Division of Spoils

Found 5 Search results

1. The Inauguration

   Rabbi Yair Kahn

   This lesson discusses two issues: 1. The significance of the Midian War in light of the detailed description of the loot gathered after the battle; 2. The reason half the tribe of Menashe was added to Gad and Reuven, after they requested land on the eastern side of the Jordan (the Transjordan).

2. Yitro

   Parashat Yitro

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   Why did Yitro come to the camp? Was his advice to Moshe sage? Did Moshe follow his advice? When did Yitro arrive at the camp, and when did the parallel episodes of appointing elders and judges occur? Why was the punishment of the sinners at Kivrot Ha-Ta’ava so severe, and what is the difference between the requests for meat in Beha’alotekha and in Shelah?

3. David's Division of the Spoils of War

   Dr. Adina Sternberg

   תאריך פרסום: תשע"ב | |

   This shiur looks at David’s divisions of the spoils after the war to retrieve the captives taken by Amalek. But wasn't Amalek supposed to be destroyed by Shaul? As we analyze this story, we notice that David is strikingly different from Shaul. We survey the stories of Shaul and examine what characterizes these differences. Returning to the division of the spoils, we uncover what is behind those who disagree with David. We find religious as well as moral-societal perspectives, and compare these various approaches with the one found in the deal between Avraham and the King of Sedom.

4. Parshat Mattot - War Ethics

   Rabbi Alex Israel | 37 minutes

   Parashat Mattot presents us with considerable challenges. Much of it is very technical in nature, and seems to contain three distinct, seemingly disconnected chapters: Chapter 30 discusses laws of vows, chapter 31 deals with the war against the Midianites and the spoils from the war, and chapter 32 narrates the request and plan for the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and Menashe to act as shock-troops and then settle land on the eastern side of the Jordan.

   Our focus in this shiur is the equal division of the spoils of war, which ultimately connect the three chapters of this parasha. Why does Judaism devote so much energy to this topic? Why do we need organized legal arrangements about the spoils of vanquished enemies? We explore ethical, tactical, and theological approaches to this question.

5. What's Wrong with Taking Spoils?

   Rabbi Alex Israel