Shimshon's Last Day by Rabbi Shai Finkelstein

so the last thing we saw uh last week was the idea of uh knowing and recognizing that Shimon is really saying the truth and then she calls up the police team he thinks that nothing changed and many things changed okay obviously he couldn't fight him and uh they paid her and uh now he's uh he's captured so we still need to deal a little bit with the idea of um this event of Shimon and how exactly she knew that he's saying the truth and what exactly was the reaction so page five uh take a look atat David you see that's like the second um it says David vers root so basically he told her that he is a air and she saw that that's what he does which means he does not drink wine he does not cut his hair but so she basically made him sleep on her on her legs and we spoke about the idea who exactly shaved his hair which was or the other guy and she start afflicting him and he lost his power so theel says so the basically mentioned that what that when Shimon fell asleep on so she shaved his seven uh what do we call it uh L goes with Bagel was like L okay so he's seven lck okay and um she didn't do it by herself which means she was so sure this time this is the right time that she said okay someone else can do it I am sure it's going to work that's what the says that she called the man to come and to shave him she asked him to do it alternatively she did it part with the assistant of this guy so she it says that why that she start afflicting him and then he lost his power so our commentators wrote so the minute she shaved his hair he immediately felt some kind of weakness so it seems to be that was the the first one to afflict him and then when when she saw that his strength basically um faded away basically Shimon felt some kind of weakness but he thought know maybe I'm a little sick but then so then when he heard he thought he would what he would wake up exactly like he used to surprised he is not now all those are basically talking about the relationship or the the link between the shaving and losing the power we already mentioned that basically the link is not necessarily a good link because if God wants to give him strength and power he can give it through his uh fingernails okay it's not about the hair the idea is that Shimon himself thought that what that it all comes through the hair and therefore when the hair was removed his power was removed so I'm jumping to verse 20 so she said here and he woke up from his sleep this is okay I would just ask you like you understand that there is something weird here right he's asleep she shaved his hair he feels a little bit weak but he doesn't wake up right can you imagine there somebody shaving your hair someone is shaving your hair and I guess the hair was Heavy okay you don't wake up but when she says what is that like alarm alarm call like he wakes up this is like it's very strange why it's danger yeah but she's shaving his hair and I I guess it's not with a masol I mean it's it's something that uh she used some kind of a of a vessel and she touches your hair so you you're not waking up but when she says you are up okayy drowsy yeah maybe I'll do the same thing I did before he felt weakness but he says you know maybe you know like every man who has little cough he thinks he's dying so you know he sh was like like that basically Shimon basically felt that little bit weakness but he didn't know really a is gone from him so is asking a very good question the answer is uh could be better the question is he says I don't understand say shim he didn't know that AEM basically left him what do you mean you told Lea what that if she will shave your hair right you will have no power you have no hair you have no power so like like what do you want that exactly what you said that's exactly what happened says the radak I don't know even how to explain it exactly he forgot while he was asleep he forgot what he told her he told her that he basically deceived her like the first three or four times but then he realized that really he told her everything so yes drowsy so he was like okay so she he felt the the suffering he felt the afflictions then he woke up he thought okay maybe I was a little weak thinking that what that hasem is still with him then he realized what he's not with him this is an interesting thing Shimon is basically saying what saying you know what I told her everything that was on my heart I told her the truth but I know and this is a very interesting Insight that Shimon has on himself based on the radak which is what he says look I know it's not about the hair it's about me being the judge me what leading the Jewish people to some kind of mini victories over which means I'm protected hem will not let me what fall into the hands of the ptin so therefore he says even though I told her everything even though she shaved my hair even though I lost my hair which I contribute to what to the power that hasem gives me Hashem will not forsake forsake me surprise surprise he did so they took him and they took his eyes or eye out they took him a where he started this entire thing so they chain him we spoke about it a little bit I think last week that to can be someone who grind wheat into into K but we'll see some other interpretations so first and foremost the gamar says thear is interested in what in why did they take his eyes if you ask me the first thing I will do to him cut his hands okay that he cannot cause any damage to me why his eyes so the says the beginning of shimon's demise was what so everything began with your eyes so we are taking your eyes Okay so that's what the gamar say however M says okay we have H we're going to have an interesting uh time now so what does it mean that he was that he was basically the position that he had was to grind wheat into you into flower so that's the simple interpretation of however the mid says something else says now this is a a tricky one but not only tricky one because the inappropriateness but really it will help us to understand the P's perspective on shim what do I mean by that so according to the midash is not someone who grind wheat into flour but rather it's someone that caused women to become pregnant okay so what theim did they brought their wives to be with him so they will get pregnant from shim why thinking that the babies will be strong now why is that so important for me not so much the the beginning but more the end they hate the guy but they attribute to him what superpowers superpowers therefore they want their children to have that superpower so that's a we understand why they kept him alive the first thing that they should have done was kill him immediately because if they thought about humiliating him and bringing the Jews to see him the Jews are not interested the Jews never claimed any ownership or any relationship with with chimon not only that they extradite him which is like a betrayal they didn't care about chimon so it was not about the Jews it was about chimon so kill him answer no he still has a value the value is thinking that what that whoever is going to get pregnant from him we will have another shim right we'll have little shim shim that will grow to be strong shim shim okay so basically in a way they almost made him like an idol which is very interesting now says the he says it seems to be that the ancient Minh in the ancient culture was says it might be that the ancient culture in the ancient societies was that if you are in prison how would you sustain yourself how would you be productive and helping Society by what grinding wheat into flow which by the way it's a very very difficult walk I mean we're not talking about a machine we're talking about what you take the wheat you bring a probably a very uh heavy rock you crash it you you deliver it you sift it whatever you do so basically he says they walked him hard he's very strong so he should walk Hard why did I bring that I told you the mid that says what that means what getting women pregnant right radak says I think this is R what is Rah it's it's foret why for fetch because he has no more strength he has no more strength so you want to tell me that they brought their wives to someone who lost his power this is ridiculous therefore he says I would prefer to say that what that the ancient custom ones if you are a prisoner you work hard and this is the way you work hard now this is interesting why is that interesting because you know what I'll ask you the question I'm not going to give you the answer Kim there are many Kim okay so I don't know if that's I think this one is the from I think the 14 Century Bida is before even though it's not an ancient midash it's a late midash but it's not 14th century it's probably 11 or 9th or 11th century so this is a of kazal that they bring it from kazal radak says it's very ra now even without the radak we said this is like little crazy like what every pish he brought his I mean a why would you give your wife to someone else willingly that's a crazy and B what like they came in turns like this is not normal right this is like crazy so the entire D is is is off and that's what the Rak says it's for fetch but still they said it they will were aware of our cynicism right and they still said it so what do you think is behind it and leave leave alone what we said the RAS question why would they give their wife to someone who just lost his power in the oh so maybe they thought it was really not the hair a it's really something in his DNA and also hair you can cut hair can grows back meaning when it will grow back the power will come again so get him now right and then our children will also be very strong so that's that's one one way to look at it which is very interesting because it's a very Pagan way to look at things well they are and they are pagans exactly so K basically says look you don't understand paganism okay that's what they thought and therefore that's why they did it so radak in the 14th century could not accept it but kazal perhaps did okay theel his 15th century in Fr in in Spain so he says to be a that's the most lousy job and most humiliating job and that's what why they gave it to him so it's very similar to and others okay and then in 22 the hair Starts gring Now the word start that reminds you of what P the prophecy of what which is said what he'll start to is you see he will start he will start he will begin he will initiate what the redemp the Redemption so that's one now what else can we learn from the word now little bit of means to start what else it means doesn't mean to wait where very good it also means to wait where I don't know no no you know go to with which means he wait so is is to start is also to what to wait also what else is is to anticipate to have hope to pray right which means I hope I pray to you okay so we have three um I would say definitions or options to the word which is obviously the beauty of Hebrew so basically here I think that the narrative is very is specifically is ambiguous because when I tell you now his hair is growing what do you have in mind yes oh he's coming back he's coming back he's somehow going to want to break those chains and he's going to kill them all and he's going to go back to his parents house no no so there is some kind of anticipation and Hope and you think a new beginning starts and then take a look what happened the radak says so like they shaved it obviously it came back and what's the reason of that story because later on we'll see that Shimon says to the guy who was next to him because don't forget he could really thought it what it's coming back so he told please put me on these two pillars he attributed it to whom to God which means the fact that that God allowed my hair to come back to return it means what strength my strength is back God reos me now this is a very interesting that chimon had because the fact that your hair grew again you know why it's called tea he's a no no I'm saying everyone who takes a haircut the hair grows somehow okay and uh and especially if this guy was shaved so it will come back just a matter of time there is nothing to do with God but Shimon attributed to God but he was half wrong half right yes but but all along it seems that chimon didn't do his part to try to make sure that there was that passion with Hashem agree and I so as much as he didn't understand I I think that was part of his problem he didn't do his part so he didn't understand he didn't he just assumed assum he I think he didn't do his part I think I agree with you Michelle and I I would say that I think it relates to what we said before which means Shimon thought that he's invisible whatever he will do he will be protected because God will never deliver him to the P te's hands because he can't he's the judge and God protected him all over this time with all the mesas that Shimon had so obviously this time as well huh we'll see I mean we know the end of the story so it's not fair but let's just play along that we don't know so um says so the says that after his hair grew so the narrative that we will see in a few minutes basically described the the story that Shimon killed so many by dying with them says don't think that his hair was connected to sorry that his strength was connected to his hair he says that's not true but rather his power his strength was a miracle what was the condition keep the you get the strength and after he followed his eyes and he told that secret to he forgot that she is not his fan okay she does not like love him she's going to manipulate him he loved her and she played right you say you love me but you don't tell me your secrets so everything turned against him and he lost everything the PUK says exactly the PUK just said what that the hair grew up but the strength but grew but he doesn't say that the strength came back Shimon thought you know this is the idea sometimes when you say something you start believing in it and that was right that's shim's problem so their hair grew and they are bringing him to their house of worship and they start basically humiliating him so basically realize what the strength is not coming back now I need to what to do chuva end of his life when he has no then he remember no there is a God and this is why God answered shim not because of the hair and not because in order not to deliver him in the hands of because he did the strength came to him as a result of what of the the spiritual strength not because of the physical strength so is giving us the story basically they bring him to their house of idols and then theim comes along in order to bring sacrifices to their idols and to make fun of Shimon basically making fun of whom God of then shim realize it makes do go through the proc of CH and then hasm answers him and then he makes the best damage ever okay the malim says page seven so this is interesting the says in a correct Hebrew it should say what to grow it's like a very active it's what positive probably a better word okay the word you use positive passive and active so he says it grew not in a normal pace and he says says if they would see what that the hair grow quickly what should they do cut it cut it immediately right instead of bringing him you know to be I would give him to be what an assistant in the barber shop right so I will be there immediately when I see one hair grow I'm immediately going to shave it because he will get his strength so it went back quickly so now look this is a very interesting thing Shimon does not see them as enemies and they definitely see him as an enemy but that's I I I think my theory about his loneliness is this I think it's so true more than that did what I think it's more than that he's missing a couple of things it might be but I think the loneliness and the feeling of betrayal and the feeling of abandon I'm not a psychiatrist but I think that you look at the narrative and you see it it's crying out he didn't have much Social intelligence anal so so the idea is is that they are the the Ministers of they gather together to bring sacrifices to the Elohim by the wayon it's very I know if you know on the way to there is bait Theon and what is there grinding grinding grinding okay that's where the wit is a lot of it I don't know but it's interesting because that was the G it's means means the gun that's the is the name of the and and the interesting part is that if it was even though it might be with fish I don't know but uh but the interesting part is that they made him which means maybe also like to serve their God okay so then says the they're making fun of him they making fun of el is so all the people came along it's the best entertainment in town you know Shimon the guy that we were terrified of him he's now making fun of himself we humiliate him they start praising their gods God our God delivered our enemy into our hands he destroyed our land when he killed so many of us so they are drinking they are eating they have a good time bring sh and he should what entertain us now the word already reminds us what it's and we spoke about so he start to be the clown and they basically positioned him between the two pillars says the is sometimes are basically are interchangeable um meaning even though you play with those two words but theim says it might make you happy and funny but not not not for me so shim says to the youth who is holding his hand because don't forget he's blind just please lean me over these two pillars the house is filled with with all men and women and all the Ministers of so if you have 3,000 on the roof how many do you have inside at least 3,000 right I mean the roof sometimes can be bigger than the house but but basically let's say let's say around 6,000 people Ministers of the people and everything okay please remember me please give me strength only one more time and I will Revenge at least one I okay before we start singing the song let's see the PUK the PUK say something interesting shim calls out to hasem and what kind of name does he use first isim and then he says elim okay right judgment or Justice and compassion and then he says to him what what does it mean obviously God remembers him probably is asking for remember some kind of a merit that I did so then what then I will be redeemed somehow and please give me strength now he goes back to what to I will take revenge only of one eye one ey why not both eyes meaning they did something terrible to me so I'm going to take revenge but I want only Revenge only 50% why not both of them and again he says what me like who else who else is around so this entire request is is a bit uh a bit strange so take a look at Bida what do you want to remember that you went to this from a and then you went to another ptit and then you went to that what you want to remember like what do you have in your pockets that you can show for so he says please remember for me that for 20 years I judged the Jewish people and I didn't ask anyone of them for any favors even though I could use my authority as a chaet to ask him to do things for me I never asked anything leave the relevancy to the 21st century but uh that reminds us of two other great leaders who did the same m is the first one with he says and the second one that we read the the same sh when the people ask for a king he says what do you want for me right and he says the same thing I didn't take a thing from you and if I did go ahead testify and the people say we agree with you you didn't take anything from us so basically what chimon says look I know my personal life for maybe we not the best uh one and I'm maybe not that proud of them but one thing I can be very proud of I never use my Authority for myself that's the this is an incredible thing it's not about you know starting the Redemption it's not about you know risking myself it's about what not taking advantage or not using or abusing my position what does that mean that I will take revenge of one of my eyes from one eye for this world and the other one eye for what for the next World to come so that's why he asked for Revenge only for one eye so he' get something in the next World to mean a reward in we hope yeah so what did he do so basically took a hold of these two pillars of the house that the house is founded founded on them so he leans on them like that [Applause] okay says so I explained in another um another book even in English I'm sure there is there is to lean on something and then there is to to grow depend on to rely on okay so he says we know it with the when you lean your hands over the you do it that's what the requires to rely on something it's like like that I don't is I will do like that so if you take this standle for me I'm going to fall down okay is like that even if you take it I I'll still be standing and therefore he says which means he told just I just want to add just to put my hands on that but then when he got it he really what he really took a hold of those two pillows so he says I'm going to die with them now by the way Hashem did not answer him right he asked hasem to help him he gave him the strength but hasem did not answer so Shimon assume again that what that hem answered him maybe already felt some kind of strength we will talk about it so he basically is leaning on that with strength so the house collapsed on the Ministers of the so he killed more people when he died rather than when he was alive now there's something very interesting my soul it should have said what which was correct he says which is interesting we need to understand it and um and then the T described that he killed more people when he died rather than while he was alive and then which is probably one of the most saddest so his brothers not Brothers dka siblings like you know the people from his tribe and all his father's house so they took him so they went and they buried him between so his father is already dead so they bury him next to him and he judged the Jewish people for years so that's interesting his tribe however felt some kind of responsibility to what to bury him next to his father properly and not to leave him with what with with him it's very interesting while he was alive they had nothing to do with him when he's dead so they bring him back to be buried in in a Jewish cemetery of course there's nothing else afterwards so they can he doesn't they can give probably themselves thought maybe they didn't give him the right attitude or so this is what because he not a threat to them anymore right says I will translate in a minute which means I will translate don't basically the radak divides shimon's life into two one when he start doing his stuff until um until um um Ana with you remember when he was thirsty that was one part and then from that until the end of his life and why because he didn't do anything really between that time until he didn't kill any P te okay so he was useless when were those 20 years that he was a judge exactly what when were those 20 years that oh so he wants to say it's really all the 20 years since he started but we said 40 years it said that he judged for 40 years answer is he really judged for 20 years but the P were still afraid of him for another 20 years I guess they thought he's coming back so uh so they were terrified so they were terrified for another 20 years but that's what for 20 years where were his oh don't forget Chet does not mean a judge judge like in a court can be just a leader a military leader we didn't hear about him leading either yeah yeah that's also true also for example gon okay we don't hear anything about you know kind of judgment the one who was a judge was really like a sh okay so this is someone like that we will say that he also is but the rest of them well it's more about it's more about leaders so now take a look at the Dr ker you asked me I think when we started what's the point of that story this is such an inappropriate story and it's and shim is the Jud like what's the point definitely not to teach you know elementary school kids like what are we doing with that story so the r says the following that's the r not saying that everyone agree with him but that's what the r the r says the following so first and foremost I will tell you the brought points why is that story relevant and important I gave you only a few of them but from the fact that you bring 22 reasons it means what that the question is much better than all those answers okay from 22 letters that but it should be 26 with all the Soph but whatever that's all good but it's interesting that you have so many reasons to because if I if I would stop here and I will ask you okay by we'll have another sh on that from a different perspective but if I would ask you okay so what did you learn so I I'm sure I hope that you learn about the narrative how to understand it what were the questions what were the issues but in terms of the of theose meaning and the purpose of putting it in tanak I think all of you ask the same question like I mean it's it's like a it's inappropriate B it caus so many question like this is my judge my judge is like going out with women that he should not go out with what's going on here and also this is like okay he has hair and that gives him strength okay so let's see the the says the following so that's the 12th one is says to come and to teach you about the Divine Providence that he the chimon had because of the Jewish peoplei and this is because knew that Shimon will fail because of his dealing with the women the so God tried to watch to help him out and to prevent him from being with those women this is why he was a from birth and also he was not allowed to take to shave to add some strength to him so he will be equipped from the attribute of G now here and in cabala we believe that the the din is in the hair and also in where fingernails the de judgment there is a in there is so comes through the hair and the fingernails this is also why there is so much to do with fingernails okay I'm not talking about that it's not good for you to eat them or toy them I'm talking about where to throw them what's the order of how you cut them and even what days you cut them and in what order and I said order too okay so order day of the week okay and where you throw them okay so therefore I mean you can look at this and say I mean what are you doing and the same thing with hair okay also with hair not that obsessive luck with the fingernails but there is something with the hair as well so basically the rbak says God knew that he will have issues with those women so he tried to what to equip him with enough strength not only physical strength but spiritual strength that he will be able to be so basically this is why Hashem told his mom to also be already to be careful with from birth so he will have enough power to be able to what to be to overcome his inclination you remember when yov gave a a blessing to Dan to sh came from Dan he says at the end that's the end of the bra which means I hope for your salvation hasem interesting almost the last words of shim is what and yob says I hope that what that hasem would listen to him basically yov already prayed that what that hashem's Providence will not leave Shimon now let's pause here so according to what the rbak says the idea of this entire story is to teach us what what's the how is that come to play here returned to what it was supposed to be would you call it calls to right but was there yeah so that's something yes so that's helps everyone who right right open for me a little crack in the door and now will open the door for you right you'll do your uh initial steps and now I'll do everything for you yes he also recognizes that Hashem is with him every minute of the day which is why he's being to say and now I want you to help me in this you deviated you started well I think I'll help you out a little bit I think what you meant to say was that he realized that the strength does not come from the hair it comes because God would care for him this is where the even if you sinned so basically what where do you see that where do I see that because he basically says God prepared him right there is at the beginning God told him you are going to be from BET don't cut your hair so you will be confronted with but you will be able to overcome it now he sinned he obviously didn't at the end of his life he goes back and he understand it's not because of his strength anymore he doesn't have it what does he say to Hashem you're going to give me the strength why because of what because of the that I know you will have it for not for me so the was not for sh that's what he says in the beginning the first sentence was not for shimon's sake it was for the Jewish people's sake this is a different this is not just another story of because if you want to give a story about ysep story is probably the best one okay I don't need shim for that y story is the best one so here is the on you but not for your own sake but rather for the Jewish people so this is one benefit from the story that's according to the r then another one are so it's to uh to advertise to publicize the Miracles that hem can do through his prophet because when perform Miracles so people can say ah if a miracle happened and by the Nai so we need to believe in the na'vi and then we will believe in the Torah which was given to by Moshe was the ultimate and this is why the Torah mentioned the the miracle that this Angel did in front of and his wife so he says if you look at story you see many miracles the first miracle is what is the Angel appearing to manah and his wife and he goes through with this flame and then shimon's Miracles that he um what did he do with the lion and killing so many Pim with this donkey chick okay and so that will what that will strengthen your belief in Mira belief in Miracles so you believe in God what do you think about this one we have so many stories with Miracles and uh this one that's what I said when you give 22 reasons some of them are not going to be as strong as they uh as we want um okay so we'll stop here we'll continue next week with more with more CH but I just want to um to say that what we're going to do next week is that we will go through some of those reasons of the of R and perhaps we will start a new subject I'll send I'll send that's for today