desired to test Gideon once more. True, Gideon at this point
clearly believed in G-d s Promise and Ability to fight for the Jewish People,
and he now demonstrated practical faith, as evidenced by action. Yet,
Gideon also had a cushion in the nature of an army consisting of 32,000
men. Granted, the odds were still strongly in Midian s favor, but 32,000
men is no small force, and it is not unheard of for a considerably smaller army
to defeat a larger one. The odds of victory are not necessarily
comforting, but they exist. G-d, seemingly quite suddenly, decides that the
army Gideon has amassed is too large, for victory might be attributed to Jewish
force rather than to G-d s Hand. This seems like an illogical assessment by G-d
for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Jewish People had been persecuted
by Midian for the past seven years, and no immediate end to this persecution
was in sight. Consequently, a sudden victory over Midian after this long
period of subjugation would most likely be attributed to Omnipotent G-d.
Secondly, the Jews are clearly quantitatively outnumbered by a qualitatively
superior army; again such a victory would most likely be attributed to G-d s
Intervention, not to the Jewish People s purported strength. Thirdly, and
decisively, G-d promised the Jewish people a victory, and gave two clear,
public Miracles in support of this Promise. Therefore, a victory would
most likely be attributed to G-d. More than that, G-d did not seem to
have any issue, up until this point, with the size of Gideon s force. In
fact, he allowed them to maneuver to within striking distance of Midian before
objecting to their large number. The question is: WHY? The answer
can be found in the precise language which G-d uses in speaking to
Gideon.
G-d expresses His Desire to prevent
a situation in which: Israel aggrandize itself over Me, saying, My own
strength has saved me! . G-d is attempting to teach Gideon an important
lesson. The victory over Midian must recognized by Israel (and by Midian)
as being G-d s Victory, and His Victory alone, for the simple reason that this
victory is a means to an end for returning the Jewish nation to fear of, and
service to, G-d. Therefore, there must be no doubt whatsoever as to the Divine
Nature of the impending Jewish victory over Midian.
G-d commands Gideon to release from service
all those who are afraid in accordance with the Torah s Laws of War (see Deut.
20:8); and, as a result, 22,000 men leave, with 10,000 choosing to
remain. This Decision by G-d serves a number of purposes. Firstly,
as stated in the Torah, fear is a dangerous enemy for an army to
confront. One soldier s fear can easily infect hundreds of other
soldiers. By releasing those who are afraid, G-d thereby removes a
potential liability from the Jewish army.
Before discussing the next purpose
served, a question must be posed. 32,000 men answered Gideon s call to
arms, knowing full well the enemy and the odds that they were about to
face. Clearly, as discussed above, they feared the G-d of
It may be argued that perhaps their
closer proximity to the Midianite army is the root cause of their sudden fear,
but again, these men knew what they were marching towards. It is
completely illogical that, after volunteering for Gideon s army, and then
seeing the tangible evidence produced by the two public Signs of G-d s Power,
these men would suddenly be afraid. G-d, however, is teaching Gideon
another vital lesson. Many designs are in Man s heart, but the Counsel
of HaShem -- only it will prevail. (Proverbs
19:21). Although Gideon had undoubtedly determined that that these
miraculous Signs had strengthened his odds of Victory over Midian,
measure for measure, in response to that erroneous conclusion, G-d thereupon
(seemingly) weakened those odds. For, suddenly, two thirds of
Gideon s army is fearful of the Midianites, and G-d commands their release from
service. As mentioned above, this served a number of purposes. The
first, as discussed, is that fear is a dangerous element, and by releasing
those who are afraid, the danger posed by fear is removed. The second
reason is that, despite G-d s desire to chasten Gideon (rather than members of
the Jewish army) for his faithless demand for Proof of G-d s Faithfulness to
His Own Promise by allowing fear to invade the Jewish army, any Jew who
thereafter succumbs to that fear is surely not worthy to fight in an army of
G-d. G-d desired an army of men who believed in Him; and those who now
feared Midian, despite it being G-d s desire that fear be introduced into the
Jewish army, were nonetheless making a personal choice to fear Midian more than
they feared G-d, a choice which made them unfit to fight in this battle. The
third and final reason, as discussed above, is G-d s desire to test Gideon s
faith. The Signs demonstrating G-d s Power and the security provided by a
large army are not benefits that are truly necessary for an authentic Jewish
leader to enjoy; yet up until this point, Gideon has enjoyed them. If
Gideon has true faith in G-d, then his faith and trust in G-d will be
unaffected by this reduction in his armed forces. As King Hezekiah will
later comfort the remainder of the Children of Israel who are under siege in
Jerusalem by King Sennacherib of Assyria during the First Temple Period: Be
strong and courageous, be not afraid nor be dismayed of the King of Assyria or
of all the multitude that is with him. With him is an army of flesh, but
with us is the Lord our G-d to help us and to fight our battles. (II
Chronicles 32:7-8). Whether Gideon has 32,000 men or 10,000 men is
irrelevant, as true faith in G-d dictates that quantity is irrelevant.
G-d promised Victory; and paucity in numbers will have no effect on that.
AN ARMY STILL TOO LARGE
Then
HaShem said to Gideon, The people are still too
numerous; bring them down to the water and I shall purge them for you
there. And it shall be, that of whomever I say to you, This one shall go
with you, he shall go with you, and of whomever I say to you, This one shall
not go with you, he shall not go. He brought the people down to the water, and HaShem said to Gideon, Everyone who laps from the water
with his tongue as a dog laps, stand him apart, and [so, too], everyone who
kneels on his knees to drink. It happened that the number of those who lapped
with their hands to their mouth were 300 men, and all the rest of the people
knelt on their knees to drink water. HaShem
said to Gideon, Through the 300 men who lap shall I save you, and I shall
deliver Midian into your hand -- and let all the [other] people leave, each to
his place. And they took the provisions of the [other] people in their
hands, as well as their shofars. And as for all the [other] men of
Israel, he sent them each to his home, and he kept the 300 men. The camp
of Midian was below him, in the valley.
(Judges 7:4-8)
After commanding the release of
22,000 men, G-d immediately informs Gideon, once again, that the army with him
is too large. G-d dictates to Gideon the test He desires for the
remaining men, telling Gideon that He will choose who will go out to battle and
who will not. In the end, G-d chooses the group of 300 men who drank the
water by lapping it up like a dog, instead of the 9,700 men who knelt on their
knees to drink. G-d then proceeds to give Gideon yet another Promise of
Victory, proclaiming that specifically through these 300 men will G-d grant
Gideon victory. The question must be asked: Why does G-d reduce the Jewish army
twice? Why not lessen the army all at once from 32,000 men to 300
men? The answer, I believe, lies once again in G-d s desire to test
Gideon s faith, but also to chastise him measure for measure. For, Gideon
had requested two additional Signs from G-d before even maneuvering his army
near the battlefield. One Sign was not enough for Gideon; rather two were
required. Just as Gideon tested G-d s Faithfulness to His Own Promise
twice by means of the fleece and dew, so too -- mida kneged mida (measure for measure)
-- G-d tests Gideon s faith in Him twice by means of the Jewish army. The
conjecture can be made that if Gideon had had true faith in G-d at the outset,
and had he, instead of requesting Signs from G-d in front of the entire army, instead
proclaimed the imminent and momentous victory that G-d would grant to His
People, then perhaps G-d would have had no reason to test Gideon in this
way. Perhaps G-d would have allowed Gideon to take the army of 32,000 men
and wage war against Midian. Gideon s failure to create Kiddush HaShem, and in its place, his creation of a Chillul HaShem, required G-d to
take action and place Gideon in a situation in which he would be forced to
create a Kiddush HaShem -- against his better
judgment if necessary. When a Jewish leader misses an opportunity to
create Kiddush HaShem, the direct result is the
creation of Chillul HaShem.
Thus, in order to erase this newly-created Chillul HaShem, G-d reduced Gideon s army to the point where the
creation of Kiddush HaShem would be inevitable.
And after this second reduction, G-d -- understanding that Gideon needed to be
strengthened in anticipation of his returning fears -- promised once again to
grant him Victory, specifically with the incredibly small force that G-d had
handpicked.
FINAL TEST BEFORE BATTLE
It
happened that night that HaShem said to him, Arise
[for the attack] and descend [with your army] into the camp, for I have
delivered it into your hand. But if you are afraid to descend [with your
army], go down to the camp, you and Purah, your
attendant. Listen to what they will speak; then your hands will be
strengthened, and you will descend [with your army] into the camp. So he
descended with Purah, his attendant, to the edge of
the armed troops in the camp. Midian, Amalek, and all B nai Kedem were encamping in the valley, as numerous as a
locust-swarm; and their camels were countless, as numerous as the sand at the
seashore. Gideon arrived, and -- behold -- a man was relating a dream to his
fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamt a dream. Behold, a roasted barley
bread was rolling in the Midianite camp. It came to the tent and struck
it, and it fell; it turned it upside down, and the tent fell. His fellow
answered and said, This is none other than the sword of Gideon, son of Yoash, the man of Israel; G-d has delivered Midian and the
entire camp into his hand! It happened that when Gideon heard the recounting of
the dream and its interpretation, he prostrated himself. He returned to
the camp of Israel and said, Rise up, for HaShem has
delivered the camp of Midian into your hand! (Judges 7:9-15)
Following the aforementioned promise
of victory, G-d came to Gideon that very same night, commanding him to take his
army into the valley and battle Midian. However, in a concession to Gideon s
weakness of faith, G-d also gives Gideon an alternative option. If Gideon
is fearful, if he still lacks full and complete faith in the G-d of Israel and
His Promises of Protection and Victory, then he can sneak into the Midianite
camp under cover of darkness, and upon hearing what the men in the camp say, his
faith in G-d will be strengthened, and he will be ready to do battle. Such is
the alternative option that G-d presents to Gideon. The question surely
is: WHY? G-d has never before given Gideon an alternative option.
He has always given Gideon reason to believe fully and then required that
Gideon act. Each time though, Gideon has failed to meet the expectations
that G-d has set for him, the consequences of which had adversely affected the
faith of the Jewish people, first that of the people of Ofrah
and then, through infectious fear, that of the bulk of the initial Jewish
army. Now, with a mere 300 faithful Jews remaining in the army, G-d
seemingly decides not to force Gideon into a corner, to either act publicly on
his faith or to doubt it publicly, as the stakes are too high. Clearly
Gideon still has fears, as evidenced by his secretive nighttime descent into
the Midianite camp -- reminiscent of his secretive nighttime descent into the
midst of Ofrah. Had he possessed true,
practical faith in G-d, then he would have told G-d that there was no need for
him to descend into the Midianite camp, instead yelling out a cry of battle in
the name of the G-d of Israel and leading the Israelites into battle.
However, had G-d not allowed Gideon this alternative, then perhaps Gideon would
have once more showed a public lack of faith in G-d and His Promise of
Victory. Yet another public failure of faith of this magnitude would have
devastated the small remnant of the Jewish army. Consequently, G-d allowed
Gideon a private outlet to deal with his lack of faith, where the Jewish People
would not be witnesses and would therefore not be affected by Gideon s fear of
Man. G-d once again is allowing Gideon to take baby-steps toward faith in
Him and true leadership of the Jewish people. Thus, despite the fact that
Gideon once again displays a lack of faith, the ramifications are much less
severe than in previous instances.
As a side note, Scripture also
describes the multi-nation army as being as numerous as a locust-swarm; and
their camels were countless, as numerous as the sand at the seashore. (Judges
7:12). Whether this is merely the way Gideon perceives the
multi-nation army as a result of his fear of Man, or whether this is an actual
description of an army that is, after all, 135,000 strong, is irrelevant.
Scripture is highlighting the irony of the situation. Gideon obviously
still has his doubts as to G-d s Ability to defeat Midian. Why would
secretly infiltrating this army during the night cause Gideon to have a sudden
revelation and finally to trust completely in G-d? If anything, Gideon
will get a closer look at an army that seemingly has no end, and that should
cause him to doubt G-d s Promise of Victory even more. Yet, G-d
nevertheless commands Gideon to descend towards the Midianite army, and Gideon
does indeed descend, miraculously undetected by the soldiers guarding the army
s periphery against attack.
Upon arriving at the Midianite
encampment, Gideon overhears a soldier relating a dream to another soldier, who
interprets the dreams for him, declaring that it must mean that Gideon, the
man of Israel (Judges 7:14), will lead the Jewish people to victory over
Midian in the Name of G-d. Immediately, Gideon is infused with full,
complete, practical faith in G-d and His Promise of Victory. Why did this
soldier s dream and obvious fear of G-d and Gideon finally give Gideon the
faith that he so sorely lacked despite everything G-d had already promised and
showed to him? Perhaps the reason is that all of G-d s prior Miracles involved
either domination over the forces of Nature (e.g., the consumption of the
drenched tribute by fire and the serial placement of the dew) or a command for
Gideon to act against passive objects (e.g., the Baal altar and the
Asherah-tree). Yet this is the first time that G-d is pitting Gideon
against a flesh-and-blood enemy. Gideon clearly understands that G-d has
mastery over Nature and passive objects. However, he may very well doubt G-d s
Ability to control entire nations. When Gideon discovers, however, that
G-d has actually manipulated this soldier s dream and his friend s
interpretation of it, he realizes that G-d indeed controls Everything, and this
was the final push Gideon needed to move past his doubts and fears, and to
fully embrace the faith that G-d requires of His Agents. By allowing
Gideon to overhear a Midianite dream portending the imminent Israelite victory,
G-d is once again proving to Gideon that He is an Active G-d,
essentially answering Gideon's initial question to the Angel: if HaShem is with us, why has all this happened to us? And
where are all His Wonders of which our forefathers told us By showing Gideon
that He controls even the dreams of the enemy army, G-d resoundingly answers
Gideon's first doubting question. Sadly, Gideon s complete faith was created by
overhearing his human adversary s conversation rather by simply trusting in the
initial Command and Promise of G-d: Arise [for the attack] and descend [with
your army] into the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.
Nevertheless, Gideon instantly
returns to the Jewish camp, and commands them to rise up and do battle, for HaShem has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.
(Judges 7:15). This is the battle cry Gideon should have declared
from the outset; and now that he has been permeated with true faith in G-d, he
wastes no time in proclaiming the imminent Jewish victory over Midian. A few
small, yet interesting, nuances should be noted here. Firstly, when the
interpretation of the dream is given, Gideon is referred to as Gideon, son of Yoash , which has not happened since the incident in Ofrah. I believe that Yoash
is mentioned here to give him honor for redeeming his son and himself by
confronting the idol-worshipping inhabitants of his City in order to defend his
son who had acted justly and in G-d s Name. Secondly, the reference to Gideon
as the man of
STRATEGY AND BATTLE
He
divided the 300 men into three companies. Into the hand of them all he
gave shofars and empty jugs, with torches inside the jugs. He said to
them, See my example and do the same. Behold, when I arrive at the edge
of the camp, then as I do, so shall you do. I will sound the shofar -- I
and all who are with me -- then you, too, shall sound shofars all around the
entire camp, and you shall say, For HaShem and for
Gideon! Gideon and the 100 men with him arrived at the edge of the camp at the
beginning of the middle watch, when they had just barely set up the
guards. They sounded the shofars and broke the jugs that were in their
hands. The three companies sounded the shofars and broke the jugs; in
their left hand they grasped the torches and in their right hand the shofars to
sound; and they called out, The sword for HaShem and
for Gideon! Each of them stood in his place, all around the camp -- and the
entire camp ran; they shouted and fled. They sounded the 300 shofars, and
HaShem set each man s sword against his fellow and
throughout the entire camp. The camp fled as far as Beth-shittah, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah,
near Tabbath. (7:16-22)
Once filled with practical faith in
G-d, Gideon immediately prepares for battle, utilizing several key tactics
relating to deployment, resources, and timing of attack. He divides his
army into three companies of 100 men each, for his plan of action required the
Jewish army to encircle the Midianite army. The separation of his army
into three equal companies would ensure that the soldiers would be evenly
distributed around the Midianites. He also gave each soldier shofars
(i.e., rams horns), empty jugs, and torches to be put inside the jugs.
His battle plan did not involve charging the Midianite army head on, but rather
encircling them under cover of darkness and causing a sudden cacophony of noise
that would terrorize the Midianites. Although Gideon realized that Israel s
salvation from Midian would be miraculous in nature, he nonetheless devised a
plan of battle which employed all the resources at his disposal. Finally,
he timed his army s arrival and the execution of his plan at the start of the
middle guard watch, when the guards who were being relieved were exhausted from
lack of sleep, and the new guards at their posts had not yet awakened
completely. These tactics and Gideon s overall strategy do not display
any lack of faith in G-d s ability to defeat Midian. Rather, they show the way
a Jewish leader and the Jewish people must cooperate with, and become partner
to, G-d s Plan. True, G-d promised Victory to Gideon, but Gideon is still
required to use every resource at his mortal disposal to achieve that
Victory. He, and we, cannot merely sit back and expect G-d to fight for
us; rather we must descend into that valley, devise and implement a plan of
attack despite the odds, and know that G-d will do His Part according to His
Plan.
Another issue to be analyzed is the
glaring contrast between Gideon s attack upon Midian under cover of darkness
and Gideon s destruction of the Baal and Asherah shrines in Ofrah
under cover of darkness. There, Scripture clearly criticizes Gideon s
decision to act during the night, attributing it to fear of detection by the
residents of the City. Here, however, Gideon s actions are not
criticized. What is the difference between the two situations?
While in both instances Gideon made a clear choice to attack under cover of
darkness in order to avoid detection, his motives in each case must be examined
in order to understand the fundamental difference between the two
situations. In Ofrah, Gideon acted at night in
order to avoid any confrontation with the residents of the City. He
lacked practical faith in G-d s Promise of Protection, and therefore feared
that if the inhabitants saw him destroying the shrines, they would confront and
then kill him. Consequently, by acting at night, he transformed what should
have been a great Kiddush HaShem into a very limited
Kiddush HaShem.
Here, however, Gideon does not
choose to act at night in order to avoid confrontation. On the contrary, he
uses the cover of darkness in order to initiate confrontation, and in a manner
designed to cause Midian the greatest confusion, surprise, and fear.
Whereas in Ofrah he had acted at night on (what he
wrongly perceived to be) a personal mission in order to ensure his anonymity
and safety, here he acts at night on (what he rightly perceives to be) a
national mission in order to openly and fearlessly lead a tiny Jewish army in
battle against a gigantic enemy force. As a result, he finally creates a great
Kiddush HaShem.
When presenting his battle plan to
his army, Gideon commands them See my example and do the same. Behold, when
I arrive at the edge of the camp, then as I do, so shall you do and you shall
say, For HaShem and for Gideon! (Judges 7:17-18).
This is the essence of true Jewish leadership. A Jewish leader must
actually lead, not only spiritually -- a role which Gideon has finally embraced
based upon renewed faith -- but also physically. When a leader tells his
followers that, first, he will act and they shall merely follow his example, it
removes enormous pressure from his followers. Gideon is leading by
example, without even the slightest hesitation or doubt. This is how a
Jewish leader must always act, and Gideon has finally embraced the role G-d has
given him. (The phrase See my example and do the same is, in fact, the
motto of the contemporary Israel Defense Forces Officers Training School, for
it embodies the way a true Jewish leader must act and lead.)
At the end of the presentation of
his battle plans, Gideon commands his soldiers to yell out For HaShem and for Gideon ; and, indeed, Scripture relates that
they yelled out The sword for HaShem and for Gideon.
Once again, it may be asked: what is Gideon s purpose in commanding them not
only to yell out in G-d s Name, but also to yell out his own name? Might
Gideon be trying to add honor to his own name? Such an act would clearly
lessen the Kiddush HaShem that G-d intended, for a
Jewish leader is interested neither in personal power nor in fame, rather only
in causing a Kiddush HaShem. While it is
possible that Gideon faltered here, and wished to gain honor for himself by
having his army yell out his own name alongside that of G-d s, it is more
likely that this was merely another tactic in Gideon s overall strategy to
cause the maximum shock possible to the Midianite army. When Gideon heard
the dream s interpretation it was clear that the Midianite army feared Gideon,
the embodiment of the Jewish army, and the likelihood that G-d would give
Midian into Gideon s hand. By having the army yell out his own name
alongside that of G-d s, Gideon was incorporating Midian s fear of him into his
battle plans, effectively using psychological warfare against the
Midianites. Upon hearing Gideon s name in the Jewish battle cry, surely
the first thought to come into Midian s mind would be one of shock and fear
that, indeed, that night s dream of their destruction at the hands of Gideon,
son of Yoash, is actually coming to fruition. At this
point, Gideon is acting completely for the sake of Heaven, with no thought of
personal gain whatsoever, and there is no reason to doubt his motives in this
matter. Thus, while it is possible that Gideon s motives for including his
own name in the battle cry might be impure, I believe that in this case, his
motives were completely pure and for the sake of creating a greater Victory,
and hence a greater Kiddush HaShem.
At this point, the Jewish army is
poised to unleash G-d s Wrath on the Midianites, merely awaiting Gideon s
command to begin the battle cry. Yet I wish to pause one last time before
moving onto the battle itself to point out something that might otherwise be
overlooked. The critique of Gideon that I have given in this essay might
cause some to wonder whether he is even worthy to lead the Jewish people.
He consistently failed to rise to the occasion and show true faith in G-d,
despite the numerous Promises of Protection and Victory from HaShem, and several open Miracles. However, looking
back at our introduction to Gideon, we must remember the Angel s initial
Declaration to him: HaShem is with you, O
mighty hero! (Judges 6:12). Clearly, Gideon is not perfect. However, the
potential that G-d saw from the very beginning has finally been unleashed now
that Gideon has finally embraced his leadership role and has finally acquired
true, practical faith in G-d. He has learned from his failures; and at
this point, poised on the brink of battle with Midian, Gideon has finally
become the mighty hero and leader he was declared to be at the beginning of his
long journey. The strategy and leadership employed in this one battle are
traits that were within Gideon all along. He merely needed to understand how to
unleash and channel them positively towards creating a Kiddush HaShem.
As discussed earlier, the concept of
not relying on a miracle does not mandate inaction while one awaits the advent
of a miracle. Rather it requires us to do as much as we can, and to trust that
G-d will follow through with the rest. And indeed, Gideon utilized his
army to its fullest, and G-d did indeed take care of the rest, causing the
enemy soldiers to kill one another in confusion and to flee in fear.
CALLING UPON ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEERS
FOR ASSISTANCE
And
[additional] men of Israel were mustered from Naphtali and from Asher and from
all of Manasseh, and they pursued Midian. Gideon sent messengers
throughout Mount Ephraim, saying, Come down toward Midian and secure the
waterway to block them [from re-crossing to the eastern bank], until Beth-barah, and the Jordan [River]. All the men of
Ephraim were mustered and they occupied the water until Beth-barah, and the Jordan [River]. (7:23-24)
Gideon thereupon rallied additional
volunteers from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher and Manasseh to assist him and
his 300-man army in chasing Midian to the Jordan River. He then called to
the tribe of Ephraim to prevent Midian from retreating across the River. Note
that the first three tribes had contributed to the initial Jewish army, while
Ephraim had not contributed to the initial Jewish army. Further note that
Gideon gave the first three tribes an offensive task, namely, driving
Midian to the River, while he gave Ephraim a defensive task, namely
blocking Midian from crossing the River.
Why did Gideon feel the need to
solicit additional volunteers when G-d had promised him Victory at the
outset and had, in fact, already allowed him to defeat Midian and its allies at
the Valley of Jezreel with an army of only 300 men? Scripture is silent on this
issue. However, it seems that, in his exuberance over the quick rout of Midian
at the Valley of Jezreel, Gideon now thought only about making a quick end of
Midian at the western bank of the Jordan River. In contemplating this speedy
resolution, he did not fully comprehend the adverse consequences of trying to enhance
G-d s Promise of Victory. He apparently believed that, by utilizing
additional men only from the tribal contributors to the G-d-approved army for
the offensive task, while utilizing men from the non-contributing tribe
for the defensive task, he would not incur G-d s Wrath for making
changes to the Jewish military forces in order to hasten the Victory over
Midian. But, in doing so, he inappropriately substituted his judgment
for G-d s Judgment.
Although the tribe of Zebulon had
been one of the four tribes solicited by Gideon to be part of the initial
Jewish army of 32,000, that tribe -- alone among the four original tribal
contributors -- was not called upon by Gideon to supply additional
volunteers to assist him in implementing the offensive task. Why? Again,
Scripture is silent on this issue. However, it is possible that, in reducing
the Jewish army from 32,000 to 300, G-d eliminated Zebulon s entire contingent
from the army. If that happened, then it is logical that Gideon -- in an
attempt to avoid angering G-d -- would have limited his request for additional
volunteers for the offensive task to the three tribes which had remained part
of the G-d-approved army.
THE EXECUTION OF OREB AND ZEEB
They
[the men of Ephraim] captured two [high] officers of Midian: Oreb and Zeeb;
they killed Oreb at the Rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the Winepress of
Zeeb, and they pursued Midian. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to
Gideon [who was still] on the other side the Jordan [River]. (7:25)
During the pursuit-and-blocking
operation, the volunteers from Ephraim captured and immediately executed two
high officers of Midian: Oreb and Zeeb. Their prominence is evidenced by
the fact that certain locations in the Land of Israel had been named for them
-- the Rock of Oreb and the Winepress of Zeeb. The men of Ephraim subsequently
brought the heads of these two officers to Gideon on the western bank of the
Jordan River.
It should be obvious from this
episode that Judaism exhibits no respect for the military (or political)
leadership of our enemies. There is no distinction between the individual
enemy soldier who tries to kill a lone Jewish soldier on the field of battle
(and thereby deserves death) and the supreme military leader of that enemy
nation, who while he may claim not to have personally shed Jewish blood, is
still held accountable by G-d for leading his nation s armed forces in its
attempt to destroy the Jewish People. Therefore, the immediate beheading
of Oreb and Zeeb does not represent an unjust punishment; rather it is a true
example of the level of contempt and disrespect that we are commanded to show
for the military leaders of our enemies.
Note that, while the men of Ephraim
succeeded in catching and killing these two prominent officials of Midian, they
failed to block Midian s retreat across the Jordan River. It is possible that
had Gideon pursued Midian with only his G-d-approved 300-man military force, he
would have caught and annihilated Midian s entire army and its leadership on
the western side of the River, as this Gift was certainly within G-d s Power to
grant. Yet, because Gideon attempted to hasten the Victory in a way that
might have caused Israel to believe that its own prowess was the decisive
component, it is likely that G-d responded to Gideon s ill-conceived tampering
with the Jewish army by -- measure for measure -- permitting Israel s prey to
escape to the eastern side of the River, thereby prolonging the war.
THE APPEASEMENT OF EPHRAIM
The
men of Ephraim said to Gideon, What is this thing that you have done to us, not
summoning us when you went to fight with Midian? and they contended with him
vehemently. He said to them, What have I now done compared to you?
Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abeizer?
Into your hand did G-d give [high] officers of Midian: Oreb and Zeeb. And what
could I do compared to you? Then their indignation against him abated,
when he made this statement.
(Judges 8:1-3)
After the initial battle engagement
and the subsequent rout and scattering of Midian, a slight pause in battle
ensued. There was still a viable Midianite force that had managed to flee
across the Jordan River, and Gideon fully intended to complete the Kiddush HaShem by giving chase and destroying it. However,
before that could be accomplished, the tribe of Ephraim angrily accused Gideon
of offending their honor, by not inviting them to fight with him against Midian
from the very beginning, thereby denying them the opportunity to avenge Jewish
honor and participate in this great Mitzvah (Holy Deed) and Kiddush HaShem (Sanctification of G-d s Name). Approximately 100
years later, the tribe of Ephraim will lay the same accusation at the feet of
the Jepthah the Judge (see Judges 12:1-6). Jepthah will respond by insulting Ephraim and waging a war
against them, in the end slaughtering over 42,000 fellow Hebrews from the tribe
of Ephraim. Clearly, this bloody civil war was avoidable and unnecessary,
and the proof may be found in the conduct of Gideon when faced with virtually
the identical crisis.
Whereas Jepthah
will later respond to Ephraim in anger, and wage war against that tribe in
order to avenge an affront to his personal pride, Gideon instead responds to
Ephraim in kindness and humility, declaring publicly that he has done nothing
in this war compared to them. After all, since G-d gave Oreb and Zeeb
into Ephraim s hands, the honor of that victory lies with them, not with
Gideon. This, Scripture relates, appeased their indignation against
him. While a Jewish leader must react to other nations with pride and
resoluteness (and, in the face of belligerence, with confrontation), when
interacting with his brethren he must usually act with humility and
understanding. Thus, Gideon appeases the tribe of Ephraim, maintaining Shalom
Bayit ( Peace of the House ), and thereby preventing internecine bloodshed.
There is, however, an exception to
this usual rule of familial conduct. Note the Sages criticism of King
Saul s leniency towards those Jews who publicly ridiculed his royal appointment
(see I Samuel 10:27). After shying away from his public anointment and
hiding from the large crowd gathered for his investiture ceremony, Saul was
located and brought before the people to be proclaimed the first king of
Israel. However, there was a small group of Jews that ridiculed him
publicly, saying: How can this person save us? . King Saul, however, was
silent in the face of this public ridicule. Later, after seeing Saul s
decisive leadership, the Jewish people demanded that those who had previously
ridiculed him be arrested and put to death; but Saul declared that no man would
be put to death that day (see I Samuel 11:12-13). The Sages say that these men
were subject to the death penalty, for they were not merely ridiculing the
human being Saul. Rather, they were ridiculing G-d for having chosen Saul as
king. Saul, therefore, acted incorrectly when he allowed these men to go
unpunished. He showed humility when he should have showed indignation at
the offense to G-d s Honor that these men had caused. Due to the fact
that God had chosen Saul as king of Israel, an undeserved affront to Saul in
that capacity was essentially an affront to G-d, as Saul has been anointed as
G-d s earthly representative to the Jewish People and to the World.
Ephraim, however, did not appear to be criticizing Gideon in his capacity as
God s anointed one; rather the men of Ephraim seemed to be merely criticizing a
particular decision made by Gideon in his capacity as Israel s military
commander. Gideon, therefore, was seemingly justified in acting with
humility. Thus, although there are some situations where a Jewish leader
is justified -- indeed required -- to take action against his fellow Jews, this
does not seem to be one of them.
Yet, certain additional questions
must be addressed before making a definitive judgment on this issue. Firstly,
was Ephraim s angry rebuke of Gideon wrongful or justified? Secondly, instead
of appeasing Ephraim with words of exaggerated praise, why didn t Gideon simply
explain to Ephraim that G-d Himself had chosen the size and composition
of the Jewish army, thereby enlightening Ephraim to the fact that its rebuke of
Gideon actually represented rebellion against G-d? The second question must be
answered first. By soliciting additional volunteers from Naphtali, Asher and
Manasseh, Gideon not only temporarily enlarged the Jewish army that chased
Midian to the Jordan River, but he might also have altered the relative
proportions of each of the three tribes within the army. Consequently, Gideon
could not truthfully declare to Ephraim that the Jewish army s present size and
composition represented God s Decision. This leads to the conclusion
that, under the circumstances created by Gideon s ill-conceived tampering with
the Jewish army: (1) Ephraim s rebuke of Gideon was indeed justified, and (2)
Ephraim was not, via its rebuke of Gideon, rebelling against G-d s Decision. If
it were otherwise, then G-d would not have permitted Ephraim to publicly
castigate His Anointed Representative.
THE PUNISHMENT OF SUCCOTH AND PENUEL
Gideon
then arrived at the
As mentioned above, Gideon, fully
infused with faith in the G-d of
By noting that Gideon crossed the
Jordan River with his original 300 men, Scripture thereby informs us that
Gideon barred the additional forces (from the tribes of Manasseh, Asher,
Naphtali and Ephraim), which had answered his call for temporary assistance,
from participating in the trans-Jordan pursuit of Midian. And, although Gideon
and his small force were exhausted from the ordeal, they continued chasing the
Midianites in order to finish the battle. Why did Gideon refuse to
enlarge (or alter the composition of) his small, exhausted army with these more
fit volunteers? In my opinion, the answer is that, in light of the public
rebuke that G-d permitted Ephraim to inflict upon him, Gideon belatedly
acknowledged his error in tampering with the Jewish army. And he now fully
understood that any enlargement thereof (or even any one-for-one replacement of
individual soldiers without enlargement thereof) would have represented both a
lack of his complete faith in G-d s Promise of Victory and a sinful substitution
of his judgment for G-d s Judgment. This is because G-d Himself had
chosen those 300 men for battle. Consequently, any change in the size or
composition of the Jewish army before the final battle would have created a
huge Chillul HaShem.
Upon reaching the Jewish town of
Succoth, Gideon requests loaves of bread for his tired men. However, the
leaders of Succoth irreverently respond that they see no reason to assist
Gideon and his men, for Zebah and Zalmunna are not yet captured. Gideon,
then angrily retorts that when G-d does indeed give Zebah and Zalmunna into his
hand, he will return to Succoth and lash its leaders with thorns and briers as
punishment. Gideon and his men then proceed to the Jewish town of Penuel,
once again requesting food from its inhabitants. Gideon is greeted by the same
response as he received at Succoth, and so he also threatens Penuel that when
he returns in peace from his pursuit, he will destroy the tower of Penuel. The
question must be asked: why did Succoth and Penuel refuse to assist
Gideon? The answer is, unfortunately, altogether too common. Succoth and
Penuel wished to hedge their bets. This means that although Gideon, the
new leader of the Jewish people, had clearly defeated Midian that very day, for
the people of Succoth and Penuel a Jewish victory in that one battle was not
quite enough for them to be willing to throw in their lot with Gideon and with
the G-d of Israel. The main reason is that the towns of Succoth and
Penuel are located east of the Jordan River, making them closer to the
territory of Midian than are the majority of Jewish towns, which are located
west of the Jordan River. For seven years Midian has ruthlessly dominated
the Jewish people. Although Gideon has successfully defeated Midian on
the field of battle, and is now in pursuit to complete the rout, a numerically
superior force of 15,000 Midianite soldiers still stand between Gideon s tiny
army and total victory. For Succoth and Penuel, who clearly did not have
complete faith in the G-d of Israel, it is simply too risky to support Gideon
at this point. If they support Gideon now, but Midian manages to defeat
him in the end, then King Zebah and King Zalmunna will return and inflict their
revenge on all the Jewish towns that assisted Gideon. Conversely, it is
likely that if Gideon had already captured all of the kings of Midian and was
merely chasing the remnants of their defeated army, these two Jewish towns
would have helped him due to the absence of any risk. But with the kings
of Midian and 15,000 soldiers still at large, the risk is just too great for
those who don t believe fully in the G-d of Israel. By denying Gideon
assistance, they can later make the claim to Midian, if need be, that they in
no way helped the Jewish insurgents. If, however, Gideon defeats Midian in the
end, they clearly do not expect a Jewish leader to take revenge on his fellow
Hebrews.
In this matter, however, they were
most certainly mistaken. Gideon angrily threatens the two Jewish towns,
and with full justification. By denying him assistance, they were not
only weakening the Jewish army physically, by withholding much needed food, and
psychologically, by not showing support for the war effort, but they were, more
importantly, ridiculing G-d s Choice of Gideon to lead the Jewish people.
Thus, this was a rebellion against G-d, even worse because this was a time of war
when the fate of all Israel was to be determined. Gideon, in his capacity
as leader of the Jewish people, had an obligation to be angry for G-d s Sake
and to avenge the Chillul HaShem
created by Succoth and Penuel. Thus, his threats of punishment are not only
valid, but their implementation is vital as an example to Israel of the fate of
those who rebel against G-d.
Despite receiving no assistance from
Succoth and Penuel, Gideon and his men continue in their chase, finding the
Midianites encamped near Karkor. Scripture informs us that a mere 15,000
enemy soldiers remain, while 120,000 had already fallen in battle. It is
important that even though the odds are still greatly in Midian s favor (the
odds are still 50:1), Gideon does not hesitate for a moment. He ascends
by way of the tent-dwellers, possibly attacking from an unanticipated
direction, while the Midianite camp was complacent. There is no waiting
for a miracle, and no expectation that G-d would cause the Midianites to attack
one another again in confusion. Rather, Gideon directly attacks the enemy,
chases the fleeing Zebah and Zalmunna, and then captures those two Midianite
kings. Gideon has finally embraced his role as leader of Israel, thinking and
acting as a Jewish leader should. (A side note on the miraculous nature of this
entire military engagement is the fact that Gideon had finished the rout and
capture of Zebah and Zalmunna while the sun was high. The original battle
engagement had begun at the start of the middle night watch of the Midianite
encampment in the Jezreel Valley. Approximately twelve hours afterwards,
including the pursuit across the Jordan River and the final routing of the
Midianite army, all 135,000 Midianite and allied forces have been killed, and
Israel has been liberated from foreign domination.)
Gideon s capture of Zebah and
Zalmunna, however, is the beginning of a series of mistakes and flaws that have
serious ramifications for the Jewish People and serve to lessen the Miracle of
Gideon s defeat of Midian. Gideon, as he had threatened earlier, returns and
punishes Succoth and Penuel. As discussed above, they deserved to be
punished for their refusal to accept Gideon as the leader of Israel, thereby
constituting rebellion against the G-d of Israel, and for their wartime crime
of withholding from the Jewish army vital assistance. So what is the
problem? While the actual punishments Gideon inflicted on Succoth and
Penuel were just and righteous, his motivation for inflicting these punishments
was impure. Gideon, as the leader of the Jewish people, was required to
act only in his representative capacity when confronting others.
Accordingly, although Gideon viewed the insults of Succoth and Penuel only as a
personal affront, these insults were actually directed at G-d and His Choice of
Gideon as Jewish leader. Consequently, these towns deserved punishment
only to avenge G-d s Honor, and not to avenge Gideon s honor.
Unfortunately, Gideon acted to avenge what he improperly viewed only as an
affront to his personal honor.
Firstly, a discussion of the
punishments themselves is necessary. Upon arriving at Succoth, Gideon
detains a young man and acquires a list of all 77 leaders of the City. He
singles out those 77 men, and thrashes them, publicly, with thorns, as he had
threatened. With the town of Penuel however, not only did he destroy
their tower, as he had threatened, but Gideon also killed the men of the
City. Why do the punishments for these two towns vary, while their
transgressions were identical? The answer is that Succoth defied Gideon
first, while Penuel surely heard of Succoth s insubordination and Gideon s
threat. They already knew what Gideon s response would be if they
answered him as Succoth did, yet they still chose to rebel. Therefore, they
received the more severe punishment. While Gideon merely punished the leaders
of Succoth, publicly humiliating them for their transgression, at Penuel he
destroyed their tower, which is a collective punishment for the entire town. As
for killing all the men of Penuel, which Gideon did not threaten to do, but
actually did, it is unclear if this was a just punishment as the thrashing and
tower destruction were, or an improper punishment as a result of Gideon s
improper personal motivation. However, if the text itself offers any
indication, it would seem that all of the punishments Gideon inflicted on these
two Jewish towns were justified, even though his motivations for so doing were
not. Gideon was not punished (or even criticized) by G-d for killing the men of
Penuel, which one might assume would happen if it was an evil act. However, as
will be discussed later, he was punished midah k neged midah (measure for
measure), for allowing the evil kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, to witness the act,
which was surely improper.
Secondly, a discussion of Gideon s
motives is critical. How can we even speculate what Gideon was thinking
when he punished these two rebellious Jewish towns? The answer is that
Gideon s own actions betray his thoughts. Upon capturing Zebah and
Zalmunna, Gideon should have immediately and publicly executed them,
proclaiming that such is the fate of the enemies of the G-d of
THE EXECUTION OF ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA
He
[Gideon] said to Zebah and Zalmunna, What sort of men did you kill in Tabor?
They said, Your appearance is like theirs, identical, like the form of
the king s sons. He said, They were my brothers, the sons of my mother.
As HaShem lives, had you let them live, I would not
kill you! He said to Jether his firstborn, Arise and kill them!
But the youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, since he was still a
youth. Zebah and Zalmunna said, You arise and slay us, for as a man is, so is
his strength. So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the
crescents that were on the necks of their camels. (Judges 8:18-21)
Trapped in a mindset of personal
revenge and anger, and having satisfied that desire with regards to Succoth and
Penuel, Gideon now turns, publicly, to Zebah and Zalmunna. He ascertains
from them that they killed his half-brothers in Tabor. Angrily Gideon
proclaims in G-d s Name that, had they allowed his family members to live, he
would have spared their lives at this very moment. Again, an opportunity
to enhance the Kiddush HaShem that had already been
achieved was wasted. Gideon should have proclaimed, that for their crimes
against the G-d of Israel and the Jewish People, they are to be put to death,
and then he should have immediately executed them publicly. Such an act
would have inspired the entire Jewish nation, renewing the faith in G-d of
those who have strayed, and surely would have caused the surrounding nations to
tremble in fear at the mere mention of the G-d of Israel. But instead,
Gideon proclaimed publicly that had they spared his family members from death,
he would not kill them now. However, since they did indeed kill his
half-brothers, now he will execute them. Such a proclamation no doubt
caused all of Israel to wonder if Gideon led the Jewish people to war, not
because he was G-d s Messenger and wished to overthrow the yoke of Midianite
oppression, but merely because he wished to take personal revenge against these
two kings of Midian. For this proclamation thereby casted doubt upon the
great Kiddush HaShem created by Gideon s defeat of
Midian. True, a miraculous victory did occur, but the awe and wonder that
should have fallen upon Israel and the surrounding nations was squandered.
Gideon thereby converted the victory over Midian from G-d s and the Jewish
people s shared Victory into his own personal victory. Gideon makes it appear
that he led Israel in war to avenge his brothers deaths, and not to avenge the
thousands of other Jews who had surely perished under the oppression of
Midian. A Jewish leader should regard each and every Jew as his own flesh
and blood, and Gideon failed in this respect. When Gideon put Zebah and
Zalmunna to death, the Jewish people might very well have believed that the two
kings were executed, not because they were G-d s enemies, but rather because
they were Gideon s personal enemies -- a public perception that was surely
unacceptable to G-d.
Gideon commands his firstborn son,
Jether, to arise and kill the two kings of Midian, but the boy, being fearful,
is unable to do as his father commands. This was surely a great
embarrassment to Gideon, both in front of his fellow Jews, and in front of
these two idolatrous kings of Midian. Gideon, having turned G-d s Victory
into his own personal victory over Midian, commands his own son to complete
that personal victory. Yet G-d causes his son to fear these two defeated
evildoers. Surely Jether has been with Gideon for the entire
campaign. He was obviously one of the 300 men that G-d allowed to fight
from the very beginning. He has killed men in the battles against
Midian. There is no reason for him to fear these two defeated kings.
Yet, inexplicably, he does fear them, and the only explanation is that G-d
caused him to fear. Why? I believe G-d caused Jether to fear in order to
punish Gideon for turning national revenge into personal revenge, and for
thereby lessening the Kiddush HaShem that should have
occurred. Gideon turned the victory and the miracle into his own, and G-d
-- measure for measure -- causes Gideon s son to be so fearful of these
captured and defeated kings he is even unable to lift his sword. Just as
G-d had caused Midian to draw swords one against the other in that very first
battle, He now causes a proud and victorious son of a Jewish leader to be
unable to draw his own sword against a defeated enemy. To compound the
embarrassment to Gideon, the evil Zebah and Zalmunna were now permitted the
opportunity to publicly ridicule Gideon by denigrating the worthiness of his
firstborn son: for as a man is, so is his strength , thereby implying
that the paralysis of Jether (who is Gideon s strength ) reflects weakness in
Gideon himself. That this was meant as an insult to Gideon is confirmed by the
Torah s declaration concerning one s firstborn son: for he is the beginning
of his strength (Deut. 21:17). According, they challenged Gideon to kill
them himself. Surely such a challenge embarrassed Gideon in front of his
army; and indeed, he arises and kills them -- again, out of personal
anger. Why does G-d permit these two evildoers to publicly ridicule His
Anointed One? G-d allows this to happen in order to publicly chastise Gideon for
his disgraceful failure to create an unqualified Kiddush HaShem.
Gideon became distracted by his personal anger against Succoth and Penuel, and
then against Zebah and Zalmunna; and, consequently, his decision-making as a
Jewish leader has faltered. Even with this challenge by Zebah and
Zalmunna, G-d is giving Gideon yet another chance to openly proclaim that he is
not executing them for personal revenge, but rather because they are enemies of
the G-d of Israel. But, unfortunately, Gideon misses this last
opportunity to create an unqualified Kiddush HaShem.
GIDEON AS KING?
The
men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us -- you, your son, and your grandson,
for you have saved us from the hand of Midian! But Gideon said to them, I shall
not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; HaShem
shall rule over you! (Judges 8:22-23)
The position of being a Judge over
THE EPHOD
Then
Gideon said to them, I shall make a request of you. Let each of you give
me a nose ring from his spoils -- for they [the dead Midianites] had golden
nose rings, since they were Ishmaelites. They said, We shall surely give.
They spread out a garment and every man threw into it a nose ring from
his spoils. The weight of the nose rings that he requested was one
thousand seven hundred gold [dinars], aside from the crescents and the
pendants, and the purple wool garments worn by the kings of Midian, and aside
from the chains on the necks of their camels. Gideon made it into an
ephod and hung it in his city, in Ofrah.
[Eventually] all of
After decisively rejecting the
Jewish people s request for him to rule over them, Gideon made a request of his
own. He asked for gold from the spoils of Midian, 1,700 gold dinars worth
of nose rings; and with this, Gideon made an ephod (breastplate), which he hung
in his city, Ofrah. Before a further discussion
is possible regarding Gideon s misguided motives and its consequences, it must
be noted that a Jewish leader is forbidden to request such things from his
followers. As the Prophet Samuel will later testify before the entire
nation of Israel: Here I am; testify about me in the Presence of HaShem and in the presence of His anointed: Whose ox have I
taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I robbed? Whom have I
coerced? From whose hand have I taken redemption money that I should avert my
eyes from him? And I shall make restitution to you. And they said, You
have not robbed us; you have not coerced us; and you have not taken anything
from any person s hand. (I Samuel 12:3-4). Scripture relates that all of
Israel strayed after it [Gideon s ephod] there, and it became a snare for
Gideon and his household. A Jewish leader has no right to take the
smallest thing from a fellow Jew for his personal use. His sole purpose
is to serve HaShem. Personal interests must
have no bearing on his decisions and actions. However, despite correctly
rejecting the hereditary kingship offered to him, Gideon stumbled and created a
golden ephod, with one purpose in mind. He wanted to commemorate the
Victory over Midian. Now, after realizing his past mistakes in taking
personal revenge, and seeing the consequences of such mistakes when Israel
begged him to become its king, Gideon clearly understood that it was not his
personal victory. Yet, although he knew that it was G-d who had defeated
Midian, he nonetheless feared that his own part in the miraculous Victory would
be forgotten. Therefore, he created a symbol of his role in the war, and
placed it in Ofrah, his hometown. Obviously
Gideon did not intend for this ephod to lead to idolatry, but that was indeed
the end result. Israel strayed after it; and a great Chillul
HaShem was thereby created. A Jewish leader
acts neither for fame, nor fortune, nor for his name to be remembered
throughout the generations. These trivialities do not concern a Jewish
leader. He exists solely to do G-d s Will, to lead His People, to fight
His Battles, and to create Kiddush HaShem.
In a way, Gideon s desire to be
remembered for Posterity is, in itself, a form of idolatry, in that it caused
the nation to relapse and again credit him for the Victory over Midian, which
adulation led them to venerate and eventually worship the post-war symbol of
that Victory, the golden ephod -- instead of remaining faithful to G-d. And,
although when Scripture refers to Israel as having strayed it is usually in
reference to idolatry, perhaps in this case it is also an allusion to the
straying after Gideon inherent in giving him credit for the Victory alongside
G-d. In any case, Gideon s personal lust to be remembered became a snare for
him and his household. As we will see, G-d punished Gideon -- measure for
measure -- for this great Sin.
[A small clarification should be
made regarding the mention of Ishmaelites in Judges 8:24. Scripture sometimes
refers to Midianites as Ishmaelites, as a result of their being half-brothers.
See Genesis 16:16 and Genesis 25:1-2 for the familial relationship between
Ishmael and Midian.]
GIDEON S FINAL DAYS
Thus
Midian was subdued before the Children of Israel, and they did not continue to
raise their head; and the Land was tranquil for 40 years in the days of Gideon.
Jerubaal, son of Yoash,
went and settled in his home. Gideon had 70 sons emerging from his loins, for
he had many wives. His concubine, who was in Shechem, also bore him a son
and he called his name Abimelech. Gideon, son of Yoash,
died at a good old age, and he was buried by the grave of Yoash,
his father, in Ofrah, of the Abiezrites. It happened
when Gideon died that the Children of Israel once again went astray after the Baalim, and they set Baal-berith
as a god for themselves. The Children of
Scripture informs us that Midian did
not even dare raise its head against
CLOSING
Gideon, son of Yoash,
was one of the greatest men to ever lead
© Jesse Rosenblit