Comentario sobre Jueces 11:44

The Bnei Ammon waged war. As mentioned above.¹

All his stipulations. The conditions between them.

Before Adonoy, at Mitzpah. Where everyone was assembled, as the Divine Presence rests upon multitudes.

Until the Reed Sea. South of the land of Edom, while the land of Edom is south of the land of Canaan.

Please allow me to traverse your country. From south to north, in order to enter the land of Canaan.

To the king of Moav as well. Whose country bordered the extremity of the land of Edom, east of Edom, and south of Eretz Yisroel.

And he refused. Moshe alludes to this in the Torah, "As perpetrated against me by the Bnei Eisov residing at Sair, and the Moavites residing at Ar."²Devarim, 2:29. Just as Edom refused them permission to pass, so did Moav refuse them permission to pass.

They then continued through the wilderness from west to east, along the southern borders of Edom and Moav.

Circumvented the land of Edom. All of its southern border.

And the land of Moav. All of its southern border. When they reached the southeastern corner, they angled northward along the periphery of the eastern border.

Arrived at the east of the land of Moav, and camped opposite Arnon. At the end of the eastern border of the land of Moav. This was the starting point of the lands of Sichon and Og. They conquered the trans-Yardeinian territory east of the land of Canaan, crossed the Yardein, and invaded the land of Canaan by the eastern route.

They took possession, etc., from Arnon to the Yabok. Which you claim as yours, they annexed from Sichon.

From the wilderness to the Yardein. There was a wilderness area adjoining the Yardein.

Adjoining [lit. by the hands of] Arnon. Near Arnon. These cities had belonged to Moav, but they recognized that they could not lay claim to them, since they were confiscated from Sichon, who had annexed them from the king of Moav.

Three centuries from the conquest of the land in the days of Yehoshua, until Yiftoch. This teaches us concerning the years of the Judges mentioned until now—whether the years of subjugation by the nations are included in the reckoning of the days of the Judge, or not.³The three hundred year total is only accurate if certain of the years of subjugation are included in the years of the judge, and certain years are not, as Rashi explains below. We learn in Seder Olam:⁴Ch. 12. Yehoshua directed Yisroel for twenty eight years—I am not aware of any Scriptural derivation for this. Asniel for forty years,⁵ the years of subjugation by Cushan Rishasaim are included.⁶Eight years. (3:8). Afterward, Ehud for eighty years,⁷ with the eighteen years of subjugation by Eglon⁸ included. This totals one hundred forty eight years. Devorah for forty years,⁹ with the years of subjugation by Yavin¹⁰Twenty years. (4:3.) included, totaling one hundred eighty eight years. Afterward, seven years of subjugation by Midyon,¹¹ forty years of Gidon,¹² and¹³ three of Avimelech, totaling two hundred thirty eight years. Afterward, twenty three years of Tola¹⁴ and twenty two of Yair,¹⁵ with one year overlapping both, and eighteen years of the Bnei Ammon¹⁶ until Yiftoch's appearance. This totals three hundred.

He crossed to the Bnei Ammon. "To" the Bnei Ammon.

Shall be offered by me as an offering The opinion of our rabbis of blessed memory regarding this is known, and my lord and father, that the explanation of "shall be offered by me", the vav [ו] is disjunctive, with the same function as "or". And it can be explained as follows: "And it will be for God," i.e. sanctified [הקדש], if it is unsuitable for a burnt offering. Or it "shall be offered by me as a burnt offering," if it is suitable for a burnt offering. And similar to this, the vav of "He who strikes his father or [ו] his mother" (Exodus 25:15) signifies "or". And it is well explained, and so it seems to me from the verse, for it is not death, because the verse would say "And I will weep for my life" -- rather, [she will weep] that she has not known a man [because in fact the verse says "I will weep for my maidenhood" (Judges 11:37)]. And that which it also says, "he did to her as he had vowed to do" (Judges 11:39), and it does not say "He offered her as a burnt offering." This shows us that she was celibate/separated, and this is what he had vowed -- that she should be for God. This seems to me to be according to the plain meaning of the verses, and the words of our rabbis of blessed memory; if they [the words] were accepted into their hands as an acceptance, it is our duty to accept them [?].

The Vineyard plains. The plain of the vineyards.¹⁷This is Targum Yonasan’s translation.

You are among those who ruined me. This is the feminine usage.¹⁸הִכְרַעְתִּנִי, with the “cherik” vocalization under the ת, is generally translated as referring to the first person neuter, “I brought to the knees.” Here, however, the translation is the feminine “you brought to the knees.” Similarly, "You captured my heart, my sister bride."¹⁹Shir Hashirim, 4:9. Here, too, לִבַּבֽתִּנִי, with the “cherik” vocalization under the the ת, is translated as the feminine “you captured my heart.”

You have surely brought me to my knees All my blood is in turmoil, You have taken away my feet.

And she replied to him that he should uphold his vow, but requested that he leave her be to descend on the mountains for two months, to weep over her maidenhood with her friends. And she said "I will descend [ירדתי] on the mountains" (Judges 11:37) -- "I sob [אריד] in my complaint, and make moan" (Psalms 55:3) [ie, the use of the ירד shoresh is in reference to mourning and not to descent]. Or perhaps, Mitzpah, which is where Yiftach's house was, was in the highest of places, and his daughter said that she would descend from there and walk on the mountains. And this is because she would in the future be separated in one house and not go out from there all the days of her life, she requested that she would walk for two months -- since she wanted to fill her soul's appetite for wandering and walking, for she would no longer wander nor walk all the days of her life. And this is "I will weep for my maidenhood" (Judges 11:37) - that she would never be married, and also that she would walk to select the place of her dwelling in solitude. And my intention is that from this we learn the nation of Edom to make houses of solitude [Abarbanel calls these קליסט"ר, presumably 'cloister'] -- to women who enter there and do not leave, and do not see a man for the rest of their lives.

To grieve on the hills. This word refers to bewailing. ²⁰Not, as translated elsewhere, “To descend,” but “To grieve.” Similarly, "On its roofs and thoroughfares, total wailing, weeping grief."²¹Yeshaya, 15:3. Weeping so intense that it causes a physical breakdown.²²רד may also be translated as “crushing.” See Yeshaya, 45:1. Midrash Agada: R' Tanchuma expounded, On the hills; before the Sanhedrin—perhaps they may find a loophole in your vow.²³Yalkut, 67.

Wept over her maidenhood. Since it is not written "over her maidens," the inference is, over her actual maidenhood.

She became the subject of a law. Legislation was enacted prohibiting any repetition of this, for, had he approached Pinchos, or had Pinchos approached him, he would have released him from his vow.²⁴By informing him that a human being cannot be designated as an offering. But they refused to humble themselves,²⁵Pinchas, because it was Yiftoch who required his services; Yiftoch, because he was the supreme commander. (Yalkut, 68) and were, thus, both responsible for her ruin. They were punished. The Divine Presence departed from Pinchos, as it is said in Divrei Hayamim,²⁶Divrei Hayamim 1, 9:20. "Adonoy was with him previously." We learn that he was not with him later. And Yiftoch was afflicted with ulcerations and the loss of his limbs, as it is said,²⁷Below, 12:7. "He was buried in the cities of Gilod."²⁸Individual limbs, like the entire body, require burial. The plural usage, “cities”, teaches that his burial took place in a number of cities—wherever his limbs fell. (Yalkut, ibid.) Another interpretation: "She became the subject of a law in Yisroel" relates to the following passage.²⁹She was the subject of a law requiring the daughters of Yisroel to visit her yearly.

And he did to her [as he had vowed]. She separated from human company to live alone, busy with the worship of God. And our teachers of blessed memory have said (Ta'anit 4a) that he vowed to sacrifice as a burnt offering all that came out of his house, and so he performed his vow.

And she had not known a man It wishes to say, as he had vowed, so she had done, and she had separated from men.

Journeyed annually. This was established as a law.³⁰This follows Rashi’s second interpretation of v. 39. See fn.29.

To grieve. To weep.