Before the Jewish nation entered Eretz Israel, their leader Yehoshua bin Nun sent two spies to travel to Jericho and spy out the land. Upon their arrival in Jericho they hid in the house of a woman named Rachav; her house was built into the wall surrounding the city. The king of Jericho heard of the arrival of the two Jewish spies and sent soldiers to search for them, but Rachav swiftly hid them between the beams of the attic in her house. She told the king’s soldiers that indeed two strange men had come to her home, but towards evening, before the gates of the city closed for the night, the two men had left. The soldiers believed her and hurried away to catch up with the spies - they had locked the city gates behind them when they left the city, so that the spies would remain captured inside.

After the soldiers left Rachav’s home, she released the two spies from their hiding place and told them that the people of the land were terrified of the Jewish nation. After delivering this critical information, she begged the spies to promise that when they came to conquer the city, they would spare her and her family.

The spies agreed and solemnly swore that they would not harm Rachav, and warned her to tie a crimson thread in the window of her house as a sign that this was her home.

Since Rachav’s house was built inside the wall surrounding Jericho, one of the windows faced towards the hills outside the city. The two spies climbed out of the window and fled from the city, and acting upon the advice of Rachav they turned towards the mountains where they hid for three days until their pursuers returned to the city. Thereupon, they emerged from their hideout and returned safely to Yehoshua and the Jewish people, who were then encamped in the town of Shittim.

After the Jewish nation crossed the river Yarden (Jordan) on the 10th of Nissan and celebrated their first Pesach in Eretz Israel, the time arrived for the capture of Jericho. The city was surrounded by tall, imposing walls. The Jewish camp pitched their tents outside of Jericho facing the locked gates of the city, effectively placing the inhabitants of the city under siege.
Yehoshua then received a prophecy that the city of Jericho would soon be delivered into their hands, and that he was to instruct the people on how to proceed. The soldiers, with seven Kohanim at their helm who were commanded to carry seven trumpets before the Aron of HaShem, were to encircle the walls of the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day they would encircle the city seven times and then blow on their trumpets, whereupon the wall surrounding the city would fall.

So it was that on the 22nd of Nissan Isru Chag Pesach the Jewish army encircled the walls of Jericho together with the holy Aron and the seven Shofar-bearing Kohanim. After encircling the city once, they returned to the camp where they slept overnight, and then repeated this ritual for the following six days.

On the seventh day, which fell on the 28th of Nissan, the Jewish people woke up at dawn and began to march around the walls of the city seven times. Upon completing the seventh circle, Yehoshua called out to the people: ‘Blow on your trumpets because HaShem has given you the city!’ He then commanded them to destroy the city and all its inhabitants, aside for Rachav and her family who were to remain alive as a reward for assisting the spies. Yehoshua exhorted the people not to touch any of the spoil; it was to remain sanctified for HaShem.

In a triumphant blast, the Kohanim blew on their trumpets followed by the rest of the people in unison. And then in a flash of unprecedented victory, the walls of Jericho sank into the ground below, allowing the Jewish army to step into the city and conquer it.

In keeping with Yehoshua’s command, the people did not touch any of the spoil in the city – a great test for the newly victorious army. In a later battle we see that the temptation did in fact prove too great for some: it so happened that at the time when the city of Ei was being captured, the Jewish army experienced a crushing defeat. It was then discovered that a man by the name of Achan ben Karmi had stolen two-hundred silver coins and a golden bar, from the spoil of the city ‘Aderes Shinar’. After his capture and subsequent stoning and burning, the people succeeded in capturing the city of Ei.

After the capture of Jericho, Yehoshua made a fateful announcement to the people: ‘Cursed is the man who rebuilds the city of Jericho; with his firstborn he will lay the foundations, and with his youngest he will place the doors.’ - So it was, that in the days of King Achav a man by the name of Chiel from the house of Eli tried to build up the city. The curse of Yehoshua was actualized; at the laying of the foundations Chiel’s oldest son Aviram died, and on completion of the city, just as he was setting the doors in place, his youngest son Shaguv tragically passed away.