Yiftachs victory and tragedy

First announcement, that's important. Uh this is uh of course everything I say is important, but this is really important. And Mr. Hassan I will be with you next week. The week after that with the I'm going to be going to the states. Uh I'll bring my wife with me. I know you were worried about that. Uh and God knows I am. Uh and uh and that means that uh I'm we're leaving at uh um actually on um November 12th. I believe it's November 12th at uh at 1:00 a.m. And since our class is at uh 11:00 a.m., I won't be able to be there. So, I will not be there for the next 3 weeks. I'm returning on December I think it's probably the 3rd or 4th, something like that. Uh and then the first the first Thursday in December. Well, if you're not uh you know, in any way confused, it's okay, I am. Uh but but that wasn't the plan. But I did start that. But most important thing I wanted you to know is that guess how I'm going to start the story about the first thing I'm going to write there at the beginning of Samson? What? G, don't you know that we had F this time? We're going to Oh, okay. So, I want you to know I have down there thank God for my dictionary. I found out that G comes after F, so we're okay. Now, in the story story of Yiftah, just to review of what we said, is a it's a very sad one. I think but as you see the topic that I put is that the painful story of Israel's hero. He was indeed a hero who began as a zero. Not that he was, but so he was regarded by his family. And he did a nice job of being born. After that, it was downhill. Um they threw him out of the house. Uh and he ended up going to areas where they called them where you have to run away from basically where there are many people and probably the people who gathered there were people who like him were probably thrown out of the house. I had a couple students I had so Oh, never mind. Anyway, so they were they gathered as with the Tanakh Torah calls the Anashim Reikim. I find it very uh painful to me that the translations and the concept of Reikim they were they called the empty-minded, empty people, and you know. And I I don't believe it's true. And you know, I luckily have different opinions, but this you know, mine is correct. And that is that these were people who unfortunately had nowhere to go. And they had no way of having any type of money, any type of finances. What do you do when you have no finances? If you're a good Jew, what are you going to do? That's right. You you rob things and you know, you you steal. You have nothing. You have to nothing to eat. You know, but tzedakah wasn't that good at the time, obviously. So they had So they would they would actually pounce upon these different people. Probably as people who are or caravans that are passing through and they would take money. And they call them Anashim Reikim, but they're just people who are very, very needy. What does that need lead to, as I mentioned before? You guys these people who have just attacking these gathered They become a gang. He should go that way. What happened to the gang? >> They have a leader. Jephthah And that was essentially uh crucial. For what reason? Because hello, duh, they ain't got no fighters in that area. They had nobody to fight. They had nothing no organized military. That's a nice way of saying they were chicken. They They were not fighting. They could have nobody to fight. They were not there. This is all part of what I've been trying to tell you and I know you remember this and you know going to say, "Oh, he's telling me that again." But I'm going to do it anyway. But there was no unity. They weren't together. They couldn't even get together who was going to be their leader or who was going to take care of our tribe or who was going to have in case you're attacked, we have somebody to fight. They didn't have that. And they were being oppressed by uh in this time the Ammonim. Which I love when they put down Ammonites when I have to do the translation. It always sounds to me like, you know, it could be a a disease or something. Oh, they got an Ammonite. Yeah. Uh so, the the Ammonim uh well, um not people who were taking um uh who were attacking them, but they were primarily taxing them. And as they get stronger, they want more land. They have this thing about having more land. People have that. I had some guy who think he he wanted to get all of Europe and start Czechoslovakia and everybody else. If I tell you the story that the Islamic raids that began in the Let's say, you know, in the um early I said what did they I don't remember well let's say the I'll say the 10th 10th century probably before that maybe 7th 7th century I'm sorry the 9th century but anyway they they actually didn't stay they started by going through Asia and Africa and taking a lot of the trades the tribes that were not that were a pagan primarily you know and they spread Islam. You know, they probably sat them down with the the with the a commission anyway now what's the or the second thing which is probably correct they were killing people who wouldn't convert to Islam. That's how they did it. And they took over their land but by the way don't worry. They they aren't a colonials thank god. They they didn't take any they they wouldn't god forbid they would not be colonials. That's how they absolutely That's how they grew. Uh it was a very very convenient uh I should say convincing approach. Look listen we have a wonderful religion. This is what you have to do we'd like you to join. If you don't want to we're going to kill you. So that's what a lot does it and that's how they grew. They grew to the point that in as I said the earlier things they moved into Europe also they moved up to Georgia and Southern Russia to go through into Europe. Uh who were for example controlling Spain in the uh 10th 11th century. Hello the Moors. Yeah the Muslims they have to do with being Muslims who actually were cultured and normal and very good for the Jews. It was the time when they were there in Spain was called the um They must call era of of Jewish service of of and and Spanish jewelry. It was a wonderful time. Now, understand it wasn't like um you know, 1964 in America. It wasn't that good. You still had the Moors still being on Muslims. Jews had to walk in the streets. They couldn't walk on the street. Yeah, you couldn't pass them. You had other But, they were good they were very good poets. And um even grammatically and and the the the mathematical. You know, we always talk about uh of ours numbers that we have. What do we call that? Huh? Arabic numbers, correct? They did something good. The Arabics numbers because of they had it. I mean, unfortunately, till then the Christians who were very busy the time knocking people off of of a horse with aluminum suits. Anyway, [snorts] they they had a difficult time having to multiply XVI time, you know, CVM to you know, So, they had the Arabs came with the Arabic numerals. That's what happened. They had a real culture. And they they uh discussed the Roman um uh po- poetry with the home in the home something but but um Plato and things like that and philosophy. They were That's why the Rambam in Spain was able to discuss that. The Christians did everything that possible to destroy all Roman things that that are left there. They They They They They actually worked very hard and did an excellent job of going back to the Dark Ages. And by the way, that's why after Rome was defeated, opens what's called the Dark Ages. That's why. Uh till about maybe maybe 500 past that. It was a terrible time. There was better sewage, I think, in in in um in Europe under the Romans than it was for 500 more years in Christian Europe. Huh? Yes. What did I say? Sewage, I said. So, what can I say? I used to know English, by the way. I used to speak English. Uh and this you you can't understand even the Tanakh. I always tell you that unless I understand unless you understand part of history. And what is about here? So, that has absolutely nothing to do with what we're saying. But, I had to mention about taking over lands. And the the Arabs did that very very carefully. Um until the Christians came back and took Spain. The the the Reconquista, the reconquering. Uh so, I won't go into that. That's the Jewish history class. Amoun said, "Oh, look, the Jews took our land." Oh, this is familiar. I hear that. I don't know why it rings in my ear. But, this is a Really, it's our lord land, and the Jews took it. And therefore, they be they started First, they started by not invading so much, but in a a pro a a pressing the um, area there in Gilead, which is on the eastern part of the Jordan. But now, at this point, they started saying and threatening Israel saying, "We're taking over this land." And the land was a land where the Jews had lived there for quite a while. Uh, and they said, "No." "You cheated. You took it. You stole it from us." And now, they look for someone >> [snorts] >> to help them because they know that there's going to be an invasion. And they turn to the guy they threw out. The, uh, the clan, I'll call it, of Yiftah, who had ta- taken through and thrown out because he was born of, uh, a prostitute and not one of not one of the wives of the, uh, husband of their father. And therefore, uh, the most important thing, I told you these guys are Jewish, right? What was that? Well, he's going to have a part of the part of the will. Forget about that. It's the tower, not finished, you know. So, they threw him out. Anyway, um, they look up who is going to help them. And they found out, you know, the kid that that and that guy that that the little guy who ran away we we threw out. He got older and he's got a little army. But we don't have that. So, they approach him and say, uh, "Could you be a a an army man?" And he said, "No." "The naughtiest. You threw me out of here. Now you because you need me, you want me." And they promised, "If you will do that, then, uh, we will make you our leader." Well, he's also Jewish. He's a small guy. And he said, "You know what?" And this is crucial what he said this last time also. "If God will allow me to be victorious over Ammon, and I will be your and and and you then you can you know make me your leader leader they said sure sure we will will will will. Well, I don't know if they were politicians cuz then it wouldn't matter what they said, but that's what it is. So he goes and before he goes to fight it's a one of the few times you'll find in the Tanakh diplomacy. Interesting. And that's why we're starting with this and you see I call it attempted diplomacy. You don't have to read the Hebrew. I got the English for you. And this is the Tanakh from what it says in Shoftim [snorts] in the perek aleph. And this is basically the bulk of of that perek almost. Yeah. I may have here If sent sent sent messengers to the king of Ammon. And he said, again this is the the fourth number four, yeah. Number four. You okay there? Number four, yeah. And there [snorts] in the English it's If then sent messenger to the king of Ammon saying, "What have you against me that you have come to make war on my country?" Well, you know, what did I do? What did you what do you want from us? Well, the king of Ammon replied to If's messengers, "When Israel came from Egypt they seized the land that is mine from the Arnon to the Yabbok as far as the Yarden, Jordan. So now then restore it to us peaceably. Give it back. You took it. Well, let's figure this out. We're talking about I'll tell you right now. I'll try to do this. Basically, okay, 300 years earlier. They left Egypt about 300 years before this. Okay? And now he woke up to say, "You took my land." I will be nice about this, difficult as it is for me, and tell you when the when they took over the land was probably in the 40th year in the desert. So, let's I'll call it 250 years, okay? I'm a nice guy. What can I tell you? All right. So, that's what happens. So, Jephthah sent back messengers to say, "You got history a little wrong." he said. He said to the king of Ammon, he said to him, "Look, thus sayeth Jephthah, I love these translations. Anyway, he says this, "Israel did not seize the land of Moab or the land of Ammon. When they left Egypt, Israel tra- traveled through the wilderness to the sea of reeds Yam Suf. All right. We call it the Red Sea, you see. And they went on to Kadesh. Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom saying the following, saying, "Allow us to cross your country." But the king of Edom would not consent. So, they sent a mission to the king of Moab. And he too refused. So, so Israel after staying in Kadesh traveled on through the wilderness and skirted around the land of Edom and the land of Moab. Now, I'm being I want to explain this. I I Moab and and Ammon were basically one thing at the time. At that time they weren't So, you know, but they were So, that's why >> [snorts] >> They kept to the east of the land of Moab until they encamped on the other side of Arnon. And since Moab ends at the Arnon, that they never entered Moabite territory. What are you talking about that we took over the land? We didn't. We went around it to avoid that. But what happened was you. So Israel sent messages to Sihon, the king of the Amorites and they crossed over and then he said to them he said to him, "Please allow us to cross through your country to our homeland." And at the Arutz Canaan Arutz Israel. But Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So he mustered up all of his troops and he engaged Israel in battle. I can't blame Sihon necessarily. Two three million people just want to walk I'll take the highway, you know. And he but rather than stopping stop them as others did and said and put their army outside said you can't cross, he just attacked. He took took his army and attacked. So when that happened there was a war. He engaged Israel in battle. But the God of Israel delivered delivered Sihon and all his troops into the Israel's hands defeating them. Israel then took possession of all the land of the Amorites. Now what? Uh Mr. King of Ammon didn't mention was that Ammon was taken over in a war by Sihon. He captured them. He took over that land. And okay? So now Sihon owns Ammon and Israel is now fighting cuz Sihon attacked them. So thus they possessed all of the territory of the Amorite from Arnon to Jabbok and from the wilderness to Jordan. Meaning that included that area of Ammon. You fought with Sihon. Hello. You lost. Finders keepers losers no whatever. You're finished. You lost your land. About 250 years ago, but you lost it. And now we were we were we were warring against you. We warred against the who who attacked us. So, now it's ours. It's a funny thing. In those days, when you're attacked and then you are and you are victorious, you get that stuff. Now, it's quite different now. >> You get the land. >> Yeah, right. You get the land. Nowadays is you are when you attack at least when you attack the Jews, um we can kill you people and then say you have to pay for us the way they did. So, a little different. So, anyway, that's what So, now he says, "This God of Israel dispossessed the Amorites before this people Israel. And you you should you possess their land?" Now, chutzpah. Yeah. Yeah. And he goes on to say and now obviously he's very informed. Listen to what he says now. Um Tell me. He says the Yeah, he goes on the argument. He said um But I tell you something the he said Now, he said let's logical I think. I have to turn the page. I forgot that. Uh goes on to say he said um Okay, I'm sorry. Uh I have two different I have my own notes and I have it over here. So, I was looking at my own notes and then Okay, good. He said uh Don't say um Do you not take hold of what Yeah. Um your God that is Chemosh. Chemosh, your God gives you to possess. Don't you hold that? So, we do. We hold on to everything that our God has given. That's a little logical. I don't know. It's a Jewish thing. You keep your stuff and you'll keep our stuff. What does it say in Kuk Hava Old? Uh but it's it's uh it says uh um you know what it was mine is mine and what yours is mine, too. >> Yeah. >> Sure it is. It's chutzpah. So, he said and then he goes argument number almost number three, you know. First of all, we didn't buy we didn't we did not take the land. Number two, we we we every we we we were victorious. You lost. Number three, he says the following. Hey, Meshugana. He didn't say that, but I would have said it. He said it after well, are you any better than Balak the king of Moab? Remember that? The Balak was so important he he allowed himself to have his name be part of the parsha. Anyway, so the Bilam story, right? So, he says the king of Moab, did he start a quarrel with Israel or go to war with them? See, here it's saying Moab, but it's cuz Moab was part of Ammon at the time. So, that's what he's saying. The king of Moab, you know, he he he you know, he didn't go to war with Israel. All the while that Israel had been inhabiting Heshbon and Aroer and all of the towns along the Arnon for 300 years, why have you not tried to recover them at all this time? What were you doing all the time? You have all of Arabia, but you never wanted Palestine. Nobody wanted to have their own country of Palestine. Even and then none of your cousins like Egypt does not allow them in, didn't allow them in, and to this day there were 23 Arab nations. None of them allowed the Palestinians to come in. The Jews should take them. You hate them so much. You don't want them, but yeah, dump them down on Israel. Cuz after all, Israel is so big. Yeah? They said, "But that's exactly here." That's what he's saying here. Then you didn't do it you didn't try it [clears throat] to recover the challenge there. You never claimed that you were our Palestinians until the Jews because it was said that they, you know, too ridiculous. "I have done you no wrong, and yet you are doing me harm and making war on me. May Hashem, who judges, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites." Surprisingly, and I know this might come to a shock, you better hold on to your chairs. And then the king of Ammon paid no heed. I know, shocking. And to the message that Jephthah sent him. So, that was the attempt. He didn't go directly into war. Again, Jew, smart guy. I have about 24 of my my fighters, and we really we're very good when it came to camels, of course. Let me attack them. Now, he's got to now put together a army. They had no army. It's like fighting against the a big a whole bunch of armies and not having any weapons. Oh, no, that was 1948. Anyway, while this is happening, so he says, "Let's try No, let's sit and talk. Sit and talk. Maybe we'll come to a It isn't like I don't know Yeah, you have an an election in Israel, and nobody can get together and put together some two or three, you know, political parties so they can have an God forbid. God forbid. I know better than you, and I can do it. I know." See, what? Let's sit and talk. Well, that could happen. They um did not and he did not, and that means there's going to be a war. Get out your tissues, you can start crying now. Oh, oh, all right. Now we'll see what happens. Ah, okay. I didn't say this is number yet. Oh, yeah. I do the numbers now. I give it numbers. So, when you come up to it, sometimes I actually explain what we're going to do now. Because I'm a nice guy, as I've been telling you, even though I haven't convinced you yet, um uh I'm not going to go through the details of the precise um war. I will, by the way, show you that you'll find in the la- in the end of the last um source sheet I I I added something which you need not have to review. I wanted to tell you the argument of Yiftah ben Giladi is not something that he fortunately found out when he was in seventh grade for history story. It's in the Torah. What happened in the Torah, and I guess so I gave you the sources, you see the addendum of A B C, a reason why it was done it in this way, primarily because after I finished all of that, where am I going to put it in? I sold them. So, here you have here the sources in Devarim and in uh in two of them in Bamidbar and two and one in Devarim, that's on the page 27 and 28. Um and if you have a time you'd like to look at it, you'll see exactly what happened. It's almost word for word what what he said, what Yiftah told the king of Ammon, which is interesting. I wanted you to know I wasn't lying. Yeah, neither was Yiftah. He had it very clearly, this is what happened. Okay. So, there is victory, and yes, he does defeat uh the Ammon, uh as we'll see uh um And before he does defeat the enemy. He prays to God. This is why I was very impressed. For a guy who was thrown out during a pagan time of the Israelites praying to Baal and so on and so forth. So much so that they had to go to God. We were just kidding. And we're sorry. We're sorry until God finally said to them, "Okay." Because he said before, if you remember, uh you why don't you go and and and beg the God you're you're worshipping, not me. So, finally they said, "No, no, no. We we were wrong." And so on and so forth. Fine. Good. Good. But here he is, Yiftah, who had a lot of reason to be really angry with God, who is not. He does now worships God as we see and and he now prays for victory and success in the war. War. And it's [clears throat] Yiftah's victory and oath, number five. So, what happens after war? Um And here we said, but to hear all Yiftah works as in the first Hebrew words were, "And the spirit of Hashem rested upon him." We find that, by the way, quite often in Tanakh. We find it about Shaul. We find it about Um the David, you find that right next to him. Shimshon also had that the God sort of he inspired him. You know, and he inspires. Okay? The spirit of Hashem comes upon Yiftah. He marched through Gilead and Manasseh. It's a good word to know. Manasseh, for those of you who don't know, was they probably had the largest amount of land in this cuz because Manasseh was divided into You know, I'm here we hear about obeying God, the name of Manasseh. There was There was three tribes that that decided to go to the eastern side of the Jordan, and there to find their place, not their estates, and not on the western side. Uh was Reuben, the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of God, and only half the tribe of Manasseh. I'm not going to go into details as interesting as it was. They had the Anyway, that's in the Torah, too. Um and so they have a big So, that's when it says here, Manasseh, remember I told you that Gilead was was on the eastern side. So, it was Manasseh to the north. By the way, if I could roll, uh was I correct? Good. Uh north uh of Reuben, and that's a Gilead. And so, Manasseh was with Manasseh with Manasseh. What Anyway, that area where it would seem that Ammon and the king was beginning to invade, and um he passed Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he crossed over to the Ammon, and he made this vow to Hashem. Listen to what he said to God. I could do it easily, or I could make believe I'm learning tomorrow. If I I want to what I'm saying. If you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me on my safe return from the enemy shall be God's, and offered and be offered by me as a korban. As the burnt offering, an ola, actually, which means he won't eat any part of it, but only to God. Okay? Very good. And Jephthah crossed over and attack the Ammonite as God delivered them into his hands. You see it wasn't even me. Now the text text it so you tell you all about the the the the battles. But that's what happens. So he's victorious. You I know. I know. She's nodding her head cuz she knows what happens. >> How can you sacrifice a dog? Is it sacrifice? >> He doesn't say I'm going to sacrifice my boy daughter. Says whoever ah what do you think he thought? >> He thought it would be the dog. >> All right. Well okay that's right well cuz I'll say he thought it would have been the dog that would come out. He thought it would have been a a goat. Okay well he had stuff, right? He never had in mind what was going to happen. And that wasn't the problem. The problem was he didn't understand what the choice meant. But we'll go through it. Anyway. All right? And so da da da da And then they win. Okay? There was a big host a wonderful celebration I'm sure. They were victorious. They don't have the problems of Ammon. Ammon is no longer wanting the land. Everyone's happy. Jephthah comes by I'm sure there was a parade. You know out of the window they threw all the Everybody was very happy. There wasn't as much joy and happiness yesterday after the Milwaukee Brewers actually won the the the world series for the first time ever. Um but they were celebrating undoubtedly. And he comes home he comes home I'm sorry. And um when Jephthah arrived at his home in Mizpah there was his daughter coming out to meet him. Okay? With a hand drum and dance. Women do that you know? Like like Mary like Miriam. Right? So Miriam did that. They come out that's part of the celebration. She was an only child. He had no other son or daughter. Not only was she the only child, he had no other children. I'm just reading what it said. I didn't write this, you know. Okay. Of course, the Tanakh was giving you kind of how tragic this is. He had no other children. Nor was he too smart. Oh, yeah. Upon seeing her, he rent his clothing. Remember when you rent rent the chair? You didn't go around and say, "How much do you need for the clothes?" He tore his clothing and he said, "Alas, my daughter, you have brought me to my knees. You have become as my troubler, for I have uttered a vow to Hashem, and I cannot retract." And those last three or four words, I believe, is a big problem. What do you mean you can't retract? When you take a er oath oath, even to God, can you retract it? Answer? You have Kol Nidre. Hello? Hatarat Nedarim. You know what that is? Mhm? Hatarat Nedarim is usually on Erev Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah, you gather around and you say and say Hatarat Nedarim. I take it back. You know, like I said, you tell God, "I was just kidding." Right? Basically. But it's beyond that. And Chazal said it's very much You had living at the time Pinchas, the grandson of um Aaron. Got the beard and everything, yeah. He was at the Cohen Gadol was there. You have Kohanim there who can You have the beginning of Parshat the Parshat Matot. It's all about the um uh Zeh Hadavar Asher Tzivah Hashem. Ish Ki Yidor Neder Lashem o >> This is how you do away with with the rain. But he didn't know. Cuz I'll say and where was Pinhas? Didn't he know about it? Nobody did anything for that? Terrible thing. So, yeah. He was a robber and and a man who goes out army. I maybe he doesn't know he did look I know. I I just finished my fifth time for going through all of shots. And I tell you the part of the Darim is a very tough shot. Maybe he didn't learn the Darim in the Gamara. So, he didn't know. But where is everybody else? >> Did he was it a public oath? Did he say it? >> Good That's an excellent question. Because a public oath is different. Still, but you know, okay? Um it would seem to me, by the way, that it wasn't why cuz it says he turned to God and he prayed to him. And that's what it was. He was talking to God. I don't think he'd say, "Hey guys, come on." You know, he didn't say that. So, it it would seem that was not that. So, uh There is a problem. That is a tragic. Um So, what happens? We'll continue here. Um "Father," she said, "you have uttered a vow to God. Do to me as you have vowed. As Hashem has vindicated you against your enemies." Then she said, "Let this be done. Leave me alone for 2 months. Okay? I will go with my companions to lament on the hills and bewail my maidenhood." "Go," he said. He let her go for 2 months and she and her companions went and bewailed her maidenhood upon the hills. Okay? And we it really ends with Yihimi Katan and Katan okay? And do I have that okay after 2 months time she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. She had never known a man. And so it became a custom in Israel for the maidens of Israel to go every year for 4 days and chant dirges for Yiftach's uh daughter. Did he sacrifice her? >> Seems that way yeah. >> I don't know. No way did it say I Yisbach. >> [snorts] >> He what? >> It says as he as he vowed. >> And what was his vow? I don't care what I got. Va'alitzia. It would seem and by the way the there is a part in the Gemara that says this. He set her aside for God. He put her in a nunnery. Basically is what's happening. She cannot get married. She cannot have children and she'll probably be alone most of the time. That's the this idea of their uh her her companions came to see her and everything like that. That she wasn't necessarily I'm not saying it for sure. It's a possibility that he never killed her. I mean who would have I mean even Yitzchak wasn't killed. Where do we find anywhere in Tanakh that a Jew would slaughter another Jew? It it never happened. And if the there's no response in the Navi in text to say and what a terrible terrible sin he had that for having done this. Doesn't say that. It would to me and I I admittedly I like to have you know happier endings. It would seem that he in effect put her aside, made her be a you know, you'll be dominant all day to God or something like that. And you know, and people will And it says at the very end here, and uh people went to She was became known a custom in Israel to every go every year for 4 days and enchant dirges. So, this is that she eventually for many years people saw her as a model. So, I would like to think that that's what happened. He didn't slaughter her. Yeah. And who you going to get at? Yeah. What shochet What butcher is going to be doing this? It would seem that it could very well be that that's what happened there, which was a tragedy anyway. It was a tragedy, but it wasn't murder. So, um that's the story. And um with that you basically have the end except the victory itself. And just as you think that it was sad the text says you want to know what's really sad? And here we go. Listen, everything is amazing how the Tanakh did a good job of of um following what I think is going to happen. And that makes just a little bit Look what happens now. >> It doesn't paint the rosy picture. >> What? >> It doesn't paint a rosy picture. It It presents reality. >> That's the magnificence of the Tanakh. It It's It's magnificent. It isn't shalom and like the Quran. I mean, we're talking about real facts. And sometimes facts you don't bother to go, but it's there. So, let's see the ending and that'll be perfect timing. Okay? We can start with Shimshon next week. Anyway, I know you'd be excited about that. So, the ending we learn the following, okay? Ephraim Now, Ephraim was a um Sibite. All right? Where was he? Was Was Ephraim on the >> It's It's on the western side. >> On the western side? >> Yeah, it is. >> Anyway, uh it's on the western side of the Irdain. At any rate, a contingent of Ephraim it seemed they wanted to uh was going to help uh with the war, which is something very rare as we know in Sifre Shoftim. The contingent mustered. I know, I won't say anything about it. They gathered, okay? And crossed the Irdain and said to Iftach "Oh, aren't you going to help me? Why shouldn't No." "Why did you march to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? That wasn't fair. You didn't tell us." I told you, there's never a good ending. All right? And because of that, which is understandable, "We'll burn uh we'll burn your house down over you." What? Wouldn't you do the same thing? He's a victor who helped Israel, saved Israel, but they wanted to do it and you don't Not fair. Hm. Iftach answered them, "My people and I were involved in a bitter conflict, and I summoned you, and you did not save me from them, did you? When I saw that you were not saviors, I risked my life and fought my life and I fought against the Ammonites, so Hashem delivered them into my hands. Why have you come now here to fight against me? When I asked you and I needed your help, you didn't come. Now that Now that Oh, you won? We wanted to win, too. And now I'm going to uh uh uh Grow up. So, Yiftah said, "You're not going to threaten him." He gathered the all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim. And they defeated Ephraim, who had said that you Gilead are but a few a few uh uh Gilead are but fugitives from Ephraim, since Manasseh is like is like being in Ephraim. He that he was from uh Manasseh, right? All right. And so, they said, "Well, you know, Ephraim and Manasseh, they were brothers with the Yossef's daddy, you know, and this and that. But so, if you're a Ephraim and so, if you're Manasseh, it's like you're a Ephraim. But you went and you didn't bring us, and therefore, so you're nothing more than a than a a runaway from uh from Ephraim, and you should have told us this." Good people. Uh Gilead held the fords of the Jordan against Ephraim, and when any fugitive fugitive from Ephraim would say, "Uh let me cross that we're running back now, cuz they were they were losing the war." So, they were trying to cross back over the Jordan towards Ephraim. So, the guards, who were from Manasseh, they said they would ask him, "Oh, yeah, okay. Um the Gileadite." They would ask him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" Because if you are, we're going to kill you. All right? If he said, "No." They said, "Okay. Then, tell us this." They would say to him, "Then, say word shibboleth." Which means, I know, wheat. But he would say "Sibboleth." Didn't say shibboleth, he says "Sibboleth." Not being able to pronounce it correctly. So, they would see they know him that that So, so you're not a a Manasseh, you're a Ephraimite, because you can't say You have a lisp. And it says And so we took care of it. Don't worry, it's a wonderful ending. 42,000 from Ephraim had fell at that time. 42,000 Jews died. Happy birthday. Yiftach led Israel 6 years, and when he died he was buried in one of the towns in Gilead. You see, even victories in Israel, it's wonderful. This is called Sefer Shoftim. And what I told you months ago when we I said it's probably the worst era in Israel in Jewish history. It's horrific. And it is exactly what I told you from the very beginning. And that is all of this. If you were to say, "What's the one thing they did? Why did this all happen, all these terrible things?" Why? What was the big thing that did it? What was it? What why did this happen to happen? What did they do wrong? What specifically? >> They worshipped other gods. >> Before that even. They didn't get rid of the foreigners. Exactly, they didn't get rid of the idolaters. And then that's exactly what God says about five times and more in the Torah, and that Yeshua says a couple of times in Yeshua, and he was warned about over and over again. Make sure you don't let them come here cuz they're going to make you into idolaters. And they, at the very beginning of Shoftim, were again warned, and what I'm sorry, they were again they were warned. And they didn't do anything. The beginning of the rest of Tanakh, that's why the Gemara says if it weren't for that Tanakh would have ended in after six at the five books of Moses and the one book of Josh. After that, we would have built the Bet HaMikdash. But, the one thing you did is that you didn't listen to me, and that is what caused all of this. This and the rest of the rest of Tanakh and then at the Ketuvim, certainly of of Nevi'im, was all the dealing with the with the terrible sins and how they were done. So, I made it in time. Woo. I'm okay. Yes, I'm sorry. Well, if you said I mean you do this, I'm going to kill you, we call that What's the word over here? Murder. He was talking to God. And he talks to God and he says, "I need something. If you would be so nice and give me I will get make a sacrifice to you, let's say." On the assumption God knows everything. Right?