Baruch Atah Ado-nai Elo-henu Melech Ha'olam asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu la-a-sok b'divray Torah.
Blessings to You Ado-nai Our God Sovereign of the Universe who made us holy with the mitzvoth and instructed us to busy ourselves with the study of Torah.
...Moses was a master of wisdom and recognizes songs, and he said, "it is a voice of song"...as it was said...the one who will one day rule over the Jewish people (Joshua) will not be able to distinguish one tone from the other. In Moses' great humility, he did not tell this prophecy to Joshua...
- Our tradition teaches us that twice Moses does not like what his protege Joshua says publicly - once is this example at Sinai and the other is the moment Joshua asks Moses to eliminate Eldad and Medad who receive the spirit of prophecy (Numbers 11) but who are themselves not among the elders to receive this gift.
(4) And they said to one another, “Let us head back for Egypt.” (5) Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembled congregation of the Israelites. (6) And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of those who had scouted the land, rent their clothes (7) and exhorted the whole Israelite community: “The land that we traversed and scouted is an exceedingly good land. (8) If the LORD is pleased with us, He will bring us into that land, a land that flows with milk and honey, and give it to us; (9) only you must not rebel against the LORD. Have no fear then of the people of the country, for they are our prey: their protection has departed from them, but the LORD is with us. Have no fear of them!” (10) As the whole community threatened to pelt them with stones, the Presence of the LORD appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.
(1) כי אתה תבוא את העם הזה — Translate this as the Targum does: ארי אתה תעול עם עמא הדין, THOU SHALT GO WITH THIS PEOPLE. Moses, by the statement “Thou shall go with this people” (as one of them) said in effect to Joshua: The elders of the generation will be with thee: everything has to be done according to their opinion and their advice. The Holy One, blessed be He, however, said to Joshua, (v. 23) “For thou shalt bring (תביא) the children of Israel into the land which I swore unto them” — you shall bring them even against their will; everything depends on you alone: if necessary take a stick and beat them over the head: there can be but one leader for a generation, and not two leaders for a generation (Sanhedrin 8a).
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho Jericho, Jericho Joshua fit the battle of Jericho The walls came tumblin' down, Hallelujah Joshua fit the battle of Jericho Jericho, Jericho Joshua fit the battle of Jericho And the walls came tumblin' down You may talk about the men of Gideon You may talk about the men of Saul But there're none like good old Joshua At the battle of Jericho, Hallelujah
- When Joshua and the Israelites conquer Jericho, they fulfill their promise to Rahab who protected the spies.
Rav Eina the Elder raised an objection from a baraita to Rav Naḥman’s teaching. The baraita indicates that Huldah was in fact a descendant of Rahab, and seemingly not of Joshua: Eight prophets, who were also priests, descended from Rahab the prostitute, and they are: Neriah; his son Baruch; Seraiah; Mahseiah; Jeremiah; his father, Hilkiah; Jeremiah’s cousin Hanamel; and Hanamel’s father, Shallum. Rabbi Yehuda said: So too, Huldah the prophetess was a descendant of Rahab the prostitute, as it is written here with regard to Huldah: “The son of Tikvah,” and it is written elsewhere in reference to Rahab’s escape from the destruction of Jericho: “This cord of [tikvat] scarlet thread” (Joshua 2:18). Rav Naḥman responded to Eina the Elder and said to him: Eina the Elder, and some say that he said to him: Blackened pot, i.e., my colleague in Torah, who has toiled and blackened his face in Torah study, from me and from you the matter may be concluded, i.e., the explanation lies in a combination of our two statements. For Rahab converted and married Joshua, and therefore Huldah descended from both Joshua and Rahab. The Gemara raises a difficulty: But did Joshua have any descendants? But isn’t it written in the genealogical list of the tribe of Ephraim: “Nun his son, Joshua his son” (I Chronicles 7:27)? The listing does not continue any further, implying that Joshua had no sons. The Gemara answers: Indeed, he did not have sons, but he did have daughters.
(א) משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים, הֱווּ מְתוּנִים בַּדִּין, וְהַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה, וַעֲשׂוּ סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה:
(1) Moses received the torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be patient in [the administration of] justice, raise many disciples and make a fence round the Torah.
(ט) ...מְדַבֵּר בִּיהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁהוּא שִׁמֵּשׁ אֶת משֶׁה, כְּמָה דְתֵימָא (שמות לג, יא): וּמְשָׁרְתוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן נַעַר לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל - לא יָרְשׁוּ בָנָיו שֶׁל משֶׁה מְקוֹמוֹ אֶלָּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ יָרַשׁ מְקוֹמוֹ, כְּמָה דְתֵימָא (במדבר כז, יח): קַח לְךָ אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן וגו'. (משלי כז, יח): וְשֹׁמֵר אֲדֹנָיו יְכֻבָּד, זֶה יְהוֹשֻׁע, שֶׁהָיָה מְשַׁמֵּשׁ אֶת משֶׁה בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה...
....Joshua served Moses...day and night