Parshas Chukas 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Jul 4
- 2 min read
ויפתח הגלעדי ... והוא בן אשה זונה (שופטים יא-א)
As the Ammonites oppressed Klal Yisroel, Yiftach HaGiladi was chosen to lead the nation into battle. The Navi tells us that Yiftach was the son of a harlot and Rabbeinu Bechaya notes that he was called as such because his mother married outside of her Shevet. However, he adds that Shimshon HaGibor’s mother was also not a member of the same Shevet as her husband Manoach, and yet Shimshon was never considered the son of a harlot. Why only Yiftach?
R’ Shmuel Laniado zt”l (Kli Yakar on Nach) explains that the purpose of this designation was purely for those women who would inherit their father’s portions. Chazal explain that a daughter who was not an heiress was not a concern, and in fact it was even customary to “intermarry” so as to strengthen the bond from one Shevet to another. While Shimshon’s mother was from another Shevet, Chazal note that she had brothers and was therefore not an heiress.
However, Yiftach’s mother was in a different category. She had no brothers and was therefore the sole inheritor of her father’s portion in Eretz Yisroel. By marrying outside of her Shevet she set the course for her father’s נחלה to eventually become lost to his Shevet - thereby changing the landscape of Eretz Yisroel entirely. Chazal go on to say that while she didn’t in fact commit harlotry, she did go against a Rabbinic prohibition for that time period and was therefore scorned. How careful must we be to adhere to all halachic rulings - whether biblical or rabbinical.