Judges · Chapter 21

"Shall not give his daughter." They treated them as if they were excommunicated, so that they would no longer intermarry with them, because of this atrocity that they committed, after the wicked ones and the transgressors did not hand over [the guilty for punishment].

It further mentions that the men of Israel swore at Mizpah, saying that no man of them would give his daughter to Binyamin as a wife. And when they saw that one tribe was lacking from Israel, it was very hard for them.

"He swore at Mizpah." From when they assembled at Mizpah, before they fought. "He shall not give his daughter." This is because they have supported the hands of transgressors.

The Questions: (1) Why did they swear (after all this great slaughter and destruction) that they would not give them women? And if they had sworn, how did they immediately repent? The order of the verses is very confused: it begins with the matter of the oath concerning their wives, and then it speaks of how they repented regarding what they had done to Benjamin; then it speaks of the inquiry into those who had not come to the war; then it returns to speak of how they repented concerning Benjamin; then it returns to speak of the men of Jabesh Gilead who had not come to the war; and then it returns to say, “And the people regretted for Benjamin.” These are duplicated and disordered statements. It would have been proper to mention separately their repentance concerning Benjamin, and separately their anger and what they did to the men of Jabesh Gilead. Why did he repeat every matter unnecessarily? What is meant by “a heritage to the remnant of Benjamin, that a tribe of Israel not be blotted out” is unclear, especially since there is no longer any concern that they would be blotted out, for they had already taken four hundred women. Why did he say “And they said” three times: “And the elders of the congregation said,” “And they said, ‘A heritage to the remnant,’” and “And they said, ‘Behold, there is a feast of the Lord’”? And the words of verse 22 are obscure and sealed. "And a man of Israel swore at Mizpah." It is explained by us that in a place where the noun [subject] precedes the verb, the matter does not follow the chronological order; rather, the event had already occurred beforehand. See what we said (Joshua 1:12, regarding the verse "And to the Reubenites and the Gadites"). Likewise, "And a man of Israel swore" refers to an oath taken earlier, while he was still at Mizpah, before they went out to war, so that they would not intermarry with the children of Benjamin.

"And the people came." After all these deeds. "Bethel." [Meaning] the House of God, which was in Shiloh.

"And the people came to Bethel, etc., and they said, 'Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has such a thing befallen Israel?'" After all, if the Israelites had not fallen in the first two battles, they would not have devoted the tribe of Benjamin to destruction until it was completely wiped out; rather, they would have punished only the sinners, and not killed the children and women and annihilated everyone. Only because the Benjaminites had slain forty thousand of Israel did they take vengeance upon them. Now, they came before the Lord, sitting and weeping, searching and inquiring into the cause of this: Why was the anger of the Lord kindled against them, such that they fell in battle in the first two instances? And this was the cause of an even greater calamity, namely, that today one tribe is missing from the census of Israel. For even though six hundred men remained, nonetheless, today the tribe is considered missing, for a mere handful of people cannot be called by the name of a tribe; they are but a remnant of the tribe, not a tribe in its own right.

To be missing. To be diminished:

"לְהִפָּקֵד" – it denotes the concept of lack/deficiency, like [the phrase] "and no man was missing from among us" (Numbers 31:49).

"For what reason has the Lord..." — For what reason has such a misfortune come upon us, to diminish the tribes of Israel by one tribe? And this question was posed in order to instruct them as to what they should do to restore the tribe.

To be counted missing. To be counted deficient, as in (Numbers 31:49) 'none was missing [nafkad] from among us':

“And they built there an altar.” If this is the Bethel that is Shiloh, why did they build an altar there? Was there not already the altar of the Tabernacle? And if it is the city called Bethel, there too was the altar that our father Jacob built, as we shall explain in the Book of Samuel in the verse, “going up to God, [at] Bethel.” One may say that they built there a new altar, and this place was either Shiloh or Bethel. And “building the altar” refers to seeking the Divine, as is found in many places where they would build an altar to inquire of the Lord. And because of this bad incident that happened to them concerning the tribe of Benjamin, they built an altar, offered burnt offerings, and wept before the Lord, saying, “Why has this happened, that one tribe should be missing from Israel?”

And indeed they built there a new altar in the House of God, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and they approached to inquire of the Lord concerning this corruption that came through their hands. Perhaps they vowed that if the Lord would give Binyamin into their hand, they would do this matter for the honor of the Lord. And indeed the loss of one tribe from Israel was hard in the eyes of Israel, and they devised to find women for the survivors.

"And they built there an altar." In addition to the altar that stood in the Tabernacle: "And they shall bring up burnt offerings and peace offerings." To appease themselves before the Lord, and to make peace between themselves and their Father in Heaven, to instill in their hearts a sound counsel.

“And it came to pass on the morrow.” They sat down again to investigate the cause of the matter and to search in their deeds why the anger of the Lord burned against His people: “And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.” To find favor with the Lord.

“in the congregation, etc.” This implies: Who is the one who did not ascend “from all the tribes of Israel” in the assembly of the congregation “to the Lord,” since the Divine Presence rests in the place where Israel gathers there (Sanhedrin 39b). "for the oath, etc." And for this reason they asked, in order to carry out and fulfill the matter of the oath.

And the children of Israel said. And while they were investigating the matter, they recalled the incident of the Israelites in the war against Ai, which was also of a similar nature: they had gone forth to a war of commandment and fell before the enemy. And there it became known that the cause was because Achan had committed a breach of the ban and violated Joshua’s oath. Therefore, they investigated lest this same sin be found among them as well, for since the oath was grave—stating that whoever would not ascend to the muster to participate in this war would surely be put to death—they concluded that certainly some had transgressed this oath, and therefore the Israelites fell as slain. And on this basis they said, “Whoever did not ascend with the congregation,” for they did not know who it was.

And they relented. They returned to think of them with a thought of deliverance:

"Has been cut off." [Meaning] it has been severed.

And they relented. He means to say: because the children of Israel had relented, etc.

And they relented. The sense of reversing a thought: Cut off. The sense of severing, as in (Isaiah 10:33) 'and the tall in stature shall be hewn down':

"And they comforted them." Until now, the matter pertained to the past, for they inquired about the past: why were they punished? And they suspected that it was possible that some of them had transgressed the oath, and therefore they were punished. It was not incumbent upon them to investigate this, for why should they inquire into this? The past is no more. Only now did a new matter arise among them, and that is: they remembered that in the heat of their anger they had sworn that none of them would give his daughter to Benjamin. According to this, even though six hundred men remained from the tribe of Benjamin, they would not find wives, for all the women of Benjamin had been killed. In this way, the entire tribe would be wiped out, and this would be a great defect and deficiency for the entire nation, for it is impossible for the Divine Presence to rest upon them unless they are twelve tribes. And if one tribe is missing, it is a great blemish for the entire nation, as mentioned in the words of our Sages of blessed memory everywhere (see Bava Kamma 83a). And behold, this is damage for generations that money cannot repair, and it desecrates the glory of Jacob and the holiness of Israel for all eternity. And this is what it says: "One tribe is cut off from Israel today." And they explained the reason: "What shall we do for wives for the survivors?"

"What shall we do for them?" And he repeats and explains: "For the survivors who were not killed, what shall we do to provide them with wives? And we have indeed sworn by the Lord, etc. From where shall they find wives?"

Give. From the word for giving:

And they said. This means that this was the cause that aroused them to say, "Is there one [tribe]?" etc., in order to fulfill the oath to put them to death and to give daughters from among them to the men of Benjamin as wives. "And behold, no man came." This means that they did not see the entrance of a man, etc.

"And they said." And after they saw that if they would find a city or a family that had not gone to this war, and they would be liable to death for having transgressed the oath, this would serve as a remedy for Benjamin—for the women of Gilead are permitted to them, since they had not come to Mizpah and had not taken the oath—they therefore began at that time to search and inquire which one of the tribes of Israel had not gone up to the Lord at Mizpah, for they now needed this for the benefit of Benjamin. "And behold." They found that there was no man among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead. And they reasoned well on this matter: since, in their view, because Jabesh Gilead had transgressed the oath, it came about that the anger of the Lord was kindled, and it came about that they destroyed Benjamin, it turns out that Jabesh Gilead was the cause of this. Therefore, it is fitting that now, by killing them, there will sprout from their roots virgins—those who will survive from the sons of Jabesh Gilead—so that a shoot may grow for Benjamin to be their wives.

"And the people were mustered." The letter peh is light [without dagesh], though by rule it should take a dagesh, and it denotes the matter of remembrance and taking heed, like "Please count and see who has gone out from among us."

“And the people were numbered.” They returned to scrutinize the matter and to search for any one of them, but they did not find [him].

And they were mustered. The sense of supervision over the matter, as in (I Samuel 14:17) 'please count and see who has gone':

And they killed among them all the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad, because they did not come to the camp at the request of the heads of the people. And they left all the virgins to be wives for the sons of Binyamin. And since they did not find for them in this manner women in their number, for there were not in Yavesh Gilad except four hundred virgins, they gave them a way to take women from the dancing women, for the two hundred remaining, who were among the daughters of Shiloh, when they snatched for themselves each man his wife.

“Knowing the lying with a man.” And how is this known? It is possible that they passed them before the Ark, and whoever the Ark “received” was the virgin, as they did with the women of Midian, whom they passed before the Tzitz [the golden plate on the High Priest’s turban]; the non-virgin’s face turns pale, as our Sages of blessed memory received [this tradition]. And there is another method that our Sages of blessed memory mentioned regarding the virgin, and they judged a ruling in this matter: to seat them on the mouth of a wine cask; if her fragrance rises and spreads, she is not a virgin; if her fragrance does not spread, she is a virgin. And they said that this test was performed on the women of Jabesh Gilead, and not that they passed them before the Tzitz, as they did with the women of Midian. And they derived a support for this from what is written regarding the Tzitz: “For their acceptance before the Lord” – for their acceptance, and not for their calamity.

"And this is the thing" – meaning, only this thing shall you do, namely, to proscribe [put to death] every male and every woman, etc., but not the virgins.

Known. It is a euphemism for intercourse, and for added clarification he said 'lying with a male': You shall devote to destruction. The sense of severing and destruction:

Four hundred. A virgin maiden: He seated them at the mouths of wine barrels; a non-virgin's scent wafts forth, [but] a virgin's scent does not waft forth.

“Unto the camp of Shiloh.” This verse also proves that the Bethel mentioned in this matter is Shiloh, for it was in the place where they built there an altar and wept before the Lord, and they said, “Who is there that did not come up thither?”, that there were still some remaining, and from there they sent to destroy the men of Jabesh Gilead. "Which was in the land of Canaan." I have not found a reason for relating this, for it is well known that Shiloh was in the land of Canaan.

"And they found... a virgin." They seated them on the mouth of a wine barrel: if [the wine's] scent spread from her, she was not a virgin; but a virgin's [scent] did not [spread]. So said our Sages of blessed memory (Yevamot 60b): “Regarding the lying with a male.” To lie with her in the manner of a male’s lying, and he said this as an addition for clarification:

"And they spoke." What is stated at the end of the verse, that they called them "peace," implies that they should no longer kill them from now on.

“And they sent.” And after they had found a remedy for themselves, they sent and greeted them with peace. And they gave them the women, and this was for the benefit of the community, so that there would not be a blemish in the nation as a whole due to the deficiency of a tribe, for it was received by them in tradition that the Divine Presence would not rest upon them if even one tribe were lacking from the number of the tribes.

And they did not find for them. There were not enough of them for them:

And they did not find them so. Just as they were, for they were six hundred, and the young women were only four hundred.

And Benjamin returned. To the congregation: "The women who lived." This means the virgins who survived among those who had been defiled. They did not find [enough]. They did not provide for them according to their need, for the virgins were four hundred, while the men of Benjamin who remained were six hundred (above 20:47).

They kept alive. They kept alive: Found. The sense of sufficiency, as in (Joshua 17:19) 'the mountain is not sufficient [yimmatzei] for us': Indeed. Meaning: as fitting and as needed, as in (above 12:6) 'and he was not able to pronounce it correctly [ken]':

And they did not find for them so. For they did not find women for all the six hundred men:

“And the people relented.” It is a nif'al, intransitive verb, since it is vocalized with a qamats.

"[The people] relented toward Benjamin." They repented of what they had done to Benjamin. "For the Lord has done." Through them the Lord brought about a breach among the tribes of Israel, so that one tribe was nearly missing.

Break through. The sense of breaking:

"And the people": This means that even though their fear that a tribe would be wiped out from Israel had already subsided after they found wives for the four hundred men, nevertheless, after they had reconciled with them and spoken peaceably to them, the people as a whole felt remorse regarding the entire matter. They repented of what had been done, because through it God had made a breach between the tribes, causing hatred and war. This is what is written: "And the people felt remorse." For initially it is written, "And the children of Israel relented," referring to the leaders of the people, their elders, and their great ones, who sought the welfare of the community. But now, "the people" as a whole felt remorse and repented, and they returned to them with love, not wanting the two hundred remaining men to die childless.

“Lanotarim.” These are the two hundred remaining from the six hundred. What shall we do to provide them with wives? "For they were destroyed." For from the sons of Benjamin every woman was destroyed, and from where would they take wives?

Was destroyed. The sense of destruction:

And the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for those who remain regarding women?” Then the Sanhedrin investigated whether they could annul the oath in order to provide women for the survivors. They offered a rationale: the women of Benjamin had been destroyed, meaning that at the time of the oath, their intention had not been to kill the women and the children; they only intended that they not marry them, so that they would not die childless, for then they would take women from their own tribe. This is not the case now, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed, and the tribe would be erased under this condition. We did not swear under such circumstances, and thus there is an opening for regret (a loophole for annulment).

“Inheritance of the remnant.” The tribe’s portion remained empty; let them devise a plan that they will father sons and hold on to their remaining, surviving inheritance, so that a tribe of Israel shall not be blotted out.

"A surviving remnant." It is necessary that there be a surviving remnant for Benjamin, so that no tribe of Israel shall be blotted out. The reason for the term "inheritance" is that inheritance implies that it comes from our forefather Jacob, [intending] that there be twelve tribes from his sons forever.

An inheritance of the survivors for Binyamin. The meaning here is in what survived of them, and they are the six hundred men. It is fitting that we do in a way that they will be an inheritance for Binyamin, meaning, that Binyamin should not be lacking in their death. And this indeed will be when they take for themselves women. And this is the matter of inheritance, for it remains until the death of the one who bequeaths. And indeed they said this to indicate that the Lord did not arrange that these six hundred be His survivors except because a tribe of Israel should not be blotted out. And for this it is obligatory for us to do, that there should be women for them in harlotry, so that we do not transgress our oath. And it seems that this oath was only for those men, not for those who come after them. And they refrained from giving each man his own daughter — not the daughter of another man — so let the daughters of the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad be theirs.

And they said. The entire congregation replied and said: Is it not the case that the inheritance of the remnant from Jabesh-gilead—namely, the virgins who were kept alive—was given to the tribe of Benjamin? If so, the tribe will not be blotted out, for they will father sons and daughters.

Survivor. Remainder: Blotted out. The sense of erasing, as in (Exodus 32:33) 'I will blot him out [emchenu] from My book':

And they said. But they returned and said that this is not a valid argument, for this would have been justified only if they had found no remedy and the entire tribe had been wiped out, which would have been a flaw and a deficiency for the entire nation, and then they would have had an opening to their oath, namely that surely they did not swear with the intention of eradicating the entire tribe. Not so now, for there is already a remnant inheritance for Benjamin, since they took four hundred young women from the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, from whom a remnant and an heir to the inheritance emerged, and consequently the tribe will not be erased from Israel, and thus there is no opening or regret for the oath. And with this they issued a ruling that we cannot give them women from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn, and there is no permission to annul their oath.

"And we": This implies, "If, out of compassion for the two hundred men themselves, what more can we do? Surely we cannot give them our daughters, for we have all taken an oath, etc."

“The sun rises toward the path.” [This refers to] the east of the path. Shiloh is to the north of Bethel and to the south of Lebonah, and [Shiloh is] to the east of the path that ascends from Bethel to Shechem.

“Which is north of Bethel.” Our Sages of blessed memory interpreted this as referring to Shiloh, saying that it was located north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, and east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem. And I am puzzled: what need was there for all these details, since Shiloh was well known without such landmarks? In my view, the meaning is that the festival was held in Shiloh from ancient times, and the phrase “year after year” is explained by the Targum as “from time to time, from appointed feast to appointed feast.” It is possible that this referred to the period from Passover to Passover, or from Sukkot to Sukkot, which was a season of rejoicing, or perhaps to Yom Kippur, when the daughters of Israel would go out and dance in the vineyards, as our Sages of blessed memory stated. And this dancing took place outside the city of Shiloh, in that very location described as “north of Bethel.” To identify this place, these landmarks were mentioned, and the vineyards of Shiloh were adjacent to this spot. Indeed, the verse itself proves that the dancing occurred outside the city, as it is written: “And it came to pass, when the daughters of Shiloh went out to dance in the dances…” and they were told to lie in wait in the vineyards.

"And they said." The elders of the congregation returned and said, "Behold, the feast of the Lord is in Shiloh," and in that place they will find women, just as they said to the sons of Benjamin (above 20:22): The festival of the Lord. A day on which one increases the offerings to the Lord. Year after year. It is fixed in every year and year: "Which is north of..." etc. He gave a sign for the location (Gittin 7b) and said that it is north of Bethel, east of the road that ascends from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.

A festival. The offering is called a festival, as in (Psalms 118:27) 'bind the festal offering [chag] with cords':

"And they said." However, they returned and consulted for the benefit of these two hundred men, and they gave counsel to seize women from those who were dancing.

"And they commanded." They did not tell the people in what manner they would be found, lest the men of Shiloh learn of it and be on their guard; but to the men of Benjamin they told the manner, and commanded them to lie in wait in the vineyards of Shiloh.

"And you shall see." And from the ambush you shall watch who comes out, and when the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, for such was their custom on that day. "And you shall go out." Then you shall go out from the ambush, and each man shall seize one to be his wife, and you shall go on your way.

To dance dances. The sense of joyous dancing, and it is called 'mehol [dance]' because the custom is then to play on flutes [chalilim], or he means: with musical instruments, so too (Exodus 32:19) 'and he saw the calf and the dances [u'mecholot]': And you shall seize. The sense of hurried taking, as in (Psalms 10:9) 'he shall seize [yachatof] the afflicted':

"And you shall snatch." They stipulated with them [two conditions]: a) that each one should snatch only one wife, b) that they should take them to the land of Benjamin, so that their fathers would not catch up with them to contend with them.

To contend with us. To go against us in battle: And we said to them: Show them mercy. We had compassion on them, for they did not know what to do. “For we did not take any man’s wife in war” from [the women] of Jabesh-gilead, except for four hundred men among them. And if you are strict regarding the oath, there is no sin upon you in this matter, since “you yourselves did not give them” your daughters, so that you would bear guilt in this matter. And peace be upon you; do not fear.

“Be gracious to them.” This is akin to the phrase “from them,” meaning: regarding these women, you shall entreat [them] that they leave them for them. Or, alternatively, it is akin to the phrase “as God has been gracious to your servant,” meaning, give them to us as a gift. For we did not take wives for the remaining men of Benjamin in battle, because we killed them all. Therefore, we need there to be women for them, so that the tribe will not be blotted out. And if you say that you will transgress the ban that we banned—namely, “any man who gives his daughter to Benjamin”—it is not you who gave them to them, such that you would be guilty of this; rather, they took them for themselves. And our Sages of blessed memory said that afterward, the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to enter the congregation and to marry women from the other tribes, because they found the permission in the wording of the ban. They had sworn, saying, “A man from among us shall not give his daughter to Benjamin.” And they expounded: “From among us,” and not “from among our sons.” Thus, the subsequent generations after them were able to marry these women. Furthermore, they expounded: Had [Benjamin] been destined to be blotted out from among the tribes, God would not have said to Jacob, “Kings shall come from your loins,” but rather He said it specifically regarding Benjamin, who had not yet been born. And they said: Since kings are destined to arise from Benjamin, and they have not yet arisen, we are obligated to draw him near.

Grace them. It is in the manner of [2 Samuel 18:5] 'Deal gently for my sake with the youth, with Absalom.' And the meaning is, grace for us the sons of Binyamin and leave them, for what we swore was by the way of giving the women to men, and we did not swear that they should not be snatched from us, for it is not customary that a man takes a woman in this manner. And you are able to see from this in general that we did not take each man's wife in battle, but they gave them to us willingly, and so is the custom in taking the woman. And when the matter is so, it is clear that when you did not leave them to them at this time, a tribe of Israel will be blotted out, if there are no women for the survivors of the sons of Binyamin. Behold, you will be guilty.

Their fathers. The fathers of the girls who are abducted: To contend with us. To engage in strife with us, to assist them in removing the women from under your authority through legal proceedings. And we said: And we shall say to them, "Show us favor," and have mercy for our sake on the men of Benjamin, by not taking the women from them. "For we did not take... in war." This means to say that in the battles of Jabesh-gilead, we did not take so many young women from them that there would be enough to give each man of the sons of Benjamin a wife. And if so, where will they find wives? "For you did not give them, etc." This means to say: And if it were due to the prohibition of an oath, behold, there is no concern here regarding the prohibition of an oath, for you did not give them of your own free will, as is the case at the time of marriage, such that guilt would rest upon you; for behold, they took them by force.

Have pity. The sense of compassion and mercy, so too (ibid. 4:2) 'have mercy [chaneni] and hear my prayer,' meaning: have pity and have compassion for our sake upon the children of Benjamin, and its parallel is (II Samuel 18:5) 'be lenient for my sake toward the young man,' meaning: be lenient for my sake toward the young man: You shall be guilty. From the word for guilt and sin:

"And it shall come to pass when they come, etc., to us." And if they come to us to contend, claiming that we should take the women by force, then we shall raise two arguments: A) Regarding your fear of the oath, for you say that even though they abducted them, we are granting them clemency by remaining silent toward them—we shall say to them, "Grant them clemency?" in a questioning tone. Is it considered clemency that we did not take any man's wife in battle? The meaning is: Did they not abduct and betroth them with the woman's consent, so that she is his wife? And are we required to fight them and take their wives from them? This is something we are neither obligated nor permitted to do. And if so, we are not granting them clemency by refraining from taking their wives from them. B) For it was not you who gave them to them—for you would now be guilty [of transgressing the oath, had you given them yourselves]. Rather, they took them on their own initiative, and you did not transgress the oath.

According to their number. According to their number, one for each man: "From the dancers." From the women who were dancing, whom they took by force: "And they built the cities." For the Children of Israel had destroyed and burned them.

The dancers. Those who dance or who play music:

And it is stated that from there the children of Israel went, each man to his tribe and to his family, and each man to his inheritance; and the children of Benjamin also returned to their inheritance and built their cities and dwelt in them. However, the benefits derived from these narratives are these: the first is to inform us of what occurred regarding the danger that befell Micah due to his deviation from the ways of the Torah, to the point that that idol almost caused the destruction of Micah and his household. The second [reason] is to inform us that it is fitting for those about to wage war to examine, from the outset of the matter, whether it is possible for them to defeat their opponents. If it is not possible for them to do so, it is not fitting for them to commence the war. For this reason, the text relates that the sons of Dan sent five spies, and they saw that that city could already be conquered easily; therefore, they were stirred up to go to war against them. The third [reason] is to inform us that it is not fitting for a person to contend with one who is stronger than him — all the more so when the opponent is one of desperate, bitter spirit, such that he does not greatly fear death. For this reason, the text mentions that when Micah saw that the men of Dan were stronger than he, along with what was told to him that they were men of desperate spirit, he turned back and returned to his house. The fourth [point] is to publicize what the sons of Dan had sunk into regarding this sin, namely, this long period of time which [the text] recounted; and it was as if this served as an excuse: What can be said of Samson, who was from that tribe, if he had sunk into that disgraceful trait, namely, following his eyes? The fifth [reason] is to inform that it is not fitting for a person to take a concubine for the sake of sexual relations. Do you not see what evil resulted from this concubine that the Levite man took? Because of her, tens of thousands of Israelites stumbled. And for this reason, the evil character of the sons of Benjamin, who were in Gibeah, concerning sexual relations, is remembered, as well as the destruction and annihilation that befell them because of this. The sixth [lesson] is to inform us that it is not fitting for a person to behave with harshness within his own home, nor to instill excessive fear there. Do you not see what evil resulted from the harshness with which the Levite man treated his concubine? This was the cause that she fled from him and returned to her father’s house. Had she remained in his house, this evil would not have befallen her, nor would it have befallen Israel on her account. The seventh [lesson] is also to inform that it is fitting for a woman not to deviate from her husband by leaving him, but rather it is fitting for her to endure his words and his reproof, and to incline to all that he desires. Do you not see what evil befell Israel because the concubine did not endure those taunting words from her husband? For this was the cause of her going to her father's house, and from this followed the evil that occurred in this narrative. The eighth [reason] is to inform us that it is not fitting for a person to detain guests from leaving his house due to his desire to honor them; rather, it is fitting that when he perceives their wish, he should allow them to fulfill their desire. For this reason, the text relates what evil occurred as a result of the father of the young woman detaining the Levite man, for this was the cause of their lodging in Gibeah, and from this came the evil recounted in this narrative. The ninth [reason] is to inform that it is not fitting for travelers to journey at night, due to the danger that occurred in this matter. And thus it is related that they did not wish to set out after the sun had set; and had it not been for the fact that Jerusalem then belonged to the Jebusites, they would have lodged in Jerusalem, since the day had grown very late. The tenth [reason] is to inform us that when compulsion comes upon [a party of] a man and a woman to be demanded for the sin of illicit intercourse, the woman is handed over to them before the man, even though she be a married woman; and so this man handed over his concubine to them before he would hand over himself to them. The eleventh [reason] is to inform us of the immorality and cruelty of the men of Benjamin, who were the people that tormented the concubine throughout the night. They did not make an effort to feed her or give her drink; rather, they sent her away at dawn in such a state that she died from weakness, coupled with the fact that they had lain with her cruelly, harming her during intercourse to the extent that her death resulted from this. Furthermore, the text also relates their cruelty in that no man among them gathered the Levite into his house, even though he lacked nothing. Thus, he would not need them to benefit him from what belonged to them, according to what he had told them; and despite his having told them that he was going to the House of the Lord, which should have been sufficient reason for them to bring him in and gather him into their homes for the sake of Heaven's honor. The twelfth [reason] is to inform us that a person ought, when wronged by others, not to raise his voice, so as not to add evil upon evil for himself, until he reaches a place in which he can place his trust; only then may he raise his voice to seek vengeance. For this reason, the text relates that the Levite man remained silent until he came to his house, and only then did he strive to take vengeance upon the men of Gibeah for the outrage they had committed. The thirteenth [reason] is to inform us that it is fitting for one who wishes to incite people to do something to act with wisdom, so that he may achieve his desired goal. For this purpose, it is appropriate that he show them the matter with their own eyes, which will incite them to action, whenever it is possible for him to do so. Merely recounting those matters to them will not suffice, for people believe more in what they see with their own eyes than in what is merely reported to them. Therefore, the text relates that the man, the Levite, sent the pieces of the concubine to all the tribes of Israel. He did not wish to send them merely the written account of the events, even though that alone would have greatly stirred their hearts to zealously avenge the matter, due to the great impropriety involved in the incident. For this reason, he did not wish to reveal to them what it was and what it concerned until his words were delivered to them face to face. The fourteenth [reason] is to inform that it is fitting to eradicate the sins from the land, so that the remaining people will not learn from their deeds; all the more so in a matter in which men are easily enticed, and this is the matter of sexual intercourse. And therefore, the text relates the amazement of the Children of Israel at this wondrous event, and they were stirred up to eradicate the sins in the manner described in this narrative. The fifteenth [principle] is to inform us that it is fitting for a person not to strengthen the hand of another when they are sinners, so as to preserve them from receiving the punishment due to them. Rather, it is fitting for him not to show them brotherly affection after they have turned away from the ways of the Torah. Do you not see what happened to the sons of Benjamin when they aided their sinful brothers? The helper fell, and the one being helped stumbled, and they were both destroyed together. The sixteenth [reason] is to inform us that it is fitting for one who seeks counsel regarding a matter to explain his words with the utmost clarity, until it is made perfectly clear to him how he ought to conduct himself in that very matter about which he is seeking advice, and at what time it will be a fitting hour in which his path will succeed. To this end, he relates what occurred as a calamity to Israel when they inquired of God how they should wage war, because they did not investigate this matter with a proper inquiry. For they ought to have asked whether they would be victorious or whether they would be defeated. And had it been made known to them that they would be defeated, they would then have refrained from the war. For this reason, it would have been fitting for them to ask when they should fight against the men of Benjamin and that God would deliver them into their hands. But they asked only, "Who shall go up first?" They did not ask when they should ascend against them for war and defeat them. In the second inquiry as well, this deficiency was present. However, in the third inquiry, they perceived this matter. Therefore, they said, "Shall I go out again to battle against the children of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I refrain?" The intent here was that they asked whether they should cease from this entirely, since the answer had already come to them from God, blessed be He, in those previous inquiries, indicating that the will of God, blessed be He, was for them to ascend against them. But they asked whether they should now refrain and wait until another time. Therefore, the answer came to them in completeness, and it was made known to them that tomorrow He would deliver them into the hands of Israel. As for the benefits that accrued from the matter of lying in ambush in the context of war, we have already mentioned them in the matter of the war against Ai, and from there they may be derived. The seventeenth [reason] is to inform of the goodness of Israel's heart: for despite what Benjamin had wrought of destruction among them, a wonderful remorse overtook them for all the evil they had done to Benjamin. They devised a plan to restore the tribe to its proper status, finding a way to provide them with women from Israel without violating the oath they had sworn at Mizpah. To this end, they advised them to seize wives from among the dancing girls [of Shiloh] when the daughters of Jabesh Gilead proved insufficient. Thus, they treated the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead according to the custom commanded by the Torah in the war against Midian, and it seemed as though they had done all this by the command of the Lord. However, the men of Benjamin, because they were all rebels against the Lord, having strengthened the hands of sinners, God desired that they receive this wonderful punishment in such a way that they and their children would perish. The eighteenth [reason] is to inform us of the manner in which God, blessed be He, exercises providence over the Holy Patriarchs. For this reason, He arranged that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel, and for this purpose He left six hundred men from among them, and He arranged that the Israelites strive in every matter so that this tribe would be preserved in a manner such that its name would not be erased from Israel.

"At that time." After the women had been found for the men of Benjamin: "A man to his inheritance." And none of them took hold of the inheritance of Benjamin, for the six hundred men who remained inherited all of the inheritance of Benjamin.

"And they went." Even though they ought then to have paid heed to the stumbling block that had come from their hand, and while they were still together they ought to have built a fence against the breach and also to have established a king or a judge who would oversee the people, nevertheless, immediately after this each man went his own way, and the matter remained as before: "There was no king in Israel," and "every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Now, the time when the two last incidents occurred—the matter of Micah's idol and the concubine in Gibeah—is not made clear in the text. The opinion of our Sages of blessed memory in Seder Olam (Chapter 12) is that it was in the days of Cushan-Rishathaim. And this is what is meant by "In those days there was no king in Israel," namely, that after the death of Joshua and the elders, and before a judge had yet been established for Israel until Othniel son of Kenaz, according to this view it is correct what is stated that the tribe of Dan sought an inheritance to dwell in and conquered Laish. For this was after the death of Joshua, when each tribe went to conquer its inheritance, and the tribe of Dan captured Laish, as mentioned in the Book of Joshua (19). And by this it is correct what is stated regarding Jerusalem, "We will not turn aside into a foreign city that is not of the children of Israel," meaning that this was before Judah had conquered their portion in Jerusalem, as stated above in chapter 1 (verse 8). And also by this it is correct what is stated that they set up Micah's idol "all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh," which implies that it continued there equally with the permanence of the Ark in Shiloh. However, from what our Sages said (Rashi, I Samuel 20:30) about [the phrase] "you son of a perverse, rebellious woman"—that Saul's wife pursued him, because Saul was ashamed to snatch her from among the dancers—it implies that this incident occurred after the death of Samson, before another judge was established. And this is what is meant by "In those days there was no king in Israel." And by this it is correct that these chapters were written after the incident of Samson, for so it was according to the order of time. And what is stated that the idol was there "all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh" means that it stood from that time until the destruction of Shiloh. And so too indicates what our Sages stated (Jerusalem Talmud, Berakhot Chapter 9, Halakha 3) that Jonathan became treasurer of the treasuries in the days of Solomon, and that he was the old prophet in Bethel. And according to Seder Olam, he lived more than four hundred years.

"In those days there was no king in Israel." The reason for mentioning this is that there was still no king in Israel, nor a judge, nor a leader who would return them to goodness, until Samuel the Prophet, of blessed memory, came. His genealogy and affairs are recounted in the book that follows this one, which is named after him, Samuel.

“In those days there was no king.” This means that although there was no king in Israel in those days, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes, nevertheless they did not lay hands on the inheritance of Benjamin. For since only a few remained out of a very large number, they had compassion on them and left the entire inheritance to the survivors.