Yehoshua Perek 1

• Yehoshua assumes the leadership of Klal Yisroel after Moshe’s death.

• Hashem promises Yehoshua that just as He was with Moshe, so too He will be with Yehoshua.

• “If you strengthen yourself in Torah study you will have nothing to fear.”

• Hashem relates to Moshe that He will be leading him into Eretz Yisroel, and He starts to delineate the borders. He commands Moshe to be strong, have courage, and no fear.

• Yehoshua starts preparing Klal Yisroel to cross the Yarden and enter into Eretz Yisroel.

• Yehoshua reminds Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe they will have to keep their word to Moshe by going to battle before assuming residence on the other side of the Yarden.

• Klal Yisroel pledged loyalty to Yehoshua just as they had to Moshe.

Yehoshua Perek 2

• Yehoshua sends two spies, Calev and Pinchas, to determine the best way to conquer Yericho.

• The two spies go Rachav’s house.

• Rachav hides Calev and Pinchas under two hay stacks on the roof and diverts the soldiers who had come looking for the Jewish spies to the wrong direction. .

• After hearing about the miracles that Hashem had done for Klal Yisroel Rachav says that she would like to join Klal Yisroel. Rachav also asks that her family be saved from the oncoming attack.

• The spies promise Rachav that as long as she ties a scarlet string around her home, the lives of anyone in the home will be spared.

• The spies return and report good news about being able to conquer Yericho.

Yehoshua Perek 3

• Klal Yisroel starts preparing to cross the Yarden.

• The higher-ranking officers of Klal Yisroel instruct the Kohanim to prepare the Aron Hakodesh for the crossing of the Yarden.

• Klal Yisroel is warned not to come too close to the Aron Hakodesh.

• Hashem tells Yehoshua at the crossing of the Yarden that all of Klal Yisroel will know that I am with you.

• Yehoshua announces to Klal Yisroel that through this forthcoming miracle they will surely know that Hashem is with them and that He will help them in the conquest of Eretz Yisroel.

• The Kohanim, led by the Aron Hakodesh, enter the Yarden.

• A miracle happened and the Yarden split. Klal Yisroel started to pass through the Yarden to the other side.

Yehoshua Perek 4

• In middle of crossing the Yarden, Hashem commands Yehoshua to take one man from each tribe to gather a total of 12 stones as a monument of the miracle that Hashem had just performed.

• These stones were placed as a memorial for later generations of Klal Yisroel and for all of mankind as a reminder of Hashem’s greatness.

• Yehoshua fulfilled Hashem’s word and commanded twelve men from twelve different tribes to pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Yarden and place them on the riverbank on Eretz Yisroel’s side of the Yarden.

• The Kohanim finished crossing the Yarden with Klal Yisroel. The waters of the Yarden returned to their original place.

• 40,000 Jewish men went forth to battle Yericho.

Yehoshua Perek 5

• When the King of Emori and the Kna’ani kings heard about the miracle done for Klal Yisroel, the splitting of the Yarden, they were stricken with fear and were beside themselves.

• On Hashem’s command, Yehoshua removed the disgrace of Klal Yisroel. A national Bris Milah to all of the men of Klal Yisroel took place. This was the first Bris Milah performed on Klal Yisroel since leaving Mitzrayim.

• Klal Yisroel brought a korban Pesach.

• When Klal Yisroel started eating grain from the land of Eretz Yisroel, the man which had sustained Klal Yisroel through the forty years in the desert, stopped falling.

• An angel appeared to Yehoshua and told him to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy soil.

Yehoshua Perek 6

• Hashem tells Yehoshua the plan to take over Yericho, the fortified city:

• All the soldiers should circle around Yericho for six days.

• Seven kohanim should follow the Aron Hakodesh while holding Shofars.

• On the seventh day, they should circle Yericho seven times.

• They should blow the shofar on that last day and the soldiers should be commanded to make a lot of noise. Then the walls of Yericho will fall directly into the ground.

• Yehoshua carried out Hashem’s plan with the Jewish army.

• Yehoshua commanded his soldiers not take from the spoils of war. Yehoshua pronounced all the spoils of war kodesh for Hashem.

• The army was commanded to protect Rachav.

• Calev and Pinchas saved Rachav’s family, bringing her back to Klal Yisroel. Yehoshua set Yericho ablaze and went to war against them. Yericho was defeated.

• Yehoshua put a curse on anyone who would try to rebuild Yericho.

• Yehoshua’s fame spread throughout the land.

Yehoshua Perek 7

• Achan from tribe of Yehudah steals the kodesh spoils of war from Yericho.

• The city of Ai is spied out for the next battle. Spies come back from Ai reporting that it will be an easy win, and to send a minimal number of soldiers (2,000-3,000.)

• After the loss of 36 soldiers, the Jewish soldiers return from Ai, defeated and discouraged. Yehoshua mourns the loss.

• Yehoshua davens to Hashem for an explanation of their loss against Ai. Hashem tells Yehoshua to locate the perpetrator who stole the spoils of Yericho.

• The leader of each tribe passes by the Aron Hokodesh to identify the tribe.

• After that a lottery was drawn to identify the family and person who committed the crime. Achan is confronted and admits to the aveira.

• Achan was stoned to death by klal Yisroel.

Yehoshua Perek 8

• Hashem assures Yehoshua that Klal Yisroel will defeat Ai in the second battle.

• Hashem gives the army permission to take from the spoils of war.

• Hashem commands Yehoshua to stage an ambush on Ai.

• Yehoshua gathers 30,000 soldiers, and sends 5,000 of them at night to the rear of Ai. The next morning when the king of Ai sees the approaching Jewish soldiers in a frontal attack, he immediately attacks the Jewish army. At that moment, the 5,000 soldiers in the rear position enter Ai, and burn it down, wiping out the entire population (12,000) of Ai.

• Yehoshua hangs the king of Ai, taking down his body at nightfall.

• Yehoshua erects an altar and inscribes the entire Torah on the stones.

• Yehoshua reads the entire Torah to the entire Klal Yisroel as half of them stand on Mount Evel and the other half stand on Mount Grizim.

Yehoshua Perek 9

• Yehoshua’s army causes fear and trepidation to spread throughout the land.

• The Giv’onim dress up as if they were tired, worn-out travelers from a distant country, to deceive Yehoshua into making peace with them.

• The Giv’onim sign a peace treaty with Yehoshua and the leaders of klal Yisroel.

• The deception unfolds.

• Yehoshua honors the treaty in spite of the deception. However he demotes the Giv’onim to the postitions of water and wood carriers. The Giv’onim accept Yehoshua’s decision.

Yehoshua Perek 10

• Adoni Tzedek, king of Yerushalayim, makes a pact with five Emori kings to fight against Klal Yisroel and Giv’on (who was absorbed into Klal Yisroel).

• The Giv’onim ask Yehoshua for help.

• Yehoshua fights against the Emori.

• Hashem makes a miracle and sends a hailstorm to destroy the enemies.

• Yehoshua davens to Hashem for the sun to stand still in the sky so that he can end the war before Shabbos. Hashem accepts Yehoshua’s prayers and the sun stands still in the middle of the sky.

• All five kings are found hiding in a cave.

• A large stone is rolled in front of the entrance of the cave, trapping the five kings inside.

• The five kings are hanged. Once again, their bodies are removed at sun down.

Yehoshua Perek 11

• After the Southern conquest of Eretz Yisroel was complete Klal Yisroel undertook the Northern conquest.

• An additional five kings unite to fight against Klal Yisroel with their chariots and horses.

• Hashem tells Yehoshua not to fear.

• Yehoshua carries out Hashem’s word by cutting the horses’ hooves and burning all of the chariots.

• After many years Klal Yisroel succeeds in conquering the northern part of Eretz Yisroel.

Yehoshua Perek 12

• The Navi recaps all of the land that was conquered by Moshe.

• The Navi lists all thirty-one kings who were defeated by Moshe and Yehoshua.

Yehoshua Perek 13

• Hashem tells Yehoshua that he is getting older, and much of Eretz Yisroel has still not been conquered.

• Hashem tells Yehoshua to start dividing up the land.

• Yehoshua starts dividing up the land on the non Eretz Yisroel side of the Yarden to the sh’vatim of Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe.

• Hashem excluded Levi from the inheritance of land because Levi’s purpose was to serve Hashem exclusively.

Yehoshua Perek 14

• Yehoshua and Elazar HaKohen start to divide up the land of Eretz Yisroel for each tribe of Klal Yisroel.

• Calev ben Yephuneh reminds Yehoshua of the promise that Moshe had made to Calev for giving a good report of Eretz Yisroel during the incident of the meraglim.

• Calev reminds Yehoshua that it is now forty-five years later and he’s already eighty-five years old. He declares that he is just as strong now as he was when he was younger.

• Yehoshua blesses Calev and gives Chevron to him as his portion of land.

Yehoshua Perek 15

• The division of Eretz Yisroel starts with the tribe of Yehudah.

• Calev is given Chevron.

• Calev announces that whoever conquers the land for him, will get his daughter Achsa as a wife.

• Osniel Ben Knaz (Calev’s brother) conquers the land and receives Achsa as his wife.

• Achsa asks Calev for a better, fertile piece of land. Calev consents.

• The Navi lists all of the boundaries/borders of the land for the tribe of Yehudah.

• The Yevusi are not driven out of the land.

Yehoshua Perek 16

• This perek lists the inheritance of the tribe Efraim.

Yehoshua Perek 17

• This perek lists the lineage of Menashe.

• Bnos Tzlafchad ask Yehoshua and Elazar Hakohen for their inheritance, as promised to them by Moshe, and it is granted to them.

• This perek also lists all of the inheritance of Efraim.

• The Bnei Yosef complain that they want more land because of their large population.

• Yehoshua recommends that they conquer a certain area which will provide Bnei Yosef with more land.

• Bnei Yosef decline and Yehoshua reiterates his advice.

Yehoshua Perek 18

• The Aron (Ark) was moved from Gilgal to Shilo.

• Yehoshua rebuked the remaining seven tribes who had not received their land yet for being lax in pursuing their inheritances.

• The boundaries of the tribe of Binyamin are detailed.

• Fourteen cities are enumerated as being part of the inheritance of the tribe of Binyamin.

Yehoshua Perek 19

• A second lottery is drawn for the rest of the tribes.

• The tribes of Shimon, Zevulun, Yissachar, Usher, Naftali and Dan receive their inheritances in Eretz Yisroel.

• The division of all of the inheritances of Klal Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel is now complete.

Yehoshua Perek 20

• Klal Yisroel is commanded to set up cities of refuge (arei miklat.)

• A person who kills another by accident must run to a city of refuge, which serves the role of a secure home base. In a city of refuge the accidental murderer is protected from the avenger (goel hadam) and is required to stay there until the death of the kohen gadol.

• Six cities of refuge are listed:

• three in Eretz Yisroel

• three on the non-Eretz Yisroel side of the Yarden.

Yehoshua Perek 21

• The heads of the tribe of Levi approach Yehoshua to receive their cities.

• A lottery is drawn for forty-eight cities for shevet Levi, including the six arei miklat (cities of refuge.)

• Each city given to shevet Levi by each tribe is listed.

• The distribution of all inheritances is now complete.

• Klal Yisroel was now lacking nothing.

Yehoshua Perek 22

• Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe were thanked for keeping their promise to Moshe (to fight with their brethren until everyone had received his inheritance) and they were sent home to the Transyarden (non Eretz Yisroel side of the Yarden.)

• The two and a half tribes were blessed with extra wealth.

• Upon their return to the Transyarden, a giant altar was erected.

• The rest of Klal Yisroel was alarmed, and they sent Pinchas Hakohen to confront the two and a half tribes about this.

• It was clarified that the reason for the altar was as a monument for future generations, and not for worship/sacrifices.

• The rest of Klal Yisroel accepted this explanation and harmony was restored.

Yehoshua Perek 23

• Yehoshua gathers the entire Klal Yisroel together in order to prepare them for his death.

• Yehoshua tells them that there are still unconquered nations living in Eretz Yisroel.

• Yehoshua encourages Klal Yisroel to remain strong and not be enticed by the unconquered nations in Eretz Yisroel after his passing.

• They should not assimilate with the nations of the world.

• Yehoshua impresses upon Klal Yisroel to serve Hashem with sincerity and wholeheartedness.

• Just as Hashem has done so much good for Klal Yisroel, so, too, is He capable of doing the opposite.

Yehoshua Perek 24 (Final Perek)

• Yehoshua continues to prepare Klal Yisroel for his death.

• Yehoshua relates the history of Klal Yisroel. He starts with Terach and Avraham, and continues through the miracles of Egypt. Yehoshua ends with the battles in Sefer Yehoshua.

• Klal Yisroel pledges allegiance to Hashem.

• Yehoshua tells them that Hashem will not forgive them for serving avodah zarah.

• Yehoshua writes down the Torah of Moshe, placing it in the Mishkan.

• Yehoshua departs this world.

• The bones of Yosef are buried in Sh’chem.

• Elazar the kohen passes away.