Yiftach's Daughter

In Shoftim 11:31 Yiftach promised Hashem to offer as burnt offer whatever comes out of the door of his house..... On verse 39 we read that he did to her as he had vowed. And my question is, the he really killed he's own daughter? Thank you for your help, Angel

Shalom!

Thank you for your question!

Although this website is intended for questions on Jewish law, I will take a moment to address the shocking story of Yiftach’s daughter.

As I am sure you know, human sacrifice is abhorrent in Judaism. As such, it borders on the impossible that a leader of Israel would do such a thing. And indeed, the vast majority of commentators on the story of Yiftach (Rashi, Radak, Malbim and more…) argue that he did not actually sacrifice his daughter. Furthermore, even if such a vow was indeed made, it would not be binding, as no vow can overturn Torah law.

According to this approach, Yiftach “sacrificed” his daughter by devoting her life exclusively to the service of God. This included a ban on ever getting married or otherwise interacting with others. She lived the rest of her life in isolation. Indeed, the verses do not say that the she was sacrificed, but merely that she never “knew a man.” This supports the majority view that “sacrifice” in this context means “isolation.”

Nevertheless, the Talmud does suggest that Yiftach might have actually sacrificed his daughter in a literal manner.

It should be noted that whatever the vow and result actually was, both possibilities were wrong and unfair. God Himself was critical of Yiftach’s actions, and even more critical that he did not go and have his vow (whatever it was) annulled! He refused to go the Pinchas, the High Priest at the time, and Pinchas refused to go to Yiftach and take the initiative to help the situation (Pinchas was punished for this). That itself is an interesting story beyond the scope of this response.

So to conclude: Did Yiftach really kill his daughter? Probably not. But maybe.