CONTENT ADVISORY: FOR OLDER EIDOT

Background:
Pilegesh BGivaah story, Shoftim 18-21. Levite goes to get back his cheating concubine. Ends
up staying at her fathers, who is reluctant to let them go. After 5 days, they finally go, avoid
Jerusalem, arrive in Givaah, no one takes them in except for an old man, who gives them food
and shelter. Mob gathers outside, demanding they know the Levite, and by know, we mean in
the biblical sense, being as this is, in fact, The Bible. Old man graciously offers his daughter and
the mans concubine instead. Mob unsatisfied. Levite, sick of this, grabs his concubine, throws
her outside. Mob decides she will do, and they rape her all night until the morning. Next
morning, concubine crawls to door, dies. Levite opens door, says Get up. She does not, being
as she is dead. He takes her body, puts it on his donkey, goes home, cuts her body up into
twelve pieces, and sends a piece to every shevet. Civil war ensues, and after three bloody
battles, Binyamin is almost wiped out. Which is bad, because wiping out a shevet entirely is
bad. Except everyone swore to never let their sons marry Binyamin, so that option of
repopulation is right out. So they figure out Yavesh Gilaad never sent soldiers, so they wipe
them out, take their virgins, and give them to the remaining Binyaminites, as you do. But thats
still not enough, so they have the daughters of Shiloh dance in the fields and have Binyaminites
go and kidnap them. And thats where Tu Bav comes from. So yeah, weird story, and the
greatest movie Quentin Tarantino hasnt filmed yet.
Objectives:
1. Determine what is appropriate for your shiur, and tell the story accordingly.
2. The story begins and ends with the idea of there was no king. Without a central authority,
which is impossible without national unity and everyone conquering their land (or alternatively,
without a central authority to enforce national unity and galvanize forces to conquer land),
society devolves into anarchy, which is typified by rampant selfishness and greed, where
everyone is out for themselves and feels no loyalty towards each other. In such an environment,
force becomes the best way to fulfill your desires or settle disputes, and thus the constant threat
of violence pervades the atmosphere.
3. The monarchy, which will begin with Shaul, begins to solve these issues.
Trigger
Just tell the story. Its a weird story.
Sources
Shoftim 21:25
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What kind of society does this yield?
Selfishness
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And they turned aside there, to go spend the night in Gibeah; and he came and sat in the town
square but there was no man that took them into his house to lodge.
Disloyalty
Shoftim 19:2
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And his concubine cheated on him, and went away from him to her father's house to Bethlehem in Judah, and was there the space of four months.
The obvious point is that she cheats on him, but how long does it take the husband to getting
around to getting his concubine back?
Shoftim 19:25-28
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But the men would not hearken to him; so the man grabbed his concubine, and sent her out to
them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning; and when the day
began to spring, they let her go. 26 And the woman came toward morning, and fell down at the
door of the man's house where her master was, as the light was coming up. 27 And her master
rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and,
behold, the woman his concubine was fallen at the door of the house, with her hands upon the
threshold. 28 And he said unto her. 'Get up, and let us be going'; but none answered; then he
took her up upon the donkey; and the man rose up, and went to his place.
Play marriage counselor for a second. What is wrong with their relationship?
Violence:
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And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the girl's father said: 'Refresh
yourself, I pray thee, and remain here until the day ends'; and they did eat, both of them. 9 And
when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the
damsel's father, said unto him: 'Behold, now the day draws toward evening; delay, I pray you, all
night; behold, the day grows to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry; and tomorrow
you may get up early so that you may go home.
Why is he so insistent that they stay? Five days is a long time!
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And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and
divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel.
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So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the
sword; all these were men of valour. 47 But six hundred men turned and fled toward the

wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and stayed in the rock of Rimmon four months. 48 And the
men of Israel turned back upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the
sword, both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found; moreover all the cities which
they found they set on fire.
How did this happen?
Lack of strong leadership
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And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain
Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine
out of Beth-lehem in Judah.
What is significant about the two shevatim mentioned?
Inability to conquer the land

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But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against
Yevus--the same is Jerusalem; and there were with him a couple of donkeys saddled; his
concubine also was with him. 11 When they were by Yevus--the day was far spent--the servant
said unto his master: 'Come, I pray thee, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and
lodge in it.' 12 And his master said unto him: 'We will not turn aside into the city of a foreigner,
that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah.'
1.What is Yevus? What is its other name?
2. Who currently controls it?
Lack of National Unity
9) Shoftim 21:24
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24 And the children of Israel departed there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family,
and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.
What is everyones chief concern?
The Coming Solution: Monarchy
10) Shmuel Aleph 11:6-7
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And the spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was
kindled greatly. 7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout
all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying: 'Whosoever cometh not forth after
Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen.' And the dread of the LORD fell on the
people, and they came out as one man.