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The Mighty Shimshon/Samson : Haftorah Parasha Naso

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muman613:
The story of Samson is one of the most incredible of the Tanakh. This coming Shabbat we read the story of the birth of Samson. The reason we read it this Shabbat is that in the Parasha for Naso we learn the rules regarding the Nazirite. Samson was born to be a Nazirite according to the word of an angel who came to his parents.

Here is a cartoon rendition of the story. I have not watched the entire presentation but it seems pretty accurate to the story from the book of Shoftim/Judges...
 


http://ohr.edu/tw/weinbach/loveland/pol028.htm

SHIMSHON -
THE POWERFUL JUDGE
For the close to four centuries of Jewish settlement in Eretz Yisrael, before the anointment of a king, the Jewish nation was led by shoftim (judges). One of these judges, who led his people for twenty years, was Shimshon, who is best known to casual Bible readers for his extraordinary demonstrations of physical prowess in his battles with the Philistines.

Shimshon was from the Tribe of Dan, and it was in regard to him that the founder of his tribe received a prophetic blessing from his father, the Patriarch Yaakov, that his descendant would be "like a serpent on the road who bites the heel of the horse and causes its rider to fall." (Bereishet 49:17) This prophecy was fulfilled when Shimson, a captive of the Philistines who had deprived him of his strength and blinded him, was brought from his prison cell to be mocked by thousands of Philistines who had gathered in the temple of their idol to celebrate their triumph over their formidable foe. Praying to Hashem to "let me die with the Philistines," Shimshon gathered up his remaining strength, shook the pillars which supported the building and succeeded, in his death, in slaying more of the enemies of his people than he did in his lifetime. (Shoftim 16:23-30)

muman613:
http://www.torah.org/learning/haftorah/naso.html

Parshas Naso
Shoftim 13:2
by Rabbi Dovid Siegel

This week's haftorah shares with us an incredible perspective on sanctity and self control. The focus of the haftorah is the heavenly message sent to the pious Manoach and his wife informing them of her miraculous conception of a special son, Shimshon. Manoach's wife, a righteous woman who was barren for many years was suddenly informed by an angel that she would bear a child. She was also given specific instructions during pregnancy restricting her from all wine and wine-related products. She was informed that her son would be dedicated to Hashem from the day he was born and could never shave off his hair. The angel also stated that Hashem would bring much salvation to the Jewish people through this precious boy.

This is the first chapter in the life of the famous Jewish leader, Shimshon. However, in the subsequent chapters of his life we discover the life's trials of the most perplexing leader in all of Jewish history. On the one hand, Shimshon was a powerful and effective judge who maintained the highest ethical standard. In fact, our Chazal (Yerushalmi Rosh Hashana2:8) place Shimshon amongst the greatest of all Jewish judges paralleling him, in some ways, to Moshe Rabbeinu himself. Shimshon also merited that the Divine Presence of Hashem preceded him to secure his every step with success. And it was solely in Shimshon's merit that Hashem constantly protected the Jewish nation (see Sota 9b, 10a). Yet, at the same time we discover a man succumbing to physical passions being constantly enticed by Philistine women. Eventually Shimshon fell prey to the persuasion of his Philistine wife Delila and forfeited all his sanctity and greatness. How can this glorious, yet so tragic life be understood and explained and what can be learned from this perplexing story? (See Derech Bina to Shoftim by Rabbi Avrohom Shoshana)

We begin with the words of the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba 10:5) in explanation of Shimshon's unique experience of Nezirus (restriction from wine). In general, one accepts the abstentions of a Nazir for a period of a month or two but never for an entire lifetime. This week's parsha reveals that the purpose for the short restrictive period of Nazirus was to serve as a model lesson for life. Typically, the Nazir briefly abstained from certain mundane activities to gain control over his physical passions and cravings. This was obviously not the case for Shimshon who was obligated in Nezirus since his birth. The above Midrash clarifies this matter and states, "Hashem, knowing that Shimshon's nature would be to stray after his eyes, restricted him from wine which leads to immorality." Chazal continue, "And if Shimshon albeit a Nazir did stray after his eyes one could only imagine what would have happened without the restriction of wine." Our Chazal share with us an important insight into the life of Shimshon. Apparently, his nature and consequent role in life revolved around an attraction to women and it was intended for the Nezirus restriction to hold him back from sin.

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Sveta:
WOW I had this cartoon when I was a kid! Awesome.

muman613:

--- Quote from: IsraeliHeart on May 30, 2012, 01:02:34 AM ---WOW I had this cartoon when I was a kid! Awesome.

--- End quote ---

I just watched it for the 1st time tonight... All in all I think it is a very good portrayal.

It just makes me so mad that Samson was so blind concerning Delilahs wickedness. After the second time he should have walked out and told her to 'sit on it'. It is fitting that he was blinded by the Philistines in a 'middah keneged middah' for his blindness to the temptation of women.

Some here know I used to be a big Grateful Dead fan. They occasionally did 'Bible' songs. They covered the song 'Samson & Delilah' by Rev Gary Davis...






If I had my way, I would tear this old building down.

Well Delilah was a woman, she was fine and fair,
She had good looks, G-d knows, and coal black hair,
Delilah she gained old Samson's mind.
When first he saw this woman, you know he couldn't believe his mind.

Delilah she climbed up on Samson's knee,
Said tell me where your strength lies if you please.
She spoke so kind and she talked so fair,
Well Samson said, Delilah cut off my hair.

You can shave my head, clean as my hand
And my strength will become as natural as any old man.

If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.

You read about Samson, all from his works,
He was the strongest man that ever had lived on earth.
One day when Samson was walking along,
Looked down on the ground, he saw an old jawbone.

He stretched out his arm, G-d knows, chains broke like thread,
When he got to moving, ten thousand was dead.

If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.

Now Samson and the lion, they got in a tack,
Samson he crawled up on the lion's back.
You read about this lion, he killed a man with his paws,
But Samson got his hands around that lion's jaws.

He ripped the beast till he killed him dead.
The bees made honey in the lion's head.

If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.

edu:
In the Talmud tractate Sotah page 10 Rabbi Yochanan stated that Shimshon (Samson) was lame in 2 of his legs. Something that seems at first glance hard to fit in with the flow of the Biblical story.
Rabbi Yochanan's statement is also used by certain rabbis  to justify a "Charedi ideology".
My response to both these points is that at the end of Shimshon's life, he was caught and tortured by the Plishtim (Philistines). It could be only after he was tortured, that he became lame and therefore Rabbi Yochanan's statement would not go against the simple reading of the Biblical account and could not be used as proof for "Charedi ideology".

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