Introduction to Sefer Shoftim

This course on Sefer Shoftim shall grapple not only with textual difficulties and the intricacies of exegesis, but will also encounter many important and thought-provoking issues that are introduced by the narratives of this Book.  Included among them: defining the confluence of Divine intervention and human initiative, understanding the role played by good or bad leadership in shaping the political contours and underlying value system of the tribe or state, considering how to effectively address surrounding cultural values and their related religious practices when these are at odds with the mission of the people of Israel, delineating the parameters of the oft-stated Biblical link between fidelity to God and national success, and recognizing the awesome effort needed to forge disparate tribes and their self-interested local leadership into the united people of Israel.