{"id":56065,"date":"2018-07-09T17:42:49","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T14:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-226\/"},"modified":"2022-12-18T08:47:58","modified_gmt":"2022-12-18T06:47:58","slug":"wall-226","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-226\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Prophets-Judges-15"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"226","date":"20260712","book":"Judges","chapter":"15","chapter_main_number":"226","books_group":"Prophets","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"56068","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"Judges Chapter 15 - Read by Jonathan Roumie       ","post_title":"Judges Chapter 15 - Read by Jonathan Roumie","slug":"judges-chapter-15-read-by-jonathan-roumie","old_id":"56068","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":"226","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 15","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_15_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":"15","chapter_main_number":"226","date":"20260712","wall_id":"226"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"110076","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"Samson\u2019s Menagerie  ","post_title":"Samson\u2019s Menagerie","slug":"samsons-menagerie","old_id":"110076","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. 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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":"226","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Foxes - or is it jackals? - and donkeys...","post_main_content_content":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last chapter, Samson had the assistance of a lion and some bees. This chapter it\u2019s foxes and a donkey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foxes<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: In Rabbi Natan Slifkin\u2019s book, <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, he discusses the debate as to whether the \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shu\u2019al<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d in this chapter is a fox or a jackal. Foxes tend to be loner animals who run quickly. Jackals are pack animals that are not as fast. As such, some commentators believe that Samson captured jackals because it would have been easier to catch 300 of them. Jackals would also be more comfortable moving in packs. On the other hand, Samson has already done quite a few extraordinary things, so the idea of capturing 300 foxes is not out of the realm of possibility. Foxes are more likely to twist and run in circles trying to escape the fire. Other animals would run away from each other pulling the torches to the ground. The circuitous route of the foxes would help create maximum damage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donkey<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Why a jawbone of a donkey? This time, this may not be connected to symbolism of the donkey per se. Samson does not kill a donkey and rip out the jawbone. He simply finds a jawbone on the ground. This means the donkey must have been dead for quite some time. The last time donkeys appeared in the text was back during Gideon\u2019s time. Midianite and Amalekite armies would swarm the land during harvest season. The invaders would \u201cdestroy<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the produce of the land all the way to Gaza, and leave no means of sustenance in Israel, not a sheep or an ox or a donkey\u201d (6:4). 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","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36150,"alt":"","title":"Shai Secunda","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shai-Secunda-e1532842797599.jpg","width":1202,"height":1287,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shai-Secunda-e1532842797599-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shai-Secunda-e1532842797599-280x300.jpg","medium-width":280,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shai-Secunda-e1532842797599-768x822.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":822,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shai-Secunda-e1532842797599-956x1024.jpg","large-width":956,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shai-Secunda-e1532842797599.jpg","1536x1536-width":1202,"1536x1536-height":1287,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shai-Secunda-e1532842797599.jpg","2048x2048-width":1202,"2048x2048-height":1287,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shai-Secunda-e1532842797599-1121x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1121,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shai-Secunda-e1532842797599-392x420.jpg","home_baner-width":392,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"226","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"One of several scenes in Samson\u2019s life representing the proximity of life and death","post_main_content_content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Los Angeles Getty Museum hangs a portrait of Samson by the Dutch Golden Age painter, Salomon de Bray. The artist painted Samson holding a donkey\u2019s jawbone \u2013 his weapon of choice for killing a thousand Philistines in battle (Judges 15:15). While one might consider a jawbone a good prop for a portrait, this still seems like an odd way to represent Samson.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">De Bray was not the only artist who chose to paint Samson with a jawbone. Some artists even drew Samson drinking water spouting from a jaw. While art historians have explained that the motif of Samson and the jaw-fountain is based on a (problematic) Dutch Bible rendition of the subsequent scene, where Samson smashes water from a rock in a place call Lehi, meaning jaw, (Judges 15:19), this \u201cmistake\u201d actually draws attention to a key feature of Samson\u2019s career \u2013 the proximity of life and death symbolized by a jawbone \u2013 which helps brings the animal sustenance \u2013 repurposed as a weapon. As in the earlier episode where he extracts honey from the carcass of a lion that he killed with his bare hands (Judges 14:8-9), Samson combined two seemingly opposite actions \u2013 quenching and killing. In his final moments, he will bring life to the Israelites by killing himself and his Philistine oppressors. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: Salomon de Bray: <em>Samson with the Jawbone<\/em>, 1636 \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":56124,"alt":"","title":"jud15-salomon de bray","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","width":490,"height":600,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray-245x300.jpg","medium-width":245,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","medium_large-width":490,"medium_large-height":600,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","large-width":490,"large-height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","1536x1536-width":490,"1536x1536-height":600,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","2048x2048-width":490,"2048x2048-height":600,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","post_full_size-width":490,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray-343x420.jpg","home_baner-width":343,"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":"Quenching And Killing","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"One of several scenes in Samson\u2019s life representing the proximity of life and death","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":56124,"alt":"","title":"jud15-salomon de bray","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","width":490,"height":600,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray-245x300.jpg","medium-width":245,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","medium_large-width":490,"medium_large-height":600,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","large-width":490,"large-height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","1536x1536-width":490,"1536x1536-height":600,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","2048x2048-width":490,"2048x2048-height":600,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray.jpg","post_full_size-width":490,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-salomon-de-bray-343x420.jpg","home_baner-width":343,"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":"15","chapter_main_number":"226","date":"20260712","wall_id":"226"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"569","name":"Translation","old_id":"969"},{"term_id":"690","name":"Art","old_id":"1090"},{"term_id":"878","name":"Samson;","old_id":"1278"}]},{"order":4,"id":"56128","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"The One-Man Show      ","post_title":"The One-Man Show","slug":"the-one-man-show","old_id":"56128","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. 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The narrative closely details Samson\u2019s mission from his own perspective but the presence of the nation seems to be missing from all the action. After previous stories which are very \u201cnation-centric,\u201d why the sudden shift in perspective? What does this change demonstrate about Samson\u2019s leadership ability and the nation\u2019s response to him?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many other leaders seem to rally behind the people. They rally the people to fight alongside them in battle and also rely on the nation\u2019s support to sustain the leader while fighting. If the leader comes knocking at a door, that family is expected to give them bread, sustenance, and anything else requested to assist them in defeating the nation\u2019s greatest enemies. By interacting with the nation on a more personal level, they are able to bolster their own leadership and unify the nation in pursuit of a common goal. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While this behavior pattern seems to be established among leaders, Samson takes a very different approach to his leadership. He seems to be a one-man show, \u00a0barely relying on the nation to support his leadership. Samson not only does not interact with the nation, but also ventures deep into enemy territory alone to accomplish his mission of defeating the Philistines. Even though Samson was tasked with being a savior for the nation, it is clear that he does not value (or require) their contribution.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is both a leadership failure and a failure on the national level as well. This demonstrates the extent to which the nation has deteriorated, to arrive at such a point of disunity. They are unable even to try to get behind the savior that God sent them. In such an intense time of national discord, the leader should be the one to facilitate unification of the nation and the the people should also be willing to take initiative to rally behind their leader. It is a two-way mission but when both sides fall short, it will cause a further breakdown of the already weak system as the story develops further.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>image: Gustav Dore, 1866,\u00a0<em>Samson Destroys the Philistines with an Ass' Jawbone<\/em> \/ 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Flawed Leader     ","post_title":"A Flawed Leader","slug":"a-flawed-leader","old_id":"56141","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33992,"post_title":"Bradley Shavit Artson","slug":"rabbi-dr-bradley-shavit-artson","old_id":"33992","first_name":"Bradley Shavit ","last_name":"Artson","description":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles, and is professor of philosophy there. 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So many of the world\u2019s wisdom traditions present their heroes as perfect, indeed as divine. But the Tanakh goes out of its way to present the shortcomings, errors, deficits, and deficiencies of almost every biblical leader. The Rock from which we come may be perfect, but like all of God\u2019s creations, we humans are not.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And in that crew of flawed figures, one leader stands out as particularly deficient: the judge Samson. A brute of a man, he makes his way by raw force, imposed on his friends and loved ones, wreaking great damage to those around him and most intensely on his enemies. Yet, somehow, this flawed figure is the regular recipient of divine bounty and favor. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Chapter 15, that brutish behavior is manifest in his using 300 wild foxes to burn the fields of the Philistines, and at chapter\u2019s end, using the jawbone of an ass to decimate his Philistine attackers. So egotistical is he that his song of thanksgiving afterward takes all the credit for himself and doesn\u2019t even mention God at all: \u201cWith the jaw of an ass, mass upon mass! With the jaw of an ass I have slain a thousand men.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Violent, self-centered, a mess of urges and emotions and yearning. That\u2019s Samson.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And yet: when a group of men from the tribe of Judah come to tell him that due to his actions they are being terrorized by the ruling Philistines, he goes with them willingly, only asking them to promise that they won\u2019t themselves attack him. Apparently, even this brutish Samson retains loyalty to his own people: he won\u2019t fight his fellow Israelites.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an age of tribal resurgence, of groupthink and nationalist assertions of \u201cmy side right or wrong,\u201d and in an age of smothering internationalism that expects people to erase their particularism in favor of some false universalism, what are we to make of a man who holds on to his love of his own people, yet also asserts his rather startling idiosyncrasies and his need to live his own life as he sees fit?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Temples may tumble as a result of his choices, but Samson\u2019s complicated life complicates any simple answers or neat solutions. Life just doesn\u2019t work that way.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: Guido Reni, <em>Sansone Victorious<\/em> (1611-1612), Bologna, National Art Gallery.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":56142,"alt":"","title":"jud15-the-victorious-samson","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson.jpg","width":2024,"height":2522,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-241x300.jpg","medium-width":241,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-768x957.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":957,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-822x1024.jpg","large-width":822,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson.jpg","1536x1536-width":1233,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson.jpg","2048x2048-width":1644,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-963x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":963,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-337x420.jpg","home_baner-width":337,"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":"A Flawed Leader","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Violent, self-centered, a mess of urges and emotions: what can we learn from Samson?","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":56142,"alt":"","title":"jud15-the-victorious-samson","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson.jpg","width":2024,"height":2522,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-241x300.jpg","medium-width":241,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-768x957.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":957,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-822x1024.jpg","large-width":822,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson.jpg","1536x1536-width":1233,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson.jpg","2048x2048-width":1644,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-963x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":963,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud15-the-victorious-samson-337x420.jpg","home_baner-width":337,"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":"15","chapter_main_number":"226","date":"20260712","wall_id":"226"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"388","name":"Virtue","old_id":"788"},{"term_id":"770","name":"Perfection","old_id":"1170"},{"term_id":"878","name":"Samson;","old_id":"1278"}]},{"order":6,"id":"56131","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Samson: A Life Squandered     ","post_title":"Samson: A Life Squandered","slug":"samson-a-life-squandered","old_id":"56131","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":38322,"post_title":"James A. Diamond","slug":"james-a-diamond","old_id":"38322","first_name":"James ","last_name":"Diamond ","description":"Prof. James A. Diamond holds the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Waterloo. His most recent book is \u201cJewish Theology Unbound\u201d published by Oxford University Press. ","short_description":"Prof. James A. Diamond holds the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Waterloo.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":38323,"alt":"","title":"James Diamond","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/James-Diamond-e1534858914913.jpg","width":1186,"height":1386,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/James-Diamond-e1534858914913-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/James-Diamond-e1534858914913-257x300.jpg","medium-width":257,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/James-Diamond-e1534858914913-768x898.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":898,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/James-Diamond-e1534858914913-876x1024.jpg","large-width":876,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/James-Diamond-e1534858914913.jpg","1536x1536-width":1186,"1536x1536-height":1386,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/James-Diamond-e1534858914913.jpg","2048x2048-width":1186,"2048x2048-height":1386,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/James-Diamond-e1534858914913-1027x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1027,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/James-Diamond-e1534858914913-359x420.jpg","home_baner-width":359,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"226","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"His metaphorical blindness to the common good leads to real blindness and a bitter end","post_main_content_content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout Samson\u2019s repeated surges of extraordinary strength, he remains oblivious to what he is capable of achieving beyond his own self-interest. Politically his Israelite compatriots are subservient to foreign rule. They desperately need \u00a0a leader who will galvanize them to revolt. Samson of course would be the logical candidate yet what motivates every one of his explosive eruptions of brute force are personal vendettas. There is also a striking moment of lost opportunity on a national scale that exposes a communal consciousness just as politically oblivious as Samson\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Philistines prepare to launch a military assault at Lehi against the Israelite tribes, issuing an ultimatum for the surrender of Samson (15:9-10). The Israelites capitulate immediately, confronting Samson with an abject acceptance of enemy sovereignty, \u201cDon\u2019t you know that the Philistines rule over us? Why have you done this to us?\u201d (11) The Bible reports that <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">three thousand Judean men<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> voice this <em>j<\/em><\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019accuse<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> against Samson. In other words, there on the front facing the Philistines is a formidable force who fail to see the invincible weapon standing before them in the person of Samson. He has proven himself capable of killing scores of enemy soldiers in one fell swoop as he in fact goes on to do. Rather than meek submission to the enemy demands, they could have turned to Samson for leadership to overthrow the Philistines.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Samson, too, failed to see the \u2018army\u2019 he could have led to national liberation staring him in the face. Instead he responds once again with the far pettier goals of revenge that consume him. His concern is solely for what was done to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">him<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201cas they have done to me so I did to them.\u201d (11) What is particularly insidious about Samson\u2019s indifference to his people\u2019s plight is that his response precisely echoes the stated Philistine aim for Samson\u2019s capture, \u201cwe have come to take Samson prisoner and <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to do to him as he has done to us<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d (10) The literary assonance of the two pronouncements is telling. \u00a0Consistent with his initial abandonment of his own family and people to marry and live in the very heart of the enemy\u2019s territory, Samson has assimilated their ideology as well!<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Samson continually reacts against personal harm without any concern for the greater good. Even with his dying breath, he expresses his yearning for the strength to bring down the pagan temple as \u201c<\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">revenge<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> against the Philistines, <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">if only for one of my two eyes<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d (16:28) The record of <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">three thousand men and women<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Philistines savoring Samson\u2019s tortuous humiliation conjures the opportunity he missed when faced with the possibilities raised by a gathering of three thousand of his own people.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Samson is memorialized by the dismal epitaph \u201cthose who were killed by him when he died outnumbered those he killed when he lived.\u201d (16:30) Unbridled fury, driven by no greater concerns than the self, lacks the focus and aim necessary to achieve any lasting strategic outcomes. It culminates in the purposeless statistics of random death.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Continuing to parrot the Philistine mantra of vengeance, Samson\u2019s final words \u201cLet me die with the Philistines,\u201d (30) resonate more with his affinity for the Philistine corrupt culture than what many interpret as some noble sentiment of self-sacrifice. Samson\u2019s metaphorical blindness to his potential for the betterment of his people unfortunately carries through to his literal blindness at his end.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: Lovis Corinth, <em>The Blinded Samson<\/em>, 1912 \/ Google Art Project<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":56132,"alt":"","title":"jud15-blind 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A Life Squandered","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"His metaphorical blindness to the common good leads to real blindness and a bitter end","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":56132,"alt":"","title":"jud15-blind 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Massacre       ","post_title":"Samson's Massacre","slug":"samsons-massacre","old_id":"56120","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":39523,"post_title":"Ilana Kurshan","slug":"ilana-kurshan","old_id":"39523","first_name":"Ilana ","last_name":"Kurshan ","description":"Ilana Kurshan is the author of If All the Seas Were Ink, winner of the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature.","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":39524,"alt":"","title":"ilana kurshan","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ilana-kurshan-e1536180264919.jpg","width":652,"height":715,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ilana-kurshan-e1536180264919-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ilana-kurshan-e1536180264919-274x300.jpg","medium-width":274,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ilana-kurshan-768x679.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":679,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ilana-kurshan-1024x905.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":905,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ilana-kurshan-e1536180264919.jpg","1536x1536-width":652,"1536x1536-height":715,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ilana-kurshan-e1536180264919.jpg","2048x2048-width":652,"2048x2048-height":715,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ilana-kurshan-e1536180264919.jpg","post_full_size-width":652,"post_full_size-height":715,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ilana-kurshan-e1536180264919-383x420.jpg","home_baner-width":383,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"226","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Samson, he had might and he had sass \/ He killed a thousand men with jawbone of an ass","post_main_content_content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Samson later went to see his wife<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her father said, \u201cNo! You fill me with ire.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So Samson said, \u201cI\u2019ll show those men some strife\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He set three hundred torched fox tails on fire. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Philistines burned Samson\u2019s wife and dad-<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In-law. He beat them back, fled to a cave.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Philistines took camp in Judah\u2019s pad:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019re taking Samson. He will not be saved.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The men of Judah bound and turned him in<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Samson, he had might and he had sass.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He tore the ropes like flax right off his skin,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then killed a thousand men with jawbone of an ass. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBy God I\u2019m thirsty,\u201d angry Samson said.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God split a rock. For twenty years he led.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>image:\u00a0\u00a0Marble sculpture by Giambologna from about 1560 at\u00a0Victoria and Albert 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Despite being tied up with two new ropes (v.13), he freed himself \u201cas though they were like flax that had been burned by fire\u201d and did it so handily that his restraints gave the appearance of \u201cmelting\u201d off his hands (14). That being the case, it is curious that when he was first approached by the Judeans to turn himself in to the Philistines, he administered an oath to them that \u201cyou will not attack me yourselves\u201d (12). Why would he fear a Judean attack and not a Philistine one?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer to this perplexity provides an important insight into Samson\u2019s conduct, which appears to have been dependent entirely upon the immediate will of God. 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Once again, Samson accomplishes his actions with animals: this time, foxes, and a fresh jaw bone.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full refund or replacement guaranteed.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Or: don\u2019t get angry, we\u2019ve got another bride in stock: \u201c'I was sure,' said her father, 'that you had taken a dislike to her, so I gave her to your wedding companion. But her younger sister is more beautiful than she; let her become your wife instead'\u201d (verse 2).<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Savior or instigator<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? Does Samson, who wreaks vengeance, and hits the Philistines hard, help his people - or the opposite? 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