YINR 929: Tanach Yomi

A short thought for each chapter/perek in Tanach for Tanach yomi/daily Bible study by Josh Blechner

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi is a religion podcast hosted by Josh Blechner, with 253 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Josh Blechner hosts YINR 929: Tanach Yomi, a religion show with 253 episodes published.

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  Episode #22

  I Shmuel 22: Avimelech and Achimelech

  Aug 18, 20263 minS8

  Chapter 22 is a difficult read. David has to jump from location to location to save himself and his family. He only finds refuge in foreign lands. The Israelites want nothing to do with him. Meanwhile, Doeg informs on Achimelech and Shaul brings the high priest and his family to answer for their actions. Unsatisfied with Achimelech’s protestations of innocence, Shaul instructs his soldiers to massacre the priests. When none of them agree to do so, Doeg himself takes on the task and not only kills 85 priests, but he also massacres the entire city of Nov. This chapter brings back bad memories of the age of Judges when the nation turned on itself and innocent people were killed. Once again, the Navi drops a few references to Judges. This time, the most overt ones are to the story of Avimelech. Avimelech was the bastard son of Gideon. He had seventy brothers, who he considered his rivals. “When he went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men on one stone. Only Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he went into hiding” (וַיָּבֹא בֵּית־אָבִיו עׇפְרָתָה וַיַּהֲרֹג אֶת־אֶחָיו בְּנֵי־יְרֻבַּעַל שִׁבְעִים אִישׁ עַל־אֶבֶן אַחַת וַיִּוָּתֵר יוֹתָם בֶּן־יְרֻבַּעַל הַקָּטֹן כִּי נֶחְבָּא) (Judges 9:5). Doeg massacres the entire family of Achimelech, except “one son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped—his name was Abiathar—and he fled to David” (וַיִּמָּלֵט בֶּן־אֶחָד לַאֲחִימֶלֶךְ בֶּן־אֲחִטוּב וּשְׁמוֹ אֶבְיָתָר וַיִּבְרַח אַחֲרֵי דָוִד) (verse 20). Doeg also massacres the entire city of Nov, just like Avimelech massacres the entire city of Schem. Avimelech is considered the first of the bad judges. He comes right after Gideon, who was offered the crown but declined. Through the massacre of Nov, Shaul has finally turned from a good king to an evil one. Like the line of Judges until Avimelech, Shaul may not have been perfect, but he never crossed the line to evil. With his actions in this chapter, much like Avimelech, Shaul turns away from righteousness and threatens to sink the entire nation. But there is also a connection with Dovid to Avimelech in the chapter. In Judges 9:4, Avimelech gathers together a crew of “some worthless and reckless fellows” (וַיִּתְנוּ־לוֹ שִׁבְעִים כֶּסֶף מִבֵּית בַּעַל בְּרִית וַיִּשְׂכֹּר בָּהֶם אֲבִימֶלֶךְ אֲנָשִׁים רֵיקִים וּפֹחֲזִים וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרָיו). At the beginning of chapter 22, David attracts a similar group of misfits and people down on their luck. Why would the Navi also connect David to the story of Avimelech? David’s connection is not about the similarities, but for what he does differently. At the end of the chapter, when Aviathar runs to David, David takes full responsibility. “David said to Abiathar… I am to blame for all the deaths in your father’s house” (וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לְאֶבְיָתָר יָדַעְתִּי בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כִּי־שָׁם דּוֹאֵג הָאֲדֹמִי כִּי־הַגֵּד אַגִּיד לְשָׁאוּל אָנֹכִי סַבֹּתִי בְּכׇל־נֶפֶשׁ בֵּית אָבִיךָ) (verse 22). Avimelech may have signaled the turning point in the era of Judges from good to evil, David will not let that happen. Faced with the tragedy of the chapter, David takes full responsibility. The Navi connects him to Avimelech to show how different he is.

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  Episode #21

  I Shmuel 21: The Sword in the Sanctuary

  Aug 17, 20264 minS8

  David escapes from Shaul and runs to Nov, a city of priests. There, David asks Achimelech for bread and a weapon. Achimelech replies that the only bread available is the holy bread and that the only sword available is Goliath’s sword, which has been kept in the sanctuary. This interaction is difficult. Why did David run to Nov if he needed ordinary provisions and weapons? David must have known that a city of priests would be unlikely to have non-sacred bread readily available. He also would have been unlikely to find an ordinary weapon there, particularly in light of God’s command regarding the altar: “And if you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build it of hewn stones; for by wielding your sword upon them you have profaned them” (וְאִם־מִזְבַּח אֲבָנִים תַּעֲשֶׂה־לִּי לֹא־תִבְנֶה אֶתְהֶן גָּזִית כִּי חַרְבְּךָ הֵנַפְתָּ עָלֶיהָ וַתְּחַלְלֶהָ) (Exodus 20:22). Presumably, the problem mentioned in chapter 13, that the Philistines had outlawed weapon production in Israel, had already been resolved. Perhaps David went to Nov because he expected the priests to serve as neutral arbiters. As religious leaders, they might have offered him protection or at least a way to explain his sudden flight from the king. Yet this possibility is undermined by the fact that David lies to Achimelech about his mission. If David truly viewed Nov as a sanctuary where he could safely reveal what happened, why conceal the truth? Perhaps the request for the sword was precipitated by David seeing Doeg. The text introduces Doeg immediately before David asks for a weapon: “Now one of Saul’s officials was there that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman” (וְשָׁם אִישׁ מֵעַבְדֵי שָׁאוּל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נֶעְצָר לִפְנֵי ה׳ וּשְׁמוֹ דֹּאֵג הָאֲדֹמִי אַבִּיר הָרֹעִים אֲשֶׁר לְשָׁאוּל). “David said to Ahimelech, ‘Haven’t you got a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t take my sword or any of my weapons with me, because the king’s mission was urgent’” (וְעַתָּה יֵשׁ תַּחַת־יָדְךָ חֲנִית אוֹ־חָרֶב כִּי גַם־חַרְבִּי וְכֵלַי לֹא־לָקַחְתִּי בְיָדִי כִּי־הָיָה דְבַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ נָחוּץ) (verses 8–9). David may have been speaking calmly to Achimelech when he suddenly noticed Doeg. David may have remained outwardly composed; inside David may have been panicking. David quickly asks for a weapon so that David would not be defenseless if Doeg attempted to capture or kill him. In this reading, however, David’s conduct is deeply troubling. David should have realized that if Doeg returned to Shaul, Achimelech and the entire city of Nov would be placed in danger. Instead of quietly allowing Doeg to leave as a witness against the priests, David might have confronted Doeg immediately, even if that required violence. Perhaps, however, David’s original goal was never simply to obtain food. David may have gone to Nov specifically to retrieve Goliath’s sword. The request for bread would then have been a way to test Achimelech and create a justification for approaching the sacred objects. After receiving the bread, David could ask innocently whether any weapon was available, knowing that Goliath’s sword was the only suitable weapon in the sanctuary. Unfortunately, David does not notice Doeg until it is too late. Doeg has already seen David, and David’s attempt to obtain food and a weapon has unintentionally placed Achimelech and the entire priestly city in mortal danger. The scene therefore marks a painful change in David’s character. The hero who once trusted God’s protection against Goliath now survives through deception, and those around David suffer the consequences of David’s decisions

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  Episode #20

  I Shmuel 20: Goodnight New Moon

  Aug 16, 20262 minS8

  No one knows for sure why the Haftorah is read every week. The practice appears in the Talmud, but no reason is given. The popular opinion is that during persecution at the hands of the Romans, when the reading of the Torah was forbidden, the Rabbis established the practice of reading a part of the book of Neviim that related to that week’s portion. The problem is that this theory only appears in commentary hundreds of years after the Roman period. The Gemara does talk about special haftorot that were read if a holiday falls out on Shabbat. When Rosh Chodesh falls out on a Sunday, the day after Shabbat, the Haftorah is chapter 20 of Samuel. The Haftorah acts as acalendar reminder with David and Jonathan’s discussion that “tomorrow is RoshChodesh.” The chapter is the first reference to a Rosh Chodesh ceremony sinceMoshe commanded the people to observe the new moon as the first mitzvah. Whatis the significance of the story taking place on the day before Rosh Chodesh? Itcould simply be that this seminal story took place on Rosh Chodesh. It was atime that David was expected to be at the king’s side for a feast. It is clearfrom this chapter that the date had strong significance in Israel at the timethat the king would have an official feast on that day. Based on David andJonathan’s alibi for David, it also seems that it was a date that familieswould get together for their own feasts. But there must have been otheroccasions for David to go missing. He was Shaul’s court musician and one of hiswarriors, so this answer does not seem fulfilling. The new moon is also the best time for a secret meeting to take place in a field. During a full moon, the sky is bright and someone could not as easily slip away into the shadows. On Rosh Chodesh, the moon is just a sliver, filling the land in darkness. Another possibility is that Rosh Chodesh and its sliver of a moon had a dual symbolism for the shift that was happening in the leadership of Israel. The new moon wasat the same time symbolic of the new kingship of David that was just forming and also symbolic of Shaul’s reign coming to an end with the light of the first king the darkest it has ever been.

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  Episode #19

  I Shmuel 19: Dovid ben Yishai's Day Off

  Aug 15, 20263 minS8

  In the 1986 teen comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ferris, played by Matthew Broderick, is a wise cracking high school kid. Ferris has a grand idea of playing hooky from school with his girlfriend and his best friend. First, though, he needs to convince his parents that he is sick. To do this, he builds an elaborate ruse. He rigs his door with a string. When someone opens the door to his room, the string activates a contraption that turns on a tape recording of him snoring. It also manipulates a mannequin that he placed in his bed. The person opening the door will think the person inside is snoring away. It tricks his mother, but later in the film (spoiler alert), his sister comes crashing into his room and pulls the strings revealing the mannequin under the bed. Perhaps John Hughes, the director of the film, got this idea from chapter 19. Shaul’s son Jonathan is infatuated with David, but so is his sister, Michal. David was originally slated to marry Shaul’s eldest daughter, but Shaul gives her away before David can actually marry her. Instead, Shaul sends his officers to encourage David to marry Michal, Shaul’s other daughter. Shaul thinks Michal will help spy on David, but instead, like her brother, she supports her husband. In a scene reminiscent of Rachav and the two spies in the book of Joshua, Shaul’s soldiers race to David and Michal’s house to kill David. Michal warns David and lowers him out the window. To trick the officers, she places the house terafim under the sheets with goatskin. Like Ferris’ mother, Shaul’s guards are tricked into thinking David is sick in the bed. What are these terafim? The word is usually translated as an idol. Rachel stole her father’s terafim back in Genesis. Metzudat Zion is troubled by the idea that David and Michal would have idols in their house. Instead, he explains that the word could be used as idol, but also that women would have statues of their husbands so they could think about them while they were away. These were not idols, but Michal’s David mannequins. Me’am Loez believes that these were certain devices that one used to read the constellations, something that was not considered idol worship. Radak also brings this answer but rejects it as such devices would not be in a human shape. A simple answer is that terafim is simply a term used to mean statue, not necessary one that is for idol worship. Whatever the terafim were, the ruse worked, and David was able to play hooky with his friends.

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  Episode #18

  I Shmuel 18: What Shifted for Shaul?

  Aug 12, 20263 minS8

  After the excitement of chapter 17, things begin to shift for Shaul and David. Why did it shift for Shaul? The chapter begins with three reasons: 1) Jonathan and David. The chapter begins with Jonathan professing his love for David. As a symbol for this elevated relationship, Jonathan gives David his cloak: “Jonathan took off the cloak and tunic he was wearing and gave them to David, together with his sword, bow, and belt” (וַיִּתְפַּשֵּׁט יְהוֹנָתָן אֶת־הַמְּעִיל אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ לְדָוִד וּמַדָּיו וְעַד־חַרְבּוֹ וְעַד־קַשְׁתּוֹ וְעַד־חֲגֹרוֹ) (verse 4). Earlier in chapter 15, Shaul ripped Shmuel’s cloak after Shmuel decreed that Shaul would no longer be king. The cloak is symbolic of the kingship, and Jonathan presenting David with the cloak of the next in line would be equally symbolic. Jonathan’s loyalty to David over his father certainly irked him. 2) The Women of Israel. Shaul places David in charge of a division of the army. Not surprisingly, David is extremely successful. When David and Shaul would return from battle, the woman would sing victory songs: “Saul has slain his thousands; David, his tens of thousands!” (הִכָּה שָׁאוּל בַּאֲלָפָיו וְדָוִד בְּרִבְבֹתָיו) (verse 7). This time, the text reveals that Shaul was “greatly distressed and vexed” and that “from that day on Saul kept a jealous eye on David” (וַיִּחַר לְשָׁאוּל מְאֹד וַיֵּרַע בְּעֵינָיו הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה ... וַיְהִי שָׁאוּל עוֹיֵן אֶת־דָּוִד מֵהַיּוֹם הַהוּא וָהָלְאָה) (verse 9). Shaul was at the tipping point, but it took divine intervention to push him over the edge. 3) God. In Exodus, God wanted to teach Pharoah a lesson, so he hardened Pharoah’s heart. God intervenes here as well. “The next day an evil spirit of God gripped Saul and he began to nabeh in the house…” (וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַתִּצְלַח רוּחַ־אֱלֹהִים רָעָה אֶל־שָׁאוּל וַיִּתְנַבֵּא בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּיִת) (verse 10). The Hebrew word nabeh is a little uncertain. The literal translation is that he prophesied, but some comment that he began to rave wildly. Rashi explains that a madman and a prophet often can sound the same. The use of the word serves a dual purpose. The first is to emphasize that Shaul’s reaction was from God. The second, perhaps, references Shaul right after Shmuel anoints him. Shaul returns home, but on the way encounters a group of prophets. “Thereupon the spirit of God gripped him, and he spoke in ecstasy among them” (וַתִּצְלַח עָלָיו רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים וַיִּתְנַבֵּא בְּתוֹכָם) (10:10). Shaul started his career with God, tapping him into the divine spirit. He was a changed man. Now, God is flipping that, and he switches over from the ramblings of a prophet to the ramblings of a madman. So why does the Navi use these three reasons? Each of them shows a loss on the pillars of Shaul’s kingship. The first is the loss of his family with Jonathan defecting to David. The second is the loss of the people with the women chanting for David. And the third is the loss of God with God shifting from the divine spirit to a spirit of a madman.

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