Yiftach's Vow/2
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Yiftach's Vow
Exegetical Approaches
Sanctified His Daughter
Yiftach did not offer his daughter as a sacrifice but rather consecrated her life to service of Hashem.
"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" – According to these commentators, the וי"ו of the word "וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ" is a disjunctive and means "or" rather than "and."1 As such, Yiftach's vow "וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" comprised two possibilities. Depending on what was to exit his house, he swore either to sanctify it to Hashem, or to offer it as a sacrifice.2
"וְהָיָה לַי"י" – what does this include? According to these sources, Yiftach's daughter was to remain celibate and never marry,3 and moreover, live in seclusion from the rest of society.4 Ibn Ezra adds that she was to spend her days in prayer and thanksgiving to Hashem.
"וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר" – Radak notes that the verse does not say that Yiftach sacrificed his daughter but rather that he kept his vow ("וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר"), allowing for the possibility that she was simply sanctified.
"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ" / "וְהִיא לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ" – According to this approach, the verses' emphasis on the virginity of Yiftach's daughter is logical as this was what was demanded of her by the vow. R"Y Kimchi points out that had she been going to her death, she would have cried about the loss of her life, a much greater sorrow.
"לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת יִפְתָּח" – Ralbag explains that since Yiftach's daughter was forced to lived in seclusion the whole year round, four days a year were set aside for women to visit and comfort her. According to Abarbanel, even during that time the women did not actually see each other, but only conversed and lamented together. Ramban, though, attacks this reading questioning how it could possibly be set as custom that people mourn someone's dedicating themselves to worship of Hashem!
Hashem's Evaluation of Yiftach's actions – No where does the text criticize Yiftach for his vow, implying that there was nothing wrong with it, as this reading suggests.
Why was Yiftach upset? According to this position, Yiftach might not be bothered by the concept that his daughter was to devote herself to Hashem, but by the consequences of that fact, that he will no longer be able to see his only, beloved child, and that she would miss out on the joys of marriage. Though he had anticipated the possibility that a human would emerge from his house, he did not think that it would be his daughter.5
Portrait of Yiftach – According to this position, Yiftach is a positive character who would never commit child sacrifice. He does not act impulsively, but thinks before speaking. Throughout the chapter, Ralbag consistently attempts to view Yiftach in a similarly positive light. Thus, for example, he claims that the phrase "בֶּן אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה" does not mean that YIftach was the son of a whore, but that this was an epithet given to his mother by her angry tribesmen after she married into a different tribe. 6
Spiritual level of the nation
Cultural influences – It is possible that the above portrait of the nature of Yiftach's daughter's consecration is at least partially influenced by these exegetes' exposure to the practices of Christian monasticism. See Abarbanel who explicitly draws a connection, but in the opposite direction, saying "And from this the nation of Edom learned to make convents for women who enter there and never leave all their days...".7
Purpose of the story
Sacrificed His Daughter
Yiftach gave his daughter as a sacrifice to Hashem. This position subdivides regarding whether Yiftach originally thought that a human might be the object of his vow or not:
Mistaken Outcome
When Yiftach made his vow, he did not think of the possibility that it would be a human who would emerge from his house and assumed that he was vowing to offer an animal sacrifice to Hashem.
"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" – According to this position, these two phrases refer to the same deed. The words "וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" explain what the term "וְהָיָה לַי"י" entails; being for Hashem means being offered as a sacrifice.9
Where did Yiftach err? According to most of these sources, Yiftach's sin lay in not thinking before he spoke, and being careless in the wording of his vow. He formulated it in general terms ("וְהָיָה הַיּוֹצֵא אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִדַּלְתֵי בֵיתִי") so that it was all inclusive, not thinking of the possibility that something might emerge from his home that was not fit for sacrifice.10
Why was Yiftach upset? Yiftach's horrified reaction is understandable, as he had never fathomed that his daughter (or any human, for that matter) would become the object of his vow.
"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ" / "וְהִיא לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ" – It is not clear why the verses need to emphasize the fact that Yiftach's daughter never married, nor why she would request two months to cry over that fact. Her upcoming death should have been the much greater tragedy!
"לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת יִפְתָּח" – According to this position, the women lamented over the unjust fate that befell Yiftach's daughter.
Why not annul the vow?
- Pride – Bereshit Rabbah and Tanchuma assert that even though Pinchas, the priest of the time, could have annulled Yiftach's vow,11 due to a power play neither leader would humble themselves to approach the other, leaving YIftach's daughter to her unfortunate fate.12
- Ignorance– Ramban, instaed, asserts that Yiftach mistekenly assumed that a vow taken by a leader during battle
Evaluation of Yiftach's action – This approach obviously views it as a negative act. They understand that Yiftach's punishment for making such a vow without taking into account that maybe a non-Kosher animal will come out, was in itself that his daughter came out.
Spiritual level of the nation – Seder Eliyahu Rabbah says that the whole nation's spiritual level was low, and Yiftach as a leader belonged in that category.
Purpose of the story
Intentional Outcome
Yiftach made his vow with full knowledge that a human might be the one to exit his home, and with full intentions of sacrificing him/her if that were the case.
Yiftach's plan – According to this approach, Yiftach's original vow was to sacrifice a human. It's unclear, however, why Yiftach seems surprised about the fact that his daughter came out. Who else was he thinking will greet him if she was his only child?
"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" – These words mean literally to sacrifice to Hashem. Hoil Moshe explains the fact the verse doesn't say explicitly she was sacrificed rather "וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר", because it is a cruel and distressing act. He notes that in the Ancient Near East many people would vow such things especially when they were in battles or in a case of misfortune.
"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ" – Hoil Moshe reads that Yiftach's daughter asked for two months to cry that she did not have a chance to bear children and be a mother.
"לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת יִפְתָּח" – The young virgins would go to the grave of Yiftach's daughter to cry on it, because she didn't have any children to cry on her grave.
Evaluation of Yiftach's action – It is surprising that the verses don't note not to follow Yiftach's action, which seems to outright contradict the prohibition of killing and giving one's seed to Molekh.
Spiritual level of the nation
Annulling the vow – Yiftach had no desire to annul the vow, as he realized when he vowed it, that most chances are she will come out.
Purpose of the story – The story comes to teach us the low level of the nation, that even their leader brought a human sacrifice and murdered his daughter.
