Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
In his blessing Jacob likened Dan to Judah, hence the tribe of Dan
stood at the head of the fourth camp of Israel, and their prince
offered his gifts before those of Asher and Naphtali. Jacob in his
blessing to Dan thought principally of the great hero, Samson, hence
the gifts of this tribe allude chiefly to the history of this Danite
judge. Samson was a Nazirite, and to this alluded the silver charger
for storing bread, for it is the duty of a Nazirite, at the expiration
of the period of his vow, to present bread as an offering. To Samson,
too, alluded the bowl, in Hebrew called Mizrak, "creeping," for he was
lame of both feet, and hence could only creep and crawl. The spoon of
ten shekels of gold recalled the ten laws that are imposed upon
Nazirites, and that Samson had to obey. The three burnt offerings had a
similar significance, for Samson's mother received three injunctions
from the angel, who said to her husband, Manoah: "She may not eat of
anything that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong
drink, nor eat any unclean thing." The sin offering, which consisted of
a kid, called in Hebrew, Sa'ir, corresponded to the admonition given to
Samson's mother, not to shave his hair, in Hebrew Se'ar. The two oxen
corresponded to the two pillars of which Samson took hold to demolish
the house of the Philistines; whereas the three kinds of small cattle
that were presented as offerings symbolized the three battles that
Samson undertook against the Philistines. [398]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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