Shimshon/Samson and the Philistines (Part 2) By Rabbi Shai Finkelstein

okay everyone so uh we shall continue from uh from last week um just would like to say that uh all shim today are being dedicated by Mrs H in memory of and she wrote that Hitler robbed her of Jewish Education she spent her life catching up attending and proudly supporting her family's efforts in so it should be for for him and also uh for Mel David's um our friend Mel David by his entire family um and uh we'll remember him coming and attending our okay so we are on page uh at the bottom of page two at the bottom of page two and we are still with the first encounter of uh Shimon and the ptit um and we saw obviously a few things last week that talked about that first encounter and what it entails so we need to continue so we are at the bottom of page two um sure there is at the at the front front whatever in that here we have okay okay so we are page two last sentence on page two so he basically he saw this uh woman from Pim we spoke about the fact if he really converted her he didn't convert her it basically that was his only tool to what to create points of tension between him and theim so he can do his job which is to begin to initiate the Redemption so his father goes down there and is making a that's what the boys I guess I guess will do so a b a bachelor party what do you call it okay so you see a a little Hebrew guy I don't know if it was little or not but he's a Hebrew guy Yi is and he goes down to theim city like real Pim City and the people see him there and what do they do they join him they join his M no problem so sh says to them I'm going to what to give you a riddle okay if you will be able to solve [Music] it and I give you time seven days for the which by the way it's interesting he's marrying a and he's doing a right this is a this is a real interesting thing okay but and if you will find out what is the solution for the riddle I'll give you 30 blankets I don't know and 30 suits so pretty good now don't forget each one gets one there are 30 people there okay and if you will not be able to tell me you will give me okay give us the riddle let's hear it and let's see we'll figure it out so first and foremost by the way this is an interesting thing whenever you make a you create tension why do you create tension because everyone wants to solve it and if you can't solve it they are angry and many times they say to you tell me tell me tell me right oh they say don't don't don't don't tell me but then they are angry and whatever will be is that basically Shimon is so convinced that they will not be able to what to solve the rid and then one of two things will happen a they will be angry with him so they will do something against him and then he can take revenge or alternatively he just going to make some money on them so they will suffer so he says to them from a food from a type of food you get another food was derived from it and from something strong something sweet came out from it so they are thinking trying to think for three days they can't find out so on the seventh day and they told shim's wife try to seduce your your husband and he should what he should tell you the riddle the solution and he obviously going to tell us now now before we go into all the something very interesting you please I will translate very good I will on the I remembered from last week on the seventh day they told shimon's wife seduce your husband so he can tell you the answer because if not we will burn you and your family and your house alive so because if not he is going to what to cause us a financial damage what did you bring him here to cause us damage so when you think about this pasuk and the reaction it's very interesting first and foremost for 3 days they couldn't find out the riddle right the solution so but they are waiting another four days and only on the seventh day they go to the wife why dka why specifically on the seventh day why not to go to the wife on fourth day fifth day first day cuz maybe they thought they could stop it oh so after 3 days they didn't figure it out but still they had four more days so why not to go on the fourth day so that's question number one second question is but that's not fail like you signed the deal with Shima he says if you can find out I'll give you 30 uh blankets and 30 suits and if not you give it to me so now you don't know what um how to solve it so now you are going to to use our threats and see just one second where is sh where is Shimon meaning if he was there how can they speak to his wife while he's there he's not there so maybe he's not there where did he go okay what he just left his wife in the so uh so let's see what's going on at least according to the so for example if you look at David he says by on the seventh day he doesn't talk about the seven days of the party of the celebration but rather so Su you were right after the three days that they couldn't find a solution on the fourth day that happened to be on what on Shabbat they came to his wife now where is sh so he says sh on Shabbat shim says what I'm going to my mom right you don't know how to create a make a the fish right I'm going home so they found time and space to want to speak to the wife now this is something very interesting because I'm not that interested in the children I'm very interested in the fact of what that Shimon couldn't stay with for Shabbat so now we spoke so many times he left her now we spoke so many times about his split personality to some extent the guy dwells with the Tuma him not Jewish woman I don't know what kind of a celebration they do Shabbat comes I'm going home okay I'm going home I'm staying with my family now it also means what interestingly enough it also means that now we have some kind of a Glimpse to shabbat at the time of tanak because we know that many of the prophets basically rebuked the Jewish people for what for not exactly keeping Shabbat and here I don't know exactly what his parents did but at least he understood I'm not staying here for Shabbat that's for sure I'm going what I'm going to my house so this is a very interesting sure what is she going to do there is not Jewish he's not going to bring her with him because I would I would assume that what I would assume that she is not that uh welcome in the Israeli cities and also again I'm not so sure how much they theim came to visit the Israelites and especially it's a woman whatever and maybe also her parents told her you're not going anywhere you are staying right here also in addition I don't know how old she was she might be be that she was a minor and the parent says to look you can go anywhere you are staying here so all the above but it's interesting to know that really that there was some kind of a Shabbat in the time of tanak for those for for Shimon and he preferred to go home rather than to stay with his wife okay so Shimon comes back probably Shabbat right Saturday night he comes home and his wife started crying you only hate me you don't love me why not because you left me for Shabbat but rather you gave a riddle to my people and you didn't tell me I am your wife you should definitely what tell me the answer I didn't tell my parents you think I'm going to tell you do you understand how skewed these relationships are okay they are terrible basically he says to her I married you but I prefer my parents okay they can spend a lot of hours in the psycholog you know with a psychiatrist or psychologist but the thing is is that there is no question that basically says to her I marry you not for you I really marry you in order to have an in into your people but look how she also defines the relationship she says b am me my people and he says to her my parents so where where is she basically between these two I don't know so she's crying um and for seven not seven days now we know it's 3 days right after the third day they start ning ha and that was on a Shabbat which was probably the fourth day so she is crying to him for Shabbat until Tuesday okay nonstop you don't love me you don't love me you don't love me okay and on the seventh day and he told her because she what she bothered him speak and obviously she went back to her people and she told them now it's interesting because here we already no I she didn't tell him about the whole thing about burning the house very good cuz he's strong she knows does she know he's strong or not okay very good all questions all questions are good question was she never told him about the threat and B why does she trust him he's a strong I mean we think he's a strong guy and maybe she doesn't know yet because we don't know yet he didn't even tell his parents about the lion lion cub so no one knows about him this is just a guy who got married with a and by the way it seems to be from the tanak that it was probably not that rare mean the were willing to what to marry intermarried with the Israelites no Jewish boys were always in demand they're not Jewish yet they're Israelis Hebrews so the thing is is what is that the idea is is that it seems to be that there was like some kind of acceptance so I don't think that they he she knew about the strength but she definitely she's asking him to tell her a secret and she herself does not give him a secret which is the threat you would tell her you wouldn't tell her if she said the people want to know no I mean she could have said look they going they kill they will kill me and my parents so you know tell tell them the the riddle so the thing is is that so that's one second thing is we al already see shimon's weakness when his wife start bothering him he is not that strong to say no and obviously he joins a list of very brave men who who for seven days cannot tolerate it and will give up so the thing is is that we being serious now is Shimon shows that the strong as he can be he basically will give in when there is such a such a such a cry okay says the 14th century says the following so what does it mean that she bothered him so the says the following maybe perhaps that the meaning of it which means one option what does it mean to bother him that she drove him crazy every minute of the day she cried and she said you don't love me you don't love me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me okay so that's one way or perhaps another possibility I will translate in a minute translating or perhaps she would not cry every day every minute you don't love me don't love me but when they will be intimate then when he would like to be with her she would say see you later and he could not bear that anymore so he wanted to be with her so therefore he had to what to tell her the the real now what do we see from here what's the what's the difference between the two opinions the two opinions in the r like it could be enough the first one right why do I need to go to the second one I think that there is a huge difference the first one is talk so if I say that Shimon couldn't really handle the cries and then you don't love me you don't love me look I understand it but it's not that strong the second opinion the second interpretation is much stronger meaning Shon understand he cannot be married married to her and he doesn't want to divorce her and he she's his card into the pish te so he needs to what he needs to give in but is it is it worse to I'm just thinking about I were Simpson the shoes his wife Philistine called my people she doesn't even tell him the whole truth she called my people say J knewest the ne but is it worth to give up his people's safety just for one woman's plee no it's not his his people safety he can he you will see what he does in order to get this uh this price for them but he doesn't care about it he doesn't care to lose he just didn't want to say the riddle I will just say uh I will just say one thing you remember all this discussion that we have if he if his wife's converted or not when she says my people but what's the association says my people are your people your people are my people and she says my people are my people and your people are your people so I think this is another indication she did not convert to definitely not to Judaism okay the in says theowing very known commentator so she cried for seven days it comes to teach you meaning it was not only for seven days they had a celebration for what for two weeks so therefore it's not about the seventh day Shabbat or not Shabbat there was a seven days of Celebration and then she cried for him for another seven days so it comes to tell you that he talks about those people that had so he says what he says look no no no you got it all wrong says Shimon and the boys had that riddle when the week before the wedding he gave them the riddle they tried to what to find out the answer couldn't find it then the beginning of the so she start crying to him when from the beginning of the seven days of the M can you can you imagine that the beginning of the is crying to him tell me tell me tell me so what was what does it mean on on the seventh day after they were married what does that mean right after they were married yeah yeah yeah so on the 14th day he so shim told her and he and he gave her the the solution for the riddle because she would bother him with her cries and screams and all of that in when they were intimate so she would just say to him no she immediately went back to her people and she told him them the answer for the rid says the malim was on the seventh day because that was the last day so she cried for seven days and he gave in when on the last day on the seventh day why did he give in only on the seventh day not why not on the fourth day fifth day he said to himself you know what I'll tell her and I'll ask her to do what to keep it secret so at least one day she will be able to what to keep it in secret the the problem was that he did not know that what that if she will not convey the message she will be burnt with her parents and their house so he says look you asked me to tell you because you say that if I'm not telling you I hate you I don't love you blah blah blah I'm telling you I fulfill your wishes now leave me alone and he thought that she will keep it as a secret but she told him why says the because they are they people her people and she was closer to them she was closer to them rather than to her husband now take a look at what's going on here this is this is really an incredible Insight in the first week of the marriage in the first week of the marriage get worse momy she's not from the te that's from her people yeah so may have hador motives for marrying him just like he had for Mar so that I'm not sure it might it might maybe she never well maybe she didn't feel anything for him or maybe you know they look down upon the Israelites because they control them again we don't know much about that ptit we know more abouta later on this woman we don't know too much I can tell you one thing that if the city or those 30 guys can threat them that we will burn you life it means that they were not the most respectful or the most the strongest family in now but it might be that they were very strong but those 30 boys are stronger so I really have no idea of what I mean where did she come from what was the status of the family I I don't know anything about it but I can tell you one thing for sure is that she she definitely didn't love Shimon and by the way I don't think anyone asked her if she likes him or not don't forget it's mention times if the parent says that you need to marry so and so no one is really asking you if you are if you like him or not that's a b i really not sure that I think can influence the story is what was the's view on intermarriage not what is our view what is their view would they look down upon a family that you know but she was asked what you didn't find anyy or they said oh we found a good Jewish boy I I don't know but definitely we see in the malim says it in a very nice way nice very like direct way he says basically it was all about nationhood not about marriage which is very interesting do we know why sh married her yeah the what do we know why Shon married her so I said in the classes before that was basically a ticket in in order to go and to create points of tension between him and the so now so you do you see that it's the people of the city we talked about the beginning about 30 boys now it's become what the talk of the city and why I guess the those 30 boys will go to everyone and ask them the ridle right can you tell me can you tell me and no one knew but now after they knew the answer so they told it to the entire city by the way another Association you need to listen to the T you need to listen to the whenever you talk about it's bad news okay that's okay also in a different place if I'm not mistaken I'm almost positive there is with Dina and one more time also that's also but in yeah but but I'm saying not only kind in a negative connotation the story with me when they took a someone's concubine and they whatever and they cut her to pie whatever terrible thing whatever but that was when you hear that's bad news so they told him on the seventh day okay I guess before he came to that placea or maybe it was a meeting place I don't know what is AA so they give him also a a riddle what is hone or sweeter than honey and what is stronger than a lion so here we got the answer for your R for lion you have the honey and this is the a from a strong thing and something sweet came out so he told them which means in a very loose translation if you will not force my wife to tell you you will not know the answer so basically you are a bunch of what cheers of fers cheaters phonies whatever you are now say am so why did he say to them why didn't he say to them like okay got you s move on says because it was his wife who told them the answer for the riddle and without her telling them they will never be able to find out the answer for the riddle so first he just told them look I know what you did there is no way on Earth that you will be able to what to find out it's only because of my wife so even though my wife didn't tell me that she told you I know that she told you so that's a o do you see that that during the seven days Shimon was suspicious that his wife had an affair with one of those boys okay now you can understand how lovely this marriage was especially and basically he says to them so she told this guy that she had an affair with she told him the answer for the riddle and this is how now with all the respect to the I mean the first one I can understand that Shimon by himself realized that his wife told them the answer because she's the only one who what who knew about it not it's not no one okay and obviously it's not because they were not that smart right so but where does he come with the second opinion again how I'm going to say it in a nice way okay the world to plow so the first meaning to plow is to plow a field but in a very derogative um humiliating way L it's also a kind of a derog description of intimate relationships which this is why R picks on the world and the word L and therefore he says the second the second interpretation okay also there is another word remember it for the end of Shimon Lon is what is lon to grind Lon is also a a derogative negative description of intimate relationships that are not done willingly but rather done in a very humiliating way to grind this is very derogative as well maybe no don't forget the prophets they when they describe even is they call it what a beautiful calf Egypt which means AA we look at that as a calf okay but C A LF can so the thing is is that AA was probably something like uh that chose Beauty so it might be a GL like my my beauty my my wife or a derogative way to look at her and basically look at her she's like basically a cow okay okay everything that was not politically correct that I could have said today I think I said it and all the and it's all recorded so we got it right okay yeah it's there so it's not exactly in front that's boys don't study T yeah yeah yeah but I really want I mean part of what we did is that really to show the sensitivity to the world and more tanak you learn and More Of The Roots You Learn you understand by yourself how the picked on it and when you look at it say like I'm doing that with you we even going a little slower than I planned but I think it's important because when you see a commentator say something like that you need to ask yourself with all the respect where did he come from where does it say that that shim was suspicious that now also something that you need to think about there is one option that Shimon does not bring as an option if you would not threat my wife and my her family she would never tell you right he does not bring that up why not only that because he could not IM imagine would that they would say something like that to their own people so now it reminds mamas okay him which means Shimon himself says you know I understand pressure and you don't want to pay up for what you are committed to but okay so you might uh you know you maybe your my wife just felt a connection to you or maybe she had NFL with you so you seduced her to what to tell you the the the reason but I would never imagine that what that you will threat our own life answer is welcome to ptim I hope I'm not going to be s in hug now okay um so this is the pon you remember the pon the Bell okay from time to time the spirit of God goes upon him we saw we said it's like a bell that has this thing from time to time so this time It Came Upon him so this the Divine Spirit just comes on him and what does he Doon he goes down to ashkon by the way ashkon was very close to where the were the were always in that always ason okay so he goes to Ash don't forget the had few regions so he goes to another region he goes and he kill 30 30 people so he take their suits he gave this to the 30 boys and he was mad was upset and he went back to what to his father's father's house where is his mother I don't know yet but what does he do say he does something very interesting he gave them back what khif what about the the blankets the the the so I guess probably says you violated your commitment I will do the same now interestingly enough also is that one region does not know from another okay he goes he kills 30 people and he takes their suits and he goes and give it to the other people now there is another problem here you remember that he's a Nazir right and one of the things that Nazir cannot do is to be contact in in a dead body okay so but we forgot that because really his was what not to drink wine and not to get a haircut and not to eat anything that is impure he did not have idea of being in with the dead body okay says page three now move to page four so he killed 30 people ah exactly what we're talking about our rabbis received in the tradition he was allowed to be in touch with dead bodies even though he was a because the says that he's going to be a himself did not take upon himself thean the entire idea according to Jewish law this Shimon is very complicated because never ever Shimon in his life says I am going to be na he never took it upon himself he was grandfathered in but he never says I do okay so he has a problem with that so we have an issue with that but that's what he says and whatever the angel told him directly and taking shaving and that's why he was able to to kill them Takeo take their clothes with obviously he had to what to touch them so therefore there was no problem with okay they didn't get bloody was yeah dry cleaning so the um the says and you know what that's what our sages says but let's say that we put aside the tradition from our sages he says maybe we could have said he says maybe we shouldn't go and say that he was allowed to touch dead bodies maybe he was not allowed to to to touch dead bodies so what did he do he killed them with something else and then he somehow took their clothes without tou touching them okay gloves gloves maybe I don't know or or maybe he would beat them up there will still be live alive or dying but still alive and then he will take their clothes and then immediately after he took their clothes they died no he told them to take their clothes off or I'm going to kill you uh maybe okay one second let me just finish up this this so he took off their clothes before they died or or maybe after he killed those guys he took another says to him do you want to be the 31st 31 he says to him no no no no okay so take off their clothes give it to me and goodbye now why do you think the radak he's bringing all those stories instead of just saying like what kazal said answer the problem with Shimon and as I said before is that if you start saying that he was a very special Naz you get questions about other na so if you put it in the same category which it means Nazir cannot drink wine can got cannot get a haircut can not shave and cannot be in touch with pure with with with dead bodies you're fine shim is like everyone else but if you say he's not so that's creates issues so that's why the r goes out of his way to make up all those things that come on okay he was always was very careful not to touch a dead body but it says but when it comes to war and it was a war to save the Jewish people then you are allowed to do it which by the way someone told me someone told me that in England in the first world war some kohanim came to the commander whatever it says they said we cannot go to war because we are kohanim and we cannot be with uh with dead bodies so they send it to the rav Adler who was the chief Rabbi of uh of England this Radler was uh ordained in Germany and then he came to England I don't know if you know a little bit about England but that was uh in the in the um beginning of the 20th century and he said uh no kohanim can go to battle what was his proof no it'sah that was a war between the told me the story yes the pretty woman that you take in captivity that you are allowed to take a woman in captivity in a war because thear talks about can a Cohen take this woman as a wife now because she is like a convert a Cohen cannot marry a convert so from the fact that thear discussed that's what R says from the thear discussed the fact that if he can take her or not how he got there first place answer is he went to war and because he went to war here you got out now I'm not sure if those Kanan likeed him after that but that's was that didn't tell me but that was the story who was last week he told me the story so this was the the idea of the kohanim going to war so basically he says in the time of War they can go by the way in Israel there is another issue can a coin who killed in war can be right can can they do the Priestly blessing and the answer and many others they says obviously they can because it was what so they didn't kill anyone they saved lives they had to kill but this is a different thing than doing that like just like that so he said they didn't die that was AE a second before they one of the answ that after he dead number 31 um oh uh yeah no but uh I think that he said if we take uh one second oh no no but he oh you're saying that the become sh um I'm not sure if an ail cannot uh just went and K 30 guys just like what kind of person was he Shimon yeah do you think he's going to pay it from his own pocket it just says very casually Kill 30 guys sure he went there to cause tension yeah that's easy process yeah he wants to create Rush he wants to create he doesn't care he goes Kill 30 people he says Hey guys come here and kills them all in one at one shot and uh yeah so and then he says everything came from God I mean everything was all these circumstances came from God and our sag says that what a can be so that's obvious if someone died without any relatives also is going to want to impure himself and to touch and this is by the way an incredible just in terms of hashkafa you see a dead body you see a dead Jew and he has no relative there is no one to take care of him even if it's a that is on his way to make P or is going to on his way to do the Y service he goes and impure himself for this dead Jew okay says the just want to finish up today the this sources says with his strength he killed 30 him Inon and he took their clothes gave them to those people who Solve the Riddle and Shimon was angry his wife was what bad she was evil she was not loyal and he went to his father's house and when her father saw that sh just left her he gave her to what to someone else what does he do he gave this woman to one of those 30 boys that chimon invited for his feast and that's what the PUK says but do you understand the the cruelty you have those 30 boys who came to the feast M Shimon gave them the riddle they didn't know so they threatened his wife or they had an affair with his wife I don't know whatever they had okay so then the father what does he do he takes this wife and now Shimon left her and I know maybe when he slammed the door okay he also told her stay with them he gave a few blessings okay and then he slammed the door so the and the father looks at her and says hey my my beautiful daughter let's go and marry a good pishti not only now those pish thinks that what they humiliated CH now they don't know yet that the 30 suits that they received was what they were used right second hand handy what do you call it handy handy hand down so basically those guys they have no clue and I don't know if they care or not but they receive their thing so we humiliate the chimon and in order to what to in his Kish I'm going to give your wife to one of those 30 boys which by the way will also increase shimon's suspicion that what that she really maybe had an affair with this guy okay so that so his father-in-law was a a real mench right okay they have the Mother-in-law if that's the father-in-law just imagine right so get divor oh don't forget she was not Jewish so there is no divorce there's no nothing it's almost like you know like with Muslims there's no get there is which means out out out and that's it and you're done and and the women don't get the children either the children stay with the husband if there a the told you that what that the wife's wife was given to one of his friends translated what is best friend that's a a Grooms mate not groomsman groom yeah your best friend okay so he says and I think says I think that the of the narrative is what sh's wife had an affair without his her father's permission I was about to say like you go to your father for that but whatever she had an affair with one of those bodes that invited for the feast and why did she have anything to do with shimon's body because he was his best friend and he would come from time to time and he would see her and they would start talking and and it seems to be that it's one of those 30 guys that he gave the riddle to and he did it in order to increase shimon's anger and now all of that was from Hashem why because first and foremost Shimon was upset with his wife then he was upset with those 30 people and he was upset with his father-in-law which means I have all the excuses all the right in the world to do what to wage a war against you to take revenge so I'm not going to it's not going to be sufficient only to do what to kill those 30 guys and to give I am going to do more because now I can take revenge with my father-in-law also I can take revenge with on my wife and I definitely can take revenge of my boy my best friend who took my wife and his family so shim now has the right for revenge and that's what we're going to do next week