Our focus last week was on exploring both midrashic and modern views about Yiftach’s vow – views that share the premise that he brought her as a literal sacrifice but differ regarding details such as his original intent. In this final class of the series, we will move into the view that Yiftach’s daughter was not literally killed but lived a life of seclusion. How do commentators who take this approach understand the wording of Yiftach’s vow and the text’s description of its fulfillment? What motivates different scholars to this vastly different readings?
We will conclude our study by returning to the midrashic perspective, with a variant (Midrash Tanchuma Bechukotai, 5) that raises different questions and offers different perspecitves on Yiftach, his daughter, and more.