Difference between revisions of "Yiftach's Vow/2"
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| − | Discomfort with the idea that | + | Discomfort with the idea that Yiftach, a judge and national leader, could possibly sacrifice his daughter leads Ibn Ezra and other medieval commentators to reinterpret the verses and suggest that Yiftach simply consecrated her life to Hashem.  She was cloistered away from society to lead a life of chastity and devotion to God.  Others read the verses according to their simple sense and claim that Yiftach did in fact kill his daughter to fulfill his vow. Several midrashim assert that this was a tragic mistake. Yiftach had originally intended to offer an animal but spoke poorly and did not think through the potential ramifications of his vow.  More modern scholars, however, raise the possibility that Yiftach had always had a human sacrifice in mind.  Mired in the ways of the surrounding idolaters, Yiftach did not even realize that such an action would be abhorrent to Hashem.</div> |
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Version as of 20:50, 30 August 2016
Yiftach's Vow
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
Discomfort with the idea that Yiftach, a judge and national leader, could possibly sacrifice his daughter leads Ibn Ezra and other medieval commentators to reinterpret the verses and suggest that Yiftach simply consecrated her life to Hashem. She was cloistered away from society to lead a life of chastity and devotion to God. Others read the verses according to their simple sense and claim that Yiftach did in fact kill his daughter to fulfill his vow. Several midrashim assert that this was a tragic mistake. Yiftach had originally intended to offer an animal but spoke poorly and did not think through the potential ramifications of his vow. More modern scholars, however, raise the possibility that Yiftach had always had a human sacrifice in mind. Mired in the ways of the surrounding idolaters, Yiftach did not even realize that such an action would be abhorrent to Hashem.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 not about this, but about the loss of her life, a much greater sorrow.5
"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!
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 would 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 might emerge from his house, he did not think that it would be his daughter.6
Yiftach's daughter's reaction to her fate – Yiftach's daughter encourages her father to keep his vow, a reaction that makes sense if she heard that she was to consecrated, but not if she were about to be sacrificed.
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.
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.7
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...".8
Purpose of the story – This position might suggest that the story comes to explain what became of Yiftach's descendants, as part of the book's central theme regarding the competing models of leadership - judges versus kings. Kingship is defined by dynastic rule and starting with Gidon, the book repeatedly raises the question of whether the judges will bequeath their leadership to their children. Thus, this story emphasizes that Yiftach had only one daughter who was celibate, providing him with neither son-in-law nor other male descendants who could possibly rule after him.
Sacrificed His Daughter
Yiftach gave his daughter as a sacrifice to Hashem. This position subdivides regarding Yiftach's original intentions:
Animal Intended
When Yiftach made his vow, he did not think of the possibility that a human might emerge from his house and assumed that he was pledging to sacrifice an animal 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.10
Where did Yiftach err? According to most of these sources, Yiftach's first 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.11
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.
Why not annul the vow?
- Pride – Bereshit Rabbah and Tanchuma assert that even though the high priest, Pinchas, could have annulled Yiftach's vow,12 due to a power play, neither leader would humble themselves to approach the other, leaving Yiftach's daughter to her unfortunate fate.13
- Ignorance – Tanchuma also blames Yiftach's lack of Torah knowledge, and his illiteracy in the laws of vows. Ramban, similarly, asserts that Yiftach mistakenly assumed that his vow was like that of a king in the midst of battle who declares that upon victory, his enemy will be "חרם לה'" (killed for Hashem). Such a vow can not be annulled. Yiftach, in his ignorance, did not realize that his oath was not at all comparable and that no vow to offer an unsuitable sacrifice should be fulfilled.
Yiftach's daughter's reaction – It is surprising that Yiftach's daughter would be so amenable to her father keeping his vow, if it meant her death. This leads Tanchuma to suggest that she actually argued with her father, trying to show him how human sacrifice is prohibited. When this was unsuccessful, she turned to the elders to try and annul the vow, but again to no avail.14 All of this, however, is absent from the text and negates the simple sense of Yiftach's daughter's words, "do unto me according to what has escaped your mouth."
"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 yearly over the unjust fate that befell Yiftach's daughter.
Hashem's Evaluation of Yiftach's actions – According to these sources, Hashem punished Yiftach both for making his vow and for fulfilling it. He died an ignoble death as his limbs fell off individually, each being buried where they fell, as the verse states, "וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּעָרֵי גִלְעָד" ("and he was buried in the cities, in plural, of Gilad"). However, this is not the simple reading of the verses, and the text contains no explicit rebuke of Yiftach, as would be expected if he had actually sacrificed his daughter.
Portrait of Yiftach – According to this position, Yiftach was not only an ignoramus, but rash and proud as well. He believed in Hashem, but knew nothing of the Torah's laws. Such a portrait might further be supported by the text's description of his chosen men as "אֲנָשִׁים רֵיקִים".
Purpose of the story – The story comes to show the low level of the nation's leaders, reflecting the state of the nation as a whole.
Human Intended
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.
"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" – As above, these sources assume that the two halves of the phrase explain each other. Yiftach promised that whatever greeted him was to be for Hashem in the sense that it would be offered as a sacrifice.
Yiftach's intentions – While most of these sources assume that Yiftach intended to sacrifice whichever human exited his house first, Aharon ibn Chaim goes even further to suggest that Yiftach had his daughter specifically in mind. Since she was his most beloved, he assumed that she would be the first to greet him.
"וְהָיָה הַיּוֹצֵא אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִדַּלְתֵי בֵיתִי לִקְרָאתִי" – M. Hattin16 attempts to prove from these words that Yiftach had always intended his sacrifice to be human. All occurrences of the phrase "יצא לקראת" in Tanakh describe an encounter between two or more humans, and never speak of an animal. In addition, it was much more likely that it would be a human who would exit "the doors of [Yiftachs'] house" than an animal, who would presumably be in the yard or pen.17
Why offer a human sacrifice? Hoil Moshe maintains that it was common in ancient times for someone in distress or at war to make such deals with gods, offering a human sacrifice for promise of victory.18 A mere animal sacrifice would not be sufficient to gain the favor of God; an exceptional offering was necessary. Yiftach, being on a low spiritual level, was influenced by the idolatrous ways around him19 and did not even realize that such a sacrifice would be viewed negatively by Hashem.
Why was Yiftach upset? If Yiftach had always intended to sacrifice a person, why was he so troubled by the turn of events?
- According to most of these sources, Yiftach was upset only because it was his daughter, rather than a servant or the like, who was the first to greet him.
- Ibn Chaim, in contrast, asserts that it was only upon returning home that Yiftach realized the full impact of his rash words and immediately regretted them. This is why he laments, "וְאָנֹכִי פָּצִיתִי פִי", realizing that when he offered his daughter, he spoke with his mouth, but not with his head or heart.
Yiftach's daughter's reaction – It is possible that Yiftach's daughter, growing up amidst idol worship and child sacrifice, did not find her father's vow so reprehensible. She was therefore willing to be the sacrifice that brought victory to her people.
"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ" – The only thing which bothered Yiftach's daughter was that she had never merited to marry or bear children, and thus it is about this which she cries.
Why not nullify the vow? It would never occur to Yiftach to even attempt to nullify his vow as he saw nothing wrong with human sacrifice. To the contrary, he assumed it was the highest show of devotion to God.
"וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר" – Hoil Moshe explains that the verse does not say explicitly that Yiftach sacrificed his daughter, preferring the more general formulation of "and he fulfilled his vow" in order to soften the cruelty of the act.
"וְהִיא לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ וַתְּהִי חֹק בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל" – According to Hoil Moshe, the verse emphasizes that Yiftach's daughter never slept with a man to highlight that she had no descendants to cry over her grave. It is for this reason that a custom was set that maidens would lament her four days a year.
Hashem's Evaluation of Yiftach's action – It is surprising that no where in the text is there any rebuke of Yiftach for his actions.
Parallels to the Binding of Isaac – There are several striking parallels between the two episodes.20 Both center around child sacrifice,with the text highlighting in each case that the one selected for sacrifice is an only ("יְחִידָה") child. The text further emphasizes the child-parent relationship by repeatedly referring to the characters as אב-בן/בת. Finally, in each story the language of "וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה"/ "וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעֹלָה" is used and mountains are mentioned. The many parallels, however, appear to simply highlight the contrast between the stories. Hashem commanded Avraham to sacrifice his son, but prevented the actual killing, teaching all that human sacrifice is not the way to worship Hashem. Yiftach, unfortunately, forgot the crucial lesson.
Portrait of Yiftach – This position paints a leader who is so mired in the idolatrous ways of Israel's neighbors Canaanites that he thinks that human sacrifice will actually be pleasing to Hashem! One might question how could it be that Hashem would choose such a leader. This position might answer that Yiftach, as opposed to other judges, was chosen by the people themselves, not by Hashem.21
Purpose of the story – According to this position, the story comes to highlight how deeply the nation has absorbed Canaanite practices that even its leaders are totally acculturated and no longer know how to correctly worship Hashem.
