Jericho as a metaphor for inclusiveness?

Inspiration

By Rick Sherwin

The Sages of the Talmud – the body of Jewish literature applying the lessons of Biblical Literature to life – understood the Hebrew Scripture in terms of the relationship of the People to the Land and the priorities of justice and compassion that must be actively applied to relationships in every generation.

How can it be considered just, therefore, that Joshua was “commanded” to conquer Jericho, the first walled city the Israelites encountered upon entering the Land? After all, the city itself did not attack the Israelites, and there must have been innocent people living within the walls. Why did Joshua not ask the leadership to open the city’s gates instead of simply moving forward with the goal of destruction?

The Sages answer difficult questions of this nature by seeing the story as a Midrash, a metaphorical exposition of moral lessons underlying healthy relationships.

The walls represent barriers people create to isolate themselves and to exclude outsiders. We speak of throwing up personal walls to prevent our being drawn into views or perspectives that might breach our personal space or challenge our emotions. We speak of building fences so that neighbors do not encroach on our privacy. We create gates so that our neighborhood is safe from the intrusion of outsiders. We speak of building walls around our nation to keep others from enjoying the advantages we enjoy. Sometimes the walls are justified, sometimes they are not.

Jericho symbolizes the danger of exclusivity, of concern only for the self. The message of Moses’ Torah and the Hebrew prophets focuses on fair treatment of the stranger and the foreigner. Open the walls – tear them down – so that we can reach beyond ourselves to heal the sick and to help the poor, to uplift those who are down and to comfort those who are disturbed. The message of inclusivity comes often with the Torah’s admonition to treat the stranger well, for we know what it is like to be a stranger: “You were strangers in Egypt.”

It is instructive that the hero of the Jericho story is not Joshua, nor is it the two scouts who penetrated the walls. It is Rahab, a woman every man knows. She protects the scouts, securing from them the promise that her family would be spared “when the walls come tumbling down.” Talmudic tradition derives the lesson from accepting moral insight from whomever it comes, regardless of station in life or socio-economic status.

The Rabbinic Sages share the legend that Rahab ultimately married Joshua, and from their union came many priests and prophets who instructed Israel and modeled morality. In contemporary terminology, Rahab teaches with her life to anticipate ramifications and to believe in the power of change with an open mind, with an open heart, and with open arms.

The story of Jericho conveys the message to tear down the walls of separation and open our eyes to see the future as it affects us, our community, and our world in the eyes of God.

Shabbat shalom!

Rick Sherwin is the Rabbi at Congregation Beth Am in Longwood. He is a graduate of UCLA and was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He energetically fills spiritual services and educational programs with creativity, relevance, dialogue and humor.