Rachav believes God will give her strength and protect her
... עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ, הֲלוֹא שָׁמְעָה רָחָב וּבָאָה וְדָבְקָה בָךְ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע ב, ט י): וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל הָאֲנָשִׁים יָדַעְתִּי כִּי נָתַן יהוה לָכֶם אֶת הָאָרֶץ, כִּי שָׁמַעְנוּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר הוֹבִישׁ יהוה אֶת מֵי יַם סוּף, הֱוֵי: יהוה עֻזִּי וּמָעֻזִּי וּמְנוּסִי בְּיוֹם צָרָה.
"The LORD is my strength and might" (Exodus 15:2).
This verse applies to Rachav who heard [of the miracle at the Sea of Reeds] and wanted to cling and join to the Israelites.
"She said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given the country to you, because dread of you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land are quaking before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds for you when you left Egypt" (Joshua 2:9-10).
Thus, "God is my strength and my stronghold, My refuge in a day of trouble" (Jeremiah 16:19).
Questions:
1. What miracle inspires Rachav?
2. What does Rachav believe about how God interacts with people?
Rachav does teshuva and converts to Judaism
אחר נ' שנה נתגיירה
אמרה יהא מחול לי בשכר חבל חלון ופשתים:
When Rachav was fifty years old, she converted to Judaism when the two spies visited her.
She said: May all of my sins be forgiven as a reward for having endangered myself with the rope, window, and flax, by means of which I saved Joshua’s two spies. (see Joshua 2:6 and 2:15).
(ו) וְהִ֖יא הֶעֱלָ֣תַם הַגָּ֑גָה וַֽתִּטְמְנֵם֙ בְּפִשְׁתֵּ֣י הָעֵ֔ץ הָעֲרֻכ֥וֹת לָ֖הּ עַל־הַגָּֽג׃
(6) Now she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under some stalks of flax which she had lying on the roof.—
(טו) וַתּוֹרִדֵ֥ם בַּחֶ֖בֶל בְּעַ֣ד הַֽחַלּ֑וֹן כִּ֤י בֵיתָהּ֙ בְּקִ֣יר הַֽחוֹמָ֔ה וּבַֽחוֹמָ֖ה הִ֥יא יוֹשָֽׁבֶת׃
(15) She let them down by a rope through the window—for her dwelling was at the outer side of the city wall and she lived in the actual wall.
Questions:
3. What event inspires Rachav to convert?
4. What examples of arevut does Rachav mention when making the case for why her teshuva should be accepted?
God's spirit protects Rachav while she waits for the spies and the rest of the Israelites to return
... שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַתֹּאמֶר לָהֶם הָהָרָה לֵּכוּ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁשָּׁרְתָה עָלֶיהָ רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ עַד שֶׁלֹא נִכְנְסוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לָאָרֶץ, וְכִי מֵהֵיכָן הָיְתָה יוֹדַעַת שֶׁחוֹזְרִין לִשְׁלשֶׁת יָמִים, מִכָּן שֶׁשָּׁרְתָה עָלֶיהָ רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ...
As it is said: "Make for the hills (Joshua 2:16)". There are those who say that God's spirit rested upon Rachav when Israel was being gathered to the land. And how from all of that did she know they were returning in three days? Because the God's spirit rested upon her. ...
Questions:
5. What reassured Rachav that she would be safe while she waited for the spies to return?
6. How do you think Rachav felt about her decision to convert to Judaism while she waited for the spies to return?
Rachav protects God?
כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בְּרָחָב הַזּוֹנָה עַל שֶׁהִכְנִיסָה אֶת הַמְרַגְּלִים לְבֵיתָהּ וּמִלְּטָה אוֹתָם הֶעֱלָה עָלֶיהָ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּאִלּוּ עִמּוֹ עָשְׂתָה וְנָתַן לָהּ שְׂכָרָהּ, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (יהושע ב, ד): וַתִּקַּח הָאִשָּׁה אֶת שְׁנֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים, וַתִּצְפְּנֵם אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן, אֶלָּא (יהושע ב, ד): וַתִּצְפְּנוֹ. וּמַה שָֹּׂכָר נָטְלָה, שֶׁנִּשְׂאוּ מִבְּנוֹתֶיהָ לַכְּהֻנָּה
(9) As we find in the case of Rachav who brought the spies into her house and gave them shelter. God lifted her up as if it was God who she was protecting (rather than the two spies) and gave her a reward. This is why it doesn't say in Joshua 2:4 that "The woman, however, had taken the two men and hidden them" but rather it says "hidden him." [Him refers to God]. And what reward was bestowed upon her? That her descendants would be priests.
Questions:
7. According to this midrash, why does Joshua 2:4 say "hidden him" instead of "hidden them"?
8. Do you think the "reward" that Rachav received was a good one? Why or why not?
Rachav marries Joshua and many of her descendants become prophets/priests
... שמונה נביאים והם כהנים יצאו מרחב הזונה ואלו הן נריה ברוך ושריה מחסיה ירמיה חלקיה חנמאל ושלום רבי יהודה אומר אף חולדה הנביאה מבני בניה של רחב הזונה היתה...שמעתא דאיגיירא ונסבה יהושע ומי הוו ליה זרעא ליהושע
Eight prophets, who were also priests, descended from Rachav, 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 Rachav...
For Rachav converted and married Joshua, and therefore Huldah descended from both Joshua and Rachav.
Questions:
9.What kind of people descend (can trace their ancestry) back to Rachav and Joshua?
10. Do you think Rachav will have a better life after she marries Joshua? Why or why not?
11. Which one of these midrashim was your favorite and why? In your answer, explain how the information that the midrash affects your understanding of the story in Joshua 2.