Yehoshua 21 - Review Questions
- What did the Leviim request? From whom did they request this and where?
- Where were the cities given to the Cohanim? Why is this location important for the Cohanim
- What is the relation between the cities of refuge described in chapter 20 and the cities given to the Levites in this chapter?
- How many cities in total are given to the Levi’im?
- How was it decided which Levite families would receive which cities?
Posted in Chapter 21, Review Questions, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on May 28, 2007 | No Comments
Yehoshua 20 - Summary
(Text) - Hashem tells Yeshoshua to set aside cities of refuge (ערי מקלט) in the Land, as was commanded to Moshe in the Torah (Devarim 4:41-5:1). These cities are designated safe havens for people who unintentionally committed murder. In such a case, the murderer would make his way to the gate of one of these cities, tell the elders of his situation and they would give him refuge. He is then safe from the relatives of the victim. He must remain in the city until he is absolved of the crime or until the Cohen Gadol dies.
Six cities are set aside as Arei Miklat: Kedesh, Shechem and Hevron in the main part of the Land of Israel, and Betzer, Ra’armot and Golan to the East of the Jordan river.
Posted in Chapter 20, Summaries, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on May 27, 2007 | 1 Comment
Yehoshua 20 - Review Questions
- What does God command Yehoshua to do?
- Is this similar to an action previously performed by Moshe?
- In what situations can a person take refuge in one of the Arei Miklat?
- Why is this permitted?
- From whom is the murderer safe once they have reached an Ir Miklat?
- How many Arei Miklat are set aside by Yehoshua? Where are they located?
Posted in Chapter 20, Review Questions, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on May 27, 2007 | No Comments
Yehoshua 19 - Summary
(Text) - The tribe of Shimon is the next tribe (of those remaining) to receive their future inheritance. They receive land located within the area currently allotted to the tribe of Yehuda(the Southern portion of Yehuda). The tribe of Shimon received land from within Yehuda’s inheritance because the land originally allotted to Yehuda was larger than they needed. Among the seventeen cities given to them is the city of Be’er Sheva.
The third of the remaining tribes to receive their land is the tribe of Zevulun. Zevulun receives an area of land in the Northern part of the Land of Israel, near the sea. Included in their land are twelve cities.
The fourth of the remaining tribes to receive land is the tribe of Yissachar. Yissachar receives an area of land in the Northern part of the Land of Israel, East to that given to Zevulun, with the Jordan River as an Easterly border. Included in their land are sixteen cities.
The fifth of the remaining tribes to receive land is the tribe of Asher. They receive a portion of land including twenty-two cities, along the sea in the North-West corner of the Land of Israel.
The next tribe to receive their inheritance is Naftali. Their land is in the North-East corner of the Land and borders Zevulun to the South and Asher to the West. Their land includes nineteen cities.
The last tribe to receive their inheritance is the tribe of Dan. Their land was located in the Central part of the Land of Israel (including what is today Shaalvim and extending West to the area that is today Tel Aviv). Ultimately, the land given to Dan was not large enough for their population, and they went to War and conquered Leshem (in the Northenmost part of the Land of Israel, outside of the normative borders. According to commentaries, this conquest happened at a later date).
After all of the tribes had received their land, Bnei Yisrael gave land to Yehushua bin Nun - the city of Timnat Serach on Mount Efrayim.
Thus ends the division of the Land performed before God in Shiloh by Elazar the high priest, Yehoshua bin Nun and the heads of the tribes
Posted in Chapter 19, Summaries, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on May 25, 2007 | No Comments
Yehoshua 19 - Review Questions
- What is the main subject of this chapter?
- What tribes receive their inheritances in this chapter?
- Which tribe receives land that had been within the land of another tribe? Where is this land?
- Which tribe eventually conquers more land separate from their original land? Where is this?
- What land is given to Yehoshua?
- Where does the division of land take place? Who is present?
Posted in Chapter 19, Review Questions, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on May 25, 2007 | No Comments
Yehoshua 18 - Summary
(Text) - After the land has been conquered, all of the people of Israel gathered in Shiloh, and erect there the Mishkan. There remained at this point seven tribes who had not yet received their land. Yehoshua reprimands the people over the fact that there still remained some land that was not under their control. He commands that three men be sent from each tribe to go and scout out the remaining land so that it can be divided up on paper for these seven tribes. These portions would be divided through divine lottery, the same way in which the other borders had been set. (This does not include the two and a half tribes to the East of the Jordan, or the tribe of Levi who will not receive land). And the men from the different tribes set out as Yehoshua had commanded and recorded the borders for seven more areas of land from that which had not yet been parceled out.
Binyamin is the first tribe of these seven to receive their portion. Their land is North of Yehuda, between Yehuda and the children of Yosef. There is a detailed description of their land, its borders and the major cities contained within. Included within the land of the tribe of Binyamin are twenty-four cities, including Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).
Posted in Chapter 18, Summaries, Yehoshua - Joshua by Yaakov Ellis on May 14, 2007 | No Comments