Character Sketch of Shimshon

Chayim Gerson

Shimshon is one of the most interesting and complex characters in all of Tanach, for his

life was one of huge success and holiness, while also being fraught with human desires and

Shimshon’s ultimate demise. Perhaps this is why there is so much to learn from Shimshon – his

struggles and successes relate to that of the common Jew. In this article, we will attempt to lay

out some of the key events in Shimshon’s life, how his struggles portray him in the light of being

a Navi, and show some lessons that we can learn from his unusual life.

Biographical Overview of Shimshon’s Life

The story of Shimshon begins before he was born. His mother, named Tzlelponis 1, was

the barren wife of Manoach. She was approached by a Malach, who told her that she would

give birth to a son, and instructed her to raise him as a Nazir, 2 and after his birth, the Ruach

Hashem came upon him3. We first learn of Shimshon’s activity when he goes to Timnah to

marry a Plishti woman, as a pretext against them to eventually wage war with them 4, as they

were a dominant force in Eretz Yisrael at that time. After Shimshon marries a woman though,

he asks her and some of the surrounding men to decode a riddle, and after they fail to do so or

even elicit the answer from Shimshon, his wife becomes upset and leaves him to marry another

man. This causes Shimshon to become enraged, and he kills the surrounding Plishtim 5 and then

burn down their fields6. After the Plishtim come to wage was with Shimshon because of the

1
Bava Basra 91a
2
Shoftim 13:3-5
3
Ibid, v. 25
4
Ibid, 14:4
5
Ibid, v. 16-20
6
Ibid, 15:5
damage he caused, he takes a jawbone as his weapon and kills 1000 Plishti men 7. After this

episode, we are informed by the text that Shimshon judged Klal Yisrael for 20 years 8. It is then

told that Shimshon went to Aza and had relations with a zonah there 9, after which he performs

another feat of strength of uprooting the city gates and carrying them on his shoulders 10. The

final stage in Shimshon’s life is defined by his love for Delilah 11. When the Plishtim get word of

this relationship, they offer Delilah vast amounts of money to find Shimshon’s true weakness

with which they would finally bring him down 12. After three failed attempts, Delilah finally hears

from Shimshon his true weakness – his hair 13, where after the Plishtim pay her, shave his head

after which his strength departs14, and gauge out Shimshon’s eyes15. Shimshon is then ridiculed

and brought in front of thousands of Plishtim, in between two pillars of the building, as they

celebrate their victory amidst bringing korbanos to their god, Dagon 16. Shimshon makes a final

plea to Hashem to remember him 17 and give his strength back – after which he pushed the

pillars, causing the roof to collapse and killing him and everyone at the celebration 18.

Shimshon’s Character

7
Ibid, v. 14-15
8
Ibid, v. 20
9
Ibid, 16:1
10
Ibid, v. 3
11
Ibid, v. 4
12
Ibid, v. 5
13
Ibid, v. 17
14
Ibid, v. 19
15
Ibid, v. 20
16
Ibid, v. 25
17
Ibid, v. 26,28
18
Ibid, v. 30
 As we can see throughout the story, Shimshon’s character can be defined clearly by his

strength, his leadership and logic, and his desire. Most potent throughout his story is his

unbelievable physical strength: he tears up a lion while in Timnah 19, kills 1000 Plishtim with a

jawbone, tears out the gates of Aza, and ultimately topples down an entire building. His

strength is the fear of the Plishtim, and they will go to all ends to take away that strength.

Perhaps this is symbolic of other enemies of the Jewish people, who try to take away that which

sets us apart as Jews, like the Greeks made a ban on Bris Mila and Rosh Chodesh. The pesukim

also inform us of Shimshon’s great mind, as he poses a riddle that can’t be solved. Chazal also

say that the Beis Din of Shimshon was equal to those of Moshe, Aharon, and Shmuel in their

respective generations20, and that Shimshon judged with perfect justice which compared to the

justice of Hashem21. His leadership was so great that Yaakov Avinu even thought that he would

be the Mashiach!22

Shimshon’s most questionable recurring trait, though, is his seeming lust and desire for

women. This desire brings Shimshon to be with three different non-Jewish women, and

eventually causes his downfall when lured by Delilah. R’ Yitzchak Blau 23 discusses the Mishneh

and Gemara in Sotah24 which say that Shimshon was punished through his eyes as a result of

going after the desire of his eyes. He explains that although it seems that Shimshon went after

the woman from Timnah as a pretext against the Plishtim as part of Hashem’s plan for a Jewish

victory, our job as Jews is to follow halacha, while leaving the rest up to Hashem. Others, like R’

19
Ibid, 14:6
20
Yerushalmi Rosh Hashanah 2:8, cited from the Encyclopedia of Biblical Personalities, p519
21
Sotah 9b
22
Bereishis Rabbah 98:14, cited from the Encyclopedia of Biblical Personalities, p519
23
Shimshon, Halacha, and Morality, https://www.etzion.org.il/en/shiur-07-shimshon-halakha-and-morality
24
9b
E.E. Dessler25, state that Shimshon’s impulses were purely for the sake of Hashem, and

therefore it wasn’t problematic that he was with a non-Jewish woman. This approach is

reminiscent of R’ Avidgor Neventzal’s approach 26 to David and Batsheva, stating that David did

an aveira lishmah. The Radak 27 also makes these points, but concedes that Shimshon only took

the non-Jewish women for their beauty and lost sight of his Divine mission. The Yerushalmi 28

also points out that Shimshon not only was married to a non-Jew in Timnah, but also had non-

marital relations with one in Aza, which the Gemara 29 calls the beginning of Shimshon’s

downfall.

Perhaps we can see from this last portrait of Shimshon that he was a nuanced leader –

while he had immense military success and lead Klal Yisrael for 20 years while living as a Nazir

to Hashem for all of his life, his desire was his ultimate downfall. This can serve as a model for

us, as we strive to become leaders: our strengths must always be put in check, and our eyes can

never veer from serving Hashem according to Halacha.

25
Michtav m’Eliyahu Vol. 2 p272-273
26
Sichos on Bereishis, Sicha 36 p386-387
27
Commentary to Shoftim 13:4
28
Sotah 1:9
29
Sotah 9b