Sequence of Events in Yehoshua (Pt III) | Rabbi Neil Winkler | February 19th 2026

how Yoshua is perhaps a very a choice of leadership that maybe we would be questioned about and how we showed that the people themselves were a little not they were not sure at all were um and we went through that we went through different things and that was very nice then I went through the book itself and and we started last week with the the called the sequence of the events in Yahushua and showing you that there wasn't a sequence at least certainly not in a certain things that we did and we showed the as they said the the event uh of when they did the c curses and the uh blessings at higher grem and which was something they were told to do in the Torah itself in paro and um how it says you know when you cross the uh and indeed it was close to that it was in the I think eighth perk in Yoshua where Yoshua carries out this and we were discussing about well what does it when you cross the ardane, did God want you to run across the ardane and okay, let's go to Harrien and Har and we went through the logical of the logic of that and the difficulty to understand that because given the fact that we're talking about two and a half to three million people, they just crossed the Jordan, the Ardang and um they they had to now go through from Gilgal which is right in the um Bik as we call it the the Jordan Valley and they now have to crawl go together as two and a half million because all of them have to be there and they're going to go all the way up north and up the mountain is to to have Shamron to uh tom and it's a it was problematic as as I pointed out that that really was happening especially because they hadn't yet conquered anybody so they've in actually two million people marching through enemy ter enemy territory and that would be difficult. So for another of reasons we pointed out that it's very proper and one would assume properly I say that the um the whole experience of Yoshua taking the people to harim were at was took place after the um victories over th those um I would call them alli allied um forces that stood against um Israel and the people going up and for other [clears throat] reasons we we discussed last time. uh so that it necessarily didn't happen in it probably happened after that meaning after the victories which is probably not and things happen like that I pointed out why um and it wasn't just me but I told you how the um shi and others said that it did not happen right away so we went through that we also went through without many without any source thing because uh uh um I went to the the in effect what I call ma mad hari uh that whether this whole experience at at the um Haral Har museum what it was meant to be and how it very much was a to was was to be a uh how can I say it a mirror uh a reminder of uh what happened at Harai. Uh the difference is clear but the so were the the um common events that take place there. It was at a mountain. It was at two mountains. It was uh a pronouncement up on top of the mountains. uh uh blood mountains which is har from God and and Moshe and here it was from the people who were announcing it the kohanim uh and all of the similarities meant to tell this new generation the bulk of which if not all of them at the time had not been in harai remember was 40 years earlier so you know They didn't know anything about this. So to give to to impact them with something like this an experience where the laws are given and there's a br and there's a bridge also here a covenant which is also there's a brid at si also a a commitment is a good word that you will follow these laws. So, it's understandable as as they're about to take over the land or they've already they have already conquered areas and they're going to spread out. I I think that that one element has to be understood. Remember, Israel was always together since they left Egypt. They were together. They were together traveling through the Midbah. They were together crossing the ardane. They were together while they were um conquering the areas and the I should say the enemies and they were also even stay still together at Gilgal or whatever they were in um while while they divi divided up the the areas in the land of Israel which tribe would take over what. So now however once they settle in their own tribal areas it's a different different challenge they have that they'll be we see it many many years later do you ever understand why we have them and ask him what happened what happened to the Jews you know that's not what happened we were impacted by where you were very pronouncement of Hebrew depends if you're living in the area of Arabic uh know language or in Germanic languages in Europe is how you pronounce certain things and so it happens that when you're spread apart there will be differences we're nice enough to call them minhagim otherwise we say someone's right and someone's wrong. So we don't say that the minhug all right it depends where you are and that's what you took over part of the brilliance of the hakic system allows us to do so there are certain things that aren't are not really uh etched in stone which is a fun thing to say but it's a funny thing to say no it wasn't the Torah was etched in stone this were that so you have certain uh we'll say um how would I put it elastic elasticity a little bit of moving around you're not necessarily have to do exactly this way that's how minim come aloud but it comes around because you're not living in the same place now it's and you know it isn't like now you call up the guy in India and say but what are you doing your talking about a thousand years plus where Jews really had very little connection with each other. Um, you know, we like to tell stories of, oh, you know, Ula, you know, came went from Bavl to uh to Yale and he found out what they did there. What rabbi said we should do there and he brought it back, you know, but this is something that was not common. It was uncommon there. Very few people do it. It wasn't something as simple as getting on an LL plane, which nowadays isn't that simple, but you know, you can get one. So that's that's how Minhagim come along and that's how now God says you've got to understand this. Yoshua comes and that's why God said you're going to go at that time. Look at the beginning of of the para which says it and then as I told you in this is what you have to do. It doesn't say why, but it's clear why. So that this new generation who did not have the experience at C9 would now also have their own experience so that they can they can tell their children and grandchildren. I mean the great great grandchildren are going to come and say why are we doing this and they can say we were there my grandparents were there you know zadei this and that isn't there then you can't that's it's it's a very powerful powerful truth theorem >> thank you >> that when you certain things happen and the kids can say well why you know I don't know the Jewish Don't say there was one guy who said this. The Jewish world, the Jewish life was a life that said we're doing this because there were millions of people who saw this happening, who experienced this. You can't lie on that. You can't suddenly say after a generation or two or three that something happened which never happened. You can't have uh two of three billion people saying happening and passing it down to the grandchildren. So now we're talking about 8 and 9 million people and they're saying uh we were just kidding. Can't do that. The the truth of the reality of of our hala and the Torah is the fact that there were millions of see it wasn't just 10 people or one person or you know it was a whole nation. And that is very significant. I think someone's coming today. I hope. Um so that I think is important to know and that's what this was happening and that's exactly what I what I touched upon last week. Aren't you happy that I haven't started yet? We're going to start now with what I call that is the closing of Yahosua. How nice to have you gashm the closing of the book of Yahosua. That doesn't mean I'm going to end with this. I told you I'm fiddling this around. I'm going to end with the um topic of not everything in in in uh anywhere is good. I mean I know there's a tough place to find a spot but you can uh so so nice to see you. Um but rather uh this is just going through that topic of why not everything in the book of Yahosua is chronological. And the last thing that I'm going to do is to show you why many will tell you that um the end of the especially or not necessarily when it happened. Wait a half for you. A half for you. I'll give you one. Okay. Here. I want you to know this. This is this is hot because I ran it off right before I got here. No, I ran off more. We're going to be starting over here now with C. Okay. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Now, a pleasure. So, here we are. So, I want to start with with exactly that. In the 23rd chapter, parac cuff gimbal, we're talking now about an I should say an an elderly Yahosua. Okay? And uh and of course as would be logical, he exhorts the people and is during his last days um and reminding them that they must follow the laws and the Torah and if they don't they will not remain in the in the land. You know, this is almost the exact same thing that Mosha that Mosha Rabbenu said in his final days, you know, instead of follow, you know, as I said before, you know, you have to you got to follow the laws or everybody's out of the pool. You know, you're out of the of the land of Israel. Yoshua says in repeats the exact same thing. And uh I mean if you remember what you say in the morning the second part of the of the is and he says where he said you know he's going to he's going to chase you out of the land. Um and uh these therefore this chapter certainly and are perfect endings to say for Yeshua and they tie together the whole book and I think that's very very important. Why do I say this? Because how beautiful is it not when you have a man like Yoshua who begins his book and then now it's the end of his life and he ends it with the same theme, the same topic in effect that he began with because we read in the um first chapter of Yoshua something that we were doing, right? that says there in source number five, right? Remember we heard this in the first chapter of of the of Yoshua where every everybody was telling him you got to be strong. You got to listen to you know you must be very strong resolute to observe faithfully all the teaching that my servants Moshe enjoined upon you. Do not deviate from it to the right or the left. That be successful wherever you go. That's what God says to remember we had a whole big deal about that. I even told you that it's a remarkable thing and the proof that the people weren't too sure about this Yahosua guy because they never told Moshe. Never is he told that but Yeshua said that by by God by Moshe by the two three by the people by the two and a three and a half tribes he's everybody tells them you got to be strong you got to be resolute they are not that confident who this new leader would be so that's true and now in the 23rd chapter as Yahushua is closing his, you know, he's going to retire, you know, he's closing his leadership. Look what he says to the people. That's the second part of the fifth source. Be very resolute. He says, "Be resolute to observe faithfully all that is written in the teaching of Moshe and do not deviate from the right to the left." Exactly what um God said, "Do not deviate from the right and the left." Now is Yoshua giving that over to the next generation. What he was told, he's now telling. So it's a wonderful koda in closing the book of Yoshua. He start he's ending it with the same way he started it. Very very nice. Um there's only one problem, maybe more. The 23rd chapter peric cuff gimmel. It's not the last chapter in the book. The last chapter is peric cuff daled. And here we read something very very interesting. We are told there in perafal this final chapter this final per in separate Yoshua we find that he brings the people to now did he ever go to with all people before remember what I said last time the curses and the blessings aval That's when he took them for the cross for that. So now it seems he brings them again right and again as we would read he makes a covenant a breed as he did the first time he brought that right. Um, and what does he say? Well, he says this in the sixth in the sixth source. He says, therefore, fear God. Serve him with undivided loyalty. Put away the gods that your ancestors served. Those beyond the Euphrates and those in Egypt. Just serve God. Or he says this. Now I think if you're near a table or something, hold on to it cuz it may fall off. If you are loathed to serve God, [snorts] you don't want to do that. Choose this day. which ones you're going to serve. Yesua is telling them, "Yeah, choose another god. If you don't want to choose a god, just choose another god." shocking thing. Uh um the gods of your ancestors served beyond the the ones of your gods uh that your ancestors may have served beyond the Euphrates before the of of Abraham or those of the Moe in whose land you are [clears throat] settled. But me, says Yoshua, I and my household will only serve God. It's a remarkable thing. And he's saying this in red cuff valid. He's now giving them a choice. What a nice guy. >> He's not forcing you. I think you should. I'm going to do it. >> Challenging. >> You don't want to take another guy. >> He's challenging him. >> In effect, he is. And that's why in reply [clears throat] the people declared far be it from up to forsake Hashem and serve other gods. That was what I would say is what happened. It would be 60 years earlier. You knowi when [clears throat] they heard God saying you have to they said this is the sevenish. This is the people now taking on and and um promising in effect God [snorts] forbid we never stop leave God will always serve God. So, it's an very interesting thing that we find over here. And um after they agreed they're not going to serve any um idols. That's wonderful. The problem we have is that back in the 23rd chapter in Kuff Giml, Yoshua already made this covenant, this breach. He already warned them not to observe, not to serve any other gods. So why why would he do it again and more than that? Yeah, he did it in Kgiml then he slept them all the way to and did it again there. I mean why go through the I would call it a a lo how how would I say that a a logistical a logistical nightmare of moving the entire a people all the way from wherever they're living whether they're going to be zuon near the sea or it's going down in Yehuda down south or they're going to the eastern part of the Jordan and all of them from wherever they are now going to shle them all the way up to and how you going to do that besides anything else you know it's such a difficult thing to realize and to understand and to accept um I mean even if it's just the leadership she come there are thousands of leaders that now have to go all the way to from whatever they're doing and wherever They are because so um because Yoshua wants to repeat that something he already said. It's [clears throat] difficult to understand. It's not me. I you know much like the the Radak says the same thing. The Radak asked the same thing. It's true. He said but he said it was so important. That's why they did it. That's why felt he had to do it again. Um yeah barberell says similarly it's true it was repetition but you see in per cuff gimmel um they never said that we agree they never accepted it but now and he had to do it again because now they said oh god forbid we would never worship other gods so that was why it was so important to do it again but I told you that much of what I'm helping and sharing with you I learned from Abraim um angel who says and I think it very very properly that there's a third approach and that is once again what we have started saying about perhaps it's not being chronological perhaps he said this happened much earlier But but whether it was the edit Yeshua himself took this event that took place when they went to Shem and they put it at the end of the book because it was such a perfect ending of telling the people you must worship worship God and they said we promise we will perfect ending um and especially when we get into which we hope to do so. That's another fascinating story. Um, and now at the end of the life of Yahosua, how logical it is to hear him saying, okay, just like he started by being told you have to be strong and follow God. He now tells them that great ending. But it didn't happen here. It happened earlier. Um, very simple. The um argument that Rabbi Angel gives is that it's almost incredible to see this really as happening as we said it because it says in the in in the 24th perk and you see that over here in number six. This is what I really wanted to tell you at this point. what I told you therefore fear God serve him and so on and so forth everything that he says right um and that's not to come and say it's okay for you to choose not to worship God is a very strange thing to say at the very end of your life after everything you've seen in conquering in the air. Now you're going to say like like your grand your ancestors were doing before then. Well, that was a long time ago for them, right? Um is um [clears throat and cough] they are now they've conquered the land. They're now living in the land that God had promised they would have. They had seen all of the miracles. They are no longer and this is crucial and I've told it before no longer dependent on miracles. They are God has helped them and yes but but [clears throat] the after the splitting of the Jordan which we will get to maybe today maybe not there's no splitting of the sea and there's no big um miracles. Yes, she be own dome. We do know there was a mini miracle there that God saw that the sunset was um [clears throat] not on time. Little things like that and the bl and the stones that come from heaven uh in in the middle of a um [clears throat] war battle. But it is a life of reality, not of miracle. It's a natural light and um [clears throat] to have him now say well you can you can worship other difficult difficult to say um [clears throat] this idea of you have a sh you have the right to worship other gods >> is completely complete completely um how can I I would say it >> is not is count more than that it was completely shown to be untrue in the nim listen to what yescale says and so in I'm Sorry. In source five and you can turn it the other side in the English says something very clear. >> Seventh. >> Seven. What did I say? >> So I can't count. Yeah. Seventh source. And says this. I'll do it in the English, but I got to tell you the Hebrew is much more powerful. Allah tells the people, "Now God says to say to the house of Israel, thus says the sovereign God, if you defile yourselves as your ancestors did, and you go astray following the their dist detestable things, if if to this very day you defile yourselves, in the presentation of your gifts. I mean the sacrifices, okay, by making your children pass through the fire. You know what that is? That was of course the pagan uh thing that they did having sending the children through fire and whether he actually burned the children or just they had to walk through. That's part of the thing. Okay. either way and all the fetishes. Shall I re uh shall I respond uh to your inquir inquiry? Oh, house of shall I respond? Should I when you're begging me for help, you think I'm going to answer you as I live, declares the so sovereign God. This is I will not respond to you. And what you have in mind shall never come to pass when you say we will be like nations like the families of the lands worshiping wood and stone. For as I live, declares Hashem. I will reign over you with a strong hand and an outstretch and an outstretched arm and with overflowing fury. You're gonna worship think you're going to wor worship other gods. I'm gonna make you worship me. >> You're gonna get unbelievably punished. We call it gullos. So that you're going to end up praying to me. What kind of crazy nation lives hell in 2,000 years in every single land where they live and still remain completely dedicated to the god that people were cursing at and saying that they were therefore being punished for following that god. Only crazy Jews. That's exactly what says that's what's going to happen. You think you're going to do everything and do everybody else is going to do. Haha. You'll be like everybody else who cares about God. God said, "You'll see what's going to happen. I'm going to make it to the point where you're going to have to stay loyal to me." Wow. It's unreal. That's what he says. So the concept that really Yoshua was giving him them a choice. Yoshua is a smart guy. He's not giving a choice. What he is doing, however, is getting them to say we would never do that. giving them the need to actually say like I said we agree that we should not and we will not do so but it is um and by the way that is exactly what they did at Harim and Haral when they had the blessings and the curses is you can just look it up in the Torah. They have to say, you know, Aurab curses someone does that and they say they agree with it. They agree that they won't do this. Basically, what they're saying here, they agreed it. So if they agreed agreed at Haral and Harim says Rabbi Angel and that was where in he said this whole thing is going at the same time when they all went to for a while that's when now he said these things to them didn't have to slap them up a second time that's when they all had to go there anyway for and now he says okay you read what the Torah said you had to read you did what you had to do now let me talk to you a little bit here as they would say now and he goes and tells him these things and therefore he claims this is not the last part this happened earlier this happened when they went to Harri and Har a when they already words him and that's when he therefore spoke to them and that's what had happened after this hieroglyim and this sequence and so [clears throat] therefore in effect he says the people of Israel are only taken to once that one time and therefore he says the sequence that I'm trying to f you know fiddle around with over here of what was going and when it was happening is as follows. [clears throat] B Israel and I'm going to get to that perhaps even today. So they um they crossed the Jordan and they camp the first camp they had is in Gilgal which we'll see that's when they got Brisma. [snorts] Um, and they remain there throughout the years of conquest. This is not clear in the text, but it's as it goes on, it's obvious. In other words, they hadn't split up yet. >> They were still, and for a while, that's where, by the way, the Aro and Mishkan was until they moved it up to this place called Shilo, which also is in safer Yoshua. Okay. Um [clears throat] and therefore as Rabbi Angel says before they split up and leave Gilgal and now take uh possession of the different territories in which they are now going to live. He said you're getting up anyway, right? Take the bus over here first before you go to the specific places. Let's go to Harris Haral or what we call and now we'll do what God had asked us to do. We'll do the harim har and he will give them these things. And that's what happened. Um yes, at the end of his life, yes, Yahosua did call and gather the leaders of each tribe. Um and um he gives them the exhortation, let's say that we read in Peric Cuff Gibble that we read before in chapter 23. That's what happened. Um and that is why the uh let's the per the chapter 23 begins with words of quote unquote Yoshua Zakaim. You know what that phrase is? And Yoshua is uh is elderly getting on with in his day. You know where we see that? You see that in brait zim? You see it infer. And I'm getting old trying to pick up the stuff. Okay. Um and now before that we have now Yoshua Zain Babayim and every chapter that starts that way >> just about right after that they die. Abraham dies in um Sara. um David dies not in per but in per the beginning of perhap and Yoshua is going to die. That's why if it starts with that, it would make sense that that was really the last thing the last thing said to them, you know, and what was said on was really something that had been said earlier and it made sense cuz probably a little more a little younger and able to do some of the efforts. That's what happened there. And um and therefore again after going through these different events that we find in uh in in safer Yahushua I can say that yeah there are indeed proofs or certainly strong proof that it wasn't all exactly in order [clears throat] whether it is that the Moragim actually were sent before Perk Alf because they came back while they before they even had crossed over you know um and the other things that we went through this is exactly that um the um ment inside which I didn't put it in here I don't think um oh yeah I did Rashi comments Rashi comments in he comments about this idea that they can always ch choose another god and um he says is the following that's what this will not happen you thinking that you're not going to worship God and Rashi says you know why can say that for you already accepted upon yourselves of your own free will in the time of Yoshua as it's written and Yoshua gathered all the tribes tribes of Israel and the entire episode when based this very very interesting. Uh this brick that Yahushua made is even more binding than others because it was made by free will. >> Right? You know what it says about in you may have heard this midrash that why did the people of Israel in the desert say okay? Ah because God held us the the mountain over their heads and say either do say yes or I'm gonna drop the mountain on your head. >> Right. >> I a pretty understandable. I would think people would be moved by that way. That's how Islam spread. They said you'll accept us or we'll kill you. And that's how it spread. Right? [laughter] So that's what med says and then you know coming pur it's going to say and pur they took it back. But the fact is it happened here too. Yoshua they said from will free will they said we're not going to worship other gods. we are indeed going to follow um God and uh what he wants and that is not only the idea of uh not having other gods. It's also part of the whole shape very Yeshua that we'll again go into next time of moving the nation from the world of miracles to a world of nature. It's not God that's going to do it. I'm thirsty. I'll send you some water. I'm hungry. I'll give you some birds. You know, I'll give you a man, right? But I'll No, it's now a world of nature. You're going to have to do agriculture. You're going to build a thing and so on and so forth. That's all part of what Sephora Yoshua also beginning. That was the shift from being completely a slave nation that didn't know what to do and said, "God, do it for me." It's like a baby, like a child. [clears throat] The child had to grow up and stand on its own two feet. And that's what sosua is. >> It's a nation that's now standing on its own feet. And perhaps and I do jump here when I say it although not that too not too uh far that why God decides that Moshe could not continue being the made the leader Moshe was the was the leader of miracles. God needed a leader who would let them be independent and do what they should do. not a punishment against no did a great job Moshe you're not the right leader for right now that's all that's what happens so that I think when we see and that um that this is not always in chronological order please Understand it's not a shocking thing to say the final words of Moshe in the Torah are not the last paragraph. It couldn't be. He was up in a mountain in Braha when he had to go up to the mountain. it happened earlier but as a braha they put it at the very end that too is not really exactly chron chronological and so the fact that Yoshua seemingly did the same thing shouldn't be shocking to us it was logical to do so and it drove home an important important message so we're now in conclusion we're able to say that and hashem now that we've concluded did to a certain degree. I can now start in the beginning again and go through. We didn't go through what happened. Yeah. I you didn't hear about the wonderful story when they started swimming across the uh Yeah. D. Well, they didn't swim across the Jordan. Um but um all of that uh that we'll go through not exactly exactly um everything. I'm going to give you a overview and uh touch upon the important parts I think you should know and as I said that's why I love teaching Na'vi because nobody else they can't tell me I'm wrong you know uh it's so important to learn this uh and I will learn end with a beautiful beautiful thing when the book ends it's as if God writes this down and says Hashem throughout the leadership of Yoshua. The people were loyal to God. Not only his time as well as all of the years after Yoshua when the leaders were theim the elders, they still remain. Mashem, a this generation who knew the miracles that God had done before all of Israel, which is one of the greatest uhoh endings. Yeah, these generations did it because they were there and know God did. But the future generations is going to do. That's why we have separate mer next week please God we'll see what Yoshua and other stories there and what Not much shalom.