![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/Rahab.png\" "\\"Rahab")
<\/a>The Midrash teaches that when the expression “his name” follows a person’s proper name in Scripture, this indicates that he was an evil person (e.g. I Sam 25;25).\u00a0 When the expression “his name” precedes a person’s name (e.g., his name was Elkanah I Sam 1:1).\u00a0 Why, then does this verse state “and her name was Rachav,” which would imply that Rachav was righteous. The Sages explain that when the two spies came to her house that night, she abruptly repented of her sins and totally refashioned her entire being.\u00a0 … and she even attained to the loft level of ruach hakodesh, a spiritual level close to prophecy, able to deduce this form the fact that Rachav was able to predict that the search party would return after three days.\u00a0 According to Megillah 14b, Rachav later converted to Judaism and married Joshua.\n[ArtScroll Tanach Series: Joshua p 114]<\/p>\n
Meam Loez (a Sephardic commentary) says that Rachav was both an innkeeper and a prostitute.\u00a0 It adds that she wanted to convert since she first heard of Israel, but the rulers of her city would not let her leave, and the visit of the spies was her long-awaited opportunity.<\/p>\n
Meam Loez lists four reasons for going to Rachav:
\n1) The Jews visiting wouldn’t be suspected because they abhorred adultery.\u00a0 The two spies are identified in Midrash as Caleb and Pinchas, who would be above temptation.
\n2) They knew they would find the greatest concentration of travelers there
\n3) They hoped to get information from Rachav, due to her relationships with Canaanite kings.
\n4) The name “Rachav” is a good sign, meaning wideness, openness and generosity.
\n[Meam Loez on Joshua, pages 51-53]<\/p>\n
Now, what about the “crimson thread”?\u00a0 In Joshua 2:15, she lets them down via a “CHEVEL”, a cord.\u00a0 In vs 19, the spies tell her to “bind this scarlet thread in the window”, the language is now “TIQVAT CHUT HA-SHANI”.\u00a0 Commentaries mention that “TIQVAT” is a cognate, or a least a remind of “TIQVAH” (hope, as in Israel’s national anthem – HA-TIQVAH).\u00a0 KAVAH, I believe can mean “line”, as in a phone-line.\u00a0 Rabbi Tatz, in his lectures, has described a “MIQVAH” as a “point of origin, when you emerge from the water” (the water standing for the medium, out of which the world was created, out of which came a differentiated world.)\u00a0 Genesis 1:9 syas “YIQAVU HA-MAYIM” (“Let the waters be gathered”).\u00a0 Apparently there are two root words QAF-VAV-HEI in Hebrew, one meaning “hope” and one meaning “gather”.<\/p>\n
Meam Loez (page 65) says “Some say it was just a string, others say it was a piece of the hem of a garment, and others say it was the rope by which she let them down.\u00a0 … Why then is it called a string in this verse, adn in the verse above it was called a rope?\u00a0 Because it was as thin as a string, but by a miracle it became as strong as a rope…”\u00a0 It is also called a “line” as a reminder that by tying it in the window she can “hope” to be saved.<\/p>\n
Meam Loez also adds that “SHNI” (“scarlet”) the color of the thread, could be an acronym for “SHMONAH NVI’IM YATZU” – “eight prophets came from her”.\u00a0 ArtScroll enumerates them: Nariah, Baruch, Serayah, Machsayah, Jeremiah, Chilkiah, Chanamel, and shalom (Megilla 14b)<\/p>\n
Ruth ends with these verses:<\/p>\n
Ruth 4:18-22\u00a0 18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez begot Hezron;\u00a0 19 and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab;\u00a0 20 and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon;\u00a0 21 and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed;\u00a0 22 and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.<\/p>\n
Despite the Rashi reference, above, most sources say Rahab married Salmon, and was the mother of Boaz, and thus in the lineage of King David. \u00a0 Wikipedia clarifies this confusion as follows:<\/p>\n
Some Christian scholars have theorized that the Rahab described in Joshua is not the same person as the Rahab mentioned in Jesus’s genealogy. This is based on linguistic and textual evidence. Jewish legends claim that Rahab of Jericho married Joshua Bin Nun, a descendant of Joseph. For Christians, this can also be seen as an argument against her being the same Rahab in the Matthean genealogy – unless she married twice, to two different Israelite leaders of different tribes. This is possible, but not very likely (see Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews). Rahab who married Joshua was ancestress to Huldah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other prophetesses and prophets. Rahab (\u1fec\u03b1\u03c7\u03ac\u03b2 – no \u1fec\u03b1\u03ac\u03b2 with Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25) who married Salmon was ancestress to King David, all the kings of Judah, and Jesus. \u00a0 (http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rahab<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “RACHAV” is the Hebrew name for Rahab, in Joshua Chapter 2. Targum [referring to the Aramaic translation] renders “ZONAH” as PUNDIQTA which literally means seller of foods. Rashi understands the Targum literally, but Radak argues that Targum translated euphemistically; just … Continue reading