Yiftach's Vow/2

Yiftach's Vow

Exegetical Approaches

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Sanctified His Daughter to Hashem

Sources:RadakShofetim 11:31Shofetim 11:37-40About R. David Kimchi, RalbagShofetim 11:30-40About R. Levi b. Gershom, AbarbanelShofetim 11:30-40About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

Yiftach's plan – These commentators read the verse "וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" as two options, depending on who or what will come out of Yiftach's house.  If it will be an animal, it's fate will be to be sacrificed, and if it will be a human, "וְהָיָה לַי"י" and the person will be holy all their life.  The וי"ו of "וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ" serves instead of the word או, or.‎¹

"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" – Radak and Ralbag explain that Yiftach's daughter was to be seclusive from the rest of the world.  Ralbag explicates that she couldn't marry any man,² in contrast to Shemuel who was to be seclusive but could get married because he is special to Hashem's service in other ways that a woman could not.  Radak notes that the verse keeps ambiguous in saying "וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר", to conclude that she was not sacrificed.

"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ" – This approach understands that Yiftach's daughter cried about her בתולים because she wasn't going to get married.

"לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת יִפְתָּח" – The whole year round Yiftach's daughter lived in seclusion, and only four days a year would people come to visit her and comfort her.  Abarbanel says that even those four days the women wouldn't see her rather just heard her.

Evaluation of Yiftach's action – Ralbag throughout the chapter tries to view Yiftach in a good light, understanding "בֶּן אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה" that his mother married into a different tribe, and therefore her tribe was angry at her for passing land to a different tribe.  In chapter 12, when Yiftach fights with Efrayim and 42,000 people are killed, Ralbag says they deserved it for being ungrateful and threatening to burn down Yiftach's house.

Spiritual level of the nation

Purpose of the story

Sacrificed His Daughter

Mistaken Outcome

Yiftach's intention was to sacrifice an animal.

Sources:Bavli TaanitTaanit 4aAbout the Bavli, Bereshit Rabbah60:3About Bereshit Rabbah, TanchumaBechukotai 5About the Tanchuma

Yiftach's plan – Yiftach was not planning on sacrificing a human, in fact he didn't even think of the option that a non-kosher animal will come out.  Therefore he was punished that his daughter came out to greet him.

"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה"

Purpose of Yiftach's vow

"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ"

"לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת יִפְתָּח"

Evaluation of Yiftach's action – This approach obviously views it as a negative act.  They understand that Yiftach's punishment for vowing such a thing not 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

Annulling the vow – Bereshit Rabbah and Tanchuma write that Pinchas could have annulled Yiftach's vow, and he would have brought a sacrifice from cattle instead of his daughter.  Though because of a power game, both Yiftach and Pinchas refused to go to each other in order to nullify the vow, so his daughter was sacrificed.³

Purpose of the story

Intentional Outcome

Sources:Josephus5 7:10About Josephus Antiquities of the Jews, Hoil MosheShofetim 11:31Shofetim 11:39About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi, R. Michael Hattin

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.

Purpose of Yiftach's vow – Hoil Moshe 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

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.

¹ Radak in the name of his father brings Shemot 21:17, "וּמְקַלֵּל אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ" as another example of this.

² According to Ralbag, if Yiftach's daughter were married she wouldn't be able to serve Hashem because she would be serving her husband.

³ Bereshit Rabbah and Tanchuma write that they were both punished for this act.