The story of Jephtah - Shavit Hakimi - My student

This summery was written by one of my students, Thank you Greigory!

The story of Jephtah is a very interesting and strategic story. Jephtah fought, was expelled, and basically had to kill his own only daughter.

After the death of Jair the Gileadite in the 2764 the people of Israel started acting wickedly in Hashem’s eyes. They started worshiping idols again and did not follow the 10 commandments or the laws of the torah. Ammonites started coming from Jordan into Israel and quickly conquered the land of Israel. From all the anger they had that the idols did not protect them so they destroyed all their idols and started praying to Hashem.

Then the people remember a man, Jephtah, he expelled from Israel by his half-brother and now he was living in the land of Tov. He was a brave a fearless man. When they called for him he asked him if he can be their prophet, at first he did not agree reminding them of how they
Jephtah sent a note to the Ammonites saying that the children of Israel fought for the land that was earlier sihon’s and Og’s. When he saw that the note did not work he sent them another saying that if they don’t leave the children of Israel will make them leave like they did with Sihon and Og.

The ammonites still did not listen so they went into attack through the mountains. The ammonites lost the battle and had to withdrawal their settlements back to Jordan.
Shortly after the battle the tribe of Ephraim came to Jephtah with a complaint that they were not invited to fight nor were they invited to discuss if they should attack them or not. The tribe of Ephraim set up a war against Jephtah which they lost in a bloody was, 1,000 people from the tribe of Ephraim died.

Before the battle Jephtah made a very strange vow that if he comes home victories' he will sacrifice to god whoever comes out his house. His daughter was the one that ran out the house to greet her father. There is an argument between 2 facts that he really killed her or he just broke some bone of hers which is considered her dead.

Jephtah ruled for six years until his death. He died without children. After his death the children of Israel started doing sins again. But the whole time that Jephtah ruled the children of Israel were good.