When Did the Ceremony on Mt. Eival Occur/2

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When Was the Ceremony on Mt. Eival?

Exegetical Approaches

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Before the Conquest

The ceremony at Mt. Eival took place on the same day that the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and entered Israel.

Chronology of the chapters – These commentators all maintain that the event is not recorded in its chronological place (which would have been in Chapter 4),1 but do not explain the reason for the achronology.
"בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר תַּעַבְרוּ אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן" – According to this approach, the word "בַּיּוֹם" is understood literally to refer to the very same day that the nation crossed the Jordan River.  It is this directive (and the statement that Yehoshua acted as commanded by Moshe) which motivates them to posit that Yehoshua must not have waited before setting up the ceremony.
How did they get to Mt. Eival? This position must explain how the entire nation (including children)2 could have traveled all the way from Gilgal to Mt. Eival (and back) in one day, especially if this was in still unconquered territory.3  The commentators offer two possible solutions:
  • Miracle – Tosefta Sotah places Mt. Eival near Shekhem,4 but asserts that Hashem miraculously brought the nation there.
  • Different mountain – R. Eliezer,5 in contrast, maintains that the verses refers not to the Mt. Eival which is near Shekhem, but to two mountains that are close to the Jordan.6 As evidence, he points to the Torah's description of the site as being "מוּל הַגִּלְגָּל".‎7
Why now? Since the ceremony marked a renewal of the covenant between Hashem and the Nation of Israel, it was appropriate to do so immediately upon entering the land.  Furthermore, in writing the Torah on the stones, the nation announced their recognition that the imminent conquest was contingent on their observance of the Torah.8
Stones for the ceremony – According to most of these sources,9 the stones that were used for the ceremony had been taken from the Jordan, as described in Yehoshua 4:2-3.10  The people carried the twelve rocks to the mountain, and then returned them to Gilgal where they were set up as memorial. Radak points out that the description of the gathering and erecting of the stones in Gilgal concludes with "כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ" (Yehoshua 4:10). This might support the idea that this act was a fulfillment of the commands of Devarim 27.
Why Mt. Eival and Gerizim? If the mountains were near the Jordan, that could explain their choice.  If they were more centrally located, however, why Hashem would choose a location that necessitated long travel.  In addition, regardless of which of the above positions one takes regarding the location of Mt. Eival, it is not clear why Hashem would choose to have the ceremony there rather than in Gilgal itself (especially considering that they were to dissemble the rocks from the mountain only to re-erect them in Gilgal.)11  These sources might suggest a practical response; the mountains were needed for the acoustics they provided.
Memorial for crossing? In addition, as Yehoshua states that the monument in Gilgal was meant to memorialize the miracle of the crossing, it would seem that the stones took on a new function once they moved.
Relationship between Devarim 8:1-3 and 8:4-8 – These sources differ in how they explain the doubling:
  • Two commandments – According to Rashi the two sets of verses constitute two distinct commandments.  Verses 1-3 refer to the stones that were to be set up in the Jordan, while verses 4-8 refer to the stones which were to be erected on Mt. Eival.12
  • כלל ופרט – R. Bachya, in contrast, asserts that all of the verses speak of the stones used in the ceremony at Mt. Eival.13  The doubling is simply a "כלל ופרט", a literary technique in which a unit opens with a general statement whose details are then elaborated upon.
Purpose of the ceremony
Why these mountians

Mid-Conquest

The nation went to Mt. Eival after defeating the Ai and gaining access to the vicinity.

Chronology of the chapters – This position maintains the chronology of the chapters, suggesting that the ceremony appears in the text exactly when it took place.
Relationship between Devarim 8:1-3 and 8:4-8 – Abarbanel claims that the opening verses of the unit are a description of what the people will desire to do on the day of the crossing of the Jordan, while verses 4ff represent Hashem's command of what they should do instead.15  The people, in the manner of conquerors everywhere, will naturally be inclined to memorialize the crossing in writing,16 for their own honor. Hashem therefore tells them that they should instead build not a monument, but an altar, and write on its stones not the narrative of the crossing but words of Torah.  This should be erected not anywhere, but in the place specifically on Mt. Eival. As such, the stones will serve to glorify God rather than man.
"בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר תַּעַבְרוּ" versus "וְהָיָה בְּעׇבְרְכֶם" – According to Abarbanel, Hashem had never commanded the people to enact the ceremony on the day that they entered Israel.  The statement "וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר תַּעַבְרוּ אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן" referred only to what the people on their own wanted to do.  Hashem's directive was more general, "וְהָיָה בְּעׇבְרְכֶם אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן", telling the nation only that they must erect the stones at some point after crossing into Israel.  This meant that Yehoshua had no reason to try to implement Hashem's command immediately.
The monument in Gilgal – Abarbanel claims that the stones mentioned in Yehoshua 4 have nothing to do with those erected on Mt. Eival.  The monument in Gilgal was  meant to commemorate the miracle of the splitting of the Jordan  The stones were not written upon, nor made into an altar.  Abarbanel explains that the concluding phrase, that Yehoshua spoke the words of Hashem,  "כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ" refers to Yehoshua relaying to the nation Hashem's speech of encouragement in Chapter 1.  This
Why now?

After the Conquest

The Israelites first performed the ceremony after the 14 years of conquest and inheritance.

Two Stages

The nation fulfilled Moshe's command in two stages.  Though the first stage took place immediately after entry into Israel, the completed ceremony only occurred later.

Sources:perhaps R. D"Z Hoffmann, Malbim