Israel & Moab: A Special Relationship

(5) And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. (6) And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. (7) And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land. (8) And Abram said unto Lot: ‘Let there be no strife, I pray, between me and you, and between my herdmen and your herdmen; for we are brothers. (9) Is not the whole land before you? separate yourself, I pray, from me; if you will take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.’ (10) And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou go unto Zoar. (11) So Lot chose all the plain of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves the one from the other. (12) Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the Plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. (13) Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the LORD exceedingly.

(8) Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray, bring them out unto you, and do to them as is good in your eyes; only unto these men do nothing; forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.’

(15) And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying: ‘Arise, take your wife, and your two daughters that are here; lest you be swept away in the iniquity of the city.’

(30) And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. (31) And the first-born said unto the younger: ‘Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth. (32) Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.’ (33) And they made their father drink wine that night. And the first-born went in, and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. (34) And it came to pass the next day, that the first-born said unto the younger: ‘Behold, I lay yesternight with my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also; and you go in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.’ (35) And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. (36) Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. (37) And the first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab—the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

(2) And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. (3) And Moab was afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab was overcome with dread because of the children of Israel. (4) And Moab said unto the elders of Midian: ‘Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.’—And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.— (5) And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying: ‘Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. (6) Come now therefore, I pray you, curse this people for me; for they are too mighty for me; perhaps I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that the one you bless is blessed, and the one you curse is cursed.’

(9) And the LORD said unto me: ‘Be not at enmity with Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you of his land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.—

(26) And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying: (27) ’Let me pass through your land; I will go along by the highway, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left. (28) You shalt sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on my feet; (29) as the children of Esau that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites that dwell in Ar, did unto me; until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God gives us.’ .

(4) An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation shall none of them enter into the assembly of the LORD for ever; (5) because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when you came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Aram-naharaim, to curse you. (6) Nevertheless the LORD your God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD your God loved you. (7) Yous shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all of your days for ever.

Mishna: [Marriage with an] Ammonite [male] and a Moabite [male] is prohibited forever, but [marriage with] their women is permitted immediately . . . Talmud: From where do we learn this? R' Yochanan quoted from I Samuel, 17:55, "And when Saul saw David go out against the Philistine [i.e., Goliath] he said to Avner, the captain of the host, 'Avner, whose son is this youth?'" . . . [Upon learning that David is descended from Peretz, he reasons that David is fit to be a king.] Doeg the Edomite then said: "Rather than ask whether David is fit to be a king, ask if he is fit to enter into the "Kahal" as he is descended from Ruth the Moabite!" Avner replied, "We learned: 'An Ammonite man, not an Ammonite woman; a Moabite man, not a Moabite woman.'" Doeg responded: "Does that mean that a male mamzer is permitted, but not a female mamzer? Or an Egyptian man, but not an Egyptian woman?" To which Avner replied: "A mamzer and an Egyptian are different; marriage with an Ammonite and Moabite is specifically prohibited because 'they did not meet you with bread and water'; it is not ordinary for women to go out and meet strangers, thus, the prohibition only applies to men." Doeg replied: "The men should have met the men, and the women should have met the women!"

...[the Gemara digresses and explains that the ruling cited by Avner came from the Bet Din of Samuel]. In any event, Doeg's question remains. [The Gemera therefore explains why the women were not expected to go out and meet the strangers]; it says in Psalm 45:14, "The king's daughter is all glorious within" ... others quote in the name of R' Yitzchak, who cites Bereishit 18:9, "And [the angels] said to [Abraham], where is Sara your wife," [implying that she had not come out to greet them.] . . .

Rabbah gave the following explanation regarding Psalm 116:16, "You [i.e., God] have loosened my bonds." David said to the Holy One, Blessed be He: "Master of the Universe, two bonds that were upon me, you loosened: Ruth the Moabite and Naama the Ammonite."

Rabbah gave the following explanation regarding Psalm 40:6, "You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and thoughts towards us." It is not written, "towards me," but rather, "towards us"; this teaches that Rehoboam [the son of Solomon and Naama] sat on the lap of David, and David said to him: "Those two verses [i.e., Psalm 45:14 and Bereishit 18:9] were said of me and of you."

Rabbah gave the following explanation regarding Psalm 40:8, "Then I said, I come with the 'scroll of the book' which is written for me." David said, "I thought I have come [i.e., become the king] only now, but I did not know that in the 'scroll of the book' it was already written about me [that I would be king]. For there it is written [of Lot's daughters] 'that are found' (Bereishet, 19: 15), and here [i.e., in Psalm 89:21) it is written, 'I have found David my servant, with holy oil I have annointed him.'"

(4) On that day came Judah, an Ammonitish proselyte, and stood before them in the Bet HaMedrash. He said to them [the sages], "How am I [situated with respect] to coming into the congregation [of Israel]?" Rabban Gamaliel answered him, "You are prohibited." R. Joshua answered him, "You are permitted." Rabban Gamaliel then, "'An Ammonite and a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord, even to their tenth generation,' and so forth." To this R. Joshua replied, "Are then the Ammonites or Moabites still in their own land? Sennacherib, king of Assyria, did already long ago march up and intermix the nations, as it is said, 'I have removed the bounds of the nations, have plundered their treasures, and laid low the might of the inhabitants.'" "[But]," said Rabban Gamaliel to him, "the Scriptures declare, 'And afterwards I will bring back the captives of the children of Ammon,' and [therefore] they are already returned." [To this] R. Joshua replied, "The Scriptures [also] declare, 'I will bring back the captives of my people Israel' [and Judah], but [nevertheless] they are not yet returned;" upon which they [the sages] permitted him to come into the congregation.