Underdog Days
Judges Chapter 3, the Strange and the Spectacular
Verses: 31
Is It Read At Synagogue?: No.
Famous Quotes/Phrases: How appropriate that, on the precipice of Rosh Hashanah, we have a mention of a shofar, which the judge Ehud sounds to rally Israelite troops against the Moabites. It’s another example of how the shofar is used for numerous purposes in biblical times, not just as a seasonal call for repentance.
Basic Plot: With the cycle of sin and repentance established in the previous chapter, we see how it plays out in the early days after Joshua’s death. The surrounding peoples (who remained in the land to “test” the Israelites) lead the Israelites to intermarriage and idolatry, and in response, God sends a king named Cushan-rishathaim (try saying that five times fast) to conquer them and rule over them for eight years. Once the people cry out for help, God sends Othniel — Caleb’s son-in-law whom we met in the Book of Joshua — to defeat Cushan-rishathaim and to serve the next 40 years as Israel’s first official Judge.
After Othniel dies, the Israelites descend into wrongdoing once again, and this time, King Eglon of Moab conquers them and rules over them for 18 years. After the Israelites’ cry for help, the new hero is a Benjaminite named Ehud. The story of Ehud killing Eglon is one of the least pleasant in the entire Hebrew Bible … in lieu of giving you all the gory details here, I’ll just say that it involves a stabbing in a bathroom. Ehud leads the Israelites into battle, and the army kills 10,000 Moabites, winning the nation independent rule that will last for 80 years, with Ehud and later Shamgar at the helm.
What’s Strange: There’s a bit of doubt whether Othniel actually belongs in this story. In his translation and commentary on Judges 1-5, Barnabas Lindars, S.S.F., quotes several sources (including the ancient historian Josephus) indicating that a man named Kenaz is actually the first judge of Israel. One theory is that our tradition teaches that there were 12 official Israelite judges, and that Othniel is mentioned in the Bible because he is a a member of the tribe of Judah. Lindars disagrees, saying, “It is better to suppose that the reason for the choice of Othniel was continuity [in leadership] with Joshua.”
What’s Spectacular: We don’t tend to talk much about Ehud when recounting biblical heroism, but it’s worthwhile to consider his place among our most impressive characters. We read that he is a left-handed Benjaminite, which makes him an unlikely warrior; the world has always (at least until about 100 years ago) been heavily biased against left-handed people, and the tribe of Benjamin is always depicted as one of the least prestigious. So it shouldn’t surprise us that Ehud must use guile and subterfuge to get to King Eglon, kill him, and escape in one piece. He overcomes his disadvantages to restore the Israelites to power.
It’s significant that Israel is once again in the position of the underdog. Throughout the Book of Joshua, the Israelites romp their way through battle after battle, facing little credible resistance. But their missteps after Joshua’s death leaves them oppressed once again, and in need of a rescuing hero. Thousands of years later, Jews often feel like they’re the underdog, often with good reason. And sometimes, it’s when we’re at our best when we are in this position. Maybe the key to sustained success is not to sabotage our position in life with avoidable mistakes — but to always think that we’re behind the proverbial 8-ball. In other words, let’s work for our success as if we’re the underdogs, and later discover that we’ve been winners all along.
L’shanah Tovah, and thereafter, Shabbat Shalom!