On this very day, 3rd of Tammuz of 2488, Yehoshua Bin Nun stopped the sun so the Jewish warriors could finish their battle before Shabbat

The story is found in the Book of Yehoshua, and the battle of Giveon was about to be dragged on Shabbat. After Yehoshua bin Nun prayed, the sun stopped at about midday and continued there until the battle was won, and the Jewish warriors could come back to their tents for Shabbat.

No only that, but Hashem killed more Cana’anites than the Jewish soldiers did on that day by hurling down the “hail” (more like meteors) that Moshe Rabbenu had prayed for when in Egypt.

There’s a Midrash that says that when Moshe Rabbenu prayed for the hail, 1/3 fell on Egypt, while 2/3 were left hanging in the sky (above the firmament). Then on that battle, another 1/3 fell on Givon.

The final 1/3 will be brought down when Mashiach comes and wages war against the evil of this world.

The song of the celestial bodies

The verse that describes the effects of his prayer uses a unique term for the word “stop”, which is וידום. (Vaydom):

וַיִּדֹּם הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְיָרֵחַ עָמָד עַד יִקֹּם גּוֹי אֹיְבָיו הֲלֹא הִיא כְתוּבָה עַל סֵפֶר הַיָּשָׁר וַיַּעֲמֹד הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בַּחֲצִי הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא אָץ לָבוֹא כְּיוֹם תָּמִים.

Translation: And the sun stopped (lit.: was silenced) and the moon stood still until the nation of his enemies stood up, is it not written in the Book of Righteousness (Sefer HaYashar), and the sun stood still in the middle of the sky and no fire came as an innocent (“clear”) day.

Vaydom can also mean to “be silenced”, as we find the term when the 2 sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu died. The Torah writes that “Vaydom” Aharon (he was silenced).

In Shaar HaYichudim (Gate of Mystical Intentions), the Arizal teaches us a fascinating Chiddush that every astral body has its own song. In Heaven everything is done through song, and these astral bodies don’t move unless they sing to Hashem. This is why it’s so important to sing when serving Hashem, especially when praying, because in the future everything will be done through singing.

Knowing this secret, Yehoshua Bin Nun sang the song of the sun effectively “silencing” it and stopping it in its tracks.

This is clearly no ordinary feat and shows only a little bit of the power Yehoshua bin Nun had. He was, after all, the successor of Moshe Rabbenu and a huge Tzadik in his own right.

A little of the greatness of Yehoshua Bin Nun

We often can’t appreciate how great even a water-carrier was back in the days of Moshe and Yehoshua. The Zohar calls them the Dor De’ah (the generation of knowledge), for having seen Hashem face to face. In the words of our sages in the Talmud “even a maidservant there saw more than the prophet Yechezkel generations later. There was never another generation like that, and there won’t be another until Mashiach reveals himself and we receive an even greater revelation from Hashem.

In Sha’ar HaYichudim, the Arizal sets forth the levels of prophecy for many prophets.

Prophecy happens at the world of Atzilut, when a prophet can divest his consciousness and ascend to there. We unfortunately don’t have this nowadays because we lack the waters of the Red Heifer to enter Atzilut, but this will be reinstated (soon enough, Hashem willing).

The prophet can then attach himself to one of the Sephirot of Netzach or Hod of Zeir Anpin or Malkhut (Nukvah) of Atzilut. Moshe Rabbenu had the highest level of prophecy, from the Pnimiut (internal part) of Netzach of Zeir Anpin, while Yehoshua Bin Nun had from the external part of Hod of Malkhut (Nukvah), as it’s written in the Torah that Moshe gave part of his “Hod” to him (see Sha’ar Ma’amarei Rashbi). Because of this, Yehoshua’s face was like the moon.

On a Pshat level, Yehoshua bin Nun was also blessed to have fought against 31 kings and defeating them with Hashem’s help. This shows his his astronomical wisdom and Emunah. It serves as a testament to his unwavering belief in Hashem’s power and his role as Moshe’s successor.

The stopping of the sun allowed the Israelites to achieve a decisive victory over their enemies. This event symbolizes triumph over seemingly insurmountable challenges and serves as a metaphor for overcoming obstacles with divine assistance. It reassures believers that with Hashem’s help, we can conquer any difficulties we face.

From the Zohar (Ki Tisa), we learn that Yehoshua Bin Nun died only on account of the fact that death was decreed upon the world (the “council of the serpent”), but he was perfectly righteous without a single sin:

Yehoshua died only because of the scheming of the Serpent, who initially blemished the Tabernacle (Malkhut) when he caused Adam to sin. Yehoshua himself never sinned to deserve death. This is the secret behind the words, “Yehoshua bin Nun, a young man…” (Ex. 33:11). Even though he was a young man below, receiving light (in the secret of the angel Mem-Tet who is below Malkhut and receives light from it), he “did not depart from the Tent (Ohel Moed).” Just as the Ohel Moed and Malkhut were blemished, so was the angel Mem-Tet, whom Joshua was connected to.

Although Yehoshua still had the holy heavenly weapons, given to all Israelites to ward off the Outside Forces upon receiving the Torah (which the rest of the nation relinquished following the sin of the Golden Calf), he retained his because he hadn’t sinned. However, since the moon (Malkhut) was blemished, Yehoshua could not be spared from death and from the actual blemish.

The Sun stops again

The Gemara (Ta’anit 20a-b) relates the well-known story of Nakdimon ben Gurion, one of the wealthy Jews who lived in Jerusalem during the time of the destruction of the Second Temple. Nakdimon ben Gurion is mentioned in several Talmudic stories and appears to be referenced in Josephus’ works as well. While his Hebrew name was Boni, it was common for upper-class individuals to have Roman names. His Roman name, Nakdimon, is the subject of a Rabbinic midrash, as recounted in the Gemara.

One year, during a severe drought, there was no water available for the Jewish pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the holiday. Nakdimon ben Gurion approached a Roman officer with an offer to access twelve Roman cisterns on behalf of the Jewish pilgrims. He personally guaranteed that the cisterns would be refilled by a certain date, or he would pay twelve talents of silver (a huge sum).

When the agreed-upon day arrived, the Roman officer demanded either the water or the silver. Nakdimon ben Gurion responded that the day was not yet over. The officer ridiculed the idea, mocking Nakdimon for expecting the cisterns to be refilled during a drought. Confident of his windfall, the officer went to the bathhouse.

Nakdimon went to the Temple and prayed to God that his concern for the Jewish people would not lead to financial ruin. The skies filled with clouds, and rain began to fall, filling the cisterns. When Nakdimon and the Roman officer met outside in the rain, Nakdimon pointed out that the cisterns were not only filled but overflowing. He claimed that the Roman officer owed him the overflow (imagine the guy’s face).

The officer admitted that God had brought the rain for Nakdimon but argued that the debt had not been paid on time, as the day was over. Nakdimon then prayed again, and the clouds dispersed, allowing the sun to peek through—nikdera hamah ba’avuro—proving that the day was not over.

The sun had effectively stopped just like in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun.

The wells of miracles

We know that when a miracle is done, it is recorded in the spiritual worlds and can be accessed later on as we learned in this article.

The story of Yehoshua bin Nun and the standing sun serves as an enduring inspiration for future generations. It reminds them of God’s omnipotence and His willingness to intervene on behalf of His people (even those not at the level of Yehoshua).

The battle of Givon blurs the lines between the natural and supernatural realms, showing that Hashem has control over all aspects of creation and can alter them at will. It teaches that the natural world is subject to the divine will and can be altered especially to fulfill the wishes of Tzaddikim, whom He

May the merit of Yehoshua bin Nun be for a blessing and help us.

This article is for the refuah shleimah of the great Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit’a, may Hashem grant him strength, length of days and long years of life.