{"id":54527,"date":"2019-04-30T12:42:39","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T09:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=54527"},"modified":"2022-11-22T17:51:17","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T15:51:17","slug":"what-we-have-here-is-a-failure-to-communicate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/what-we-have-here-is-a-failure-to-communicate\/","title":{"rendered":"What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[366,525,409,792,434],"acf":{"old_id":"54527","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34250,"related_cahpter":"209","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Whose fault was the narrowly averted civil war? And what should they have done differently?","content":"

Joshua 22 opens on a highly positive note, as Joshua commends the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half of Menashe, for having fulfilled their duty to their brothers and says they may now take up residence in their own territory on the eastern side of the Jordan River.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, what is their first act of note upon settling in their own land? They \u201cbuilt an altar there on the Jordan, an altar great to behold\u201d (v. 10).<\/span><\/p>\n

At that point in history, altars outside the Tabernacle were prohibited, and the rest of the nation immediately understands this one as an act of rebellion against God. Fearing collective punishment, they immediately prepare to go to battle against their rebellious brothers.<\/span><\/p>\n

As it turns out, however, the altar was intended <\/span>only<\/em> <\/span>to be \u201cgreat to behold\u201d \u2013 not for sacrificial use, but as a monument. Ironically, the structure which seemed to be a statement of separation was actually built for the opposite purpose: as a visual reminder to future generations that the physical distance between them should never imply a division in their connection to God and His service.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whose fault was this near civil war?<\/span><\/p>\n

As in most misunderstandings, both sides shared the blame.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Chomat Anach<\/span><\/em> suggests those on the east side should have revealed their positive intent to Joshua from the beginning, clarifying their loyalty to God and His Torah. It was their own fault that the others suspected them, since they did something highly suspicious with no warning or explanation.<\/span><\/p>\n

But those on the west side could have behaved differently, too. When they heard of that suspicious action, Malbim points out that they just heard and assumed; they didn\u2019t judge \u201c<\/span>l\u2019chaf zechut<\/span><\/em>,\u201d give them the benefit of the doubt, but relied on the rumors that judged their brothers as guilty. What they <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span><\/em> do was <\/span>ask<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

How many misunderstandings could be avoided by simply asking a question? \u201cIt sounds like you just said X; is that what you meant?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, what saved the day was communication: the Israelites on the west side sent a message of condemnation, and those on the east explained their innocence.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the next time, before relying on our own interpretations of apparently divisive acts, perhaps we might remember to hold off on the battle cries, warnings, and condemnations \u2013 and simply ask. <\/span><\/p>\n

We might find that what looks like it divides us could ultimately unite us.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":54528,"id":54528,"title":"jo22-communicate","filename":"jo22-communicate.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/what-we-have-here-is-a-failure-to-communicate\/jo22-communicate\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jo22-communicate","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":54527,"date":"2019-04-30 09:42:28","modified":"2022-03-30 23:02:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1357,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-300x212.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":212,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-768x543.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":543,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-1024x724.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":724,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1086,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1357,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-1200x848.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":848,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-594x420.jpg","home_baner-width":594,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"Whose fault was the narrowly averted civil war? And what should they have done differently?","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":54528,"id":54528,"title":"jo22-communicate","filename":"jo22-communicate.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/what-we-have-here-is-a-failure-to-communicate\/jo22-communicate\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jo22-communicate","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":54527,"date":"2019-04-30 09:42:28","modified":"2022-03-30 23:02:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1357,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-300x212.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":212,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-768x543.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":543,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-1024x724.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":724,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1086,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1357,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-1200x848.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":848,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo22-communicate-594x420.jpg","home_baner-width":594,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54527"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54527"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109412,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54527\/revisions\/109412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}