The Audio Recording

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 22

After three years of peace with Aram, tensions arise as Aram occupies Ramot Gilead, territory that belongs to the Kingdom of Israel. Ahav reaches out to Yehoshaphat, King of Judah, with whom he has a strong alliance, and requests his support in fighting Aram and reestablishing his dominion over Ramot Gilead. Yehoshaphat expresses solidarity with Ahav but requests that before they proceed, they seek the word of Hashem regarding their course of action.

Ahav gathers his four hundred “government employed” prophets who all declare in the name of Hashem that the Jewish forces will prevail in the war. Among them is the memorable Tzidqiya ben Kenaanah, who fashions horns of iron, places them on his head and announces that “with this shall you gore Aram!” Yehoshafat perceives that these alleged prophets are not genuine, and presses Ahav to consult with a bona fide prophet of Hashem. Ahav is loath to do so, because the only available prophet of Hashem is Mikhayhu ben Yimlah, and he has a reputation for delivering pessimistic and negative messages to the king.

Nonetheless, Mikhayhu is summoned to the court of Ahav, informed that all of the prophets thus far have given positive predictions, and is asked for the word of Hashem. He replies that he will only convey the message that Hashem has instructed him to preach. At first, he mocks the request and simply mimics the declaration of the false prophets. Ahav chastises Mikhayhu and demands that he report the word of Hashem fully and truthfully. Mikhayhu states that Hashem has decreed that Ahav will be seduced by the empty assurances of his false prophets and will fall in battle at Ramot Gilead, leaving his kingdom without a leader.

Tzidqiya ben Kenaana slaps Mikhayhu in the face and berates him for lying in the name of Hashem; Mikhayhu responds that Tzidqiya will, indeed, learn the truth of the matter when he must run and hide from the imminent devastation. Ahav orders that Mikhayhu be placed in jail and fed meager rations until the day that he returns from the battle in peace. Mikhayhu replies that if Ahav does, in fact, return in peace, then he should rightly be considered a false prophet.

Ahav and Yehoshafat head to the battle. Ahav disguises himself so that he will not be a target of the Aramean forces. The army of Aram has been given strict instructions to focus on assassinating the king of Israel and not be distracted by the other troops. At one point, they pursue Yehoshafat, believing him to be the man that they seek; however, when they realize he is not Ahav, they leave him alone.

An archer of Aram shoots a random arrow that happens to hit Ahav in one of the cracks of his armor, wounding him severely. He is carried away from the battlefield in his chariot and dies. The rest of the men of Israel escape the war and return home. Ahav’s chariot is cleansed of his blood by the pool of Shomron, a place where dogs drink and harlots bathe, in fulfillment of the prophetic vision that his blood would suffer this demeaning fate.

The chapter then provides a brief biography of Yehoshaphat, son of Asa, king of Yehuda. Yehoshaphat was a righteous king who adhered to the Torah and continued his father’s efforts to rid the land of the practitioners of immorality. However he, like his father, did not dismantle the Bamot, or personal altars, that proliferated in Israel during the time of Rehavam and diluted the centrality and exclusivity of the Bet Hamiqdash. At one point, Yehoshafat had commissioned a fleet of ships to bring gold from Ophir, something reminiscent of the opulent days of Shelomo. However, the ships were damaged and the project was abandoned.

Although Yehoshaphat made peace and cooperated with the Kingdom of Israel during the reign of Ahav, this relationship seems to have weakened or fallen by the wayside during the rule of Ahav’s son, Ahazya. Ahazya, like his father and mother, did not follow the ways of Hashem and served the Baal. The description of his brief and tragic reign will be the first topic addressed in Sefer Melakhim Bet.

One intriguing point in this chapter is that Yehoshaphat can readily distinguish between “real” and “fake” prophets of Hashem. How did he know that the men encouraging them to battle Aram were not authentic representatives of the Almighty? Apparently, this reveals to us one of the fundamental differences between pagan prophets in the ancient world and prophets of Israel.

The “prophecies” of pagan prophets were like blessings they conferred upon the king; they would endorse, promote, and encourage the leader on the course of action he had already decided to take. The job of such a professional prophet was to give the impression that there was some kind of spiritual backing to a king’s initiatives that gave them larger-than-life significance and would therefore win the commitment and support of the populace and the troops.

Prophets of Israel, by contrast, primarily serve an instructive and educational purpose. At times, they convey Divine approval of choices made by the king, but at other times – especially when the very essence of a particular king’s agenda runs counter to the will of Hashem – the job of the true prophet is to oppose, criticize and redirect a misguided ruler for the benefit of the nation. Yehoshaphat could immediately perceive – and so could Ahav, who does not protest – that the so-called prophets initially gathered by Ahav were merely his “cheerleading squad” who were expected to engage in dramatic and theatrical behavior and to repeat slogans and mantras in support of the king’s decisions.

In today’s terms, we might compare their function to that of the media outlets that are decidedly biased and engage in propaganda and spin on behalf of the cause, political party or movement to which they are dedicated. They are not critical thinkers or meaningful sources of objective insight; they are helping to drum up popular support for one or another agenda.

Despite his awareness of this fact, Ahav disregards the prophecy of Mikhayhu and trusts the false claims of his “yes men”. We must bear in mind that this is an unusual move for Ahav; in the past, he has been generally receptive to the word of Hashem as conveyed by true prophets, even though he has had adversarial relationships with them on a personal and political level. However, as Mikhayhu’s vision revealed, this “seduction” of Ahav by the false prophets was part of his punishment from Hashem; it was out of character but, like Pharaoh whose heart was hardened in the story of the Exodus, Ahav had exhausted his chances to repent and Hashem took away his clarity of judgment and discernment so that he would inevitably meet his final downfall.

One remarkable feature of this chapter is that Ahav is not once mentioned by name – he is referred to simply as “the King of Israel” throughout, with the exception of the verse describing his death. The reason for the omission of his name is a mystery. It is possible that this is the text’s way of showing disdain for Ahav, effacing his name and referring to him only by his title. On the other hand, it is possible to interpret this anomaly as a veiled praise of Ahav.

As we saw in the previous chapter, Ahav took pride in his accomplishments and all that he had achieved for the sake of his nation. He was more troubled by the prediction that the legacy he had established as a successful leader in Israel would be destroyed than he was by the prospect of his own disgrace and demise. In the merit of his demonstration of humility before God, Ahav was spared the pain of having to witness the obliteration of his dynasty.

Perhaps it was in the same spirit of “accepting the repentance” of Ahav that the prophetic author adorns him here with the name “King of Israel”, a title and an office that he showed meant more to him than life itself. The “King of Israel”, as it were, ignored the danger that battle posed to him personally, put himself at risk to defend the territory of his people, and died a tragic but manifestly patriotic and heroic death. However, when all is said and done, he is simply Ahav – a Jew with tremendous leadership potential who failed to live up to the expectations Hashem had of him.

The Recording

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 20
Ben-Haddad, king of Aram, gathers an enormous coalition army of thirty-two kings and prepares to lay siege upon Israel. He sends a threatening message to Ahav, claiming that all that belongs to Ahav really belongs to him. Ahav appears to agree to become a vassal of his kingdom. Ben-Haddad then threatens that his men will come to Israel, enter Ahav’s home and the homes of his officers, and confiscate everything they desire.

Interpreting this as a declaration of war, Ahav summons his advisers and they support his mobilization of troops to defend the realm. He once again conveys to Ben-Haddad that he is willing to subjugate himself to Aram but not to allow the kind of pillaging Ben-Haddad proposed. Ben-Haddad, replies with haughty bravado, and Ahav retorts with a pithy phrase, “he who girds armor should not boast like he who takes it off”, the ancient wartime equivalent of “don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

An anonymous prophet of Hashem approaches Ahav and assures him that Israel will win the battle. Ahav asks for advice as to who should initiate the military engagement and whom should be sent out to fight; the prophet answers that Ahav should initiate by sending the young men of the princes of the provinces, a small force of only two hundred and thirty two men, followed by seven thousand troops.

Ahav dispatches the modest force and when they arrive at the camp of Ben-Haddad, he and his associates and officers are drunk. The army of Israel routs the Aramean forces and chases them away; Ben Haddad himself escapes on horseback. The prophet warns Ahav that Ben-Haddad will return before the end of the year for another battle.

The servants of Ben-Haddad suggest that the reason for their loss in battle is that the God of Israel is a god of the hills and therefore had an advantage. They propose attacking the Jews on a plain so that this time they will be victorious. The servants recommend assembling an army equal in size to the one that Ben-Haddad mobilized previously. Moreover, they advise that the kings be replaced with lesser officers this time – men who will be more interested in fighting than in drinking.

The relatively tiny forces of Israel array themselves facing the vast army of Aram. A prophet of Hashem approaches Ahav and tells him that since the people of Aram conceive of this as a battle between their gods and the true God, falsely believing that Hashem’s power is limited to the hills, the Jewish people will win this battle for the sake of His name. After seven days of posturing, the fighting begins, and the Jewish people achieve a decisive victory, slaying one hundred thousand footmen. The remainder take refuge in the city of Afeq, but the wall collapses, killing twenty-seven thousand men.

Ben Haddad and his attendants hide safely in an inner chamber in Afeq. The servants of Ben Haddad tell him that the kings of Israel have a reputation for being especially merciful. Hoping to find favor and receive a compassionate response from Ahav, they dress in sackcloth and place ropes on their heads to project a pitiful image before approaching the king.

When they meet Ahav, they convey a message from “your servant, Ben-Haddad”, begging Ahav to spare his life. Ahav, learning that Ben-Haddad is still alive, refers to him as “my brother”; Ben-Haddad’s servants, noticing the change of tone, adjust their language and call him “your brother, Ben-Haddad” as well.

Ahav instructs the servants to bring forth Ben-Haddad, to whom he will grant clemency. Ben-Haddad emerges from his hiding place and offers to restore to Ahav the cities that his father had taken from Omri, Ahav’s father. He also gives Ahav permission to open up a market for trade in Damascus. Ahav and Ben-Haddad establish a treaty of friendship and Ben-Haddad returns to Aram.

Meanwhile, a prophet of Hashem approaches a bystander and, in the name of Hashem, commands the person to strike him. The person refuses and, as predicted by the prophet, is killed by a lion shortly thereafter. The prophet makes the same request of another person, who complies. Then, his eyes covered with a headband and his face bloody, he stands before Ahav and requests his ruling on an urgent matter.

The disguised prophet claims that he was a soldier in the war and had been entrusted with guarding a prisoner. He had been told that, if he fulfilled his mission, he would be rewarded; however, if the prisoner escaped, the guard would have to pay with his life. The prisoner disappeared and now the guard has been condemned to die and seeks mercy from the king. Ahav responds that since he accepted this condition upon himself when he took responsibility for guarding the prisoner, he must face the consequences of his negligence.

The prophet then lifts his headband and Ahav immediately recognizes him as one of the prophets. In the name of Hashem, he rebukes Ahav for freeing Ben-Haddad who was worthy of death. Like the “jailer” who allowed his charge to escape, Ahav will pay with his life and the lives of his people for this negligence. Ahav returns to his palace in Samaria deeply troubled by this message.

This chapter seems like an interruption in the narrative about Eliyahu and Elisha that we have followed thus far. Yet despite the absence of these two key figures, the context of Ahav’s court is suddenly very Jewish. The prophets who appear in this story are anonymous figures who speak not in the name of Baal but in the name of Hashem. The prophet declares to Ahav that the he will be victorious in the first conflict so that “you will know that I am Hashem” – a phrase that evokes memories of the story of the Exodus and its plagues that served to persuade Pharaoh to believe in God – implying that Ahav is in the process of developing and deepening his understanding of the Almighty.

Moreover, Ahav requests guidance in his military affairs from the prophet of Hashem, a pleasantly surprising move on his part. Remarkably, the second battle conducted by Ahav is, in some respects, intended to sanctify God’s name, an unlikely mission to be assigned to a king such as Ahav. Finally, we see that Ahav exhibits compassion toward his enemy which, although misguided, is understood as a very “Jewish” response to witnessing pain and suffering. How did Ahav suddenly become so religious?

The Midrashim add yet another layer of meaning to this interlude in the text. The Sages were troubled by the redundancy of the messages exchanged between Ben-Haddad and Ahav at the beginning of the chapter (we resolved this problem by interpreting the second communication from Ben-Haddad as a threat to physically seize property as opposed to the first, which was merely a request for surrender). According to the Rabbis, Ben-Haddad was not satisfied with looting the material goods of the kingdom – he wanted to take the king’s Torah Scroll. Ahav was willing to send Ben-Haddad anything he required as a tribute; however, when Ben-Haddad demanded the Sefer Torah, Ahav refused.

I believe that this Midrashic interpretation may have developed out of a sensitivity to the unusual features of the narrative we noted above – namely, that Ahav is portrayed in this chapter as a bona fide “King of Israel” who in his receptiveness to prophetic instruction and personal conduct reflects Jewish values.

The implications of this chapter are remarkable. Apparently, Eliyahu’s hasty conclusion that his message had fallen on deaf ears was at least partially unfounded. Ahav has, to some extent, begun to embrace his Jewish identity, to acknowledge Hashem’s existence, and even to seek the counsel of God and try to conduct himself in accordance with the Divine will. With each new experience, his religious education progresses – his victories on the battlefield further reinforce his newfound faith in the Almighty, the One God of Israel. Unfortunately, Eliyahu left the scene too early to witness this.

Recognizing the startling theme inscribed between the lines of this narrative, the Rabbis go so far as to recast Ahav into a champion of Judaism who is intent on preventing Aram from robbing Israel of its greatest treasure, the Torah. And it is noteworthy that throughout all of this, Izevel and her pernicious influence are nowhere to be found, allowing Ahav to give expression to the “hirhurei teshuva”, the faint thoughts of repentance, that are occupying his mind.

Despite the positive light cast on Ahav in this chapter, he is still found wanting at the end of the story. The war with Ben-Haddad, a battle to sanctify the name of God, should not have concluded with Ahav’s agreement to a political and economic treaty with the sworn enemy of Israel, someone who intended to destroy the Jewish people and all it represented. With his magnanimous gesture, Ahav intended to win the affection and friendship of Ben-Haddad, to be accepted by Ben-Haddad as a “brother” and to become an honored member of the society of kings. From a religious perspective, however, this should have been anathema to Ahav. As a Jewish king, he should want no part of the corrupt and idolatrous “fellowship” of royalty; he succumbed to his desire for recognition and placed it above his concern for his people and his God.

In this error of Ahav, we see further evidence of his essential character flaw; namely, his lack of the inner strength necessary to remain faithful to his principles and his resultant desire for validation from the international community or “powers that be”. His marriage to Izevel – daughter of the prestigious King of Tzidon – and his vulnerability to her influence, not to mention his tremendous enthusiasm for Baal worship – the religion of Tzidon – can all be traced to the same motive, a desperate need to be accepted by the rich, famous and powerful. Unfortunately, this conflict between standing up for what we believe to be true and right versus placating the nations of the world to win their favor and approval is a struggle that continues to plague the Jewish people even in our times.

The miraculous success of the small Jewish army, complemented by the collapse of the wall of Afeq and decimation of the survivors of Aram, was reminiscent of the Battle of Yeriho that included a similar Divine intervention. Like the victory at Yeriho, destroyed as a demonstration that Hashem was the true Conqueror and King of the land, no spoils, political advantages or material benefits should have been derived by Ahav from this achievement. The totality of the accomplishment was meant to be attributed to and consecrated to Hashem.

Since Ahav failed to see the hand of God in the battle and to sanctify Hashem’s name for its own sake, he has lost a golden opportunity to live up to the calling of a true king of Israel. Nonetheless, even in his moment of defeat, he responds nobly, sadly accepting the Divine judgment upon himself and taking its painful message to heart. He knows that he has empowered an enemy of his people and that the consequences of his error will eventually return to haunt him.

One last interesting feature of this story is the seven thousand troops of Ahav. In the previous chapter, Hashem had informed Eliyahu that he would keep alive the seven thousand citizens of Israel who had not bowed to or kissed the Baal. The commentaries generally interpret the number as metaphoric; surely more than seven thousand men survived from the generation of Ahav!

However, it is intriguing to wonder if perhaps the “seven thousand” men described to Eliyahu are a reference to the men who fought for Ahav in these “holy wars”. As we have learned in previous stories in Nakh, battles fought to sanctify Hashem’s name should be carried out by those with a clear understanding and devotion to Him. Perhaps the repetition of the number here is no accident – it is intended to hint to us that the troops of Ahav were not ordinary Israelites but were servants of Hashem who were spiritually superior to most of their contemporaries and were therefore worthy of conducting this war.

The Audio Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 18

Hashem instructs Eliyahu to appear before Ahav and tell the king that He will soon bring rain to Israel to end the three-year drought. In the meantime, Ahav and Ovadiah, the manager of his household, are foraging through Shomron in search of any remaining pasture that might save the surviving horses and mules who have been starving. Ovadiah is a deeply God-fearing man. Although Izevel, wife of Ahav, conducted fierce persecution and massacre of the prophets of Hashem (possibly in retaliation for Eliyahu’s decree of a drought), Ovadiah took the initiative to hide and support one hundred of them in two caves, where he secretly provided them bread and water.

Eliyahu encounters Ovadiah and tells him to inform his master, Ahav, that the prophet is present. Ovadiah is hesitant to comply with Eliyahu’s command. Ahav has been searching across the world for Eliyahu for three years and if Ovadiah claims to have found him and then Eliyahu “disappears”, Ovadiah fears being punished severely for the false alarm. Eliyahu swears in the name of Hashem that he will indeed meet Ahav, reassuring Ovadiah.

Ahav arrives to see Eliyahu and derisively calls him “troubler of Israel”. Eliyahu responds that it is in fact Ahav and his household, with their abandonment of Hashem and embrace of idolatry, who have brought suffering upon the nation. Eliyahu proposes a showdown with the prophets of the Baal. He tells Ahav to call upon the prophets of Baal and Ashera and to have them gather at Mount Carmel. Ahav complies with Eliyahu’s request and the prophets are assembled together.

Eliyahu acknowledges that he is the one remaining prophet of Hashem facing four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. He confronts the people on their hypocrisy – if they believe in Hashem, they should reject the Baal, and if they believe in the Baal, they should quit pretending to serve Hashem.

Eliyahu outlines a contest to determine which deity is the true God. Each side of the dispute will select a bullock and prepare an offering. They should then call upon their respective gods; whichever one responds with a miraculous fire to consume the sacrifice will be worshiped as God. The Baal prophets agree, and Eliyahu allows them to go first, since they are the larger group.

The prophets of Baal arrange their bull-offering on an altar and begin calling out to Baal, dancing upon the altar. By the afternoon, there has still been no response, and Eliyahu mocks the prophets of the Baal, suggesting that perhaps their god is distracted, traveling, sleeping or otherwise indisposed. The prophets of the Baal become desperate and engage in ritual self-mutilation, cutting themselves until blood gushes forth. There is no answer, and eventually, the prophets of the Baal give up.

Eliyahu then summons the assembled audience to draw close to him. He proceeds to construct an altar to Hashem made of twelve stones, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. He digs a trench around the altar and fills it with water. Eliyahu then lays wood and the butchered meat of his offering on top of the altar. He tells the people to douse his offering with water; they pour four pitchers of water on it three times, again for a total of twelve.

Eliyahu beseeches Hashem to answer his prayer and demonstrate that He is the true God and that Eliyahu is his faithful servant. A miraculous fire descends from heaven to consume the sacrifice, burn the wood and evaporate the water in the trenches, and the people are inspired to proclaim that Hashem is the only true God. Eliyahu takes advantage of the enthusiasm of the moment and directs the Jews to seize all of the prophets of the Baal, who now have been revealed as charlatans. Eliyahu kills all of the false prophets by the Brook of Kishon.

Eliyahu tells Ahav to go eat and drink because a rainstorm is imminent. Eliyahu ascends to Mount Carmel and waits with his face between his knees. He asks his servant to look out on the horizon to see if he spots any rain clouds; the seventh time, he sees a tiny cloud arising from the sea. Eliyahu instructs his servant to urge Ahav to rush home to his palace before the heavy rainfall arrives to deter him. Soon after, the sky blackens with cloud cover and an intense rainstorm follows. Eliyahu himself runs before the chariot of Ahav in agesture of respect for the newly repentant king.

There are a couple of interesting ideas to reflect upon in this chapter. First, although Hashem informs Eliyahu that He plans to finally put an end to the lengthy drought and famine in Israel, Eliyahu still proceeds under the assumption that some change must occur in the nation to justify this. Apparently, he interprets Hashem’s instruction that he engage with Ahav not just as a command to inform the king what is about to happen but as a command to teach or inspire the king in some way and make him thereby worthy of receiving the blessing of rainfall. Change in our fate does not happen because of a shift in Hashem’s perspective but because of a shift in our own attitudes, values and behavior.

The fact that Eliyahu encounters and speaks with Ovadiah before meeting with Ahav is fascinating and their dialogue is quite instructive. While Ovadiah refers to Eliyahu as his master and draws attention to his own piety and fear of God, Eliyahu subtly “rebukes” Ovadiah by calling Ahav his master instead. In some ways, Ovadiah represents the nation of Israel, torn between the spiritual authority of the true prophets on one hand and the temporal power of the corrupt monarchy on the other.

Ovadiah claims allegiance to Eliyahu and belief in his message, and he has indeed protected the prophets of Hashem, yet he is employed by Ahav and subservient to him. The conflict experienced by Ovadiah no doubt afflicted many of the Jews who wanted to maintain a level of connection to Judaism and Torah while benefiting from the stability and security provided for them by the regime of Ahav, which was unfortunately steeped in idolatry.

Eliyahu identifies this somewhat hypocritical stance in Ovadiah but is even more strident when he confronts the Jews who have gathered to witness the spectacle at Mount Carmel. He castigates the assembled Israelites for their self-contradiction and inconsistency in worshiping both Hashem and the Baal. In a statement that sounds almost blasphemous, Eliyahu suggests that if they truly believe Baal is god, they should abandon the service of Hashem altogether and follow the Baal exclusively! Why does Eliyahu endorse such an extreme and exclusive position? Isn’t it better to worship both Hashem and the Baal than not to worship Hashem at all?

Upon reflection, we can appreciate Eliyahu’s point, and it fits perfectly with his generally uncompromising worldview. An individual who takes a definite position on an issue can be argued with and proven wrong. He or she is engaged in the search for truth, seeks explanations that make sense, and will discard those that are irreconcilable with the facts.

On the other hand, a person who is comfortable living in a state of self-contradiction and inconsistency is much more difficult to debate or to educate. Since they haven’t subscribed to a single, clear opinion on the issue at hand, anything goes – and since their position is constantly shifting back and forth (in the words of Eliyahu, “hopping between two sides”) they are immune to disproof. Like slick politicians who resist the temptation to commit to any one principle, they can easily avoid the pain of losing an argument by changing their views as needed.

The whole point of Eliyahu’s demonstration at Mount Carmel is his demand that the Jewish people stop equivocating and agree to abide by one absolute truth. This way, the proof he provides of Hashem’s existence will automatically necessitate the rejection of all other objects of worship.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 17

Eliyahu the Prophet confronts King Ahav and swears in the name of God that “there will be no more dew or rain these years except according to my word.” A drought ensues and Hashem commands Eliyahu to hide near the Jordan River beside a brook called Kerit. While there, he is miraculously sustained by ravens who bring him meat and bread morning and evening, and he drinks from the brook until it finally dries up.

Hashem then tells Eliyahu to travel to Tzarefat in Tzidon, where He has appointed a widow to support the prophet. Eliyahu finds the woman and requests something to eat or drink. The widow responds that she is searching for twigs for a fire so that she and her son can cook and consume the very last bit of flour and oil they have, after which they expect to die of starvation. Eliyahu assures her that a miracle will occur and her flour and oil will never be exhausted; the only condition is that she prepare him a small cake from the provisions before baking for herself and her son. She follows the prophet’s instructions and her flour and oil continue to miraculously replenish themselves as long as Eliyahu resides there – until the end of the drought.

One day, the widow’s son falls ill and dies. She protests to Eliyahu that he has brought evil upon her house with his presence. Eliyahu takes the lifeless body of the boy to his room, lays the boy on his bed and cries out to God over the injustice of having caused this tragedy to his host, a poor widow. He stretches his body over the boy’s three times, and prays to Hashem to revive him until the child’s life is indeed restored. Eliyahu returns the boy to his mother who declares that she now knows that Eliyahu is a man of God and that his words are true.

There are two fundamental issues in this chapter that require explanation. The first is the role of Eliyahu in the decree that there should be no rain. How is a mere mortal capable of making such a decision? We see here something remarkable about the role of the prophet in the Divine plan. In addition to being granted insight into Hashem’s wisdom and designs for the future, the prophet is expected to participate actively in the realization of the objectives that are revealed to him. This requires the prophet to develop his own strategy for achieving the goals with which Hashem has tasked him.

In order to equip the prophet for his mission, Hashem empowers him to perform whatever miracles he deems necessary for the process. Eliyahu has been sent by Hashem to rebuke and correct the behavior of Ahav, and he opts to put pressure on Ahav by decreeing a drought. Eliyahu has been invested with the authority to make such a determination based upon his own judgment of what must be done to attain the objective of his mission.

The second aspect of this chapter that is puzzling is the conduct of Eliyahu after the drought is initiated. What is the reason why he is sustained first miraculously by ravens and then miraculously by the widow in Tzidon? What purpose is served by the violations of natural law involved in these intriguing stories?

In order to understand the answer to these questions, we must clarify the setting in which Eliyahu operates and the character and attitudes of Eliyahu himself. As mentioned in our comments on the previous chapter, Ahav ruled during an unprecedented period of peace, tranquility and stability in Israel, DESPITE his wickedness and idolatry. While this time of relative calm could have afforded him the opportunity to reflect and repent, it seems to have had the opposite effect of reinforcing and rewarding his sinful activity.

In this context, Eliyahu’s approach is to impose “middat Hadin”, the strict principle of justice expressed in the Torah, and to withhold rain from the recalcitrant Jews. By establishing himself as the arbiter of the rainfall, he throws down the proverbial gauntlet before Ahav who will have to engage with and learn from him in order to “earn” the cessation of the drought. Throughout his entire career, Eliyahu’s signature characteristic is his staunch and uncompromising sense of justice and accountability and his unwillingness to consider more flexible or gradual solutions to the problem of Jewish defection from the Torah.

The series of experiences he is subjected to in this chapter can be thought of as an educational progression for Eliyahu, a lesson in the balance between justice and mercy that is necessary to allow growth to occur over time. First, he is fed amply but miraculously (an example of Divine compassion) by the cruel raven (a subtle hint to his own disregard for the suffering he has caused to others with the drought) but eventually the brook dries up, a manifestation of the strict justice that he himself has insisted upon.

Moving in with the widow provides Eliyahu with a firsthand opportunity to see the poverty and pain that has resulted from the severe famine. Here again, he is sustained miraculously, as befits him as a prophet of God. His interactions with the widow and her son, we must assume, involved much teaching, learning and inspiration; then, suddenly, the boy is ripped away from his mother by death. This seemingly senseless and destructive act troubles Eliyahu, who had expected to have more time to live with, educate and mentor this young man and his mother.

We, the readers, don’t know why Hashem determined that the youth’s life should be taken. Apparently, in His system of absolute justice, this was the correct outcome. Nevertheless, Hashem does not insist on the unbending rule of law – He allows the “reversal” of His decision and resuscitates the boy.

The lesson for Eliyahu is that the Almighty Himself is willing to compromise, setting aside the dictates of pure justice when there is a constructive and beneficial reason to do so. Focusing too much on the letter of discipline without room for human limitations, foibles, error and resistance is a recipe for disaster. A qualified teacher, whether he is a prophet or not, must be willing to accept his students or audience as the flawed creatures they are and to slowly and patiently work with them, forgiving their mistakes and setbacks along the way.

Interestingly, the Talmud tells us that the meat and bread delivered by the ravens came from the kitchen of none other than Ahav himself – representing to Eliyahu the importance of seeing the benefit of Ahav’s regime to his subjects, the fact that despite its profound flaws, Ahav did provide for the citizens of his kingdom. Government institutions and monarchies, like individual human beings, are complex entities. They tend to resist change, to backslide, and to err, yet they must be accepted as they are and must be allowed “room” for gradual and sometimes frustratingly slow development.

Eliyahu opted for the confrontational, high-handed, dramatic and idealistic approach rather than the more grounded, human, and realistic pedagogical methods of other prophets. Like Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai many generations later, Eliyahu was unable to tolerate the hypocrisy and equivocation of the people of his time and insisted on total and immediate fealty to the covenant. This led him into direct conflict with the establishment – instead of working with it he stands against it – and, ultimately, will lead to his removal and replacement with a less “extreme” prophetic personality.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 15

Aviyam, son of Rehavam, maintains the status quo set during the reign of his father, allowing idolatry and immorality to proliferate in Israel. Nevertheless, Hashem allows him to retain the kingship in order to fulfill His promise to perpetuate the dynasty of David. Aviyam dies and is succeeded by his son Asa, who substantially improves the nation’s spiritual state.

Asa removes the idols and idolatrous shrines from the country, banishes the practitioners of immorality and invests wealth in the upkeep and renovation of the Bet HaMiqdash. He deposes his own grandmother, Maakha, who had formerly occupied the position of “Queen Mother” in the empire, because of her participation in idol worship. Overall, Asa wholeheartedly serves Hashem throughout his life. He is criticized only for his failure to eliminate the private altars to Hashem in the land of Israel; these, although not idolatrous, represented “competition” to the Holy Temple and maintaining them was in violation of the Torah.

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Israel, Nadav succeeds his father, Yarovam, as monarch. Baasha of the tribe of Yissakhar contrives a plot against Nadav and assassinates him, claiming the throne for himself. Once established, he proceeds to have all remaining members of the family of Yarovam killed, which was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Ahiyah Hashiloni regarding the House of Yarovam.

There is continual friction between the kingdoms of Yehudah and Israel. At one point, Baasha builds some kind of blockade at Rama, the border between Yehuda and Israel, in order to restrict the passage of people and goods into his territory. Asa sends a handsome bribe to Ben-Hadad, King of Aram, who had alliances with both kingdoms, and asks him to nullify his agreement with the Kingdom of Israel and lay siege to them. Ben-Hadad complies, and as a result of this diversion, Baasha abandons the project at Rama.

Asa drafts all of the eligible men of his kingdom into his workforce and commands them to seize the construction materials that had been left behind by Baasha and to use them to build up Geva of Binyamin and Mitzpah. Asa contracts some kind of disease that affects his legs in his later years, which our Rabbis interpret as a sign of Hashem’s disapproval of his bribery of Ben-Hadad.

Inviting foreign powers to get involved and take sides in Jewish “civil wars” is a dangerous idea and sets a bad precedent; he should have stood up on his own “feet” and defended his people against Baasha without reaching out to Aram for support. This criticism was metaphorically conveyed to Asa through the loss of use of his legs in the latter part of his reign. However, Asa otherwise enjoys a prosperous and successful career as king. He dies and his son, Yehoshaphat, rules in his stead.

There are a couple of points to highlight here. The first is the contrast, even on a purely political level, between the kingdoms of Yehuda and Israel, respectively. The kingdom of Yehuda is relatively stable. Kings are succeeded on the throne by their sons and there is little sign of rebellion, revolt or upset. By contrast, the kingdom of Israel is beset by much turmoil, bloodshed, military takeovers and assassinations.

Despite the limitations of the Kingdom of Yehuda, the advantage of stability made it a much more desirable place to live and contributed to its prosperity. Indeed, the book of Divrei Hayamim tells us that many citizens of Israel migrated south to the Kingdom of Yehuda during this period, which may well explain why Baasha wanted to control the borders and restrict passage from the territory of one kingdom to the other.

The prophetic message here is that the absence of Torah and Divine presence in the kingdom of Israel leaves a void that is immediately filled by aggression, hunger for power and rampant injustice. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Yehuda, even at its low points, still identifies with Judaism, the Bet Hamiqdash, and the Torah. The level of commitment to these values varies, and can sometimes be rather tenuous, but the fact that there is a sense of connection to these ideals provides a framework of sanctity that yields relative harmony and stability in the region.

The issue of the personal altars, or Bamot, will be a dominant one throughout the Book of Melakhim. The Torah allowed such altars only in the absence of a national sanctuary for the people. Once the Temple was built and consecrated, however, Bamot were no longer permitted. Bamot obviously detract from the centrality and exclusivity of the Bet Hamiqdash by providing a local alternative. Having a single Temple is, first of all, symbolic of the Unity of Hashem. It also represents the idea that our quest to draw close to Hashem and know Him is a lifelong communal endeavor that progresses through educational stages, overseen and guided by the Kohanim and Levites.

The magnificence of the Bet Hamiqdash instilled in the Jews a sense of the glory of worshiping Hashem but also humbled them with its reflection of the overwhelming transcendence of Hashem. One who visited the Temple understood that approaching the Creator was no simple matter and that standing before Him demanded serious preparation.

Personal altars, by contrast, created the illusion of closeness to Hashem was a “given”, something that came to people easily, could be conjured up magically and could be totally taken for granted. They dilute the sense of awe, reverence and humility that should be associated with the service of Hashem, allowing people a “quick fix”; and, once the ideal of a national center of worship is available, such locations are no longer supposed to be operating.

The failure of most of the kings to eliminate these “unauthorized” sites was an indication that they neglected their obligation to coordinate and direct the spiritual and educational growth of the Jewish people. Permitting the exclusivity of the Temple and its activities to be compromised by the existence of Bamot meant that the kings did not accept the responsibility for the spiritual state of their subjects, they did not use their power to guide the nation along the path of Torah. It was the equivalent of allowing unlicensed quacks to practice medicine throughout a city or, in modern terms, allowing unlicensed and unsupervised online schools to provide education to the public. Such a policy would demonstrate a flagrant disregard for the communal welfare.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 12
The nation of Israel gathers in Shekhem for the official coronation of Rehavam, Shelomo’s son and successor. Yarovam, no longer needing to fear Shelomo, is returned to Israel from Egypt to represent the population and bring their grievances before the new king. Specifically, they request an alleviation of the severe tax burden that had been placed upon them by Shelomo and which, now that the major public works projects had been completed, was no longer necessary.

Rehavam requests three days to consider the matter and consult with his advisers. The elder statesmen who had formerly advised Shelomo recommend that Rehavam acquiesce to the petition of the people. If he treats his subjects in a kind and compassionate manner now, they reason, he will win their allegiance and loyalty and will be able to demand more of them in the future. Rehavam’s young friends, however, advise him to deal harshly with the nation and to inform them that his regime will be even more exacting than that of his father.

Rehavam abandons the counsel of the elders and adopts the “no nonsense” policy endorsed by his childhood companions. Unsurprisingly, the high handed and threatening tone of Rehavam is not well received, the populace rejects his authority, and a rebellion begins to take shape. When Rehavam sends his officer Adoram to collect taxes, the people pelt him with stones, killing him; Rehavam himself escapes harm and finds refuge in Jerusalem.

Yarovam is chosen as King by all of the tribes except for Yehuda. Rehavam gathers a military force of one hundred eighty thousand men, comprised of members of the tribes of Yehuda and Binyamin, and prepares to put down the rebellion and reunify the kingdom. However, Hashem sends a prophetic message to Rehavam, informing the king that these developments were divinely ordained and ordering him not to go to war against his fellow Jews. Remarkably, and to his tremendous credit, Rehavam heeds the word of Hashem and calls off the attack.

Yarovam builds up Shekhem and Penuel, establishing them as key cities in his new regime. However, he immediately becomes concerned with a serious problem that he fears will threaten his sovereignty. Yarovam realizes that the nation is accustomed to traveling to the majestic and glorious Temple in Jerusalem for the festivals. He is worried that visiting the Bet Hamiqdash, which is so intimately connected to King David and his dynasty, will awaken feelings of nostalgia in the Jews and will draw them back to Rehavam and the House of David.

Therefore, Yarovam establishes two sanctuaries for his kingdom, one in Bet El and one in Dan. At each, he places a golden calf, and declares that there is no more need to go to Jerusalem; quoting the statement made by the Jews at the time of the original golden calf, he says, “these are your gods, oh Israel, who took you up from the Land of Egypt”.
In addition to changing the venue of worship, Yarovam alters the calendar, moving the holiday normally celebrated in Tishrei (Sukkot) to the following month, Marheshvan. Lastly, instead of Kohanim and Levites officiating the worship of God, Yarovam selects citizens from all the tribes to perform this function. All of these changes effected a clear break between the religious practices of the Kingdom of Yehuda and those of the King of Israel.

There is a great deal to explore and consider in this chapter. Let us begin with the coronation of Rehavam and his poor choices of behavior. It is surprising that the ceremony took place in Shekhem, located in the tribal territory of Yosef, and not in the capital city of Jerusalem that was historically linked to the House of David. Apparently, Rehavam was aware of the heighten tensions and resentment toward him in Israel on account of some of the actions of his father that had alienated them. There was a particularly anti-Shelomo feeling within the families of Yosef – the historic rivals of Yehuda – of which Yarovam was a member. Holding this event in Shekhem may have been a conciliatory gesture on the part of Rehavam, motivated by a desire to calm these tensions and to set a tone of unity and collaboration among the tribes.

At the same time, Rehavam’s decision to follow the advice of his younger contemporaries is puzzling. What inspired them to offer such ill-considered counsel, and what persuaded Rehavam to adopt it? As a new king, Rehavam confronted a serious dilemma. On one hand, he understood the importance of winning the support and endorsement of his subjects. On the other hand, he feared coming across as overly weak in the eyes of the people, inviting their disdain, or being labeled a “pushover”. He needed to establish his authority and power as king and not to seem wishy-washy from day one. So while he saw that agreeing to the request to lower taxes would increase his popularity in the short term, he worried that it would cause the people to question his strength as king.

The elders correctly concluded that the essential consideration for Rehavam at this point should not have been the temporary, superficial appearance of strength. His primary priority should have been earning the endorsement and loyalty of his subjects. True power is found in strategic leadership, not brute force or threats. A humble and conciliatory approach might have seemed like weakness to Rehavam on the surface but, in fact, would have ultimately secured his position as monarch.

His friends who had grown up with him were, like him, wealthy, privileged and not fully in touch with the mindset of the commoners. They overestimated Rehavam’s ability to “flex political muscle” at this stage of his career and underestimated the potential for revolt among the citizens of Israel. Lacking clarity as to the real significance of the moment, they preferred the macho, confrontational and heavy handed approach that appealed to the insecure ego of Rehavam over the measured and patient response advocated by the elders.

They encouraged Rehavam to behave in an authoritarian way and to put the people in their place, so to speak. And since, in the short term, this indeed made Rehavam feel stronger and more in control, he was swayed in the direction of their misguided advice. Of course, this decision fed the flames of resentment that were already burning in Israel against Shelomo’s regime, further reinforcing the perception that the royal family was elitist, self-serving and dismissive of the concerns of ordinary people. Rebellion under these circumstances is hardly an unexpected response.

Dissecting the anatomy of Yarovam’s revolt is a fascinating exercise. He establishes the political focus of his kingdom in two cities that are historically associated with the Patriarchs, Shekhem – which plays a significant role in the Books of Yehoshua and Shofetim, as well as in the Book of Beresheet with the stories of Yaaqov and his sons – and Penuel, which featured prominently in the story of Gideon in the Book of Shofetim, and was the first place Yaaqov arrived when he returned to Israel from his sojourn with Lavan.

Yarovam places his altars in locations with great historical significance as well – Bet El, consecrated by Yaaqov Avinu as a place of worship, and Dan, where the “graven image of Mikha” had been worshiped from the beginning of the period of the Judges until the rise of the Prophet Shemuel. There is a sense here of “going back to basics” and “returning to our roots”, which we can almost imagine was the slogan of Yarovam’s movement. These geographical choices indicate a desire to turn back the clock of history to a simpler time, a time that predated any monarchy, a time when all citizens of Israel were truly free men.

This is not the only way in which Yarovam proclaims a populist agenda. By putting his sanctuaries at the far North and far South ends of his kingdom, respectively, he sends the message that the entire land from top to bottom, not just these two spots and CERTAINLY not just Jerusalem, is sacred and an appropriate place in which to worship God. In rejecting the special status of the Kohanim and Levites, he makes the prospect of officiating in worship open to everybody, not just to descendants of Levi or of Aharon.

There are two remarkable parallels to Torah stories in the description of Yarovam and his behavior. The first, and most obvious, is to the incident of the Golden Calf. The language used to declare the introduction of the calves at Dan and Bet El is, word for word, the language that was used at the time of the Golden Calf in the wilderness. Yarovam, like Aharon Hakohen, will subsequently offer sacrifices at the altar in Bet El before one of the calves.

Moreover, Yarovam names his children Nadav and Aviya, a rather obvious reference to Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu. Ironically, those sons of Aharon died when they brought an unauthorized offering into the sanctuary of Hashem; perhaps Yarovam, in selecting their names for his children, means to “negate” that narrative as the reason for their demise, thereby justifying his own creation of unauthorized modes of divine worship.

The parallel goes deeper than this. Aharon HaKohen was motivated to fashion the Golden Calf because of his fear that the people, panicking over the absence of Moshe, would rebel against him and possibly kill him (according to the Midrash, they did, in fact, kill Miriam’s son, Hur.) Ultimately, the people believed that without Moshe present, Hashem’s providence had departed from them. Aharon compromised and created the Golden Calf to reassure the nation that God was still with them and in order to keep the nation under control, as it were.

Here too, Yarovam is faced with a genuine crisis. The people have good reason to believe that Hashem is with the Kingdom of Yehuda and that the Divine Presence dwells in Jerusalem, as symbolized by the glorious Temple. Yarovam feared that the people, seeing that the “real” relationship with God is mediated through the Bet Hamiqdash and the Kingdom of Yehuda, will be persuaded to return to there and be a part of it. Yarovam’s golden calves were designed to reassure his subjects that Hashem was, indeed, with them. In fact, rather than being limited to the Temple precincts like in the Kingdom of Yehuda, God’s presence permeated the entire Kingdom of Israel and could be found anywhere in between the sanctuaries that were established at the northern and southern borders.

In essence, Yarovam’s two golden calves were his answer to the two golden Keruvim in the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem, and an “improvement” on them. The Divine Presence was conceived as residing in between the Keruvim in the Holy Temple, the place fashioned to serve as the “footstool” of the Shekhina and from which Hashem would communicate with Moshe. In Israel, the Divine Presence was not nearly as limited – it rested in between the golden calves in Dan and Bet El, which included the entire country!

It is important to mention that the golden calves of Yarovam, like the one made by Aharon, were not intended to be objects of worship or idols; they were, like the various golden objects in the Bet Hamiqdash, meant to represent Hashem’s presence in a concrete way. We can see from his conduct and statements throughout the next couple of chapters that Yarovam never wavered in his belief in God; he never “converted” to actual idolatry or adopted religious practices or imagery from pagan cults. He merely used a “Jewish” symbol of the Divine presence, drawn from the Torah’s story of the Golden Calf, to reassure his subjects that despite the distance of the Ark of the Covenant and the Temple, Hashem was still with them.

The similarities between Yarovam and Qorah (Korach) are also intriguing and remarkable. Both abolished or attempted to abolish the class distinctions between Kohanim, Levites and Israelites, and both sought to officiate as Kohen Gadol themselves. Moreover, Yarovam uses a phrase borrowed straight from Qorah when he says “rav lakhem”, it is too much for you to go to Jerusalem, just as Qorah challenged Moshe with the words “rav lakhem”, you have taken too much for yourselves. What is the link between Qorah and Yarovam?

Just like Qorah before him, Yarovam promotes a populist message to facilitate his own rise to power. By demonstrating that he wants to offer the Kohanic privileges to everyone and to allow places of worship to be constructed anywhere, he continues the crusade against the Kingdom of Shelomo, a kingdom that had been branded as politically and religiously elitist. The view that divine service could only be conducted in Jerusalem, and only by Kohanim was, according to Yarovam, as fraudulent and corrupt a claim as the assertion that only a descendant of David could sit on the throne of Israel. As with all popular revolts, any and all kinds of class distinction or privilege become anathema and are seen as part of the oppression sponsored by the state. Yarovam, both politically and religiously, portrays himself (as Qorah did) as the great liberator who frees the common man from the hegemony of the self-appointed elite class.

(Another context where the phrase “rav lakhem” is used is in the Torah when Hashem tells the Jewish people to take leave of Mount Sinai and begin their journey to the Promised Land. There, the language is “rav lakhem sov et ha-har hazeh”, you have spent plenty of time encircling this mountain, and the time has come to move forward to the next stage of your development. Based on this literary allusion, we may infer that Yarovam marketed his new kingdom under the banner of “progress”, as if to say, “enough of this focus on a single mountain in Jerusalem, the time has come for us to move beyond this limiting framework and expand the boundaries of legitimate worship.” In other words, he didn’t merely claim that his vision of Jewish life was ALSO valid – he claimed that it was superior to the form that preceded it.)

Yarovam’s agenda clearly contradicted the Torah and was inconsistent with the high expectations Hashem had of him. Nevertheless, one cannot but marvel at the depth of his insight into the political, social and religious factors he had to negotiate in order to achieve his goals and the brilliance with which he orchestrated his plans. Study of the structure of his rebellion provides us with a better understanding of why and how movements like Yarovam’s and Qorah’s gain adherents and how we might be able to stop them from doing so.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 11
Shelomo begins the final and most tragic stage of his descent in this chapter. In clear violation of the Torah, he marries many women, for a total of seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. This far exceeds the number of wives permitted to a king by Jewish law. Moreover, a number of these women hail from nations with which the Torah explicitly forbids us to intermarry, even following a proper conversion.

Like Shimshon before him, Shelomo allows his passion for women to blur his judgment and loses sight of his mission as king of Israel. Under their influence, he authorizes the construction of altars dedicated to various idols, seemingly so that his wives can continue their countries’ religious traditions even though they have relocated to Israel.

Hashem decrees that, as a result of this unfaithful behavior, He will take the kingdom away from Shelomo’s descendants; however, this will occur only after the death of Shelomo himself. Moreover, one tribe – Yehuda – will remain under the rule of Shelomo’s dynasty so as to honor the promise that Hashem made to King David. The rest of the tribes will follow another king.

The chapter proceeds to describe three sources of opposition and stress that confronted Shelomo as punishment for his sin. Hadad the Edomite and Rezon ben Elyada were both survivors of military campaigns conducted under David’s direction in Edom and Aram, respectively. Through a complex series of seemingly random events and changes in each of their lives, by now they had risen to positions of prominence and leadership and used their power to create much trouble for Shelomo’s kingdom toward the end of his life.

The third source of resistance comes from within the ranks of the Jewish people. Yarovam ben Nevat, who possesses significant managerial and leadership skill, has been appointed as one of the top officers and tax collectors in Shelomo’s government. However, Yarovam expresses harsh criticism of Shelomo’s rebuilding of the breaches in the wall of the City of David and his investment in the fortification or improvement of the Millo. As we mentioned previously, whatever exactly the Millo is, the implication of the text is that this project set up a barrier between the residential area of Jerusalem on one side and the royal residential complex and Temple on the other.

This was naturally perceived as misguided, elitist, and an inappropriate use of communal funds for the personal aggrandizement of Shelomo and, even worse, for the aggrandizement of his most controversial wife, the daughter of Pharaoh. Closing off the breaches in the wall of the city sounds like a noble effort but, in fact, this limited access to the Temple and to the king’s palace, something unheard of in the times of David who was supremely accessible to the nation and ensured that the main place of worship was, as well. These grievances, fueled by the public perception of an increasingly imperial, extravagant, and self-involved Shelomo, emboldened Yarovam to confront his boss in an open and perhaps overly forward manner.

The prophet Ahiyah HaShiloni approaches Yarovam, who is wearing a brand new cloak, and tears the cloak into twelve pieces, handing ten of them to Yarovam. He informs Yarovam that Hashem plans to tear the kingdom away from the son of Shelomo and to transfer ten of the tribes of Israel to him instead. One tribe will remain faithful to the Davidic dynasty in order to uphold the Divine promise made to them and in order to maintain Jerusalem as the center of Jewish worship selected by God. If Yarovam adheres to the Torah and commandments of Hashem, he is promised a bright future as a co-monarch of Israel, including his very own royal dynasty. If he fails, however, then he, too, will lose the privilege of governing Hashem’s people.

Yarovam’s aspirations for the kingship become known and he must flee to Egypt, where he finds refuge with the King, Shishaq. Shelomo passes away after forty years of reign over Israel, passing the throne to his son, Rehavam.

It is important to note that it is not necessary, nor is it reasonable, to assume that Shelomo himself participated in the pagan worship that he permitted to take place in the land of Israel. It is more likely, and strongly supported by the language of the verses that emphasize his wives’ service to their gods, that he merely sponsored the building of the shrines, either for political reasons (to honor the families of his wives, many of which were probably royal families with whom he had contracted treaties) or for emotional reasons (to placate his wives who were likely sentimental about their religious heritage and conflicted about giving it up). However, the fact that the king of Israel endorses the establishment of state-sponsored idolatrous altars in the Holy Land is equivalent to having actually served idols.

The whole purpose of the selection of the nation of Israel and of their settlement of the land, not to mention the whole objective of the elaborate and long-awaited construction of the Temple, was to proclaim the existence of One God to all of humanity. The erection of idolatrous shrines under the auspices of Shelomo’s government, with the “royal seal” emblazoned upon them, so to speak, amounts to undermining the Divine purpose that was so close to being achieved. Visitors to Jerusalem who have arrived in search of knowledge of the unique and transcendent God of Israel will be totally confused by the multitude of idols and alternative places of worship that now dot the landscape. The message has officially been diluted and contaminated.

The language of Ahiyah HaShiloni indicates that Yarovam indeed had potential to be a great Jewish king, faithful to the Torah of Israel. Hashem articulates the same lofty expectations of Yarovam that he expressed to the kings of the House of David. This supports the Rabbinic tradition that Yarovam was, in fact, a pious and learned Jew who was quite capable of establishing a dynasty in his own right. Notwithstanding the very negative reputation Yarovam acquires later on, he clearly had tremendous potential, enough to qualify as the Almighty’s choice for the position of monarch. Had Yarovam been satisfied with the mission assigned to him and willing to work alongside (rather than in competition with) the Kingdom of Yehudah, he may have gone down in the books as one of the great kings of our history.

One question we can pose about this chapter is why Hashem insists on preserving a remnant of the Davidic dynasty in spite of the sins of his children. What is the benefit of perpetuating the legacy of David once it has been tarnished? Of course, Hashem swore to David that his descendants would never be totally rejected by Him, but why?

We may conjecture that there is an analogy between the covenant Hashem made with the Patriarchs and the covenant made with King David. In fact, in several places in the Tanakh, these promises are compared to one another, either explicitly or implicitly. In recognition of the outstanding wisdom and noble behavior of Avraham, Yitzchaq and Yaaqov, they were promised that their descendants would never perish from the face of the earth and would one day become a holy nation that deserved to inherit the land of Israel.

Although those children will surely falter and sin along the way, they will ultimately return to the path of Hashem and fulfill their divine purpose in the world. The fact that the Jewish people identify with the Patriarchs and view them as parental figures and role models to be emulated ensures that the nation, no matter how far removed it may be from the ideals of Torah at any given time, maintains some level of connection to the values of their ancestors. This, in turn, means that the Patriarchs are guaranteed that their life’s work will not have been in vain – their legacy, even if sometimes neglected, will never be forgotten or rendered obsolete.

The same is true of King David. The merit of his devotion to Hashem and Torah-true leadership made him worthy of becoming the example of genuine Jewish kingship for all time. The reward he is promised in Hashem’s covenant with him is that, like the Patriarchs before him, he can rest assured that the effect of his deeds will never be erased. His descendants will always look back to their roots and their heritage and, identifying with their great ancestor David, will have his legacy as an ideal to inspire and guide them.

To allow the dynasty of King David to be eliminated would neutralize the eternal impact he was meant and promised to have on generations of leaders after him. It would diminish the place that David had earned the right to occupy in the history and the destiny of Israel. The perpetuation of David’s monarchy in some form through his children holds out the hope that they will eventually awaken to the esteemed legacy they represent, embrace it, return to it, and restore the kingdom of David to its former glory.

Yarovam’s challenge to Shelomo’s leadership centers on the building projects the king undertook that were for no clear public purpose but for his own personal benefit. He capitalizes on the growing dissatisfaction with Shelomo that is fomenting in Israel. In this way, Shelomo’s punishment is “measure for measure” – he reaps exactly what he has sown. In isolating and elevating himself above the nation, he has provoked a level of resentment against the throne that will quickly propel Yarovam to power. This is yet another illustration of the Biblical principle of reward and punishment that we have observed many times in our study of Tanakh. There is no need for supernatural intervention here; the natural consequences of sinful or foolish behavior are a more than sufficient punishment for the perpetrator.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 10

The Queen of Sheba has heard of the reputation of Shelomo and his kingdom and arrives with a delegation of officers to investigate. She challenges Shelomo with riddles and questions and he is able to answer all of them. She is furthermore impressed by the wealth of the king, the beauty of the Temple and the palace, the extravagance the king’s court and servants, the abundant meals served on his table, and the worship of God he performs in the Bet Hamiqdash.

The Queen of Sheba’s breath is taken away by what she observes, which is far beyond what she had expected to witness based on the reports she had received. She praises the officers and attendants of Shelomo who are so fortunate to have the opportunity to hear his wisdom on a regular basis, and she blesses Hashem, God of Israel, for having chosen such a wise and just monarch to rule over his people. The Queen bestows lavish gifts of gold and spices upon Shelomo. The king returns this favor by providing her with any knowledge she seeks as well as sharing with her from his royal bounty; the Queen then departs for home.

The boats of Hiram not only bring gold back to Shelomo from Ophir; they also carry exquisite wood and precious gems back from their journeys. King Shelomo uses the wood to fashion pillars for the Bet Hamiqdash and for his palace, as well as to make instruments for the musical accompaniment of the Temple service. Shelomo amasses a tremendous amount of gold on an annual basis, both from the taxes he levies on the population and from the exploits of his navy. Shelomo uses this excess gold to design heavy, solid gold, decorative shields and targets that adorn the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

Shelomo overlays his ivory throne with gold and constructs six steps leading up to it; on either side of each step is an ivory lion covered in gold, for a total of twelve lions. No other king in the world could boast of such an exceptional throne. All of the vessels used in the palace and in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were made of gold. In addition to precious metals and stones, Shelomo’s navy would arrive every three years with rare animals like peacocks and monkeys as well. There was such an abundance of gold and fine goods in Israel at this time that items like silver and cedar wood became commonplace.

Shelomo surpassed all of the kings in the land in both material wealth and wisdom. People would come from all over the world to hear his wisdom, bringing gifts of gold, silver, garments, armor, and animals to the king as a tribute. Shelomo accumulated many chariots and horses, purchasing them from Egypt at a hefty price.

In this chapter we see both sides of the tension in Shelomo exemplified, exacerbated and interwoven with one another. The account of the visit of the Queen of Sheba is historic because it describes the fulfillment of the whole purpose of the Torah. The objective of all of the commandments is that the nation of Israel sanctify the name of God in the world, inspiring the gentiles to inquire about and acknowledge His existence. Our patriarch Avraham dedicated his life to this cause and we are obligated to perpetuate his legacy. When the Prophets speak of the Messianic era, they portray the nations of the world streaming to Jerusalem to learn of the ways of God from the Jewish people.

During the times of Yehoshua, the Giveonim pretended to be emissaries from a faraway land who had learned of the great deeds of Hashem and wished to accept His kingship and join the Jewish people. In reality, they were local Canaanites who feared for their lives. However, we see how excited Yehoshua and the elders were by the mere thought that they had accomplished their mission of spreading awareness of Hashem across the globe. In their state of elation they hastily accepted the false story of the Giveonim and welcomed them into the fold of Israel. Sadly, it was later revealed to be a hoax.

The case of the Queen of Sheba, however, is the “real deal” and is very exciting; motivated by sincere curiosity and interest, she has come to learn more about the God of Israel and His wisdom. In this sense, she is a latter-day “Yitro”; like the Midianite father-in-law of Moshe, she left the comfort of her homeland to investigate the reports she had “heard” about the wisdom of Hashem and His Providence. Like Yitro, she has an even further “epiphany” once she witnesses the greatness of the Torah and the people of God with her own eyes and is even more impressed than she had expected to be. She praises not only the wisdom of Shelomo but the One God of Israel, and recognizes that Shelomo has been chosen to implement “tzedaqa umishpat”, charity and justice.

The use of these words is critical because they refer us back to at least two fundamental Biblical characters. King David was described, at the height of his career, as doing justice and charity for his people. As the founder of the monarchy, his example establishes the ideal to be emulated by all future kings. More essentially, “tzedaqa umishpat” are the terms Hashem uses to describe the ethics of the household of Avraham and the principles he taught his children; they define the core values of Judaism.

Shelomo’s kingdom functioned in such a wise, judicious, equitable and charitable manner, that the Queen of Sheba was able to perceive exactly what Judaism and the God of Israel are all about. In this way, too, she is similar to Yitro, who recognized Hashem because of the justice of His actions in punishing the Egyptian oppressors and saving the persecuted Jews.

At the same time, we find Shelomo accumulating excessive wealth contrary to the laws of the Torah, indulging in luxury and extravagance beyond measure, and transgressing the prohibition of acquiring many horses. The Torah explicitly forbids the king to have a multitude of horses so he will not go to Egypt to acquire them; this, in fact, is exactly what our chapter says that Shelomo does, in contravention of the word of Hashem. Although Shelomo shares his vast wealth with the Temple, dedicating many of the fine items he receives to the improvement or beautification of the sanctuary, the majority of it seems to be invested in his palace, his throne and his treasuries.

Fascinatingly, when the palace of the king, Hall of Judgment and the House of the Forest of Lebanon were initially constructed, we noted that there was no “gold” associated with them. We interpreted this absence of gold as a symbolic demonstration of the idea that the Bet Hamiqdash, with its plethora of gold, was of greater stature and significance than Shelomo’s residential complex. The king serves to maintain a just and equitable society so that its citizens can serve Hashem properly; he is, ultimately, a servant of Hashem.
The fact that we now see that there are innumerable gold vessels, fixtures, and decorations in the palace, on the throne of the king and in the House of the Forest of Lebanon is shocking – why wasn’t this mentioned earlier?

It is possible that these adornments were added at a later time, when Shelomo’s wealth increased. Alternatively, it is possible that they were present from the outset, but the text specifically neglected to mention them in order to convey a message. Regardless of the historical timeline, the concept is the same – although Shelomo’s intentions in constructing the royal complex were sincere and God-centered in the beginning, the purity of his motives declined over time. He began to fall prey to the allure of his own riches, power and fame.

When Shelomo started out, he saw these extravagances as a necessary evil “justified” by the need to present a spectacle of majesty and power to the nations of the world. Eventually, however, building the empire became an end in itself. We see the decline elegantly chronicled in this chapter, which moves from the “pinnacle” of spiritual success (the visit of the Queen of Sheba), to grey areas in which the spiritual and self-aggrandizing impulses overlapped (the use of precious wood to adorn both the House of Hashem and the king’s residence), to the low of pure, unadulterated materialism described in the final verses of the passage (accumulation of gold, acquisition of rare items, and pursuit of lavish decoration for their own sake.)

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 9

Shelomo has completed the two primary objectives he yearned to attain – the construction of the Temple and of his royal residential complex. Hashem appears to Shelomo in a dream for a second time and tells him that He has indeed sanctified and chosen the site of the Bet Hamiqdash as the place in which His presence will dwell for eternity. However, he reminds Shelomo that his career and legacy as king will only be secure if he continues to walk in the ways of his father, David, remaining true to the Torah and its statutes.

If Shelomo or his descendants turn away from Hashem, the Jewish people will be rejected by the Almighty and exiled from their homeland. The Temple, which now stands as a magnificent tribute to the closeness between the Jews and God, will be destroyed. Its ruins will then become a reminder to the nations of the world of the tragic downfall of the Children of Israel who betrayed their sacred covenant with Hashem.

The chapter proceeds to detail further “exploits” of Shelomo, including building projects he undertook that were unrelated to the Temple or his residence. Shelomo continues his relationship with Hiram, King of Tzor, and receives an abundance of fine lumber and gold from him. Shelomo gifts twenty cities to Hiram as a gesture of friendship, but Hiram is disappointed in the quality of the land that he is given.

Shelomo levies taxes on the community to fund the restoration or development of several cities in Israel, including Gezer, which was conquered by Pharaoh as a present for his daughter, the wife of Shelomo. Shelomo also constructs a wall around Jerusalem and fortifies the Millo.

(The precise definition of the Millo is unclear and widely debated; what is important, and will become critical later on in the story, is that this landfill, wall or structure stood in between the city of Jerusalem and the area in which the royal residence and Temple were located, creating some sort of separation between the king’s palace and the Temple on one side and the city on the other).

At this time, the daughter of Pharaoh finally moves to the new home her husband constructed for her. Shelomo builds store houses and cities for his vast array of chariots, horses, officers and other possessions throughout Jerusalem, Lebanon and his entire empire.

Shelomo does not employ Jews to implement his projects; instead, he enslaves the descendants of the Canaanites who still reside in Israel and presses them into hard labor. Jews were chosen to serve as the king’s officers, soldiers, advisers and overseers of the work. Shelomo is not neglectful of the Bet Hamiqdash; he still offers sacrifices there three times a year, on the appointed festivals, and supports and funds the institution as necessary. Shelomo creates a fleet of ships and hired navy men who, accompanied by the men of Hiram, go to Ophir to acquire large quantities of gold.

At first glance, the purpose of all of this detail is unclear. What prophetic message is being communicated to us through these descriptions? I would like to suggest that there is a hint in the text that reveals to us the “function” of this chapter – the use of the word “hesheq Shelomo”, the desire of Shelomo, twice. The first time, the “desire of Shelomo” refers to the building of the Temple and the royal complex. The second time, however, the “desire of Shelomo” refers to additional projects unrelated to the sacred mission of the Jewish people.

This latter “desire” was for the activities that aimed to increase the wealth and prestige of the nation and its rulers for its own sake. Shelomo is apparently struggling with conflicting “desires” – one is to glorify the God of Israel and the other to glorify his own empire. We see Shelomo dabbling in prohibited pursuits as well. For instance, the Torah explicitly forbids the king to amass horses and gold, laws that seem to have been disregarded by Shelomo. King David was quite meticulous about observing these rules and, as a result, remaining humble and grounded in his perspective and leadership.

Shelomo, of course, does not intentionally and flagrantly violate the Torah. He surely rationalizes that elevating the wealth and status of the Jewish people will gain it the respect of the nations of the world and will promote acknowledgment of the God of Israel Whom they represent. This is why, almost as an interruption in the flow of the chapter, the text mentions that Shelomo continued worshipping at the Bet Hamiqdash and supporting its upkeep. He still had a sense of his ultimate divine purpose.Nevertheless, the involvement of Shelomo in conventional politics and development projects, the engagement with Pharaoh and marriage to his daughter, and the sheer opulence and power of Shelomo’s regime will ultimately pose serious problems for him in the future.

The brief incident with Hiram is very unusual. Why must the text tell us about the gift Shelomo conferred upon Hiram, and about the recipient’s disappointment in it? This seems, at best, like an inconsequential matter. I would suggest that it indicates that Shelomo was either unable or unwilling to provide a nicer present to his good friend, and that this reflects poorly on him.

If he was unable to do so, this may hint to the fact that his “urbanization” of Israel has had a negative effect on its agricultural prospects. Undue focus on construction and trade at the expense of cultivating the land has taken a toll on the country. Perhaps Shelomo’s priorities have become confused; under the influence of other nations and their expectations, he has elevated the glory of human accomplishment and acquisition over the Divine blessing Hashem promised to Israel – a naturally fertile land of abundant fruit, flowing with milk and honey.

If, on the other hand, Shelomo was unwilling to part with finer cities, on the other hand, this implies that he had grown more possessive and stingy than he had been in the past; he was growing more self-involved and less generous as a result of his remarkable success. Either way, the episode provides us with insight into a possible flaw in Shelomo’s character that will become increasingly significant as the story progresses.