Judges · Chapter 10

"Son of Dodo." That is his [actual] name:

To save Israel. For even Abimelech saved Israel, and although it is not explicitly stated, since it says “after Abimelech,” it appears that he too saved Israel from the hands of their enemies. And if it were not so, it would not have said “after,” nor would he have been counted among the Judges of Israel, nor would it have been said of him, “and he ruled over Israel.” Tola, son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar. This is his name. And so in some manuscripts, per its Targum: "Bar Dodo" [son of his uncle]. And in some manuscripts [it reads]: "Bar Ach Avohi" [son of his father's brother]. If so, it means to say: [Puah was] a cousin of Abimelech.

Dodo. A person's name:

"To save Israel. For Abimelech did not save them; he merely ruled over them." "Ben-Dodo." This was his [Dodo's] name. And the Radak writes that there are commentators who explain [it as meaning that Tola was] the cousin of Abimelech, [i.e.,] the son of his [Abimelech's] father's brother; see there. But how then could he have been a man of Issachar?!

"And he died." In the midst of the twenty-third year, and that year was counted for both him and for Jair who judged after him, so it is written in Seder Olam (Chapter 12):

"Colts." (Targum:) "olin" — young, choice horses: "And thirty towns for them." And thirty cities without walls for them; therefore they are called "ayarim," a term for "villages" (ayarot):

"And thirty ayarim [towns] were theirs." Like the word "arim" (cities), and one sees in it the ayin of the root, to pair it with "ayarim" (young donkeys) that he mentioned, which is a different matter. And this is a stylistic device in this account, to convey the reason for his being a judge, for he was great and honored in wealth, in sons, and in honor, and each of his sons was honored, riding on a donkey-colt (עיר אתון). And "ha'ir" is the young donkey, as in "binding his donkey to the vine, his colt" (עירה) [Genesis 49:11], and "a colt, the foal of a donkey" (עיר בן אתונות) [Zechariah 9:9]. Perhaps these are the choice ones in those lands for riding. And it is also possible that aged horses are also called "ayarim," for we find, besides the donkey, also "a wild ass" (עיר פרא); and it is possible that this is because the pere is a wild donkey. "Havvot Yair." If these are the ones mentioned in the Torah, and this Yair is Yair son of Manasseh, the matter is astonishing, for if so, Yair would have lived more than three hundred years. And we may say that this Yair the Gileadite is not Yair son of Manasseh, and these towns, therefore, are not the Havvot Yair written of in the Torah.

"And thirty cities were theirs." The matter is repeated in varying contexts for the sake of eloquence, and it is like "cities," as it states regarding them: "they are called Havvoth-jair." However, the benefits derived from this narrative are these. The first is to inform that it is not fitting for a person to neglect rescue because of the great lowliness of his hand and his subjugation before the enemy; rather, it is fitting that he be wise in this matter according to what is possible. For this reason, it is recounted that when Israel saw that Midian continually came to plunder and destroy them, they devised stratagems to escape this, according to what was possible. Therefore, they made tunnels in the mountains, caves, and fortresses, for in these their rescue would be accomplished, as we have explained. The second is to inform of the intensity of God’s providence over Israel because of His covenant with the Patriarchs. It is that immediately when Israel returned to Him, He sent His prophet to save them by the hand of Gideon, and drew his heart to this in this wonderful manner described in this narrative. All of this is for the strength of providence over Israel. It appears that the Lord chose that the salvation be through Gideon for two reasons. The first is that perhaps he was the most worthy for this deed, for he was a warrior of might, and it was also more fitting that the miracle be performed through him than through any other of Israel at that time. The second is that it appears that the evil which Israel had done had its root in the house of Joash, his father, for there was Baal, the altar of Baal, and the Asherah, and there was a bull consecrated to idolatry for seven years. Therefore, it is possible that Joash began this error, and the house of Israel followed after him. Therefore, it was fitting that the destruction of the altar of Baal and the cutting down of the Asherah precede the saving of Israel from the evil into which they had fallen because of this rebellion. And this was something that could be accomplished easily through Gideon, to eradicate the evil from among them before their engagement with Midian. The third is to inform of the matter of the miracles which God performed through His prophet, for through their belief in them, the Torah principles will be established, as I have explained in the Book of the Wars of the Lord and in our commentary on the words of the Torah. For this reason, it is mentioned that the fire went up from the rock by way of a miracle and consumed the flesh and the unleavened bread, and that the Spirit of the Lord, the angel, rose up to a place unknown until he went out of Gideon’s sight. The fourth is to inform that when an evil thing is prolonged from another thing, it is fitting to recognize that thing before one strives to remove the evil that is prolonged from it. For this reason, it is recounted that God commanded to destroy the altar of Baal and to cut down the Asherah that was upon it, and to slaughter the bull that was consecrated to idolatry in order to burn it. However, one who strives for this benefit in any other manner is like one who wishes to immerse himself because of the impurity of a creeping thing while the creeping thing is in his hand, for in this he will not be purified from his impurity at all. The fifth is to inform that it is fitting for one who is obligated to perform a deed to strive to perform it in a manner that makes it possible for him to do so easily. For this reason, it is recounted that Gideon did not agree to perform this matter that was commanded to him during the day, even though it was more fitting, for sacrifices are not offered except during the day, and with this the matter would be more publicized and the dedication to God. However, he was prevented from this by his seeing that if he performed this matter during the day, all his father’s household and all the men of his city would prevent him from it, because of their being deeply immersed in this rebellion. Therefore, he agreed to perform this matter at night. The sixth is to inform that the dedication to God should be with ten men of Israel, to publicize the matter more. For this reason, it is mentioned that Gideon took ten men from his servants for the performance of this matter: the destruction of the altar of Baal, the cutting down of the Asherah, and the slaughter of the second bull. The seventh is to inform that one who wishes to prevent many people from a certain matter that is difficult for him, it is fitting that he strive with wisdom, appearing to agree with them in that which was the cause of their arousal to this deed that is difficult for him, and thereby it will be easy for him to find an excuse to prevent them from that deed. For this reason, we find with Reuben that he did not ask his brothers to leave Joseph and let him go, for he knew that his brothers would not listen to him. Rather, he asked them not to shed blood, but to put him in the pit, and there he would die of himself. And so did Joash in this place, to save his son from the hand of the people who sought to kill him. This is because he did not say to them that Baal has no divinity, for perhaps they would not listen to him. Rather, he admitted to them that he is a god, and therefore he commanded them not to contend on his behalf, for they would thereby diminish his excellence and power. And he prayed before them that Baal himself contend, since his altar was demolished. The eighth is to publicize the matter of the miracles mentioned concerning the dew descending only on the fleece of wool, while all the ground was dry, and concerning the dew descending on all the ground while the fleece was dry, as Gideon asked. For through this, the Torah principles are established, as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the belief in miracles. The ninth is to inform that it is fitting for one who begins a war with someone stronger than him to conduct his affairs with wisdom. That is to say, if it is not clarified to him that he will defeat his enemies, he should not surrender himself to danger. For this reason, you will see that Gideon asked for a sign that he would defeat his enemies before he permitted himself to fight them. And since there was some doubt in the first sign, he returned to ask for a second sign, as we have explained, even though with the multiplication of signs, the belief in the prophet is strengthened, as we have explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah regarding what it says, “And it shall be, if they will not believe the voice of the first sign...” For this reason also, God gave Gideon a third sign that he would already win the war, and it was the recounting of the dream and its interpretation that he heard in the camp of Midian. The tenth is to inform that it is fitting for those who fight not to mix with their warriors those who are unworthy, those who are worthy to be defeated, for when one of the warriors is defeated, cowardice will fall upon the remaining ones, and this will be a cause for them to fall into the hands of their enemies. For this reason, God commanded to remove from the men of war the wicked, the faint-hearted, and the weak. And from this another benefit resulted, which is that it would be publicized to Israel that their salvation was from God, not by their strength and the might of their hand, and this would be a cause for their belief in God to be strengthened. The eleventh is to inform that one who is aided by God in a certain matter should not, because of this, rely on a miracle and shorten himself from devising the causes that will bring him to that end. Do you not see that Gideon, although he was assured that he would defeat his enemies, strove to devise all the causes by which this could be accomplished for him with the small people that were with him? For this reason, he came upon them at night while they were immersed in sleep, and it was after a third of the night had passed, with three hundred trumpets. He arranged that the torches were not seen until they began to blow the strong, terrifying blasts, and immediately the jars were broken and the torches were seen. And this was a strong cause to greatly terrify and shake the men of the camp, even though they also heard a voice that terrified them greatly, and it was what they were saying, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” And this was a cause for each of them to think that his enemy was the man found next to him, and therefore the sword of each man was against his brother. The twelfth is to inform that it is fitting to rejoice in the good on a day of goodness, and therefore it is fitting to succeed and to do all that one can while he is succeeding, and not to shorten himself from this. For this reason, you will find that Gideon strove with alacrity on that night in such a way that the killing of all that was possible of the host of Midian was accomplished for him. For this reason, Gideon hastened to send messengers throughout all Mount Ephraim that they should go down to meet Midian and capture for them the waters as far as Beth-barah and as far as the Jordan. And he pursued on that night after the remaining of the host of Midian until he reached Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian, and captured them with wisdom, with the small people that were with him. The thirteenth is to inform that it is fitting to flee from strife and quarrel as much as possible, all the more so when it is possible that the cessation of receiving benefit will arise from that quarrel. For this reason, it is recounted that Gideon strove in what the men of Ephraim were angry at him, with appeasement. And if they were quarreling with him, it was for no violence in his hands, but it was fitting for them to praise him for what came to them of salvation through him. At the request for peace, he humbled himself greatly and honored them, saying, “Are gleansings of Ephraim better than the harvest of Abiezer?” And he ceased the quarrel in this manner. However, Jephthah did not strive similarly in ceasing the quarrel, and this was a cause for many people of Israel to fall. However, in this place, a second cause was joined to bring Gideon to appease the men of Ephraim easily, for perhaps this quarrel would prevent him from completing the defeat of the camp of Midian according to what was possible. For this reason also, Gideon strove to appease the men of Ephraim easily. The fourteenth is to inform that it is not fitting for a person to withhold bread from the hungry, all the more so when he has a claim upon him, like the matter with Gideon and his host, who were fighting to save Israel from the hand of Midian. For this reason, it was not fitting for the men of Succoth and Penuel to afflict Gideon in this manner that they afflicted him. For this reason, it is recounted that they received punishment for this, as has already been mentioned in this narrative. The fifteenth is to inform that it is not fitting for a person to surrender himself to kill men unless this is to save himself. For this reason, it is mentioned what Gideon achieved against Zebah and Zalmunna because of their killing the men who were killed at Tabor. This is because they did not need to kill them out of fear of them, for Midian was already ruling over them, until the Israelites hid themselves out of fear. For this reason, Gideon said to them that had it not been for their killing those men, they would not have been killed. The sixteenth is to publicize that the judges of Israel and their good leaders did not rule over Israel in a manner that they could bring them to do against the Torah, but rather the Torah ruled over those rulers, for they were also compelled to conduct themselves in the ways of the Torah, as is mentioned in the book Devarim (Deuteronomy). For this reason, Gideon said, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.” The seventeenth is to inform that it is not the portion of the righteous to pursue an abundance of wealth. For this reason, it is recounted that Gideon did not ask for the earrings and the crescent ornaments and the other matters except to make an ephod from them, not to increase his possessions. And it appears that he did this to commemorate this miracle. And if he had made from this a vessel for the House of God in Shiloh, it would have resulted in accordance with the intent of the Torah. Rather, he placed it in his city, in Ophrah, and this was a cause for all Israel to follow after it there, and because of this, Gideon received punishment that the governance did not pass to his seed. The eighteenth is to inform that it is not fitting for a person to be drawn to the desire of sexual intercourse. Do you not see that Gideon took a concubine although he had many wives, and this was a cause for the death of his sons who were from his wives, for the son of the concubine killed them. The nineteenth is to inform that for everything God will bring judgment. For this reason, it is recounted that because Abimelech killed his brothers with the help of the men of Shechem, God caused that the men of Shechem and Abimelech were killed, as Yotam, son of Jerubbaal, said to them. The twentieth is to inform that it is not fitting for one who receives a good deed from another to repay him evil for good. For this reason, it is recounted concerning the men of Shechem that they were punished because they repaid evil to Gideon for the good that he had done them, as it comes in the words of Yotam. The twenty-first is to inform that it is fitting for those who fight to guard against approaching a place where it is possible that harm will befall them there, even though those fighting with them are few in number and weak. The parable is that if the warriors approach a high tower, it will be easy for those in the tower, if they are few in number and weak, to harm them, whether by throwing large stones upon them or by other things by which they can harm them. For this reason, it is a condition of war that it be in a fitting place, at a fitting time, with those who are fitting, in a fitting manner, and in a fitting measure. It ends. Furthermore, it is recounted that Israel had already returned to serve idolatry and were deeply immersed in it, until they already served all the gods of the nations who dwelt in their land, and they abandoned the Lord completely, until they did not serve Him at all. For this reason, He sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites. And in that year, when Israel was sold into their hand, their enemies greatly afflicted them and crushed them. And this matter of affliction continued for all the children of Israel beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites which is in Gilead. And this was not sufficient for the Ammonites, but they crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah and Benjamin and the house of Ephraim. Then the children of Israel cried out to the Lord and returned to Him. And God said to them through His prophet, and he was Phinehas, saying: “Because I have already saved you many times from your oppressors when you cried out to Him and returned to Him and turned away from serving other gods, therefore I will not add to save you anymore.” And behold, Israel was greatly humbled before the Lord, and they removed the foreign gods from among them, and they served the Lord.

"Riding, etc." And this is a matter of importance: Chot Ya'ir. Since it is stated in the Torah (Numbers 32:41) that Ya'ir, son of Manasseh, called his towns Chot Ya'ir, and since this Ya'ir's name was the same as that one's, and the cities of his sons were numerous, he also called them Chot Ya'ir.

Young donkeys. So is called the donkey while it is still young, as in (Zechariah 9:9) 'a young colt, the foal of a donkey': Young donkeys, second [occurrence]: [It means] like 'towns,' and by way of wordplay he said 'ayarim' [towns, spelled like the word for 'donkeys'], to pair it with the 'ayarim' [donkeys] he mentioned [earlier]:

“They shall be called Havoth Jair.” The explanation is that Jair, son of Manasseh, went and captured their havoth [the Havoth of Gilead], and he called them Havoth Jair. And in the manner of the valor of this Jair, similar to the earlier Jair, they also called his cities, collectively, by the appellation Havoth Jair. There is a distinction between the verb “called” (which denotes the act of naming) when it is followed by the direct object marker *et*, and when it is followed by the preposition *lamed*. When “called” is followed by *et*, it signifies the conferral of a proper name; whereas when “called” is followed by *lamed*, it denotes an appellation attached to a previous name. Regarding the first Jair, their proper name was Havoth Jair; therefore, it is written, “And he called them” (with *et*). Regarding this Jair, it was only an appellation of the name; therefore, it states, “They shall be called to them” (with *lamed*), for this was not their proper name.

"The Baalim, etc." Seven forms of idol worship are enumerated here: "And they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him." Even when in partnership with these [idols]:

"And they did not serve Him." Our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "And they did not serve Him" — even in partnership.

"And they forsook." This means that they forsook the Lord completely, and they did not serve Him even in association with all these foreign idols.

"And they added." For until now, in the lifetime of the judges, they served the Lord, as it is stated, "And it came to pass when the judge died..." (above, ch. 2). "And they did not serve Him." Even in partnership.

And He sold them. Meaning: He handed them over:

"In that year." When Jair died: "Which is beyond the Jordan." The land of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, who were their [the Ammonites'] neighbors:

"In that year." The commentators explained it as [meaning] "from that year," for what is the sense of "in that year" [lasting] eighteen years? And it is possible to explain that in that year they began to press and crush them, and for eighteen years they [continued to] crush them - as if it read "in that year, [and] eighteen years, they crushed them," with the conjunctive vav omitted from "eighteen," like [the juxtaposition] "sun, moon" and similar cases [where the vav is elided].

"In that year, etc." This means that immediately in the year that Jair died, they began to oppress and crush Israel, and this continued for eighteen years. And the intent is to say that it did not occur gradually, but all at once, and not in the manner of other oppressors. "All of them, etc." It explains what was stated at the beginning of the verse, "the children of Israel," namely, all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan.

And they shattered. The sense of shattering, as in (Exodus 15:6) 'You shattered the enemy': And they crushed. Also the sense of shattering, as in (Isaiah 42:3) 'a bruised reed':

Questions (8): The statement "in that year" — its explanation is difficult [to understand]. "And they were oppressed and they were crushed, etc., in that year." He means to say: a) that they were punished immediately; b) that the hardship of the servitude began immediately in the first year, and it extended for eighteen years.

"Vateitzar l'Yisrael" [and Israel was in dire straits]. Its root is Y-TZ-R (distress), and so also "vayeitzer lo" [Genesis 32:8, and he was distressed], "[the steps of his vigor] are straitened" (יצרו צעדי אונו) [Job 18:7]; and "vayeitzer" [to be distressed] and "tzar/tzur" [narrow, distress] are of the same sense.

And it pressed. From the word for strait and pressure:

“And have we forsaken the Lord... and served...”: The first vav adds to the second vav, and the second vav adds to the first vav. He meant to say that we committed a double sin: we forsook the Lord, and we served the Baalim.

Questions (10): The vav in "and [that] we forsook [our God]" is superfluous. “And have we forsaken Him?” Explanation: They reasoned that even though they had served Baal, they had not forsaken the Lord, for they regarded Baal as an intermediary between themselves and God. They said: “Even though we have sinned, have we truly forsaken our God to serve Baal?” This is expressed as a rhetorical question, implying: Did we not consider Baal merely as a go-between for us and God?

“Not from Egypt.” There are seven salvations mentioned here, corresponding to the seven foreign avodas (idolatries) that they were serving:

"And the Lord said to the children of Israel." — Through a prophet.

"And the Lord said." The word of the Lord came to them through a prophet. From Egypt. Meaning: from the hardship of the bondage of Egypt.

The Questions (11): Is it not the case that He has not yet saved them from the sons of Ammon and the Philistines? "And GOD said": He informed them through a prophet so that they would not claim that they had not sinned. He said to them: "Did I not save you from Egypt and from the Amorite?"—meaning, just as I delivered you in times past from Egypt and from the Amorite, so too can I deliver you from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines who are oppressing you now. (And therefore He said "from the children of Ammon" without the conjunctive vav, indicating that just as He saved them from Egypt, so too He would save them from the children of Ammon.)

"And Maon." The name of a nation:

"Who have pressed you" – those who have pressed you; and it also refers back to those mentioned in the preceding biblical verse. "And you cried out." And behold, you cried out to Me, and I delivered you.

"And the Sidonians." This means: Do not say, "You thought that I performed wonders only in ancient times, not in these generations." Did not the Sidonians, Amalek, and Maon oppress you? This occurred in later generations, and you cried out to Me, and I saved you from their hands.

And as for what you said, “Have we perhaps abandoned the Lord?” the response to this is: “You have indeed abandoned Me and served other gods.” It is not as you claim; therefore, I will no longer save you.

"They shall save." He said this in a manner of mockery and derision.

"Go and cry out to the gods." Since you have chosen them, is it not fitting that they should save you in your time of distress, and not I?

"As all that is good in Your eyes." The judgment that is upright in Your eyes—only let us fall, we pray, into the hands of the Lord, and let us not fall into the hands of man.

The Questions (15–17): What is meant by "Do for us whatever seems good in your eyes," since He did not desire to save them? And what is meant by "his soul was shortened," which has perplexed the commentators? What is meant by "the Ammonites encamped in Gilead," which contradicts what was stated above that they crossed the Jordan? Moreover, it is difficult to reconcile with what is said in Chapter 11, Verse 29, that Jephthah crossed the Jordan, implying that the Ammonites returned to their homes and he fought against them in their cities. And they said, "We have sinned." They confessed their sin, yet they said: "Why do You punish us through the hand of man? Do for us according to all that is good in Your eyes," as it is said, "Let us fall, I pray, into the hand of the Lord; but do not let us fall into the hand of man." And regarding this it is stated, "Only deliver us from the hand of man."

And his soul was shortened in toil. As it were, he did not have ample room to endure and to gather there the distress that he had in the toil of Israel.

“And His soul was shortened over the labor of Israel.” The Targum did not translate this, in order to distance descriptions from the Blessed Holy One, as we have written; and he found no way to interpret it, so he left it untranslated. The great sage Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, of blessed memory, explained that “His soul” means “His desire,” and he interpreted “And His soul was shortened” as meaning that His desire ceased to increase the labor of Israel. For initially, when they did evil in His eyes, His desire was for their labor and their distress. But when what happened to them occurred—many troubles and evils—and they were humbled and returned to the Lord and served Him, He had mercy on them, and His desire ceased to further increase their labor. The bet in “over the labor” functions like a mem, similar to “and the remnant among the flesh and among the bread, as a stranger and as a native of the land,” and verses like them. And according to my opinion, “over the labor” is to be understood in its literal sense, and the meaning of “And His soul was shortened” is like “My heart was troubled within me” and “He was grieved in His heart.” All of these are metaphors, and the Torah speaks in the language of human beings.

And indeed the desire of the Lord shortened from saving them a complete deliverance, like the matter in the previous deliverances, on account of the toil of Israel. He said this by way of 'the Torah speaks in the language of mankind,' that they, as it were, caused for the Lord toil and labor to save them and to return to save them many times, on account of their repeating their rebellion, like a dog that returns to its vomit, and as if they wearied Him with this. Or the matter of 'toil' is from the matter of falsehood and deception, like 'toil and injustice.' And he means by this that on account of the falsehood and deception that Israel chose, and it is their serving other gods, the desire of the Lord shortened from saving them a complete deliverance, like the matter in the previous deliverances. And for this reason He did not say to them in this matter.

"And his soul was shortened." This means that the desire of the Lord was curtailed regarding the affliction of Israel. For initially, the will of the Lord was to increase their toil on account of their great sin; but now, upon their return to God, His desire was curtailed from increasing their affliction. This means that God relented concerning the evil.

And it grew short. From the term 'short': His desire. His will, as in (Genesis 23:8) 'if it be your wish':

“And his soul was vexed because of the toil of Israel.” Through their repentance, his soul and desire shortened the toil of Israel, so that it would not be prolonged any longer, and so that the enemy would not continue to cross the Jordan and prolong and increase their toil. And in the Guide for the Perplexed, Part I, Chapter 48, he explained: “He means that the will of God could no longer bear or endure seeing the toil and distress of Israel.”

And they cried out. They were assembled by means of a herald.

"And they encamped in Gilead." This is the city that the sons of Machir, son of Manasseh, had captured. Now, the sons of Ammon assembled and encamped in Gilead, for they intended to capture it. When the sons of Israel saw this, they assembled and encamped at Mizpah to wage war against the sons of Ammon. As soon as the sons of Israel assembled, the sons of Ammon ceased their efforts and returned to their land. When Jephthah sent messengers to the land of the sons of Ammon, he sent them; and likewise, when he went to wage war against the land of the sons of Ammon, he went. As it is stated, "From Mizpah of Gilead he crossed over to the sons of Ammon," for he did not find them in the land of Gilead, for they had already gone back to their own land.

And they cried out. The sense of a gathering that comes with the cry of the gatherer:

"And they cried out." This was from the Lord, that the people of Ammon, who had already crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah and Benjamin (as stated above in verse 9), returned and encamped in Gilead. There they pressed upon them for eighteen years, and by this means their toil was curtailed, so that it would not spread over all the tribes. "And the children of Israel gathered" — but the children of Israel had already gathered also at the time they crossed the Jordan, and Gilead, who served him, also sought for himself a leader.

"Who is the man" – this means: Know who the man is, whoever he may be, who will begin [to fight], etc.—he shall be the head.

He shall begin. He shall begin: