Yehoshua Chapter 4 – Transcript

Sefer Yehoshua Chapter 4: The Twelve Stones and the Crossing of the Yarden

The Relationship Between Chapters 3 and 4

So today we’re reading Sefer Yehoshua chapter 4. This chapter is really one story with chapter 3. We could have read it together. Whoever has cut up the chapter has cut it up here. And as we’ve discussed, there’s some difficulty with making sense of the order of the story here. It seems to be going back and forth. It doesn’t seem to be written in correct chronological order.

So there’s like a new beginning where this chapter starts, which sort of repeats the end of the previous chapter. In other words, and let me clarify, the previous chapter had the story, and each story, as we’ve seen, comes surrounded with words.

The Structure of Chapter 3

So there’s the words. The first story where Yehoshua told the people to follow the order, to follow the ark, and they followed it. So that’s one aspect. It doesn’t even say explicitly yet about the Yarden splitting or stopping. It just talked about the people following the order and the ark.

Then there was a second dialogue surrounding a second story, which was Hashem telling Yehoshua that He will make Him great in the eyes of the people, and Yehoshua telling this to the people, and Him saying differently. Very interesting. Hashem tells Yehoshua He will make Him great in the eyes of the people. Then Yehoshua doesn’t tell the people they will be great. He will be great in their eyes. He tells the people that they will know that Hashem, the living God, is with them.

So in other words, Yehoshua interprets what was told to Him, that you will be great in the eyes of the people, that they will know that I’m with you like you’re with Moshe, to understand that that means that He’s with them primarily, that God lives with them. And He describes how the Yarden will stop once the aron [ark] goes in there, and they will pass in front of it. And that happened. So that’s really the end of chapter 2. It’s like one more full narrative that has these words, this explanation of the function, of the goal of all of this, and the thing happening.

The Opening of Chapter 4

Now, this chapter starts like this, but we have to read it a little bit differently. Because it says, וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר תַּמּוּ כָּל הַגּוֹי לַעֲבוֹר אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן [Vayehi ka’asher tamu kol hagoy la’avor et haYarden — As all the people, the entire nation finished crossing the Yarden], then Hashem tells Yehoshua the command of taking the 12 rocks, and erecting them, making them something in Gilgal.

But then again, it says, so we have to understand this as something that happened afterwards. So not that the command only happened then, maybe the command already happened before. But the point is, we should see all of this as part of, sort of like we could say when they’re still in the Yarden or something, but as part of this story. But it’s a fresh story. And that’s why it starts again. It goes back to what I just said. They all passed through. So we have one story that a miracle happened, and they passed through. But now there’s a specific command, a specific mitzvah related to this.

The Command of the Twelve Stones

And it’s described in the same style as very common structure in the Chumash, and in Tanakh maybe in general, but definitely in the Chumash, and in these, Yosef and Yehoshua. We have the mitzvah, and we have the double level of the mitzvah, I’ve discussed. Hashem tells Yehoshua, and Yehoshua tells the people. Hashem tells Yehoshua to tell the people.

So Hashem tells Yehoshua to tell the people. And we’ve already had a little bit of this before. That’s why I said we have to understand this really as if it hadn’t happened before. So the וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר תַּמּוּ [Vayehi ka’asher tamu] was just explaining to us that a new cycle, a new sequence is starting here.

The Details of the Command

Hashem tells Yehoshua, the command to tell the people to take 12 men, one for each tribe, one from each shevet [tribe]. And to tell these people to carry from מִמַּצַּב רַגְלֵיהֶם [mimatzav ragleihem — from the standing place of their feet], from the standing, 12 stones, and take them along with them to the malon [lodging place], and to the place where they will sleep over, and the place where they will stay the night.

And that’s what Yehoshua does. Of course we had already 12 people prepared before, so obviously there was something before. Yehoshua calls these 12 people, as He says, the 12 people that He prepared, so He already knew that this was going to happen, so the command wasn’t discovered now. So again, not chronological order.

And He tells them, go in front of the malon, by where the Kohanim [priests] are standing, and each one of you picks up one stone, for the same amount as the tribes.

The Purpose of the Stones: The Question-and-Answer Structure

And Yehoshua explains the point of this now. He explains the point, and here is the very basic logic of how a sign, and a sign that’s supposed to continue throughout generations, is supposed to work, and also has the same structure that we had in Sefer Devarim, but also already in Sefer Shemot, the structure of the questions of the children, and their answers.

So everyone knows this from HaGadah L’Pesach [the Passover Haggadah]. A child will ask you something about a certain mitzvah, about the mitzvah of Pesach, about the mitzvah of bechorim [firstborns], about the mitzvah of Peter HaChamor [redemption of the firstborn donkey], and so on. And then the father, or the Pesach, telling you that you will answer your son this.

How the Monument Functions as a Sign

So here we have the same structure, and from here I think, it’s very revealing, as to how this structure is supposed to work. And it says like this, you are going to take these stones, in order there to be a sign, between you, a sign for you, so when your children tomorrow, and tomorrow here doesn’t mean tomorrow literally, tomorrow obviously meaning, in the next generation, your children that weren’t here, will ask you, what are these rocks, what are these stones, and you will answer them.

These rocks are a sign, that the waters of the Yarden, were cut, were split, in front of the Aron of Hashem, when he split, when he went through the Yarden, and these stones will be as zikaron [memorial], and will be a memory, for the people to remember this story. And we’ll see later, it repeats this question and answer format.

In other words, the question and answer works, we erect this monument, of course a monument, doesn’t necessarily say something by itself, not that the monument will have words, later we’ll see, that there were stones, that we wrote Torah on, but apparently these are different stones, so just a monument, it’s just like a monument, okay it has 12, so to symbolize the 12 tribes, each one of them, erected one stone, but still the monument doesn’t say anything, the monument is sort of like, what we call sometimes a conversation piece, the monument is there, so people should ask, what is this all about, and we’ll say, oh this was erected, when the people crossed by the Yarden, along with the Aron, and that split the Yarden, that’s how the logic, of this question and answer works, the question and answer is expressing, that the monument doesn’t say anything itself, but it’s an opportunity, it’s going to cause your children, to ask the question, and you will tell them, you’ll give on with them the story.

The Execution of the Command

And there we have, the next level of, next step of this cycle, the people listen to them, they do what Yehoshua [said], they carry 12 stones from the Yarden, as Hashem told Yehoshua, and they carry them to the malon, and to the place where they slept, and they put them there.

Yehoshua’s Additional Twelve Stones in the Yarden

Now besides for this, and this is very interesting, it’s not clear where Yehoshua got this idea, besides for this, Yehoshua stood up, erected 12 stones, in the Yarden itself, under the place, where the Kohanim were standing, and they’re still there to this day.

This is another one of the catchphrases, that is in Sefer Yehoshua also, and in Sefer Devarim many times, and in Sefer Bereishit, and other places, and then what it’s trying to tell you is, if you go in the Yarden now, you’ll see somewhere this monument, maybe it’s under the water, maybe you can only see it, when the water recedes, or there’s a low tide or something, as you can somehow see it, but somewhere there, there are still these 12 stones, and they are in the Yarden also, besides for the being stones, in the malon by Gilgal, as we’ll see, there’s also 12 stones in the Yarden, and that’s for the same reason.

The Order of the Crossing

Okay, now we’re going back, to the story again, as if, right, and here it seems like, we already went back, all the way, this little narrative followed us, all the way, till where they erect, stood up, put up the stones, but now we’re back, we’re starting another piece of the story, another story, and it says like this, and here we have the order.

I think what we have here, is what this piece adds, is again, I think we have to read, each of these, as a fully separate thing, but what this one adds, is the order of how the people passed, and remember, there was a very important thing, in chapter 1, we already had, that it was very important, that the Bnei Gad [children of Gad], the Bnei Reuven [children of Reuven], which were supposed to be the vanguard, that they actually passed, they went in front of the people.

The Vanguard Tribes Cross Armed

So here, already in the Yarden, slightly symbolic, because it wasn’t, seems to have at least, not been a war here, it’s not like a battle, where they had to be the vanguard, but they went in front of the people, armed, so to show, that they’re going in front of them, and they’re crossing the river, so they have their place, their nachalah [inheritance], they already have their inheritance, and the other side, they’re going, in order to fight with the people.

So it says like this, the Kohanim, carrying the Aron, were standing there, until Yehoshua finished, commanding the people this, about the stones, and the people passed by, so again, before it seemed like, the people passed by first, and then Yehoshua told them, and sort of those people, people went back, but it read before, we’d said, we saw that the people, were chosen before, and were told to do this before, by Yehoshua already, or they’re told to be there, they’re not told what to do, they were told to sort of, for something, but in any case, that’s why I think that, if we try to make chronology here, it won’t work.

But the point is, after the people went through, then the Kohanim, go in front of the people, again, how can that be, as the Kohanim go in front of people, in other words, they pass by, and go in front of them maybe, but I think the more important, point here, piece here, is this piece, this report that says, the sons of Reuven, the sons of Gad, and half of Menashe, went forth, armed in front of the people, as Moshe told them.

The Number of Armed Men

And it gives a number, 40,000 armed people, like soldiers, or people ready for armed, and how do you call it, belted, something like that, people carried, dressed in a way for war, for an army, they pass by, in front of Hashem, לִפְנֵי ה׳ [lifnei Hashem — before Hashem], means again, in front of the Aron, to עַרְבוֹת יְרֵחוֹ [Arvot Yericho — the plains of Jericho], to the Aravah, to the plains of Yericho.

In other words, Arvei Moav, which is on the right side, we call the right side, right on the east bank of the river, and then Arvei Yericho, which is on the west bank, of the Yarden, which is on the west bank, of the Yarden, and they pass through there.

The Fulfillment of Hashem’s Promise to Yehoshua

And here we have a report, that precisely, and now we’re going back, this person goes back, to what it says before, Hashem told Yehoshua, that this miracle, Him causing this, will make the people, will make Him great, in the eyes of the people, and it says, that’s what happened.

On that day, בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא [bayom hahu — on that day], Hashem made Yehoshua great, in the eyes בְּעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל [be’einei kol Yisrael — in the eyes of all Israel], remember, this was the language, of the end of the Torah, of Hashem Moshe, לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל [le’einei kol Yisrael — in the eyes of all Israel], it’s very important, maybe one of the big points, of the miracles that Moshe did, in the eyes of all of Israel, and same thing, Yehoshua now had his heart, in the eyes of all Israel, and they were afraid of Him, they feared Him, afraid is maybe too strong, they feared Him, they took Him seriously, and they feared Moshe, all of his life.

The Command for the Kohanim to Exit the Yarden

And now, we get, sort of, maybe I should have made, another stop here, it’s hard to cut up so much, but we could cut up here, because until now, we were sort of, the framing of the story, is at least still in the Yarden, so to speak, although we already discussed twice, how they went out, so it doesn’t work, but here we have the end, so just like we had before, a command, just to be clear, just like we had before, a command that said, Hashem told Yehoshua, right here, it says, Hashem…

[End of Chunk 1]

Yehoshua’s Authority Established (4:14)

On that day, Hashem made Yehoshua great in the eyes of kol Yisrael [all Israel]. Remember, this was the language of the end of Sefer Devarim, so Moshe and kol Yisrael is very important. Maybe one of the big points of the miracles that Moshe did was to make him, to give him authority in the eyes of all of Yisrael. And same thing, Yehoshua now had authority in the eyes of all of Yisrael. And they were afraid of him, they feared him — “afraid” is maybe too strong — they feared him, they took him seriously, and they feared Moshe all of his life.

The Reversal: The Kohanim Exit the Yarden (4:15–18)

Now, we get sort of, maybe I should have made another stop here, it’s hard to cut up so much, but we could cut up here, because until now we were sort of, the framing of the story is at least still in the Yarden, so to speak, although we already discussed twice how they went out, so it doesn’t work, but here we have the end.

So just like we had before a command — just to be clear, just like we had before a command that said, Hashem told you, right here, it says, this detail of their legs, their feet, seems to be important here, their feet touching the water, and the water stopped, and Hashem commanded them, they did it. Here we have the precise opposite, the reverse of that command.

Hashem tells Yehoshua to tell the kohanim to go out of the Yarden, and Yehoshua tells the kohanim that, and, as the flats of their feet touch the dry land, the Yarden returns to its way, and they go as it went yesterday, as it always went, as we said before, it was, right, it was in a high state, the Yarden, and it continued back. So that’s the end of the story of the Yarden.

The Date and Location: The 10th of Nisan at Gilgal (4:19)

Now, we have two more notes following up — I at least put it as two more notes, and including the beginning of Chapter 5, although maybe it really can be started there, but that’s why I think of dividing it.

Now, we have an important note, an important note of the date. As we’ve discussed, this story seems to care about which date it was. It doesn’t say exactly when the date of the three days started, we could calculate backwards and figure out when it was, but the point, the important thing is, that there’s a date: the 10th day of the first month, in other words, the 10th of Nisan, right, what we call sometimes the 10th of Nisan. Of course, this is a significant date already in the Torah, in Parshat Bo. We have the command, the mitzvah, of taking the korban Pesach on the 10th day, so it seems to be important, significant, and this connects us to the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim.

Of course, if you follow all the beginning of Sefer Devarim, we had Moshe beginning his speech on the 11th month, which is like close to the end of the year, the year before, so this is three months later, or two months later, the third month later, where they went up from the Yarden, and they rested in a place called Gilgal, which is at the edge of the east, east of Yericho, right, east of Yericho is a little to the west of them, they’re close to the Yarden, between the Yarden and Yericho, so to speak.

The Twelve Stones and Their Purpose (4:20–24)

And Yehoshua also fulfills what we said that he was going to do, and he erects these 12 stones that they took from the Yarden in Gilgal, which is that place where they rested, and he explains what we explained before already, it’s like repeats, but with slightly more details: your children will ask you what these stones are, and we’ll explain them, that Yisrael passed by, went through the Yarden in dry land, which Hashem made dry, just as he did for the Yam Suf, that he made it dry until we passed by, he did from here.

The Four Functions of the Miracle

And the point of all of this is so that all the nations of the world will know the hand of Hashem, which is strong, and so you will fear Hashem, your God, all your days. So these were the — and we could even divide this, if you wanted, like four different goals, four different functions of the drying, I don’t want to say the word splitting, the cutting, the kriat ha-Yarden [the cutting of the Yarden], the Yarden’s stopping to go, and allowing people to pass by:

First, to make Yehoshua great as the people, to let the people know that Hashem was with them, and he will, as Yehoshua told them, and he will make them win the wars with the Canaanites and the other inhabitants of the land.

Second, that’s number two.

Third, so those people, those nations are afraid of Hashem, they know the hand of Hashem, similar to what Hashem said about the Yam Suf, that that made them strong, and as the Passover will report in a minute.

Fourth, so the people fear God all their days, the people themselves. So this is more like fear, before it was strength, like making them strong, giving them courage, and here it’s about them taking seriously God, them knowing that God is strong.

But maybe this fourth thing, or these two things are about the future generations. So in that generation they needed courage, but in the future generation, the problem is not going to be courage, so the problem is remembering that it was God that brought them out of Egypt, and crossed them, the Yarden, into this, and that’s called yirah [fear/awe].

So Hashem called them, I think kol ha-yamim [all the days] here should be translated as generations, just like machar [tomorrow] means the next tomorrow, not literally tomorrow, but the next generation, so kol yamim means always in all generations.

The Nations’ Response: Hearts Melted (5:1)

And now we have the beginning of chapter 5, which I think is the report, that what Yehoshua told them in the passage before, vayehi khishmo’a kol malkhei ha-Emori [and it was when all the kings of the Emori heard], is what actually happened. And it’s interesting, I don’t know the meaning of this report, that all the malkhei Emori [kings of the Emori], which are to the west of the Yarden, so in other words in Israel, and the malkhei Kena’ani [kings of the Canaanites], which are on the sea, so maybe these are like people, more west and more east, like malkhei Emori are the ones more to the east, malkhei Kena’ani are the ones more on the shore, more to the west, closer to the ocean.

And they heard that Hashem dried up the waters of the Yarden for the people, ad ovram [until they crossed]. This seems to be a word that keeps on repeating here, in other words, the waters waited for them, until the people to pass. Maybe it took a few hours, or a few days even, we don’t know how long. It says in the 10th day of Nisan, but it might have taken all day, or something. And it’s like, they have the same language in Shirat ha-Yam, ad ya’avor Hashem, ad ya’avor [until they pass, Hashem, until they pass], a strong emphasis on the fact that it’s not like it was passed and they have to run through, it was split and they had to run through — the waters sort of waited. So it was for them, it was for them, and for all of them.

And the point of all this was to say, and all those nations, all those kings, vayimas levavam [and their hearts melted], their heart melted within them. This is a terminology, a military terminology, for loss of courage, loss of morale, right? So the Torah says, vayimas levav echav ki-levavo [and he will melt his brother’s heart like his heart], it was about someone that’s a coward and is afraid of war, that he could make, melt his brother’s hearts, as his heart. So that’s what means, being afraid.

Ve-lo hayah bahem ruach [and there was no spirit in them], for they did not have spirit in them, mi-pnei [from before], and from in front, from, relative, two words, relative to, benei Yisrael [the children of Israel]. And this is also a word that means something like courage, I think spirit, mostly in these contexts, means something like courage. Ruach [spirit], in Greek, *thumos*, I think, which is translated as spirit, or courage. They didn’t have a spirit, and their spirit, they didn’t stand, this is what Rahab said, they didn’t have, that’s the image of standing up, or having courage, their spirit didn’t stand, cannot stand up, in front of the people.