Judith 8:1-8
And in those days Ioudith heard . . . and her husband was Manasses of her tribe and of her clan. And he had died in the days of the barley harvest; for he had been in charge of the ones binding sheaves in the plain, and burning heat had been upon his head, and he had fallen upon his bed and come to an end in Baityloua his city, and they had buried him with his fathers . . . And Ioudith had lived in her house as a widow for three years and four months. And she had made herself a tent upon the roof of her house and placed sackloth about her waist, and upon her were the garments of her widowhood. And she had been fasting all the days of her widowhood, apart from pre-sabbaths and sabbaths and pre-new moons and new moons and feasts and rejoicings of the house of Israel. And she was beautiful in appearance and quite lovely to see. And Manasses her husband had left her gold and silver and male and female servants and cattle and fields, and she remained over them. And there was no one who brought a malicious word against her, for she feared God exceedingly.
Judith 8:24-34
And now, brothers, let us prove to our brothers that their life hangs upon us and that the holy precincts and the house and the altar rest upon us. On account of all these things, let us give thanks to the Lord, our God, who tries us, just as our fathers also. Remember all that he accomplished with Abraam and how much he tried Isaak and all that happened to Iakob in Mesopotamia of Syria, while he was tending the sheep of Laban his mother's brother. For just as he did not try them by fire for a test of their heart, he also has not punished us, but the Lord whips those who draw near to him for a warning . . . Listen to me, and I will accomplish a deed which shall reach generations of generations amongst sons of our race. Stand upon the gate this night, and I will set forth with my favorite slave, and within the days after which you said your would surrender the city to our enemies, the Lord will look after Israel by my hand, but you shall not inquire after my deed, for I will not tell you until the things which I shall do are accomplished.
Judith 9
Now Ioudith fell face down, and she placed ashes upon her head and stipped off the sackloth she wore, and just then in Ierousalem the incense for that evening was being carried into the house of God, and with a loud voice Ioudith cried out to the Lord and said:
O Lord, God of my father Symeon, tho wom you gave a sword of vengeance on aliens, the ones who ravaged the virgin's vulva for defilement and stripped naked the thigh for shame and polluted the vulva for disgrace, for you said, "it shall not be thus," and they did; therefore you handed over their rulers for slaughter , and their bed which deceived, felt ashamed at their deceit, for blood, and you struck down slaves with lords and lords upon their thrones, and you handed over their wives for pillage and their daughters for captivity and all their spoils for division among the sons loved by you, who also were zealous in their zeal for you and detested the defilement of their blood and called upon you as helper. O God, my God, also listen to me, the widow. . .
For your strength is not in numbers, nor is your dominance in those who are fit, but you are a God of the lowly; you are the helper of the inferior, the supporter of the weak, the shelterer of the desperate, the savior of the hopeless. Yes, yes, God of my father and God of the inheritance of Israel, master of the heavens and earth, creator of the waters, king of all your creation, hear you my entreaty, and grant my word and deceit for their wound and welt, who have resolved hard things against your covenant and your hallowed house and the summit of Sion and the house of your sons' possession. And among every nation and every tribe bring about the knowledge to realize that you are God, God of all power and strength, and that there is no one other than you shielding the race of Israel.
A) Why is Judith unwilling to share her plan in advance? If the means do not justify the ends, is she in the wrong? Does her eventual success change the calculus?
Judith 10:1-5
And it came to pass, when she had ceased crying out to the God of Israel and had finished all these words, and she rose from falling and summoned her favorite slave and went down into the house, wherein she remained in the the days of the sabbaths and in her feasts, and removed the sackcloth which she wore and stripped off the clothing of her widowhood, and she washed herself, all around the body, with water and anointed herself with thick ointment and fixed the hair of her head and placed a turban upon it and put on the clothing of her merriment with which she was accustomed to dress in the days of the life of her husband Manasses, and she took sandals for her feet and put on the anklets and the bracelets and the rings and the earrings and her every ornament, and she made herself up provocatively for the charming of the eyes of men, all who would cast eyes upon her. And she gave her favorite slave a skin of wine and cruse of oil, and she filled a bag with barley meal and fig cake and pure bread, and she packed all her vessels and placed them upon her.
Judith 12:13-20
And Bagoas set forth from the presence of Olophernes, and he went in to her and said: "Do not let this beautiful girl hesitate now to come to my lord and be honored before his presence and to drink wine with us for merriment and to become in this day like a daughter of the sons of Assour, who attend in the house of Nabouchodnosor." And Ioudith said to him: "Who indeed am I to speak against my lord? For I shall hurry to do everything which will be pleasing in his eyes, and this will be a joy to me until the day of my death." And standing up, she was furnished with raiment and every feminine adornment. And her slave girl approached and on the ground before Olophernes spread out the fleece for her, which they had taken from Bagoas for her daily use so that she might eat reclining upon it.
And Ioudith entered and reclined, and Olophernes' heart was beside itself for her, and his spirit reeled, and he was filled with a violent lust to lie with her. .And he had been watching for a time to seduce her from the day he saw her. And Olophernes said to her: "Now drink, and be merry with us." And Ioudith said: "I shall drink now, my lord, for today my life has been exalted within me beyond all the days of my birth." And she took, and she ate and drank before him what her slave had prepared. And Olophernes was delighted by her and drank a vast amount of wine, more than he had ever before drunk in a single day from the time he was born."
A) When Judith talks hurrying to do the will of her lord, might there be a double-entendre. Just as the "k/King" did not sleep in Megillat Esther, is this a case of deliberate ambiguity? If so, to what end is the literary device employed?
Judith 13
Now when it was evening his slaves were eager to depart. And Bagoas shut the tent from the outside and dismissed the attendants from the presence of his lord, and they departed for their beds, for they were all tired, as the drinking bout had lasted so long. Ioudith was left alone in the tent - and Olophernes, having collapsed upon his bed, for the wine had overcome him.
And Ioudith had told her slave girl to stand outside of her bedchamber and watch our for her departure, just as each day, for she said she would be setting forth for her prayer, and she had spoken to Bagoas according to these words. And everyone departed from sight, and no one was left behind in the bedchamber from small to great, and standing by his bed, Ioudith said within her heart: "Lord, God of all power, in this hour look upon the works of my hands for the exaltation of Ierousalem; for now is the time to defend your inheritance and to accomplish my mission for the wreck of the enemies who rose up against us."
And approaching the bedpost that was near Olophernes' head, she took down his scimtar from it, and drawing near to the bed she took hold of the hair of his head and said: "Strengthen me, Lord, God of Israel, in this day." And she struck his neck twice with her strength and took his head from him. And she rolled his body from the mattress and took the mosquito netting from the posts. And she set forth shortly afterward and handed the head of Olophernes over to her favorite slave, and she threw it into her bag of provisions.
And the two went forth together as was their custom for prayer, and passing through the camp they circled that ravine and climbed the mountain of Baityloua and came to its gates. And from afar Ioudith said to the guards of the gates: "Open, open the gate immediately! God, our God, is with us to rouse again strength in Israel and power against the enemies, just as also he did today."
A) Compare and contrast the loyalty/stamina of Olophernes' guards with both Judith's slave, and also Judith as servant of God . . . What is the text suggesting?
B) Judith and her favorite slave use their pre-established prayer habit as cover for their getaway; what commentary, if any, might the text be making about the efficacy of prayer? Do you agree?
Judith 14
And Ioudith said to them: "Now hear me, brothers, and take this head, and hang it upon the battlement of your wall. And it shall be, when daybreak dawns and the sun sets forth over the land, you are to take up your battle gear, each one of you, and march forth out of the city . . . .
A) Does the public hanging of Olofernes' head remind you of any other episode in Jewish history?
Judith 2
And it came to pass . . . Nabuochodnosor, king of the Assyrians, called for Olophernes, the field marshal of his army, being second in command after him, and said to him: "This is what the Great King, Lord of all the earth says: Behold, you shall go forth . . . ."
A) Nabouchodnosor was famously King of the Babylonians, not the Assyrians, and the dates and places quite obviously do not compute. What does this suggest about the text?
B) Who might the fictitious "Nabouchodnosor" really be referring to? Hint: In Judith, after Egypt resists and doesn't join his war, he "angrily and violently" cracks down on Judea and Syria.
היו באותו הנס - שגזרו יוונים על כל בתולות הנשואות להיבעל לטפסר תחלה ועל יד אשה נעשה הנס:
They were part of the same miracle - When the Greeks decreed that Jewish virgin brides were to be intimate first with the ruler, a woman brought about the miraculous rescue
שאף הן היו באותו הנס. פירש רשב"ם שעיקר הנס היה על ידן בפורים על ידי אסתר בחנוכה על ידי יהודית בפסח שבזכות צדקניות שבאותו הדור נגאלו וקשה דלשון שאף הן משמע שהן טפלות ולפירושו היה לו לומר שהן לכך נראה לי שאף הן היו בספק דלהשמיד ולהרוג וכן בפסח שהיו משועבדות לפרעה במצרים וכן בחנוכה הגזירה היתה מאד עליהן. גבי מצה יש מקשה למה לי היקשא דכל שישנו בבל תאכל חמץ ישנו בקום אכול מצה תיפוק ליה מטעם שהן היו באותו הנס וי"ל דמשום האי טעמא לא מחייבא אלא מדרבנן אי לאו מהיקשא ורבינו יוסף איש ירושלים תירץ דסלקא דעתך למיפטרה מגזירה שוה דט"ו ט"ו דחג הסוכות כדפי' פרק אלו עוברין (פסחים מג: ד"ה סלקא:)
Since they were also part of the same miracle. Rashbam explained, that the primary part of the miracle was done by them; Purim - by Esther, Chanukah - by Judith, Pesach - for they were saved in the merit of the righteous ones of that generation. And this [interpretation] is difficult, for the language "since they were also" implies that they were secondary, and according to his [Rashbam's] interpretation, it should have said "since they were". Therefore, it seems to me, that they were also potentially going to be wiped out and killed, and so too on Pesach, when they were enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt, and in Chanukah, the decrees applied to them too. In the matter of Matzah, there is one who asks why do we need this comparison, that everyone who is included in the prohibition of eating leavened bread is included in the positive commandment of eating Matzah. [Why not] learn it from them having been part of the same miracle? And it should be said, that this reason [part of the same miracle] does not obligate one but Rabbinically, so we need the comparison. And our Rabbi Joseph, of Jerusalem, explained that you might exempt them from it, by means of a comparison, for [Pesach] is on the 15th, and so too Sukkot is on the 15th [and women are exempt from the Sukkah], as I have explained in the chapter of Eilu Ovrin (Tosafot on Pesachim 43b:1).
(יח) לא יהיה . עוד בני בעולם וכן ת"י לא יתקיימון אבל שאר המקרא לא תרגם כך וכן נראה בעיני ושמעתי בו לשונות רבים וראיתי בספרי פתרונות ולא נתיישבו לי והפייט שיסד בחנוכה ( בשבת ראשונה ביוצר ) המואסת כל עץ הדקיר המזנה מסייעני שקרא את החרב מואסת כל עץ
(ט) ונשים חייבות בנר חנוכה שאף הן היו באותו הנס. פי׳ שהאויבים באו לאבד הכל אנשים ונשים וטף. ויש מפרשים שעל ידי אשה אירע להם הנס הגדול ההוא ושמה יהודית כמו שמפורש בהגדה בת היתה ליוחנן כהן גדול והיתה יפת תואר מאד ואמר המלך יון שתשכב עמו והאכילתו תבשיל של גבינה כדי שיצמא וישתה לרוב וישתכר וישכב וירדם ויהי לה בן וישכב וירדם ותקח חרבו וחתכה ראשו ותביאהו לירושלם וכראות החיל כי מת גבורם וינוסו. ועל כן נהגו לעשות תבשיל של גבנה בחנוכה.
Women are obligated to light Hannukah candles, for they too were included in the miracle. This means that the enemies came to destroy everyone, men, women, and children, and there are those who say that the great miracle occurred through a woman. Her name was Judith, as the story goes, and she was the daughter of Yochanan, the high priest. She was extremely beautiful, and the Greek king wanted her to lay with him. She fed him a dish of cheese to make him thirsty, so that he would drink a great deal and became drunk, and recline and fall asleep. And it happened just that way, and once he was asleep, she took his sword and cut off his head. She brought his head to Jerusalem, and when the armies saw that their leader had been killed, they fled. For this reason, we have the custom of eating a cheese dish on Hannukah.
(א) בְּכ''ה בְּכִסְלֵו מַתְחִילִין שְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי חֲנֻכָּה וַאֲסוּרִים בְּהֶסְפֵּד וְתַעֲנִית, אֲבָל מֻתָּרִין בַּעֲשִׂיַּת מְלָאכָה; וְנוֹהֲגוֹת הַנָּשִׁים שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת מְלָאכָה בְּעוֹד שֶׁהַנֵּרוֹת דּוֹלְקוֹת, וְיֵשׁ מִי שֶׁאוֹמֵר שֶׁאֵין לְהָקֵל לָהֶם.
(1) On the 25th of Kislev (start) the eight days of Hanukkah, and they are prohibited for eulogizing and fasting, but are permitted for doing work. The women have made it a custom not to do work while the candles are burning. And there is [an opinion] that says that we may not be lenient for them.
(ב) רִבּוּי הַסְעֻדּוֹת שֶׁמַּרְבִּים בָּהֶם הֵם סְעֻדּוֹת הָרְשׁוּת, שֶׁלֹּא קְבָעוּם לְמִשְׁתֶּה וְשִׂמְחָה. הַגָּה: וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ קְצָת מִצְוָה בְּרִבּוּי הַסְּעֻדּוֹת, מִשּׁוּם דִּבְאוֹתָן הַיָּמִים הָיָה חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ (מהר''א מִפְּרַאג). וְנוֹהֲגִין לוֹמַר זְמִירוֹת וּשְׁבָחוֹת בַּסְּעֻדּוֹת שֶׁמַּרְבִּים בָּהֶם, וְאָז הָוֵי סְעֻדַּת מִצְוָה (מִנְהָגִים). יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ לֶאֱכֹל גְּבִינָה בַּחֲנֻכָּה לְפִי שֶׁהַנֵּס נַעֲשָׂה בֶּחָלָב שֶׁהֶאֱכִילָה יְהוּדִית אֶת הָאוֹיֵב (כָּל בּוֹ וְרַ''ן).
(2) The many meals which we add on [these days] are voluntary meals, since [the Sages] did not establish them as [days of] feasting and joy. Rem"a: But some say that there is somewhat of a mitzvah in adding meals, because during those days was the Dedication of the Altar (Abraham Kara of Prague). It is the custom to recite hymns and songs of praise during the feasts added on them, and then they are mitzvah meals (Book of Customs). Some say that cheese should be eaten during Hanukkah, because a miracle was done though milk which Yehudit fed the enemy. (Kol Bo and Nissim of Gerona).
Caraviggio - Judith Beheading Holophernes
Artemisia Gentileschi - Judith Beheading Holophernes