{"id":55617,"date":"2018-07-09T17:42:49","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T14:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-225\/"},"modified":"2022-12-15T08:36:49","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T06:36:49","slug":"wall-225","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-225\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Prophets-Judges-14"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"225","date":"20260709","book":"Judges","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"225","books_group":"Prophets","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"55651","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"Judges Chapter 14 - Read by Jonathan Roumie ","post_title":"Judges Chapter 14 - Read by Jonathan Roumie","slug":"judges-chapter-14-read-by-jonathan-roumie","old_id":"55651","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"225","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"JPS Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"Judges 14","tile_main_caption_size":"2","tile_sub_caption":"read by Jonathan Roumie","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/JPS_Audio_Bible_Judges_Chapter_14_read_by_Jonathan_Roumie","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Judges","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"225","date":"20260709","wall_id":"225"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"110052","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"Samson The Weakling ","post_title":"Samson The Weakling","slug":"samson-the-weakling","old_id":"110052","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":92960,"post_title":"Calev Ben-Dor","slug":"calev-ben-dor","old_id":"92960","first_name":"Calev ","last_name":"Ben-Dor ","description":"Having grown up in London, Calev Ben-Dor now lives in Jerusalem with his family. He writes and teaches about Israel and Judaism and is involved in a Whatsapp facilitated 929 learning group with members from across the world.","short_description":"Calev Ben-Dor lives in Jerusalem and writes and teaches about Israel and Judaism.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":92962,"alt":"","title":"calev ben dor","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/calev-ben-dor-1.jpg","width":428,"height":414,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/calev-ben-dor-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/calev-ben-dor-1-300x290.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":290,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/calev-ben-dor-1.jpg","medium_large-width":428,"medium_large-height":414,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/calev-ben-dor-1.jpg","large-width":428,"large-height":414,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/calev-ben-dor-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":428,"1536x1536-height":414,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/calev-ben-dor-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":428,"2048x2048-height":414,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/calev-ben-dor-1.jpg","post_full_size-width":428,"post_full_size-height":414,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/calev-ben-dor-1.jpg","home_baner-width":428,"home_baner-height":414}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"225","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Contemporary Israel in light of the Samson cycle\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

Vladimir Jabotinsky (1898-1940), the leader of the Revisionist Movement, used the story of Samson as a foil to show how to shake off foreign occupation. For Jabotinsky, the Israelites have been robbed of \u201ctheir land, their speech, their customs, their art, their gods, and finally even of the will to live their lives in their own way.\u201d He reads Samson\u2019s farewell message as\u00a0 including two instructions. The first is to get iron: \u201cThey must give everything they have for iron\u2014their silver and wheat, oil and wine and flocks, even their wives and daughters. All for iron! There is nothing in the world more valuable than iron.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

While Jabotinsky\u2019s comment about iron seems strange, Chapter 13 of Samuel shows that under Philistine rule \u201cNo smith was to be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines were afraid that the Hebrews would make swords or spears.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The second instruction is to crown a king. \u201cA man who will give them the signal and of a sudden, thousands will lift up their hands. So it is with the Philistines, and therefore the Philistines are lords of Canaan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

For Jabotinsky, if the Israelites want political independence, they need technological prowess and some sort of centralized unified leadership.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n

Eight years after Jabotinsky\u2019s death, the Jewish people regained independence. Following the 6-Day War, the country becomes a regional superpower and they are faced with the challenge of sovereignty. Yet its feelings of fragility remain. Levi Eshkol, then Israel\u2019s Prime Minister, would describe the country, as <\/span>Shimshon der nebech-diker<\/span><\/em>,\u201d \u2018Samson the weakling.\u2019 Despite the Jewish state\u2019s military power, there remained a deep sense of insecurity.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

That insecurity is also touched upon by author David Grossman, who in a psychological reading of Samson, comments on the difference between his physical strength and his seeming emotional weakness: \u201cTo this may be added the well known Israeli feeling in the face of any threat that comes along, that the country\u2019s security is crumbling \u2013 a feeling that also exists in the case of Samson, who in certain situations seems to shatter into pieces, his strength vanishing in the blink of an eye. This kind of collapse, however, does not reflect one\u2019s actual strength, and often carries in its wake an overblown display of force further complicating the situation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

All of this attests, Grossman writes \u201cto a rather feeble sense of ownership of the power that has been attained, and of course, to a deep existential insecurity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

For Grossman, Israel\u2019s feelings of insecurity are not only connected to the very real dangers it faces \u201cbut also to the tragic formative experience of being a stranger in the world, in the Jewish sense of not being \u2018a nation like other nations\u2019, and of the State of Israel as a country whose very existence is conditional, whose future is in doubt and steeped in jeopardy\u2026a feeling that all the nuclear bombs that Israel developed \u2013 in a program once known as the Samson option \u2013 cannot eradicate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"225","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The Israelites, just like Samson, keep making the same mistake over and over again\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

Chapter 14 foreshadows the story of Delilah in chapter 16. Samson has secrets: here it is his riddle, there it is the source of his strength. His love interest is pushed to reveal the secrets by the Philistines: here his bride-to-be is threatened by the Philistines at the party, where Delilah is bribed to obtain the information. Both times his love interest pesters him to reveal the secret. Both times he gives in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Why does the text repeat such similar stories? If we look at the story of Samson as a parallel to the Israelites at the time, then the answer becomes clearer. The book of Judges is all about repeatedly falling back into bad patterns. The Israelites, just like Samson, keep making the same mistake over and over again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

As to the riddle itself, it should be impossible to answer because it is based on an incident that only he witnessed. What is the symbolism behind the lion and honey? Lions are associated with the tribe of Judah. However, Dan, Samson\u2019s tribe, is described as a lion by Moses, \u201cDan is a lion\u2019s cub, springing out of Bashan\u201d (Deut. 33:22). Samson is the strong lion waiting to attack. The honey could be symbolic of Samson\u2019s first wife and later Delilah. Samson eating the honey is symbolic of him getting stuck by these two women.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

It could also reference the next chapter, when Samson hides out in the tribe of Judah as a result of the trouble he causes with the Philistines. Samson is the honey in this reading providing a \u201csweet surprise\u201d for the Philistines who surround Judah. In I Sam. 17, David will tell Saul about defeating a bear and lion to show he has the strength to defeat Goliath. Using this analogy, the lion could be symbolic of the Philistines. Instead of running away, Samson faces down the lion and defeats it. After defeating the lion, sweet honey appears in its place. If Samson can defeat the Philistines, then the Israelites will be able to have a sweet existence in the land once again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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A native of Melbourne, Australia, she comes to the rabbinate with a PhD from the University of London in 2011. 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Yellow is a vibrant, happy color. A golden ray of sun. Twinkling stars in the night sky. A delicate daffodil, blooming bright yellow during a gloomy spring. Fluffy baby chicks, their blonde feathers soft as a baby blanket. A brightness that shines through even on a grey and rainy day. A glimmer of hope, of strength, of power.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The sun\u2019s rays give light, but they also burn. Power is not something to be taken lightly. In the Book of Judges we meet Samson, a man of unimaginable strength \u2013 a gift which turns out to be both his power and his downfall. Samson is so strong that he slays a lion with his bare hands (14:6). And this is where the story takes a strange turn. He returns to see \u2018that a swarm of bees was in the body of the lion, with honey\u2019 (14:8). It is an odd and disturbing visual image, one that biblical historians agree seems unlikely to have ever taken place. But this literary device spurs the plot forward, showing us how Samson\u2019s superhuman power shapes his actions and behavior.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A riddle is a mystifying question or statement that requires out of the box thinking to solve it. It is not a genre normally associated with the Hebrew Bible. Yet Samson, who married a Philistine woman against his parents\u2019 wishes, presents us with a puzzling and beguiling example. For reasons unclear from the text itself, Samson poses a riddle to thirty Philistines, perhaps guests at the wedding or relatives of his wife, wagering it on thirty items of clothing. Samson tells them that: \u2018From the eater came forth food, and from the strong came forth sweetness\u2019 (14:14). Unsurprisingly, the Philistines \u2013 who were not familiar with the lion and honey story \u2013 could not solve it. But Samson shares the solution with his wife, who explains to the Philistines: \u2018What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion\u2019 (14:18). The riddle refers to the bees in the lion\u2019s carcass: honey is the sweet food, and the lion is the strong eater.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Shimshon \u2013 Hebrew for Samson \u2013 comes from the Hebrew word for sun, <\/span>shemesh<\/span><\/em>. The sun\u2019s rays can both warm and kill. Samson\u2019s superhuman power enables him to settle the bet by slaying thirty men for their clothing. The color yellow shines through this story like a sunbeam: the defenseless lion, its yellow fur the same shade as a baby chick\u2019s, the black and yellow striped bees who create golden honey after the lion\u2019s death. Something strong can create something sweet. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

But, like the sun\u2019s rays, Samson\u2019s story teaches that power is a dangerous force unless used wisely.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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That boy, named Samson, grew into a lad<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>He saw a girl in Timnah: \u201cHer I choose<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>To wed. Mom, Dad go get her,\u201d said the cad.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>His parents sighed: \u201cBut Jews should marry Jews!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\r\n

A lion roared at Samson, and he seized<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>And tore the beast to shreds. He then came back<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>To find the carcass full of honey, bees \u2013<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>\u201cHere mom and dad,\u201d he said. \u201cCome have a snack.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Then Samson made a feast and told a riddle<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>His thirty friends could not figure it out<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>They asked his wife to coax him just a little<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>She said, \u201cWhy won\u2019t you tell me? You\u2019re a lout.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\r\n

His wife said, \u201cWith my husband up I\u2019m fed.\u201d<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>She married one of Samson\u2019s friends instead.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

image: Rembrandt van Rijn, \"The Wedding Feast of Samson\" 1638\u00a0 \/ wikimedia<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":55978,"alt":"","title":"jud14-wedding","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding.jpg","width":1024,"height":727,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-300x213.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":213,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-768x545.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":545,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-1024x727.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":727,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":727,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding.jpg","2048x2048-width":1024,"2048x2048-height":727,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding.jpg","post_full_size-width":1024,"post_full_size-height":727,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-592x420.jpg","home_baner-width":592,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Samson Sonnet Sequence II","tile_main_caption":"The Wedding","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Then Samson made a feast and told a riddle \/ His thirty friends could not figure it out","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":55978,"alt":"","title":"jud14-wedding","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding.jpg","width":1024,"height":727,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-300x213.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":213,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-768x545.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":545,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-1024x727.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":727,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":727,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding.jpg","2048x2048-width":1024,"2048x2048-height":727,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding.jpg","post_full_size-width":1024,"post_full_size-height":727,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-wedding-592x420.jpg","home_baner-width":592,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Judges","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"225","date":"20260709","wall_id":"225"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"362","name":"Poetry","old_id":"762"},{"term_id":"522","name":"Marriage","old_id":"922"},{"term_id":"878","name":"Samson;","old_id":"1278"}]},{"order":6,"id":"56006","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Samson The Nice Jewish Boy? ","post_title":"Samson The Nice Jewish Boy?","slug":"samson-the-nice-jewish-boy","old_id":"56006","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":54871,"post_title":"Hannah Vorchheimer","slug":"hannah-vorchheimer","old_id":"54871","first_name":"Hannah ","last_name":"Vorchheimer ","description":"Hannah Vorchheimer is a senior at SAR High School. After spending her gap year in Migdal Oz, she will attend Barnard College. ","short_description":"Hannah Vorchheimer is a senior at SAR High School. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":54991,"alt":"","title":"Hannah Vorchheimer","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Hannah-Vorchheimer.jpeg","width":480,"height":480,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Hannah-Vorchheimer-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Hannah-Vorchheimer-300x300.jpeg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Hannah-Vorchheimer.jpeg","medium_large-width":480,"medium_large-height":480,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Hannah-Vorchheimer.jpeg","large-width":480,"large-height":480,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Hannah-Vorchheimer.jpeg","1536x1536-width":480,"1536x1536-height":480,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Hannah-Vorchheimer.jpeg","2048x2048-width":480,"2048x2048-height":480,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Hannah-Vorchheimer.jpeg","post_full_size-width":480,"post_full_size-height":480,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Hannah-Vorchheimer-420x420.jpeg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"225","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And what about that complicated relationship with Mom and Dad?","post_main_content_content":"

Upon Samson\u2019s return from Timnah, he requested his parents\u2019 approval of his marriage to a Philistine woman. Like many modern Jewish parents, Samson\u2019s parents wanted him to find a nice Jewish woman for him to settle down with, so they try to dissuade him and ask if perhaps there is an Israelite woman, someone within the nation, he would marry. However, Samson refuses the offer and his parents ultimately acquiesce to his marriage to an outsider.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This strange episode invites the question: what does this exchange reveal about Samson\u2019s relationship with his parents? There seems to be some indicators of a strange relationship. Looking back on the beginning of Samson\u2019s story, there are other details that give us hints about the odd nature of this relationship. Even though Samson\u2019s mother was barren and struggled with having a child, his parents never prayed to God to ease their difficulty and give them a child. Usually, when a child who will one day become a great leader is born, they are given a name, and accompanying this is an explanation on the significance of the name, often invoking some type of gratitude to God. However, Samson\u2019s mother simply names him without any explanation or demonstration of thanks to God for bestowing upon them the gift of a child. This naming represents the forming of an intimate connection with the child and even with God. It is the start of a life where the parents and God work together to favorably influence a child, and guide them to the right path. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

The lack of this first connection with Samson\u2019s parents indicates that something is missing from the outset. In addition, no mention of Samson\u2019s formative years, growing up as a child in his parents\u2019 home is recorded. (The text goes directly from his birth story to him preparing to marry). Perhaps this suggests that what he learned in his parents\u2019 home during those years was unimportant to him or his mission. Since Samson\u2019s relationship with his parents began on a bad note, this will further develop into the complicated relationship present in this chapter.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Perhaps Samson\u2019s parents want to re-spark this missed connection by ensuring the building of a \u201cgood Jewish home\u201d and through his marriage, the image of a leader\u2019s family could be preserved.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: Jan II Collaert, \"Mater Sampsonis<\/em>.\" Engraving after Maarten de Vos, c. 1590-95. Plate 10 from a set of Celebrated Women of the Old Testament. <\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":56007,"alt":"","title":"jud14-samsons mother","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","width":384,"height":655,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother-176x300.jpg","medium-width":176,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","medium_large-width":384,"medium_large-height":655,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","large-width":384,"large-height":655,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","1536x1536-width":384,"1536x1536-height":655,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","2048x2048-width":384,"2048x2048-height":655,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","post_full_size-width":384,"post_full_size-height":655,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother-246x420.jpg","home_baner-width":246,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Samson The Nice Jewish Boy?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"And what about that complicated relationship with Mom and Dad?","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":56007,"alt":"","title":"jud14-samsons mother","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","width":384,"height":655,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother-176x300.jpg","medium-width":176,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","medium_large-width":384,"medium_large-height":655,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","large-width":384,"large-height":655,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","1536x1536-width":384,"1536x1536-height":655,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","2048x2048-width":384,"2048x2048-height":655,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother.jpg","post_full_size-width":384,"post_full_size-height":655,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud14-samsons-mother-246x420.jpg","home_baner-width":246,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Judges","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"225","date":"20260709","wall_id":"225"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"428","name":"Parent","old_id":"828"},{"term_id":"522","name":"Marriage","old_id":"922"},{"term_id":"604","name":"Mothers","old_id":"1004"},{"term_id":"878","name":"Samson;","old_id":"1278"}]},{"order":7,"id":"55986","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Samson\u2019s Riddle in Halakhah ","post_title":"Samson\u2019s Riddle In Halakhah","slug":"samsons-riddle-in-halakhah","old_id":"55986","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34243,"post_title":"Moshe Sokolow","slug":"moshe-sokolow","old_id":"34243","first_name":"Moshe","last_name":"Sokolow","description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University, and teaches a weekly class in parashat hashavu`a at Lincoln Square Synagogue. 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Samson, known in rabbinic literature as Samson the Hero (<\/span>ha-gibbor<\/span><\/em>), was renowned for his extraordinary strength. It appears from the text of our chapter that he was quite a wit, too.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

At his wedding party, Samson challenged his Philistine comrades with the following riddle, whose solution would earn them thirty linen cloaks and thirty changes of clothing: \u201cOut of the eater came food and out of the bold came sweet\u201d (v.14). Not surprisingly, they were unable to solve the riddle, because it was specific to a circumstance known only to Samson (slaying a lion and eating honey from its carcass, 6-8). In desperation to win, they coerced Samson\u2019s wife to coax the answer from him (15 ff.), and he gave them thirty changes of clothing that he had taken off an equal number of dead Philistines (19).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Samson\u2019s wager is cited occasionally in halakhic literature as a precedent for settling wagers that involve an element of chicanery. Here is one contemporary example, courtesy of <\/span>Hashukei Hemed<\/span><\/em>, a talmudic commentary (on Baba Metzia 73b) by R. Yitzchak Zylberstein of Bnei Brak (1935-).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Offering a prize of $100, a teacher challenged his students to count how many times Rashi, in his Talmud commentary, says \u201cI do not know.\u201d One student came back with the correct answer, having looked it up on a computerized database. Does the teacher owe him the money?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In explaining that a specious wager does not need to be honored, Rabbi Zylberstein cited the case of Samson\u2019s riddle, pointing out that since Samson\u2019s friends resorted to a trick to answer it, he paid them only half of what he promised: thirty changes of clothing but not the thirty linen cloaks.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

He ruled that, in practice, the teacher does not have to pay the money because (a) such a wager is akin to gambling, and (b) the student should have understood that the teacher expected them to answer without resort to outside help.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: James Jacques Joseph Tissot, \"Samson Puts Forth a Riddle<\/em>,\" c. 1896-1902, The Jewish Museum, gift of the heirs of Jacob Schiff<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":55988,"alt":"","title":"Samson Puts Forth a 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14:5 \u201cAnd Samson went down, and his father and his mother with him, to Timnah, and they came as far as the vineyards of Timnah, and, look, a young lion came roaring at him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The shift of perspective marked by \u201clook\u201d is of course to Samson\u2019s viewpoint. At this moment, though he has been accompanied by his parents, he is clearly separated from them, and they do not witness the killing of the lion. Ehrlich proposes that Samson, as an energetic young man, has bounded far ahead of his parents, who are walking slowly on the path to Timnah.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

From: Robert Alter, <\/span>The Hebrew Bible, <\/span><\/i>vol. 2: Prophets, W. W. 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\u201cFinding a Man at the Well: Repetitive Scenes in Tanach\u201d<\/span><\/a> by Rivkah Carl: See how the same scene recurs across the Bible. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cShimshon: Rebel With a Cause\u201d<\/span><\/a> by Jessica Lissy Trey: What is the value of rebellion?<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Go deeper into the chapter....","tile_main_caption":"Sefaria Source Sheets - Judges 14","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Click to get links to learning resources","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":42232,"alt":"","title":"sefaria-words-sunburst","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","width":608,"height":395,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-300x195.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":195,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","medium_large-width":608,"medium_large-height":395,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","large-width":608,"large-height":395,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","1536x1536-width":608,"1536x1536-height":395,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","2048x2048-width":608,"2048x2048-height":395,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","post_full_size-width":608,"post_full_size-height":395,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","home_baner-width":608,"home_baner-height":395}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"Sefaria word sunburst visualization","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Judges","chapter":"14","chapter_main_number":"225","date":"20260709","wall_id":"225"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":13,"id":"55982","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Points to Ponder - Judges 14 ","post_title":"Points to Ponder - Judges 14","slug":"points-to-ponder-judges-14","old_id":"55982","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":38102,"post_title":"929-English","slug":"929-english","old_id":"38102","first_name":"","last_name":"929-English","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":38333,"alt":"","title":"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","width":1513,"height":860,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-300x171.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":171,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-768x437.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":437,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-1024x582.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":582,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","1536x1536-width":1513,"1536x1536-height":860,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","2048x2048-width":1513,"2048x2048-height":860,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-1200x682.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":682,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-739x420.png","home_baner-width":739,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"225","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"

    \r\n\t
  1. Animal magnetism<\/span><\/i>. Samson displays double bravery: he rips apart the lion that attacks him \u201cas one would a goat\u201d (verse 6), and he takes the honey with no fear of the angry bees (verse 8).<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  2. 30 companions<\/span>. Who are these guys? Some nice Philistine youths come to celebrate? Or is it as the Septuagint has it, in verse 11, not that they came when the family saw Samson (<\/span>kir\u2019otam<\/span>), but that they were enlisted as a response to their fear (<\/span>byir\u2019otam<\/span>), to keep an eye on Samson, just to be sure...<\/span><\/i><\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Quite a riddle<\/span><\/i>! Is it even possible to solve the riddle without the context of the lion and the honey? The young men didn\u2019t succeed, though there are commentators woh do think it is possible. Either way, a lovely phrase in Hebrew comes from this episode: <\/span>me-\u2019az yatza matok<\/span><\/i>, \u201cfrom strength comes sweetness.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  4. History will repeat itself<\/span><\/i>. Remember the following details: a Philistine woman, national loyalty, emotional blackmail, until he can\u2019t take it anymore, and then giving in...<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  5. The source of strength<\/span><\/i>. \u201cThe spirit of the LORD gripped him\u201d both when he overcame the lion, and when he killed the Ashkelonians.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

     <\/p>\r\n

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