שמשון הגיבור

Samson the mighty is the judge whose strength was in his hair and in his vow, and whose story is one of immense might bound by the thin thread of his nazirite consecration. He was born by a miracle to barren parents, a nazirite of God from the womb, 'and no razor shall come upon his head' (Judges 13:5), and his wondrous strength depended on keeping his consecration.

Samson fought alone against the Philistines who enslaved Israel, tore a lion with his hands and struck down a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey. But his weakness was in his attraction to Philistine women, and in the end Delilah extracted the secret of his strength, cut his hair, and the Philistines gouged out his eyes and bound him. The great hero fell precisely where he did not guard himself.

And here is the great moment: bound and blind, in the temple of Dagon, Samson prayed a final prayer, 'remember me, please, and strengthen me, please, only this once' (Judges 16:28), and pushed the pillars of the temple, 'let my soul die with the Philistines.' In his death he prevailed more than he had prevailed in his life, giving his soul for his people.

What do we learn from him? That immense strength needs a boundary to guard it, and that weakness is usually found not on the battlefield but in the private place. Samson teaches that even a hero can fall when he does not guard his consecration, and that repentance and self-sacrifice in the end, 'let my soul die with the Philistines,' can repair a life and prevail for the people.