Shoftim, Perek 6

AI summary (may contain mistakes)

Gidon rises when Midyan takes all the food of Klal Yisrael and his own father serves avodah zarah. A Malach and then Hashem send Gidon against Midyan, and Hashem cuts the army down to 300 men armed with shofaros, jars and torches. The gold eifod Gidon makes later becomes avodah zarah. Avimelech, a son through a pilegesh, kills his seventy brothers to rule, and he dies from a stone a woman throws.

Key points

• Gidon asks the Malach why Hashem does not help them as at Yetzias Mitzrayim.
• Gidon's call matches Moshe Rabbeini's at the Sneh in four ways, and the Arizal calls Gidon a gilgul of Moshe.
• Hashem cut the army to 300 so the victory would clearly be His.
• The Targum reads Gidon's battle cry as Hashem acting through His agent Gidon.
• Gidon's eifod, made l'shem shamayim, became avodah zarah after Gidon died, like Moshe's copper snake.

In this shiur

1. 0:00Midyan's control and Gidon's father
2. 4:32The Malach comes to Gidon
3. 7:52Gidon and Moshe Rabbeini at the Sneh
4. 11:14Gidon's army cut to 300
5. 19:18Pursuit and the cities refusing food
6. 22:08Gidon's gold eifod
7. 25:25Avimelech and his seventy brothers
8. 32:35Gal ben Eved and Avimelech's death
9. 37:36Questions from the room

Topics

• Gidon
• Avimelech
• Sefer Shoftim