Tuesday, January 16, 2018

history - Why Was the Idol of Micha Tolerated?


This answer brings sources that suggest that the Idol of Micha was present in the tribe of Dan even in the desert. This is also implied by Targum Pseudo Jonathan when Amalek attacks in Exodus, (second to last paragraph), and mentioned by Rashi in Sanhedrin 103b.


Given the drastic action taken in response to the Golden Calf, or against the blasphemer, why was the Danites idol worship, or at least idol posession, abided by God and the rest of the tribes? Sources in the answer I've cited attributes the name of the Naftalite prince the objection against Dan's actions, so it seemingly was a known transgression.



Answer



Dan was punished for keeping the idol by being excluded from the clouds of glory, (as can be seen in the sources of the linked answer, and targum pseudo jonathan which I linked in the question). There is no indication that the Danites actually worshipped the idol in the desert, and as they were not delinquent to a capital degree, they were not overtly punished by their fellows, although they clearly were reprimanded, given Ahira's recorded name.


Sanhedrin 103b, (cited above, see Rashi), indicates that once the idol was worshipped during the period of the Judges, Israel was punished on its account, during the battle concering the concubine at Gibeah.


No comments:

Post a Comment

digital communications - Understanding the Matched Filter

I have a question about matched filtering. Does the matched filter maximise the SNR at the moment of decision only? As far as I understand, ...