Samson the Hero

The story of שמשון הגיבור, known as Samson, is quite fascinating. There is no biblical character quite like him. He is known for his incredible physical strength, but there is much more that can be learned from him.

Upon reading the text in the Book of Judges, it would seem that he had a strong desire for non-Jewish women. While it was Delila that brought about his ultimate demise, there was a bigger Divine plan behind this.

The Rambam points out that it is not possible that Samson could have married Gentile women and also go down in history as a savior to the Jewish people. He claims that Samson made sure to convert these women before marrying them.

In the first instance, the woman Shimshon had chosen, betrayed him. This gave him the justification to personally take vengeance against the Plishtim. He burned down their fields by setting the tails of foxes on fire.

Shimshon brought peace and quiet to the Jewish people for twenty years. This is after their harassment by the Plishtim. He was a Nazirite from birth and a holy person. The Talmud tells us that his eyes allowed him to go astray. Delila did “nag him to death,” as the text reads, and his was blinded and lost his strength.

In the end, he prayed and repented. His final act was to personally bring down the Philistine shrine.

Shimshon was a complicated figure, but he went down in history as a גיבור, a great Jewish hero.