The History of the Divine Service at Altars (45) – The Prohibition of Bamot (22)

In the last shiur we dealt at length with the causes of the destruction of the Mishkan in Shilo and with the possibility of the Mishkan's return to Gilgal. Now, we will turn to analyze the status of the Mishkan from the destruction of Shilo to the building of the Temple by Shlomo.

The Stations of the Mishkan in the Tribal Territory of Binyamin

Before we deal with each of the stations of the Mishkan separately, let us first recall the words of the Gemara in Zevachim (118b):

When Rav Dimi came [from Eretz Israel], he said in the name of Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi]: The Shekhina rested on Israel in three places: in Shilo, in Nov and Giv'on, and in the permanent Temple; and in all of these it rested [on Israel] only in the portion of Binyamin, as it is stated: "He covers him all day" (Devarim 33:12) - all "coverings" will only be in the portion of Binyamin.

The Gemara then discusses the status of Shilo, which is found in the tribal territory of Efrayim according to the plain meaning of Scripture. The gemara proposes that a strip of land projected from the territory of Binyamin into the territory of Efrayim, which included the site of the Mishkan in Shilo. From here, we see that it was important to Chazal that all of the stations of the Mishkan were in the territory of Binyamin, considered the territory of the Shekhina. This is rooted in Moshe's blessing to Binyamin: "And of Binyamin he said, ‘The beloved of the Lord; he shall dwell in safety by Him; He shall cover him all the day long, and He shall dwell between his shoulders’" (Devarim 33:12). Thus, it follows that Nov, Giv'on and the Temple were all located in the territory of Binyamin.

Giv'on (as well as the Yevusi, which is Jerusalem) is mentioned in the list of cities in the tribal territory of Binyamin (Yehoshua 18:25-28). Nov is not explicitly mentioned among the cities of Binyamin. However, it is evident that it was located in the territory of Binyamin from its mention in the context of Sancheriv's campaign in Yeshayahu (10:28-32) and from its mention in Nechemya (11:31-32) together with Anatot. As for its precise identification, Chanan Eshel suggested that Nov be identified with Tel Shu'afat north of Mount Scopus,[1] while others locate it on the ridge of Mount Scopus. Giv'on is generally identified with the village of Gib, north of Nebi Samuel in the heart of the territory of Binyamin.

THE FIRST STATION - NOV

Who determined that the Mishkan should be erected in Nov, and what were the factors in this decision?

After Shilo was destroyed and the ark was taken captive, Shemuel led the nation while serving as both prophet and judge. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that he decided to move the Mishkan and the great bama to Nov. Of course, this question is directly connected to the timing of the move. Scripture does not mention this move, and therefore there is reason suspect that the move to Nov may have occurred later. The later the move, the more likely it is that King Shaul was involved in selecting the place.[2] Other considerations support this hypothesis:

1. Shaul's family might have tried to settle the territory of Binyamin following the war between Binyamin and the other tribes, provoked by the incident involving the concubine in Giv'a.

2. As mentioned previously, the connection between the ruler and the site of the resting of the Shekhina has spiritual and governmental importance. Therefore, it is appropriate that the Mishkan was located in Nov in the heart of the territory of Binyamin during Shaul’s reign.

3. Another possibility is that the descendants of the sons of Eli chose the place. Distinguished members of the house of Eli, headed by Achimelekh the son of Achituv (discussed below), resided in Nov. It is also possible that Nov was selected because of its proximity to Kiryat-Ye'arim, the site of the ark.

Where and in what context is the city of Nov mentioned?

Nov is first mentioned in connection with David's flight from Shaul: "And David came to Nov to Achimelekh the priest" (I Shemuel 21:2). David asks for bread, and Achimelekh responds that there is no regular bread, but there is sanctified bread. Afterwards, David receives the sword of Golyat from Achimelekh and escapes from Shaul to go to Akhish the king of Gat. Scripture does not mention the significance of the place, nor does it say that the Mishkan or the great bama was located there. However, it does give hints to its presence through mention of the sanctified bread (= the shewbread) and the sword of Golyat, "wrapped in a cloth behind the efod."

The second reference to Nov is in the context of Shaul's destruction of the city in chapter 22. Following Doeg the Edomite's informing, Shaul summons Achimelekh the son of Achituv the priest "and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nov" (v. 12). Shaul accuses them of conspiring with David by giving him bread and Golyat's sword, and inquiring of God on his behalf. All of Achimelekh's attempts to prove that he had acted in good faith are to no avail. Shaul sends Doeg to kill Achimelekh and the priests, as Scripture states (vv. 18-19):

And the king said to Doeg, Turn you, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day eighty-five persons that did wear a linen efod. And Nov, the city of the priests, he smote with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

We are told here that Nov is a "city of priests," and that eighty-­five priests were put to death by Doeg.

As we mentioned earlier, the city also appears in Yeshayahu's prophecy concerning the campaign of Sancheriv (Yeshayahu 10:28-34), and in the days of the return to Zion (Nechemya 11:31-32). However, it is not mentioned at all in Divrei ha-Yamim.

What do we know from Scripture about Nov as the site of the Great Bama?

1. In the account of David's flight to Achimelekh the priest in Nov, it is explicitly stated that the shewbread was arranged there every Shabbat.

2. Golyat's sword was placed in Nov to attest to the spiritual war waged by Israel against the Pelishtim and to give recognition to God's kingship and His involvement in Israel’s victory.

3. The words of Doeg the Edomite (I Shemuel 22:9-11) indicate that Achimelekh inquired of God. This is also one of Shaul's accusations against Achimelekh (v. 13).

4. The verse: "Now a certain man of the servants of Shaul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herdsmen that belonged to Shaul" (I Shemuel 21:8), implies that Nov was a place where people came on pilgrimage and where they were "detained."

5. The city of Nov is referred to as a "city of the priests" (I Shemuel 22:19). Scripture notes that it had eighty-five priests who "did wear a linen efod."

6. Due to the help Achimelekh gives to David, Shaul decides to kill him and all the priests of Nov and utterly destroys the place. This was punishment for Achimelekh’s collaboration with David who was perceived as a rebel (and therefore the inquiry made of God was seen by Shaul as a very severe offense). The only priest to be spared was Evyatar who fled to David with an efod in his hand.

It is clear from the words of Chazal that Nov served as the place to offer communal sacrifices, as is stated in the Mishna in tractate Zevachim (14:7): "When they came to Nov and to Giv'on, bamot were [again] permitted; most holy sacrifices were eaten within the curtains, and lesser sacrifices [and second tithe] in all the cities of Israel." That is to say, the most sanctified sacrifices were eaten within the boundaries of Nov and Giv'on.

We see then that the great bama in Nov and Giv'on functioned as the Mishkan for all matters connected to worship of God. We might assume that in addition to the shewbread on the table, there was also a candelabrum, an incense altar, and of course, a burnt-offering altar for sacrifices. The only element that was missing was the ark of the covenant of the Lord, which was located in Kiryat-Ye'arim.

According to the Mishna, it is clear that bamot were permitted while the Mishkan resided in Nov and Giv'on. Therefore, from the destruction of Shilo to the building of the Temple by Shlomo, anyone could offer a private sacrifice wherever he wanted. Only communal sacrifices were required to be offered in Nov and Giv'on.

THE SECOND STATION - GIV'ON 

When did the great bama move from Nov to Giv'on?

The obvious answer seems to be that the great bama moved directly from Nov to Giv'on after Shaul’s destruction of Nov (I Shemuel 22). However, this is not mentioned in the book of Shemuel and it is only Chazal in tractate Zevachim (118b) who note: "When Shemuel the Ramatite died, Nov was destroyed and they went to Giv'on." Shemuel's death is described at the beginning of chapter 25: "Now Shemuel died, and all Israel were gathered together to mourn him, and they buried him in his house at Rama; and David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran." Shemuel's death is reported two chapters after the account of the destruction of Nov, supporting Chazal’s contention about the juxtaposition of these events.

Who moved the great bama from Nov to Giv'on?

It is reasonable to assume that Shaul both destroyed the Mishkan in Nov and rebuilt it in Giv'on. The fact that Giv'on was the homeland of Shaul's family reinforces this understanding (I Divrei ha-Yamim 8:29 and 9:35). It is also reasonable to assume that Shaul expelled the Giv'onites from the city.[3] According to this understanding, Shaul established the great bama in his own city, just as the Temple was later erected in Jerusalem, the city of David and Shlomo.

Who were the priests that served at Giv'on?[4]

In order to understand the relationship between the various priestly dynasties, let us briefly summarize the history of the priesthood from the sons of Aharon onward.

The Torah (Bemidbar 26:22) and the book of Yehoshua (14:4; 21:1) note that Elazar was Aharon's heir. He served as the priest in the Mishkan in Shilo, and Pinchas his son served after him. In the story concerning the concubine in Giv'a (Shofetim 20:28), Pinchas served as priest before the ark that was located in the camp at Bet-El.

At the end of the period of the Judges, the head priest serving in the Mishkan in Shilo was a descendant of the sons of Itamar. In the genealogy in I Divrei ha-Yamim, Scripture states about the sons of Aharon: "And David and Tzadok of the sons of Elazar, and Achimelekh of the sons of Itamar, divided them up according to their offices in their service" (24:3). We know from I Shemuel: "And Achiya, the son of Achituv, I-Kavod's brother, the son of Pinchas, the son of Eli, was the Lord's priest in Shilo, wearing an efod" (14:3). Later in the book, Scripture relates: "And one of the sons of Achimelekh the son of Achituv named Evyatar escaped" (22:20).  Achiya the son of Achituv is generally identified with Achimelekh the son of Achituv. Therefore, we might suggest that Achimelekh is the son of Achituv the son of Pinchas the son of Eli. Thus, he belongs to the family of Itamar, whereas Tzadok belongs to the family of Elazar the son of Aharon the priest.

Here, too, Scripture does not directly note the transition from the dynasty of Elazar to that of Itamar, meaning from Pinchas to Eli. Similarly, there is no account of the transition back from the house of Itamar to the house of Elazar. In the days of David we find Tzadok from the house of Elazar serving alongside Evyatar from the house of Itamar. It is possible that Scripture does not describe any of these transitional processes because the priests who served in the Mishkan did not play a particularly important role.

It is understandable that Shaul would prefer that the priests at the new bama not be descendants of the house of Eli. The descendants of Eli, and notably Achimelekh, who served during the transition from Shilo to Nov, aroused the anger of the king by helping David, leading to the killing of eighty-five priests. For this reason, Tzadok the priest, a descendant of the house of Elazar, was established as the priest in Giv'on, as is described in I Divrei ha-Yamim: "And Tzadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the Mishkan of the Lord in the bama that was at Giv'on" (16:39). According to this understanding, from the end of the days of the Mishkan in Shilo and while the great bama was in Nov, the descendants of Itamar continued to serve as priests. It was only with the transition to the great bama in Giv'on that the priests from the house of Elazar began to serve in the Mishkan.

In the next shiur we will continue to discuss the great bama in Giv'on.

(Translated by David Strauss)

, full_html, In this shiur we will continue to discuss the Mishkan during the time period between the destruction of Shilo and the building of the Temple, focusing on Nov and Giv'on.