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Joshua 5: 13-15
Question
Dear Rabbi,
Thank you for reading this message. I have some questions regarding
Yehoshua 5 13-15.
Why did Yehoshua fall down with face to the ground and worshipped the
commander of Adonai's army? And why worship?
Also, why did Yehoshua said "my lord" to him and refer to himself as "his servant"?
And, how can the commander of Adonai's army declare the place where Yehoshua was standing holy?
Who do you think this commander is? Adonai Himself? And I thought angels shouldn't be worshipped. So could this be an angel of Adonai? Or someone else?
Thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon.
Answer
According to Rashi, this is the angel Michael. Israel being God's army and the angel Michael being their commandant (see Rashi on verse 15)
I think that Yehoshua's attitude expresses his awe when he realizes that the man standing before him is not a simple human being, but rather an angel sent by God to help the Israelites to conquer Jericho. The fact that Yehoshua bows down seems to me understandable when he - a mere mortal - meets God's messenger. This is not worship. It may have been translated as "worship", but this is not what the Hebrew conveys. That Yehoshua calls himself "his servant" demonstrates his respect and awe. This personage comes from the realm of holiness, so it is no wonder that the place where they were standing became holy.
This is how I understand this text.
I hope I made it clearer for you.
Rabbi Monique Susskind Goldberg
April 2005
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