Edited by Rabbi Tuly Weisz The Israel Bible: Judges First Edition, 2018 Menorah Books An imprint of Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd. POB 8531, New Milford, CT 06776-8531, USA & POB 4044, Jerusalem 9104001, Israel www.menorahbooks.com The Israel Bible was produced by Israel365 in cooperation with Teach for Israel and is used with permission from Teach for Israel. All rights reserved. The English translation was adapted by Israel365 from the JPS Tanakh. Copyright © 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. All rights reserved. Cover image: © Shutterstock - http://www.shutterstock.com/ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. The Israel Bible is a holy book that contains the name of God and should be treated with respect. Table of Contents iv Credits v Acknowledgements viii Aleph Bet Chart ix Introduction xv Foreward xviii Blessing Before and After Reading theTorah 19 The Book of Judges 81 Biographies of The Israel Bible Scholars 83 Bibliography 94 List of Transliterated Words in The Israel Bible 109 Photo Credits 110 Chart of the Hebrew Months and their Holidays 113 Map of Modern-Day Israel and its Neighbors 114 List of Prime Ministers of the State of Israel 115 Prayer for the State of Israel 118 Prayer for the Welfare of Israel’s Soldiers 120 Hatikvah iii Credits Commentary and introductions for The Israel Bible were written by the following scholars: Bereishit (Genesis): Rabbi Tuly Weisz Shemot (Exodus): Rabbi Tuly Weisz Vayikra (Leviticus): Shira Schechter Bamidbar (Numbers): Shira Schechter Devarim (Deuteronomy): Shira Schechter Yehoshua (Joshua): Rabbi Shmuel Jablon Shoftim (Judges): Rabbi Shmuel Jablon Shmuel (Samuel): Rabbi Shmuel Jablon Melachim (Kings): Rabbi Shmuel Jablon Yeshayahu (Isaiah): Rabbi Yaakov Beasley Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah): Rabbi Yaakov Beasley Yechezkel (Ezekiel): Rabbi Yaakov Beasley Trei Asar (The Twelve Prophets) Rabbi Yaakov Beasley Tehillim (Psalms): Rabbi Avi Baumol Mishlei (Proverbs): Ahuva Balofsky Iyov (Job): Alexander Jacob Tsykin Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs): Batya Markowitz Rut (Ruth): Rabbi Tuly Weisz Eicha (Lamentations): Rabbi Noam Shapiro Kohelet (Ecclesiastes): Batya Markowitz Esther (Esther): Batya Markowitz Daniel (Daniel): Batya Markowitz Ezra v’Nechemya (Ezra and Nehemiah): Josh Even-Chen Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles): Alexander Jacob Tsykin Maps Editor: Lorien Balofsky Associate Editor: Shira Schechter Editor: Rabbi Tuly Weisz Production Management: Avishai Magence Commentary Editor: Rabbi Alan Haber Copy Editing: Efrat Gross Typesetting: Estie Dishon Cover Design: Tani Bayer Icon Design: Eliyahu Misgav iv Acknowledgements Producing a Tanakh is a massive undertaking that requires a tremendous team of “wise students,” as the Hebrew expression goes. The Israel Bible would never have seen the light of day without the herculean efforts of numerous contributors. First and foremost, SHIRA SCHECHTER dedicated several years as associate editor of The Israel Bible and saw the project through from beginning till end. With a perfect balance of meticulousness and fear of Heaven, she carefully supervised all aspects of research, development, editing and production. Shira’s innate appreciation for Hebrew grammar along with her sharp eye and love for the subject matter, can be felt on every page. Thank you to the esteemed scholars who contributed their immense Tanakh knowledge to this groundbreaking initiative: RABBIS AVI BAUMOL, YAAKOV BEASLEY, SHMUEL JABLON AND ALEXANDER JACOB TSYKIN, AHUVA BALOFSKY, JOSH EVEN-CHEN, and BATYA MARKOWITZ. The breadth of yourTorah scholarship, along with your love for Israel, served as a constant inspiration. I would like to thank the devoted staff of Israel365 for their vast and varied contributions to The Israel Bible in the five years since we naively asked each other, “How hard could it be to create a brand new Tanakh?” First, to LORIEN BALOFSKY who was there in the beginning and designed the first versions of The Israel Bible along with many features of this volume, including the maps. And to all the other creative geniuses: MAAYAN HOFFMAN, TSIVYA FOX, ORLY GIBSON and SHLOMO VILE. To the brilliant strategic team SHIFRA GOLDMEIER, AYAL KELLMAN, STEVEN GOLDSTEIN, SIMONE SOMERS, GILA HALPERN, MAZZ WHITE and CLARINDA YUVIENCO. To the truth- seeking reporters and editors of Breaking Israel News, ABRA FORMAN, ELIYAHU ADAM BERKOWITZ, JONATHAN BENEDEK, RIVKAH LAMBERT ADLER and ELIANA RUDEE. And a special yasher koach to SHLOMO SCHREIBMAN whose acumen enabled this important effort to continue. v I would also like to acknowledge our “alumni” whose skills and personali- ties shaped The Israel Bible over the years: JILLIAN EZEKIEL, RACHAEL PLATT and ALIZA ABRAHAMOVITZ. A major debt of gratitude is owed to my trusted friends and advisors ROBERT FROHLINGER, RAFI COHEN and ARIEL GOLDBERG, whose wise counsel continues to guide Israel365. Thank you to the faculty of the Yeshiva for the Nations RABBIS SHIMON APISDORF, ELAN ADLER, YISHAI FLEISHER and MOSHE LICHTMAN who taught me a deep appreciation for Eretz Yisrael when I was his student, and SHARON NIV. Teach for Israel made possible the research and writing of The Israel Bible and I would like to thank the board of directors for their years of friendship and encouragement: NOAM LIPSHITZ, SCOTT OSBORNE, MARC SINGER and DAVID SWAGGERTY. I am indebted to the spiritual mentorship of RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN and DAVID NEKRUTMAN of the Center for Jewish Christian Understanding and Cooperation for their pioneering work and for contributing the foreward to The Israel Bible. Every page of this volume testifies to the impressive skill of the profes- sionals at Koren Publishers Jerusalem including MATTHEW MILLER, YEHOSHUA MILLER, RABBI AVISHAI MAGENCE, RABBI ALAN HABER, YEHUDIT SINGER, ESTIE DISHON, TANI BAYER and ASHIRAH YOSEFAH of their Menorah imprint. As Israel’s foremost Bible publishers, Koren represents a heritage of excellence and it was an honor to collaborate on this important undertaking with their prodigious staff. Thanks to RABBI BARRY SCHWARTZ and LEIF MILLIKEN for their assistance in providing the well respected New Jewish Publication Society English translation for inclusion in this volume. In addition to its many unique features, The Israel Bible is the firstTanakh to be financed through crowdfunding. I can’t thank enough the close to 1,000 contributors of our online campaign who enthusiastically supported our idea and waited patiently for its publication. While many Jews and non-Jews from all over the world eagerly participated with great generosity, a sincere thank you is to a special and humble friend of Israel from Nigeria. I am greatly appreciative of the gift in honor of EKPE NDIYO EKPE by his loving son. Over the years, I have had many mentors, teachers and rabbis who deeply impacted me and taught me a love for Torah. I have been fortunate to benefit from many, yet would like to thank RABBI ZEVULUN CHARLOP, dean of vi the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary for our private study sessions and his enthusiasm for my work in general and this initiative in particular. I would like to acknowledge the influence of my two grandfathers, RABBI DAVID STAVSKY AND GEORGE WEISZ, both of blessed memory. In very different ways, my grandfathers equally taught invaluable lessons of hard work and self-sacrifice on behalf ofTorah . My grandmothers, PEPPI WEISZ and RUTH STAVSKY and ROSALIND DOMBROFF have assumed the role of beloved matriarchs to our family, and should be blessed with longevity. My in-laws, RHONDA and DR. TOM WEISS, are like parents to me and have provided loving encouragement and much appreciated support. They should see much “nachas” from all their children and grandchildren. I would like to thank my own precious children who were my real inspiration for The Israel Bible. Feeding off their wide-eyed enthusiasm in learning the holy words of the Torah in school — and in Hebrew no less — I felt invigorated to immerse myself in our ancient heritage. With eternal gratitude to Hashem, I am fortunate for the opportunity each day “to teach these words to my children,” SHAINDEE, BELLA, DOVID, TZOFIA and AMITAI. My ultimate thanks are reserved for my beloved wife, ABBY, for her steadfast support. Anything I have achieved is to her credit. Certainly, that is true for The Israel Bible, which only came about through her guiding our family to fulfilling our dream of making Aliyah. May all the blessings that emerge from the study of The Israel Bible reward her with her innermost prayer: that our children always embrace the eternal values of the Torah of Israel. Finally, all my colleagues in producing this volume join me in offering our profound thanksgiving to the Almighty for permitting us to help spread love for the Land and the People of Israel. May the God of Israel continue His blessings so that The Israel Bible shapes the minds and hearts of all His children for generations to come. Naphtali “Tuly” Weisz Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel Shevat 5778 / February 2018 vii Aleph Bet Chart viii Introduction The Hebrew Bible is commonly known as the Tanakh which stands for Torah (the Five Books of Moses), Neviim (the Prophets) and Ketuvim (the Writings). The Tanakh consists of 24 books that are considered by Jews to be the word of God. While these books have been referred to as the “Old Testament,” many Jews reject this label since it implies the replacement of the Hebrew Bible with something newer and prefer the more authentic Jewish name. The Tanakh is not only the most important book known to man, it is God’s word that is perfect and absolute. It is therefore a daunting undertaking to publish an edition of the Tanakh, and the responsibilities are awesome. There is no room for error or carelessness in dealing with the eternal word of God.