I live in a suburb called Rockrimmon, which sounds so innocent. That name—sorta rocky mountain vibes meets Lord of the Rings—always left me proud and grateful to the city planners of old. And then one day while reading the book of Judges, I found its origin. And it annihilated any affection I’ve held for it.

The last three chapters of Judges make up one long story, which begins and ends with “In those days, Israel had no king” with the final word “Each did as he saw fit.” The story goes that a ma...