שופטים, פרק י״ח, פסוק ה׳

The men of the tribe of Dan are on a journey and seek spiritual guidance regarding their outcome. They turn to a local priest, trusting that he holds the tools necessary to see into the future [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Their request reveals a deep belief in the power of the objects kept there, specifically the ephod and the teraphim. The exact nature of these teraphim is understood in a few ways. Some view them as astrological copper instruments used to calculate times and zodiac signs. Others describe them as figures cast during specific astrological moments that possessed the ability to speak. A related perspective suggests they were human-shaped vessels designed to channel higher spiritual forces [רד״ק].

The primary question surrounding their request is the true target of their inquiry. There are two distinct ways to understand whether they were calling out to a false deity or to God Himself. One approach argues that the men were speaking directly to the teraphim. In this view, they mistakenly believed that these objects could predict the future through sorcery [רש״י, מלבי״ם] or by pulling down forces from above [מצודת דוד].

Conversely, other commentators maintain that the men were actually directing their prayers to God [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. According to this understanding, their error was not outright idolatry. Instead, they wrongly believed that a physical statue could serve as a legitimate channel to receive spiritual blessings and answers from God. They viewed this local ephod in the same light as the sacred Ephod and the Urim and Thummim, expecting God to reveal His word through it. Because their true intention was to seek the will of God, the priest later answers them explicitly in God's name [אברבנאל].