Shimshon and Yishmael: Wild Men Generations Apart
By Efrat Hakak, student at Midreshet Lindenbaum 5759.

A savior of his people. A Jewish Goliath in strength. A judge for twenty years. And, a terrorist. A womanizer. A man bent on revenge. Even in his final tragic moments, he wreaks havoc on his enemies. Who is this biblical Samson, son of Manoah? How does this long-awaited child become, simultaneously, a hero and a ruffian? Wherein lies his downfall?

At first glance, the stories of Shimshon and Yishmael seem entirely unrelated. Yet upon reading the account of Shimshon’s birth, one realizes that the same words are used to inform his mother of his impending birth as are used to notify Yishmael’s mother of his birth:

"hincha harah vyoledet ben" But thou shall conceive, and bear a son¹.

Although Hagar, the mother of Yishmael, knew of her pregnancy while Shimshon’s mother, the wife of Manoah, was not yet with child, an identical phrase is utilized in both instances. In fact, this expression appears in only two stories in the Bible. This phenomenon begs the question: what is the connection between the two characters? What does Shmuel the prophet intend to convey when linking Shimshon to Yishmael? In order to formulate an answer to these questions, we must first analyze the life and character of Shimshon in comparison to Yishmael’s story.

The first and most important similarity between the two stories is the phrase "But thou shall conceive, and bear a son" spoken in both Genesis 16:11 to Hagar and in Judges 13:5 to the wife of Manoah. But another significant parallel exists. The mothers of both characters are visited by an angel before the birth of their son. In the case of Hagar it is written:

And an angel of the Lord found her (Genesis 16:7)

while the same scenario occurs once again when the angel appears to the mother of Shimshon , as it says,

And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman (Judges 13:3)

The two individuals are further comparable due to the fact that their future character traits are revealed to their mothers before they are born. Hagar is told that her son will be a “wild man” ("perah adam")², one whose “hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him”, who will "dwell in the presence of his brethren"³. The characteristics of Shimshon are divulged to the wife of Manoah as she is commanded to ensure that her son will be a “Nazarite to God from the womb”. Not only is his lifestyle disclosed, but his mission in life is also indicated. He “shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Pelishtim”⁴. For that reason, his mother names him Shimshon, as the Gemarah in Sotah 10a states:

And Rabbi Yochanan said: Shimshon was named after the Blessed One, as it is stated: (Psalms 84:12) “For the Lord God is a sun and shield...” .... rather [Shimshon] was named in the taste of God’s name: just as God protects the entire world, so too Shimshon protected Israel in his generation.

Clearly Shimshon is supposed to protect his generation; his duty is defined even prior to conception. Just as Yishmael’s destiny is to be a⁵ "perah adam", Shimshon‘s future is to be the "moshiah" (savior).

The final comparison between our two characters is the verb "l'tzachayk", as the major action and event in both of their lives revolves around tz'chok. The turning point in Yishmael’s story is in Genesis 21:9, when

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar... mocking

After this behavior⁶, Yishmael and his mother are exiled from Avraham’s house and it becomes extremely clear that Yishmael is not to be the “chosen one” through whom God’s promise of a nation to Avraham would be fulfilled. His life as the son of Avraham is over, and a new life has begun for him.

In contrast, the verb "l'tzachayk" triggers Shimshon’s death. The officers of Pelishtim “called for Shimshon out of the prison house; and he (va'yitzchok) made sport for them” (Judges 16:25). This is the stimulus to Shimshon’s tragic martyrdom; unable to swallow such an insult, he avenges himself on his enemies by bringing the house down on himself along with thousands of Pelishtim. Tz'chok is a difficult term to define⁷, often viewed in the Torah as a form of wildness and unrestrained behavior⁸. In the stories of Shimshon and Yishmael, this action of wildness is in the backdrop of their lives.

The Life of Shimshon

Shimshon is an extraordinary character in the Bible; he is a Judge, yet his actions appear to be somewhat unsavory. The story of his life, in broad outline, is as follows:

a) His mother is visited by an angel and informed of her son’s future mission. (Chapter 13)

b) The boy grows up and is blessed by God.: “and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him” (Chapter 13:24-25)

c) Shimshon sees a woman from Timnah and asks his father to “take her”, all due to a cryptic reason of “that he sought a pretext” (Chapter 14:1-4)

d) He rips open a lion, with the help of 'the Spirit of God'. (Chapter 14:6-9)

e) Shimshon marries the woman from Timnah, confuses the people with his riddles, and eventually kills 30 men, again with the help of 'the Spirit of God'. (end of Chapter 14)

g) He burns the house and fields of his father-in-law and other Pelishtim as revenge for the actions of his father-in-law. (Chapter 15:1-8)

h) The people of the tribe of Yehuda desire to turn Shimshon over to the Pelishtim, and he escapes once more due to 'the Spirit of God'. (Chapter 16:9-15)

i) Shimshon kills 1000 men by means of a jaw-bone of a donkey, and almost dies of thirst. For the final time, God saves him. (Chapter 16:16-20)

j) He then spends half the night with a prostitute from Gaza and on the same night, carries the gates of the city on his shoulders to the top of a mountain. (Chapter 17:1-3)

k) Finally comes the famous story of “Samson and Delilah.” (Chapter 17:4-22)

l) As a finale to his story, we hear about his dramatic suicide and his burial. (Chapter 17:23-31)

It is possible to divide Shimshon’s story into two parts, a-i and j-l. This division is indicated by the last verse in Chapter 15, which summarizes Shimshon’s life by stating

And he judged Israel in the days of the Pelishtim for twenty years

This same statement is repeated at the very end of Chapter 16, when we are once again told

And he judged Israel for twenty years.

A clear division is being made within the text itself between the two sections. Moreover, within the first half of the story, God is an active participant in Shimshon’s deeds. Four times it states that Shimshon was “visited” by a 'the Spirit of God'⁹, once we are told that he was blessed by God¹⁰, and once it states specifically that God saves him from thirst¹¹. But in the second half, God is mentioned only twice – once when his hair is shaved off and Shimshon does not realize that “God has removed himself...”¹², and once when Shimshon prays to Him for aid in his final revenge. In neither instance does God assist Shimshon¹³. It appears as if God has abandoned His Judge.

The Life of Yishmael

Yishmael’s story is of a different nature. Throughout his life, as recounted by the Torah, he is a passive character, bending to the wishes of those around him. His passivity is most aptly noted in Genesis 21:14, where Yishmael, already a grown child, is placed upon Hagar’s shoulders¹⁴;

...and gave [the flask] to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child.

The other glaring evidence of his inertia is in Genesis 21:21, where

His mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

Very rarely do we see Yishmael performing an act of his own initiative. In fact, the only indication of his nature as a perah adam is his action of tzchok. As a result of his nature that reveals itself once, he is no longer allowed in the same area as his half-brother, the chosen one. However, after he has behaved as a perah adam and is sent away, Yishmael is finally able to fulfill his prophecy as a perah adam, as he becomes an archer (Genesis 21:20), the free and wild man he was destined to become. After he fulfills his destiny he can then receive the reward promised to his parents; that of twelve princes, twelve great nations which descend from Yishmael. The last we hear of Yishmael is of his descendants (Genesis 25:12), the fulfillment of the promise.

Contrasting Characters

It is possible that the prophet Shmuel uses the character of Yishmael as a “foil” for Shimshon: the wild man and the restrained man whose actions throughout much of their story seem to negate their character revealed to their mothers. Shimshon is meant to be the Nazir, the most restricted man in Judaism, forbidden to drink wine, shave his hair, and more. In fact, the Ralbag on Judges 13:3 states:

And because it is known to He who brought the world into being that Shimshon would, in the future, chase women and be punished through them, the Blessed One contrived from birth, from womb, and from pregnancy to prevent him from this. And thus He desired that [Shimshon] be a Nazarite unto God; because the refraining from wine helps in such situations.

It seems as though Shimshon’s nezirot was meant to restrict his future “wildness”.

In the beginning, although he is “wild”, Shimshon is still successful and blessed by God. At this point, his wildness is meant to achieve a purpose: to be the Savior of the nation of Israel, fulfilling that which the angel revealed to his mother. He takes the woman from Timnah because “he sought a pretext against the Pelishtim” (Judges 13:4). When his immense strength is revealed to him by his ripping apart of a lion, the Bible specifically mentions (Judges 14:6) that “he told not his father or his mother what he had done”. He does not desire personal glory or honor. He kills the Pelishtim out of anger, but anger on account of their treatment of him as an Israelite, not as an individual. His duty as a "Savior" is to take revenge, and after he takes revenge, he wishes to cease the slaughter¹⁵.

Starting from the second part of his story, Shimshon begins to use his power for his own pleasure, and from then on God no longer saves him. When he takes the prostitute from Gaza, and then carries the gates of the city, there is no mention of a reason for his acts. Yalkut Shimoni (Judges 247:69) cites an opinion that also attributes the beginning of Shimshon’s downfall to the story of the woman from Gaza:

Rebbe says: The beginning of Shimshon’s downfall was in Gaza, as it states, “Then Shimson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went to her.” (Judges 16:1) Therefore, his punishment began in Gaza, as it states “and they brought him down to Gaza” (Judges 16:21)....

It seems that he is no longer performing these “wild” acts for the benefit of his people, but rather for his own glory. He has become the perah adam, and has forgotten his mission as the "Savior". Such a Judge cannot survive. That is why the last verse of the first part of his story seems to be a summary:

And he judged Israel in the days of the Pelishtim for twenty years (Judges 15:20)

After this verse, he is no longer the "Savior Judge" of the Nation of Israel. He becomes trapped by Delilah because of his inordinate love for her; unlike the woman from Timnah that he took, he is not merely looking for a pretext against the Pelishtim. And the last verse of Shimshon‘s story states

And he had judged Israel for twenty years (Judges 16:31),

leaving out the phrase "...in the days of the Pelishtim". According to the Radak on this verse, these words are significant:

The reason for the words “in the days of the Pelishtim”: the days that the Pelishtim were ruling over Israel, and [Shimshon] was saving [Israel] from them

They indicated the focus of Shimshon’s life during the first section of his life. During the first half of his story, Shimshon is characterized as the protector of his people. In the second part of his life he is not saving his nation from their enemies. He is no longer the "Savior"¹⁶.

Shimshon’s suicide is a complex scene. On one hand, it begins with Shimshon being forced to be m'tzachayk in front of the Pelishtim. One would think that this final comparison to Yishmael indicates that Shimshon has ultimately failed as the "Savior" and has become, in essence, a perah adam. Yet Shimshon’s story does not end here. Instead, he slays more of his enemies in his final moment than he slew in his life. It might seem that he has returned for a few glorious seconds as the "Savior" of his nation. However, his suicide can be viewed differently. Verse 16:28 records Shimshon’s desire for revenge on the Pelishtim: a personal revenge. He prays to be “avenged on the Pelishtim for one of [his] two eyes,¹⁷” not for the sufferings of his nation. His death is not a part of his duty as a "Savior", but rather an ultimate example of his wild nature.

* * * *

Shimshon acted as a perah adam throughout his life. But the moment he forgot that his wildness could exist only within the confines of being a Nazir Elokim and Moshiah (savior) Yisrael he was doomed. He became an utter perah adam -- which was Yishmael’s destiny, not his own. In his final scene, one can view his action of " m'tzachayk" as the culmination of his behaving as a perah adam¹⁸, of embracing Yishmael’s characteristics. In a sense, the words "hincha harah vyoledet ben" are talking about the same son: the perah adam. When Shimshon forgot his own purpose and became solely the “wild man”, there was no longer a purpose to his existence. He died as he had lived: a free and untamed man.

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