Crossing the Jordan River and Setting of the Stones

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Memorial Stones of the Jordan Crossing

TANAKH

The detailed instructions given by God to Joshua regarding the selection and placement of twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River serve as a lasting symbol of the miraculous crossing. The Book of Joshua recounts the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, led by priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, and the subsequent setting of twelve memorial stones.

The priests who bore the Ark of GOD’s Covenant stood on dry land exactly in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over on dry land, until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan. When the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, GOD said to Joshua, “Select twelve individuals from among the people, one from each tribe, and instruct them as follows: Pick up twelve stones from the spot exactly in the middle of the Jordan, where the priests’ feet are standing…

Joshua 3:17-4:11

Determining Moses' Death Date

TALMUD

The calculation of the date of Moses' death offers a fascinating insight into the timeline of events leading up to the Israelites' entry into the Promised Land. The Talmudic tractate Kiddushin provides a detailed analysis of the days of mourning and preparation before this significant event.

The baraita continues: And it is written: “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying: Prepare your victuals, for within three days you are to cross the Jordan” (Joshua 1:11). And it is written: “And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month” (Joshua 4:19). Subtract retroactively from that date, the tenth of Nisan, the last thirty-three days, i.e., the thirty days of mourning for Moses and the three days of preparation before crossing the Jordan…

Kiddushin 38a:6

The Ceremony of Blessings and Curses

MISHNAH

The ceremony of blessings and curses at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal is a pivotal moment that symbolizes the covenant between God and the Israelites. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, provides a detailed account of this ceremony, including the roles and positions of the tribes, priests, and Levites, as well as the recitation of blessings and curses and the actions involving the stones and the altar.

How did the ceremony of the blessings and curses take place? When the Jewish people crossed the Jordan River they came to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, which are in Samaria along-side the city of Shechem, which is near the oaks of Moreh, as it is stated: “Are they not beyond the Jordan, behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites that dwell in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh?” (Deuteronomy 11:30), and there it states: “And Abram passed through the land until the place of Shechem…

Mishnah Sotah 7:5

The Stones of Entry

COMMENTARY

The different accounts of the stones in the Book of Joshua can be confusing, but understanding them is key to grasping the significance of the Israelites' entry into the Land of Israel. Shabbetai ben Joseph Bass, in his renowned 11th-century commentary on the Torah, reconciles these accounts by referencing Tractate Sotah and aligning them with Rashi's interpretations.

There were three kinds of stones, etc. Nothing can be proved from the verses here. Rather, everything is proved from the verses in Yehoshua. It is written there (4:2) that they erected twelve stones in the Jordan at the place where the kohanim's feet stood, and they erected twelve stones in Gilgal, the first place they sojourned in the Land of Israel. And on those stones [of Gilgal] Yehoshua had previously written the whole Torah at Mount Eival. Because sefer Yehoshua mentions these two types of stones, i.e…

Siftei Chakhamim, Deuteronomy 27:2:1

The Miraculous Crossing of the Jordan River

TOSEFTA

The miraculous nature of the waters of the Jordan River piling up to an extraordinary height, visible to the kings of every nation, instilled fear and awe among them. The Tosefta, an ancient collection of rabbinic laws and teachings from the land of Israel, recounts the Israelites' miraculous crossing of the Jordan River led by Joshua, marking their entry into the Promised Land.

And as soon as the feet of the priests first entered the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan piled up, as it is said (Josh. 3:16), "And the water piled up [... at Adam, the town that is next to] Tzartan." Twelve mil by twelve mil was the height of the water, the words of Rabbi Yehuda. Said, Rabbi Elazar bar Shimon, and which one is lighter, water or man? They would say water is lighter than man. It teaches that the waters were stacked up and reached upward, wave upon wave, about three hundred mil, until the kings of every nation saw them, as it is said (Josh…

Tosefta Sotah 8:2

The Symbolic Stones of Moses and Joshua

MIDRASH

The narrative involves three distinct sets of stones, each with its own historical and spiritual significance. Ein Yaakov, a 16th-century compilation of talmudic stories, parables, and biblical interpretation, recounts the stories and parables from the Talmud, including the symbolic stones set up by Moses and Joshua.

Thus it is to be found that there were three kinds of stones, one was that which Moses erected on this side of the Jordan, as it is said (Deut. 1, 5) And this side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to explain this law and it is said further, (Ib. 27, 8) And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of Ba'er [to explain], and we infer through analogy applying the similar word Ba'er used in both places. Another kind of stone was that which Joshua set up in the Jordan, as it is said (Josh…

Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Sotah 7:15

The Miraculous Journey of the Ark

TALMUD

The Ark of the Covenant miraculously carried its bearers in the air, showcasing a supernatural event during the Israelites' journey. The Talmudic tractate Sotah recounts this miraculous event, emphasizing the divine intervention that allowed the Ark and its bearers to traverse the Jordan River after the people had crossed.

It follows that the Ark and its bearers and the priests were on one side of the Jordan, the east side, and the rest of the Jewish people were on the other side, the west side. Subsequently, the Ark carried its bearers in the air and crossed the Jordan, as it is stated: “When all the people were completely passed over, the Ark of the Lord passed on, and the priests, before the people” (Joshua 4:11).

Sotah 35a:15

Jordan River Commitment

JEWISH THOUGHT

The ceremony of crossing the Jordan River was designed to remind future generations of the purpose of entering the land of Canaan: to fulfill all the mitzvot of the Torah. Rabbi Isaac Arama’s medieval work, Akeidat Yitzchak, delves into the significance of this ceremony and the role of the elders in ensuring the fulfillment of the commandments.

Crossing the river Jordan, and thereby commencing the conquest of the land of Canaan was such an important event that it had to be marked by a ceremony leaving an enduring impression, one that all those who had participated in the event would long remember. It was especially important that those who would one day become the elders of the people should be reminded already at this point that the purpose of crossing the Jordan was to enter a land in which all the mitzvot of the Torah could and would be fulfilled. Inscribing of these stones reflected the awareness of that purpose…

Akeidat Yitzchak 98:1:17

The Ark Leads the Way

COMMENTARY

The Ark of the Covenant plays a crucial role in leading the Israelites, symbolizing divine guidance and support. This text describes the strategic and symbolic significance of the Ark in this pivotal moment in Jewish history.

The motif of a religious object such as the Coffer (Ark) leading troops into battle is known all over the ancient and medieval world. Although the present chapter involves no fighting per se, it seems wholly appropriate that the Coffer, borne by priests, spearheads the long-awaited fording of the Jordan and thus inaugurates the conquest of Canaan.

The Early Prophets, by Everett Fox, Joshua, Part I; Preparations for Conquest, The Crossing 4

From Manna to the Produce of the Land

SECOND TEMPLE

The transition from manna to the produce of the land marks a significant shift in the Israelites' journey, symbolizing their move from divine sustenance to self-sufficiency. Josephus, in his historical work 'Antiquities of the Jews,' details the events following the Israelites' entry into Canaan, including the end of manna and the celebration of Passover.

4. So the Hebrews went on farther fifty furlongs, and pitched their camp at the distance of ten furlongs from Jericho; but Joshua built an altar of those stones which all the heads of the tribes, at the command of the prophets, had taken out of the deep, to be afterwards a memorial of the division of the stream of this river, and upon it offered sacrifice to God; and in that place celebrated the passover, and had great plenty of all the things which they wanted hitherto; for they reaped the corn of the Canaanites, which was now ripe, and took other things as prey…

The Antiquities of the Jews 5:1:4

Miracles at the Waters

TALMUD

The Torah explicitly records the miraculous nature of the crossings of both the Red Sea and the Jordan River. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, in its tractate Berakhot, discusses the significance of blessings and prayers, which include references to these miraculous events.

The Gemara elaborates: Granted, the miracles at the crossings of the sea are recorded explicitly in the Torah, as it is stated: “And the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground and the water was a wall for them on their right and on their left” (Exodus 14:22). So too, the miracle at the crossings of the Jordan, as it is stated: “The priests who bore the ark of God’s covenant stood on dry land within the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry land until the entire nation finished crossing the Jordan” (Joshua 3:17).

Berakhot 54a:15

Inscribing the Torah on Stones

COMMENTARY

The commandment to inscribe the Torah on stones serves as a lasting testament for future generations, preserving the memory of significant events. Sforno, a 16th-century Italian commentator, emphasizes the importance of these inscribed stones in maintaining historical continuity and collective memory.

ושמרתם את כל המצות אשר אנכי מצוך היום, the commandment to erect the stones in the Jordan as well as the stones you will take with you from the Jordan on which you will inscribe the Torah for the benefit of future generations so that the memory that these events really happened will be preserved.

Sforno on Deuteronomy 11:8:1

Priests Lead with the Ark

COMMENTARY

The priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant played a pivotal role in leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, symbolizing divine guidance and fulfillment of God's promise. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible provides a clear and engaging account of this significant event.

It was when the people traveled from their tents, the place of their encampment, to cross the Jordan, and the priests, the bearers of the Ark of the Covenant, were traveling before the people, as Joshua had commanded,

Steinsaltz on Joshua 3:14

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