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.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 8

Shelomo assembles the elders and leaders of Israel in Jerusalem and eventually the entire nation gathers there for a ceremony dedicating the new Bet Hamiqdash. The event is held in the month of Tishre just prior to the holiday of Sukkot. The Kohanim and Levites carry the Ark, the Tabernacle and all of its original vessels to Jerusalem and many sacrifices are offered. The Kohanim then bring the Ark of the Covenant into the Holy of Holies and deposit it beneath the wings of the large Keruvim that Shelomo Hamelekh had placed there.

Shelomo had fashioned new staves/poles for the Ark that were especially long and protruded from the Holy of Holies such that they could be seen by someone standing in the Hekhal. Once the Kohanim left the Sanctuary, a cloud, representing the Divine Presence, filled the Bet Hamiqdash, making further entry or service there temporarily impossible. This was the same manner in which the Tabernacle of the wilderness was consecrated in the times of Moshe, and underscored the continuity between that structure and the “new and improved” permanent home of the Shekhina.

Shelomo then delivers two “speeches”. The first is a lengthy but beautiful and moving monologue known as the “Prayer of Shelomo”. As with all Biblical poetry, it needs to be read word for word to be truly appreciated. Shelomo begins by acknowledging Hashem’s fulfillment of His promise to David that he will have a worthy successor on the throne of Israel, and praying that he will continue to merit that honor.

Shelomo identifies the paradox of creating a “house” for God – He is infinite, incorporeal and transcendent and cannot be contained even by the Heavens, much less in a home constructed by human hands. Shelomo therefore beseeches Hashem that He take special note of the prayers offered in the Temple, and catalogues an array of circumstances under which people supplicate to God – for example, when they have sinned and repented, when there is a crisis or famine, when they must head out to battle, or when they have been taken into captivity.

Shelomo specifically requests that Hashem answer the prayers of non-Jews who arrive at the Bet Hamiqdash in search of a relationship with the God of Israel. Over the course of his speech, Shelomo stresses multiple times that while the worship of Hashem will occur on Earth at the Temple, Hashem will hear the supplications in “Heaven”, His true dwelling-place, and respond accordingly.

Finally, Shelomo offers a shorter prayer, addressed to the assembled populace. He thanks Hashem for having fulfilled all of the promises He made to the Jewish people, and asks the Almighty to help the Jews maintain their faithfulness to Torah so they can continue to merit His blessings and to teach the world the truth of monotheism. Shelomo closes by exhorting his fellow Israelites to carefully observe all of the laws of the Torah; the future will depend on their proper exercise of free will.

Tens of thousands more sacrifices were offered that day and the people celebrated the dedication of the Temple for seven days, followed by the seven days of Sukkot. On the eighth day, Shemini Atseret, the king blesses the people and sends them home.

There are a number of ideas worth highlighting in this beautiful chapter. Shelomo uses the words “makhon leshivtekha” (a place for Your dwelling) several times, borrowing the phrase that was used by the Jews when they crossed the Sea of Reeds, “You have made a place for Your dwelling, Hashem.” This is another instance of the theme that the dedication of the Bet HaMiqdash was really the final stage of the Exodus journey. Shelomo’s references throughout his prayer to the Exodus and the establishment of the Jews as God’s people accentuate this theme.

Two critical theological notions are articulated in this chapter. Many people assume that the struggle against anthropomorphism and the belief that God is outside of space and time are modern phenomena, and that the personalities of the Bible had a much less sophisticated concept of Hashem’s relationship with His creation. Shelomo’s prayer demonstrates that, on the contrary, from the very beginning of the consecration of the Bet Miqdash it was NEVER understood to be Hashem’s home in a literal sense.

Hashem transcends all of His creation. While the experience of entering and worshiping in the Bet Hamiqdash is immensely powerful and promotes tremendous concentration and depth of thought, the purpose it serves is a human one. Hashem is not limited to any one location nor does He hear prayer any less when it is offered outside of the Temple. Shelomo merely asks that the Temple be a worthy and effective vehicle of uplifting the prayers of those who visit it and that it testify clearly to the relationship between the Creator and the Jewish people.

The second theological idea Shelomo expresses is the focus on prayer rather than sacrifice in the Temple. Again, one hears very often that our downplaying of sacrifices is the result of modern sensibilities that see such ritual forms as archaic. Many people have a bloody and negative perception of the Bet Hamiqdash as a result, and feel that it is incongruous with today’s world. Yet from Shelomo’s words it is quite evident that he understood the Temple primarily as a national center of prayer, not sacrifice. Nowhere in his lengthy supplication does he mention the offering of sacrifices in the Temple nor does he request that such sacrifices be accepted, even though he himself offers tens of thousands of animals in sacrifice the same day.

As Isaiah famously declares, the house of God is meant to be the quintessential house of prayer. Although sacrifice is a part of the Temple operation and is respected for the function it serves, it is not considered the main path of a person to Hashem. Torah study, charitable acts and prayer are assigned superiority over most other commandments and observances, and certainly over sacrifice.

One last question raised in the commentaries pertains to Yom Kippur. According to the text, the Jewish people celebrated for the seven days prior to Sukkot; this means, by definition, that they partied on Yom Kippur! The Talmud and traditional commentaries accept this conclusion and state that the Jews indeed ate on Yom Kippur that year but they were absolved from any consequences and promised a place in the World to Come. What was the basis for dispensing with Yom Kippur that year?

In order to understand the answer, we must put Yom Kippur itself into perspective. In essence, Yom Kippur is about hitting the “reset” button on our service of Hashem. Over the course of a year we become lazy, sloppy, presumptuous and generally out of focus in our worship of God. Yom Kippur is a day on which we acknowledge our failings and recalibrate our relationship with the Divine Presence.

The commandment of Yom Kippur was given in the aftermath of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, who approached Hashem inappropriately with an unauthorized form of worship on the final day of the Tabernacle’s dedication, and lost their lives as a result. Yom Kippur is meant to remind us that we should not overestimate our closeness to or familiarity with Hashem and thereby lessen our reverence for His service. Fascinatingly, the highlight of Yom Kippur is the entry of the Kohen Gadol into the Holy of Holies and his generating of a “cloud” of incense. This is a kind of simulation of the cloud of the Divine Presence that originally consecrated the Sanctuary. By imitating the Divine consecration of the Tabernacle or Temple, we recognize the need to symbolically “re-consecrate” it through our Yom Kippur service each year.

This explains why Yom Kippur could be set aside the year that the Temple was dedicated, as it would be the year Ezra and Nehemia unveiled the Second Temple. On these occasions, the Jewish people had reached a level of closeness to the Almighty that justified His resting of His presence upon their sanctuary. It was the beginning of the journey, the actual, initial manifestation of the Divine presence, and therefore the focus needed to be on the dedication of the sacred space and not on the unworthiness of the people or their need for continual cleansing. Observing Yom Kippur that year and artificially “creating” the cloud of the Shekhina would have diminished the impact of the actual encounter with Hashem that served to consecrate the Temple.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 7

Shelomo spent thirteen years building a residential complex for himself, which included multiple buildings. He commissioned the construction of the “House of the Forest of Lebanon”, which was an airy summer residence that either received its name from the wooden planks that comprised its structure or from its location outside of the city of Jerusalem in a wooded area. The house was elevated above ground, resting on cedar pillars, and its roof was made of cedar planks. Windows lined the walls of this house and an antechamber was situated in front of it.

Shelomo also built a “Judgment Hall” that contained the throne where he would sit to hear and rule on the legal cases and disputes that were brought before him. Although the foundation and structure of the building was constructed from the finest smooth stonework, the roof, walls and ceiling of this hall were covered in cedar paneling. King Shelomo’s personal residence and the home he constructed for his wife, the daughter of Pharaoh, were also built from smooth stone but overlaid entirely with cedar paneling.

All three buildings (the palace, the House of the Forest of Lebanon, and the Judgment Hall), were located in a single courtyard that was surrounded by three rows of stone and one row of wood, like the courtyard of the Temple. It seems that the residence of the daughter of Pharaoh was not located within the main complex. However, since the materials used in its construction and its style of architecture were are similar to the other buildings in the complex, it is mentioned here.

Shelomo sent for Hiram of Tyre, an artisan who was a member of the Tribe of Naftali, to assist him in the stone and metalwork necessary for the Temple. This was not the Hiram mentioned earlier, who was the King of Tyre; this Hiram was a commoner of Jewish descent who was known as a skilled craftsman. Shelomo commissioned Hiram to fashion a number of unique structures that would be placed at the entrance to the Temple and that were totally original – they did not correspond to anything that existed in the Tabernacle. For instance, two exquisitely decorated copper pillars were situated on either side of the entry to the complex, named “Yakhin” and “Boaz”. These had intricately designed bulbs on top and almost had the appearance of “scepters”.

The “Sea of Shelomo” was another innovation of Shelomo, positioned to the right of a person approaching the Temple. This was a large copper basin that contained a substantial amount of water (tens of thousands of gallons) and from which water would be drawn to purify the kohanim for their service. It rested on the backs of twelve molten oxen the front of whose bodies protruded from underneath the basin but whose hindquarters faced away from the observer, with three facing in each direction. Hiram fashioned ten copper lavers or washing stands with bases and large decorative chariot wheels. These were installed by the entrance to the Temple, five on each side, and allowed the Kohanim to wash their hands and feet before going inside.

The furnishings inside the Holy Temple were also more extensive than those of the Tabernacle; instead of a single golden menorah and a single golden table for the showbread, the Temple boasted ten of each! This increase, as well as the increase in the number of washing stations from one to ten, may be understood as a reflection of the quantitative growth of the population since the era of Moshe – now, there were more Kohanim who needed to wash, and there were more Jews who needed sustenance, symbolized by the showbread on the ten tables. Alternatively, it may have been another way of highlighting the superiority in scale and grandeur of the new sanctuary – multiplying by ten is a typical technique of exaggeration or emphasis.

All of the implements designed to be used in the actual Temple service were fashioned from pure gold or brass, the quantity of which was so great that Shelomo did not even bother to weigh them. He transferred the items that David, his father, had consecrated to the Temple into its newly built treasure chambers

This chapter leads us to raise a couple of important questions. The first is an organizational difficulty: Why does the text begin by describing the construction of the Bet Hamiqdash, then shift to discussing Shelomo’s own palatial complex, and then return, once again, to complete its account of the Bet Hamiqdash and its accoutrements? It would have been much simpler to include all of the details pertinent to the Temple in one section and only then to change the subject to Shelomo’s personal building projects.

A second question of interest is why Shelomo spent so much more time (13 years) on his own palace, judgment hall and antechambers than he did on the Holy Temple. Our Rabbis generally take the view that this is a praise of King Shelomo – he prioritized and “rushed” the building of the Bet Miqdash, but was much more leisurely about his own residence.

Some modern interpreters have suggested the opposite; namely, that this undue emphasis on Shelomo’s own palace, summer home, etc., is indicative of a level of immodesty on his part, a personality defect that may play a role in his downfall later in the story. In support of their critical view, these thinkers point out that Shelomo used the same materials and architectural style in his own edifices that he employed in the House of God – expensive hewn stone, cedar paneling, etc. – almost unconsciously conveying that he viewed his own majesty as on par with that of the Almighty.

The commentaries, for good reason, spend much time deciphering the simple meaning of the verses in this chapter. Very little explanation of their deeper significance is provided. Even translating the unusual terminology used in these sections of the text is a tremendous challenge. So we have very little help from traditional sources when it comes to distilling the message of these elaborate and detailed descriptions of architecture. We will have to do our best to develop persuasive and original answers to our own queries here.

There are certainly Midrashim that suggest that, even from the beginning of his construction of the Bet Hamiqdash, Shelomo may already have been influenced by ulterior motives, and I hope to explore some of those ideas in later summaries. However, I would argue that, on a simple literary level, this chapter is better understood as idealistic, not negative, in its portrayal of the king.

I believe that the text integrates its presentation of the construction of the Temple and the construction of Shelomo’s residential complex in order to demonstrate that Shelomo saw his reign as a reflection and extension of Hashem’s reign on Earth, not as a substitute for it. Shelomo’s complex is divided into three parts – the Hall of Judgment, the summer home, and the royal palace, all of which are surrounded by a walled courtyard. It is a mirror image of the Temple, which is partitioned into the Devir/Holy of Holies, the Hekhal/Holy, and the courtyard, and which is surrounded by a wall identical in composition to that of Shelomo’s.

It seems to me that the parallels extend even further than this. The Devir/Holy of Holies is, in essence, the “Judgment Hall”, or symbolic throne of Hashem, Who is always portrayed as “sitting above the Keruvim/angels”, that are represented therein. In Divrei HaYamim, the Holy of Holies is, in fact, designated as “Hashem’s footstool”, evoking the imagery of a Divine throne room. The Hekhal/Holy is made of cedar wood, lined with windows and has an antechamber directly in front of it, just like the “House of the Forest Lebanon” or summer home of Shelomo. The royal residence is covered with cedar paneling and surrounded by its own courtyard, possibly in imitation of the third, outer section of the Holy Temple that contained the sacrificial altar.

Despite all of these parallels, which we might be tempted to interpret as “competitive” in nature, one striking difference emerges – gold is ubiquitous in the Holy Temple, covering nearly every surface, but is noticeably absent from the buildings in Shelomo’s complex.
All of this suggests that Shelomo saw his own majesty and position as nothing but an instrument to establish justice on Earth as a representative of the true Judge, Hashem. Because his sense of the importance of his role was inseparable from his understanding of the greatness of the Almighty and the primacy of His service, Shelomo’s royal complex replicated the layout and motifs of the Temple in many respects, and the descriptions of the two building projects are intertwined. Yet, one distinction remains – gold is not used in Shelomo’s residential structures.

This concept of Shelomo is not foreign to our tradition; in fact, we reference it in our prayers on a daily basis. In one of the blessings of the Amidah, we ask God to provide us with great judges and advisers like we had in the days of old. We follow up by stating that to be guided by such leaders would really mean having Hashem Himself as our sovereign. Righteous kings and judges do not push their own agendas; rather, they are proponents of Hashem’s plan and they do their best to implement that plan through their decisions and actions. In this way, Torah leaders serve as the agents or messengers of the Almighty in this world.

Shelomo is granted unprecedented power and authority and is prepared to judge his subjects wisely and fairly, not because he wishes to revel in his newfound influence but because he recognizes this as his sacred responsibility as the anointed one of Hashem. By applying the wisdom of Hashem to worldly affairs he effectively brings those matters not under his own jurisdiction but under the governance of the Almighty. The Bet Hamiqdash represents Hashem’s providence in the world in a symbolic manner, it is a source of clarity, edification and inspiration. Shelomo’s activities as king translate that awareness of Hashem into the language of practical politics.

We know from our Torah and Prophets that it is only when the Jewish people embody the values of charity and justice that they merit to have the Bet Hamiqdash in their midst. Traditionally, the Bet Hamiqdash was the center of religious worship, justice, and education. Shelomo Hamelekh accentuates the connection between these three core values by modeling his own home and courthouse after the House of God.

With this in mind, we can understand why the description of Shelomo’s palace and Judgment Hall is followed by more details related to the vessels and furnishings of the Bet Hamiqdash. The text first presents the Holy Temple as a place in which the Divine Presence will be manifest to and encountered by the Jewish people. This engagement with the Almighty inspires the nation to pursue the imitation of His ways in their conduct of national and personal affairs, represented and enforced by the king and his bureaucracy. However, to stop there would be to imply that the “final destination” of the experience of the Divine was the courtroom of Shelomo; as if, like other kings, Shelomo merely used the supernatural authority of religion to reinforce his own grip on his realm.

Therefore, the text immediately shifts back to a discussion of the vessels of the Temple – the implements utilized not in the passive “appearance before Hashem” but in the active worship of Hashem. Ultimately, our establishment of a just and equitable society, presided over by a righteous monarch, is only a means to an end – it paves the way back to the Holy Temple where we can learn Torah, reflect upon the True King’s infinite wisdom and devote ourselves to His service. This may be compared to the Torah’s account of the Revelation at Sinai, which is followed by the laws of civil society (Mishpatim) and only then by a description of the sanctuary to be constructed in the wilderness.

I’d like to add one last speculative observation for further consideration. The “House of the Forest of Lebanon” may be a reference to the phraseology we find in Psalm 96, “let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before Hashem, for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness.” Similarly, in Psalm 29 we read “the voice of Hashem breaks the cedars of Lebanon” a metaphoric reference to the power brokers and tyrants who seem invincible and unstoppable but are, in reality, unable to stand up against or thwart the will of God.

Metaphorically, the mighty trees of the forest tremble before Hashem’s majesty and judgment. Shelomo Hamelekh, in spite of all of his achievements, still saw himself as a humble and reverent servant in the presence of the Almighty. Calling his home “Forest of Lebanon” may have been an attempt to express that using the language of Tehillim, wherein the trees of the forest represent the mighty leaders who, despite their power, still tremble in God’s presence.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 6

This chapter and the one that follows detail the major construction projects undertaken by King Shelomo, beginning with the Holy Temple and including his own palace and summer home as well as the residence of the Pharaoh’s daughter whom he had married. Both chapters contain incredibly detailed descriptions of the architectural design, wood work, stone work, and measurements of these structures.

In addition to the sheer quantity of specifications included here, we are also faced with the difficulty that the meaning of many of the architectural terms is no longer clear and has been the subject of much debate among the commentaries. Each interpreter, therefore, emerges with his own vision of what these buildings looked like. This makes summarizing these chapters quite a challenge; the best way to develop a sense for the grandeur of these projects is to read the text itself. Instead, I will touch upon a few of the highlights.

Shelomo’s Temple is clearly inspired by the layout of the original Tabernacle of the times of Moshe but surpasses it in its majesty, elegance and extravagance. It took Shelomo’s enormous team of architects and laborers a full seven years to complete. Like the Mishkan, the Temple was divided into “inner” and “outer” sections; the inner, roofed structure contained the “Ulam” or antechamber (an additional ten cubit section added by Shelomo that did not exist in the Mishkan), the “Holy” (here called “Hekhal”) and the “Holy of Holies” (here called the “Devir”) while the outer, unroofed area was known as the Courtyard.

Once the construction project has begun, Shelomo receives word from Hashem. Hashem promises to consecrate and cause His presence to dwell in the Temple, provided the nation continue to adhere to the laws and principles of the Torah.

The dimensions of the Temple were significantly greater than those of the Mishkan – the area of each section was twice as large as the corresponding section of the Mishkan, and the ceiling was three times as high. Another noteworthy difference is that wood and stone replace cloth and curtains throughout. The “inner” section’s walls are covered by ornately decorated cedar (engravings of cherubim, palms and flowers are found everywhere) that is overlaid with gold, and its floor is likewise overlaid with gold.

The Devir and Hekhal are divided from one another, as the inner section is divided from the courtyard, by beautifully crafted wooden doors overlaid with gold and across which golden chains are drawn.Various storage and work rooms, complete with doors and staircases, are built along the two sides and the rear walls of the Hekhal. The walls of the inner section of the Temple also have windows which seem to be decorative rather than functional in nature.

The contents of the inner sanctum of the Temple differed to some degree from that of the Mishkan. In the Mishkan, only the Ark of the Covenant resided in the Holy of Holies; in the Devir of the Temple, however, there were two tall cherubim who stood on the floor and whose wings spread out such that the edge of their outer wings touched the walls of the building and the edges of their inner wings touched one another. These figures were also made of cedar wood overlaid with fine gold. When the Ark is placed in the Devir, these statues will be standing directly behind it.

It is noteworthy that, when assigning a date to this project, reference is made to the Exodus from Egypt (namely, it begins 480 years from the time the Jews left Egypt). The creation of a sanctuary for the Divine Presence was the objective of the Jewish people from the very moment of their departure from the house of bondage, as they declared in the Song at the Sea, “You will bring them and plant them upon Your holy mountain; a place for Your dwelling have You created, Hashem – Your hands have established the sanctuary of Hashem.”

The Almighty brought the Jews out of Egypt not simply to restore to them their freedom, rights and dignity, but so they could follow in the footsteps of the Patriarchs in representing Hashem to all of mankind. On a national level, we first proclaimed the existence, unity and providence of the Creator through the erection of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, which served as testimony to our relationship with Him.

Now that a monarchy and stable government has been established in Israel, it is necessary once again to refocus on the true purpose of Jewish political success and prosperity. The King of Israel is charged with constructing an edifice that will outshine the most impressive royal palace in order to demonstrate that his power and authority are merely instrumental to the mission of sanctifying God’s name in the world.

Hashem has blessed the kingdom of Shelomo with a degree of sovereignty and independence that would have been unimaginable in earlier years, when Jewish existence in the Holy Land was always precarious and seemed to teeter on the verge of chaos or self-destruction. The achievement of lasting stability, then, completed the process of the Exodus from Egypt, finally providing the nation of Israel with a sense of security in their freedom, their land and their future.

As such, it necessitated another building project – the construction of a Temple that would accurately reflect the new realities, the political, economic and social growth that had been achieved. This Temple would have to be grander, stronger, and more impressive than previous sanctuaries, a proper house of worship for the people of Hashem who had finally reached the stage of development as a nation that they had dreamt of for centuries.

It is also interesting that Shelomo starts building the Temple of his own accord and only then receives a Divine message blessing the project. This prophecy is recorded in the text after Shelomo has already erected the basic structure of the inner section of the Temple. Shelomo then proceeds to add the ornate decorations, paneling and gold that beautify that structure.

I would infer from this that Shelomo began working on the Temple and then halted the labor, waiting for a heavenly “stamp of approval” for the initiative before moving forward. Unlike Moshe, Shelomo had not been officially commanded or directed to build the Bet Hamiqdash; he undertook the project independently, based on his own understanding of the responsibilities of the king.

At the same time, he recognized that the Sanctuary could only be selected and consecrated by the decree of the Almighty – “Your hands have established the sanctuary of Hashem” – no human being could establish the home of the Divine Presence unilaterally. Once Hashem authorized and granted legitimacy to the undertaking, Shelomo was able to invest himself fully in the project, now a “partner” with the Almighty in creating a house that would represent His Name.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 5
This chapter begins with a description of the vastness of Shelomo’s kingdom, which extended far beyond the conventional borders of the land of Israel. Shelomo not only ruled over an enormous swath of territory, he also enjoyed remarkable prosperity and luxury on a daily basis. The gourmet feasts served at the palace each day were unequaled in quantity and quality. Shelomo’s subjects also benefited from the unprecedented peace, tranquility and opulence of his kingdom as they achieved economic success in their personal lives as well.

Shelomo maintained a formidable standing army that included forty thousand stables of horses.  His magnificent regime was fully supported by the tax revenue collected from the citizens of Israel, as described in the previous chapter.

Shelomo became internationally known for his outstanding intelligence, which surpassed that of his wisest contemporaries. He composed thousands of parables and songs of an ostensibly educational and instructional character, and acquired an expertise in the natural sciences including knowledge of the plant world and of the animal kingdom. People from all over the world flocked to Shelomo to marvel at his legendary brilliance.

Shelomo contacts Hiram, King of Tzor, who had been a close friend and devotee of his father, David. He requests Hiram’s assistance in carrying out David’s “dream project” of constructing a house dedicated to the name of Hashem. David was unable to fulfill this aspiration because of his constant involvement in battle; therefore, the Almighty had delegated responsibility for this sacred task to his son, Shelomo.

Shelomo specifically requested that Hiram provide him with lumber for the project; he offered to send some of his own servants to apprentice with Hiram’s expert woodcutters and promised to pay Hiram’s laborers for their time.

Hiram blesses Hashem for having granted David such a wise son as heir to his throne. He agrees to provide lumber for the Holy Temple and transport it to Israel, where it will be carried by Shelomo’s servants to the construction site. In exchange for this service, Hiram asks that Shelomo provide his household with an annual gift of fine wheat and oil. A peace treaty is established between Shelomo and Hiram.

Shelomo drafts thirty thousand workers to construct the Temple. These laborers would serve in shifts; each month, ten thousand would be on active duty, and then would be replaced by another ten thousand, so that each person spent two months at home and one month in national service. Shelomo also hired eighty thousand stone hewers to extract and prepare stonework for the Temple and three thousand three hundred supervisors over the project.

We see in this chapter an elaboration of the theme we touched upon in the previous one: namely, the realization in Israel of the blessings foretold in the Torah, and how this paves the way for the establishment of the Temple. The description of Shelomo’s fame is particularly reminiscent of the promise of the Torah that the nations of the world will declare “surely this great people is a wise and understanding nation – for what great nation is there that has God close to it, like Hashem, our God, in all of our calling to Him?”

The operation of Divine providence in Israel is made manifest to all as a result of its material success and the tremendous wisdom of its leaders. This qualifies the Jewish people to serve as the representatives of the Almighty on the international stage and to build His Temple.

There is another nuance worth highlighting here. In the account of the intellectual attainments of Shelomo, we are told that “Elokim” gave wisdom to Shelomo. Elokim is the universal, generic name for the Almighty that is not uniquely Jewish. This makes sense since the text is emphasizing the idea that Shelomo’s knowledge achieved international recognition and that citizens of all nations attributed it to the hand of God. In the verses of Deuteronomy cited above, wherein the gentiles perceive the Divine providence in Israel, the term “Elokim” is used as well. However, I believe there is another significant allusion being made in the narrative that explains the unusual use of the term “Elokim”.

One of the remarkable aspects of the story of Yosef as presented in the Torah is the shift to the appellation “Elokim” to refer to Hashem. As long as Yosef is in Egypt, and especially when he is in the employ of the Egyptian government, this is the word for the deity that is utilized. In the dramatic moment when Pharaoh initially perceives the genius of Yosef and is inspired to promote him to the position of viceroy, he exclaims “Has one ever been found like this – a man that has the spirit of God [Elokim] within him?…Now that God [Elokim] has made all of this known to you, there is no wise and understanding person like you!” These declarations by Pharaoh about Yosef are clearly foreshadowing the declaration that will one day be made on a national level about the Jewish people “surely this people is a wise and understanding nation.”

The connection does not end here. Not long ago we read about the decision of Shelomo to marry the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt. We then read about his kingdom, which extends to the border of Egypt. When Shelomo’s wisdom is compared to that of his contemporaries, we are told that it outshines the wisdom of all of the scholars of Egypt.

All of these elements emphasize the link between Shelomo, representative of Torah and Divine wisdom to the nations of the world and particularly to the Egyptians, and Yosef, who was the first to serve in this capacity. The point is that Shelomo, like Yosef, was able to make the profound wisdom of Judaism accessible and comprehensible not only to his own subjects but to citizens of other nations who did not have a “Torah framework” through which to perceive it.

This emphasis on “Elokim” and on “Egypt” provides an enlightening contrast with Hiram, the close friend of David. Hiram explicitly references “Hashem”, using the uniquely “Jewish” name of God that expresses His Unity and transcendence. This suggests that, unlike other gentiles who related only to the superior political, scientific and technological knowledge of Shelomo and were impressed by those universally attractive intellectual achievements, Hiram had an insight into the religious message and principles of Torah that he had learned from David.

Like Akhish, the King of Gat who provided David with refuge when he was on the run from Shaul, Hiram was exposed to and embraced the concept of the God of Israel. This may explain why Shelomo was so comfortable enlisting Hiram in a partnership to build the House that would make Hashem’s name known in the world.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 3

King Shelomo weds the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt, seemingly in order to establish diplomatic relations with the “superpower” of the region. All of our rabbis and commentators assume that the kings of Israel who married non-Jewish women were careful to convert them to Judaism first, even if these conversions were conducted under less than ideal circumstances.

The text informs us that there was still no national Temple constructed in the early days of Shelomo’s kingdom, so various local altars continued operating legally (only after the building of the Temple in Jerusalem did such unauthorized places of worship become forbidden). We will see later in the Book of Melakhim that there is a connection between Shelomo’s nuptials and the delayed establishment of the Holy Temple; this link is alluded to in our chapter but not yet explained.

Shelomo visits Giveon to worship Hashem with one thousand sacrifices. That night, Hashem appears to Shelomo in a dream and offers to grant him anything that he wishes for the further advancement of his regime. Shelomo responds that he is young and inexperienced and feels inadequate to the task of leading and judging the nation of Israel. He therefore asks for the wisdom necessary to guide them properly.

Hashem answers that since Shelomo did not seek the material benefits of kingship like wealth or honor, but instead desired knowledge and understanding to serve the people, he would receive both the wisdom he requested and the riches and fame that he declined to request. However, Hashem warns Shelomo, all of these promises are contingent on Shelomo’s continued observance of the laws and statutes of the Torah. The next morning, Shelomo wakes up, returns to Jerusalem and offers additional burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Ark of the Covenant, organizing a celebratory feast for all of his officers and servants.

The text then describes what is probably the best-known Biblical narrative about Shelomo. Two harlots who had lived together in the same house approached the king for judgment. Both had given birth to babies just a few days apart. One of the infants had died and the women disputed whose child it was. The mother who discovered the dead baby in her bed alleges that it was not her son; she claims that the other woman switched the children when she discovered that her own infant had passed away. The women argue their respective cases before Shelomo.

Unable to resolve the dispute, Shelomo requests that a sword be brought to the court and that the living baby be sliced in half so that it can be divided between the two claimants. One of the women is satisfied with this arrangement; however, the other woman protests, begging the king to simply give the baby to the other woman so it will survive. The king correctly rules that she is the true mother, and her child is returned to her. At this point, the entire nation reveres King Shelomo, recognizing the divine wisdom he possesses and his extraordinary ability to judge his people.

One of the fascinating questions raised about the famous case of the two harlots is what it was about his ruling that demonstrated that Shelomo was so wise. Some Midrashim and commentaries interpret his judgment as being based on intricate legal principles that are not mentioned explicitly in the text but could be inferred from “between the lines”, and that this vast knowledge of Torah was what impressed Shelomo’s subjects so much. Other commentaries, however, are dissatisfied with the suggestion that the story means to tell us that Shelomo was an expert in Jewish law, when none of the content of Jewish law or complex legal reasoning is actually mentioned in the narrative.

My friend and colleague Rabbi Hayyim Angel has convincingly argued that what stood out about Shelomo wasn’t the content of his judgment, but the “reach” of his judgment. In other words, the fact that even two prostitutes, who were the bottom of the barrel of society, could be given a fair hearing in the King’s court was what testified to his greatness as a leader. According to this approach, we should not look to the details of the case itself to evaluate Shelomo’s superiority as a judge, nor should we seek complex legal nuance or genius in his ruling. What was unique about Shelomo’s regime was his insistence that justice be applied at all levels and to all aspects of the nation, and that fairness and equity before the law not be the special privilege of the elite or even of the “middle class”. To borrow a famous quote that summarizes this view, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

At one time I was persuaded by this interpretation of the story of Shelomo. However, further study and reflection has changed my mind. From a textual standpoint, it seems to me too much of a stretch to argue that the elaborate details of the claims presented to Shelomo, and the novelty of his famous and dramatic solution, had nothing to do with the impact this judgment had on the perspective of the people. A simple reading of the story supports the conventional understanding that it was the actual ruling of Shelomo, and not the mere fact that he was willing to hear a dispute between two harlots, that impressed his subjects.

Therefore, I would like to offer an alternative interpretation that I believe fits the narrative more smoothly. Faced with an insoluble “he-said-she-said” legal case such as the one that was brought before Shelomo in our chapter, most judges would have fallen back on whatever conventional principles of jurisprudence were available to them. Perhaps they would rule that “possession is nine tenths of the law”, and that whichever mother currently held the baby would be able to keep him. Under normal circumstances, a judge would probably view this situation as beyond any real resolution, assuming that the facts of the case would never be ascertained, and that a legal ruling, while necessary, might not reflect the “real truth” of who deserved to keep the infant.

Shelomo’s greatness was that he was not willing to acquit himself with a pro forma, legalistic response. Instead, he used his profound understanding of psychology to “manipulate” the lying mother and thereby cause the actual facts of the case to come to light. Through his brilliant handling of this situation, he demonstrated his uncompromising commitment to the truth and his unwillingness to be satisfied with rulings that met legal standards but fell short of absolute justice. This explains why the nation “feared” or revered Shelomo, and acknowledged his level of wisdom as “Divine” – like Hashem Himself, Shelomo would accept no substitute for genuine, unadulterated truth when it came to implementing justice in Israel.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 2
David is nearing death and delivers his last will and testimony to the new king, Shelomo. First and foremost, he exhorts Shelomo to observe the Torah of Hashem and His commandments, so that his kingdom will be well established and supported by the Almighty. David then offers instructions to Shelomo with respect to several personalities who had “unfinished business” with David.

David provides Shelomo with three pieces of advice: First, he should not allow Yoav, who had shed much innocent blood in defiance of royal orders, to go down to his grave peacefully. Second, he should amply reward Barzilai HaGiladi in recognition of the support and friendship he showed to David during Avshalom’s rebellion. Third, he reminds Shelomo of the curses that Shimi ben Gera pronounced upon him and calls for Shelomo to punish him appropriately. David then dies and is buried.

Adoniyahu approaches Batsheva, Shelomo’s mother, with an unusual request. He prefaces his petition with a description of how close he had been to securing the throne of Israel for himself before Shelomo was given the upper hand. Nevertheless, he acknowledges Shelomo’s right to the position that was granted to him by Hashem. Adoniyahu asks Batsheva to persuade her son, Shelomo, to allow him to marry Avishag Hashunammit.

Batsheva agrees to intervene on Adoniyahu’s behalf and visits Shelomo, who greets her with tremendous respect. When Shelomo hears of Adoniyahu’s request, however, he is quite upset and calls for him to be executed. Shelomo correctly understands that Adoniyahu desires a relationship with King David’s former “concubine” that will lend legitimacy to his claim to the kingdom, a claim he apparently has not fully relinquished. Adoniyahu clearly has his heart set on the crown and is employing a devious strategic plan to pursue it.

After Shelomo sends Benayahu to kill Adoniyahu, he summons Evyatar, who is banished from serving as a Kohen and is instructed to return to his fields in Anatot instead. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Shemuel that predicted the ultimate downfall of the house of Eli, of which Evyatar was a descendant. Shelomo refrains from killing Evyatar because of the loyalty he demonstrated to David during trying times in the king’s life. Moreover, Evyatar was not numbered among the personalities whom David identified as threats to the throne. His error in following Adoniyahu was regarded as a relatively minor infraction.

Yoav hears of these developments and escapes to the sanctuary, grabbing hold of the horns of the altar to gain asylum from Shelomo’s judgment. Benayahu ben Yehoyada is dispatched to apprehend him but Yoav refuses to leave his position. Shelomo then explains the legitimate basis for the execution of Yoav and instructs Benayahu to kill Yoav right where he is standing; Yoav is executed and buried.

Lastly, Shelomo addresses Shimi ben Gera and places him under a kind of house arrest. As long as Shimi stays within the borders of his town and refrains from crossing the Qidron River, his life will be spared, despite his disrespectful behavior toward King David. Shimi agrees to this condition and is seemingly relieved to find that he was shielded from the harsh judgment he may have expected. Nonetheless, three years after meeting with King Shelomo, Shimi’s servant runs away from home and Shimi, intending to recover the servant, leaves his town. Shelomo summons Shimi once again and has him executed.

One question that we can ask about this chapter is why Shelomo seems to wait for the request of Adoniyahu to be presented to him before taking any action against Yoav and Shimi, who were specifically identified by David as worthy of punishment. It seems that David’s instructions to Shelomo are best understood as recommendations he offers based on his experience with these men and not as “commands” per se. Shelomo takes them under advisement in the meantime, hoping that perhaps David has overestimated the significance of certain events in his history and the nefarious character of some of the personalities involved, and that perhaps these violent punitive measures can be avoided.

However, once Shelomo sees that Adoniyahu has not truly abandoned his aspirations for the throne, he realizes that the political tensions, conflicts and “baggage” of the past have not been decisively put to rest. On the contrary, these factors continue to exert a substantial influence on key players in the realm and endanger the future of Shelomo’s monarchy.

The continued presence of complex and powerful people like Yoav and Shimi, whose loyalties and agendas are never fully transparent and who are reasonably suspect, can only be a hindrance to the establishment of Shelomo’s rule. Indeed, it is quite possible that Yoav himself – knowing that he had fallen out of favor with David and Shelomo though not with Adoniyahu, whose coronation he supported – encouraged Adoniyahu to pursue Avishag Hashunammit as a stepping stone to the throne. The political complications left behind by David make “wiping the slate clean” an urgent necessity for his successor. Therefore, Shelomo systematically, although patiently and carefully, roots out the individuals who could legitimately pose a threat to the stability of the kingdom in the near or even distant future.

One further point to explore is the treatment of Shimi ben Gera. On the surface, Shelomo’s roundabout punishment of Shimi seems to be unnecessary. Why place him under house arrest and compel him to swear to Hashem not to cross the Qidron River? It is quite clear that Shelomo expects Shimi to eventually violate the oath and be liable to the death penalty. Why not simply have him executed for his denigration of King David and avoid the circuitous path to punishing him?

It seems that the answer lies in David’s initial words to Shelomo regarding Shimi ben Gera. David had sworn to Shimi that he would not kill him for the curses that he uttered. Given that Shimi ben Gera remains a problematic character who must be eliminated from the political scene, Shelomo must find a pretext for killing Shimi that is independent of his original crime, and this pretext must be, in and of itself, sensible and coherent.

Shelomo therefore demands that Shimi essentially take what amounts to an oath of allegiance to him – despite being a member of the tribe of Benjamin, Shimi will reside in Jerusalem out of deference to and under the watchful eye of the King. Shimi’s crossing of the river in order to retrieve a slave basically amounted to placing his own “power” and status as “master” over that of King Shelomo’s. Rather than acting as a true servant of the king, he violated the royal order to recover his own servant. This betrayal was what cost him his life.

It is fascinating that the Rabbis refer to Shimi as Shelomo HaMelekh’s Torah teacher and that some commentaries, including Rashi, go so far as to state that he was the head of the Sanhedrin. What led the rabbis to attribute this position to Shimi ben Gera? I believe they were perplexed by an obvious difficulty in the narrative – the great significance assigned to the words and deeds of Shimi ben Gera, a man who does not seem to occupy any position of political clout or influence.

If Shimi were a nobody, he would not have been a source of so much distress and worry for David and would not have had to intercept and beg for mercy from David upon his return to Jerusalem. Moreover, had Shimi not been a person of any spiritual stature, David may not have ascribed his harsh remarks to Divine inspiration. Finally, had Shimi been a mere commoner, it would have been unusual for Shelomo to single him out as a threat to the kingdom and to target him with such cunning.

All of these factors lead us to the conclusion that Shimi must, in fact, have been a leader of considerable importance whose statements and actions carried weight in the eyes of the people. Since he does not appear to have held or aspired to any political office, the Rabbis are justified in concluding that he was a religious teacher who wielded a level of spiritual influence that could have far-reaching effects on the social and political climate of the kingdom.

The Reading

The Summary

Melakhim Alef Chapter 1
According to our tradition, the Book of Melakhim was authored by Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) the Prophet. This is a very significant piece of information to keep in mind as we study the book, because it suggests that the prophetic message of Sefer Melakhim can best be understood in the context of the themes and lessons conveyed by Yirmiyahu to the Jewish people throughout his life and career.

Specifically, we should expect that the Book of Melakhim to help us comprehend the decline and fall of the monarchy of Israel. It will do so by first describing the height of its development and progress, culminating in the rule of King Shelomo and the construction of the Holy Temple, and will conclude with the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish people by the Babylonians. The Book of Melakhim, like the Book of Shemuel, is one unified work; the division into Melakhim Alef (I Kings) and Melakim Bet (II Kings) is a later innovation that was introduced for convenience.

King David has grown old and can no longer keep warm, even with blankets covering him. His advisers suggest that he find a beautiful young woman who can lie next to him and provide the body heat that he needs. They conduct a national search and select a proper candidate for this purpose, Avishag HaShunammit.

Meanwhile, David’s oldest surviving son, Adoniyahu, has prepared to declare himself the new king of Israel. He garners many supporters from among David’s close associates, including Yoav Ben Tzeruyah and Evyatar the Kohen. Adoniyahu organizes a coronation party for himself, notably excluding the prophet Natan, Benayahu, Tzadoq and his own brother Shelomo from the guest list.

Natan the prophet approaches Batsheva and informs her of these developments, of which King David is unaware. He instructs Batsheva to challenge David on why he has violated his oath to appoint Shelomo as successor to the throne by allowing Adoniyahu to reign. Natan will then enter the palace and confirm that Adoniyahu has indeed declared himself king without involving the prophet, Benayahu, Tzadoq Hakohen or Shelomo in the process. Natan will ask whether this move was authorized by the king or not.

Batsheva implements the plan as directed by Natan, and David responds by affirming his promise to designate Shelomo as heir to the throne. David commands his inner circle of advisers and officers to lead Shelomo on the king’s own mule down to the Gihon River and to coronate him there. Shelomo is then brought to the palace and is made to sit upon the throne in the presence of David himself. Everyone attending the proceedings offers blessings to David and all note the great privilege he has merited to have in witnessing the transfer of power to his son in his lifetime.

Word of David’s response comes to Adoniyahu through Yonatan, the son of Evyatar HaKohen. All those who participated in the “unauthorized” ceremonies of Adoniyahu panic, and he himself takes refuge in the Sanctuary, grasping onto the horns of the altar to claim asylum. Shelomo dispatches a messenger to Adoniyahu to inform him that if he demonstrates loyalty to the new regime, he need not fear for his life. Adoniyahu appears before Shelomo and bows to him, acknowledging the legitimacy of Shelomo’s claim to the throne.

There are several points worth highlighting in this chapter. The first is the curious strategy employed by the servants of David to cure his chills – searching throughout the entire kingdom to find a beautiful young woman. Was it really necessary to undertake such a heroic effort for this purpose? Even granting that this is a “therapeutic” method that works, couldn’t they have found a young woman in the local community? More basically, what is the relevance of this whole episode to the ensuing drama with Adoniyahu?

It seems that the purpose of the description of David’s condition is to convey to us that he is now perceived as passive, withdrawn, sickly and essentially “out of commission”. His lack of involvement in public affairs and absence from the political scene is what sets the groundwork for Adoniyahu’s premature declaration of his own claim to the throne. It does not appear that Adoniyahu saw himself as rebelling against David – after all, several key David-loyalists, including Yoav ben Tzeruya, participate in his coronation. Furthermore, as soon as David makes his official “pick” for king, Adoniyahu discontinues his pursuit of the crown and his movement disbands. Rather, Adoniyahu is capitalizing on the weakness of David and his hands-off approach to the affairs of the kingdom in order to put his own aspirations to power on the fast track.

Adoniyahu was the oldest prince, handsome, charming and popular, so he felt he was a shoe-in for the position. While he may have suspected he was not David’s choice for the job, he was also keenly aware of David’s disengagement from politics at this point in his life and was confident that David would not come out of retirement to protest his assumption of leadership.

We can conjecture that the servants of David who recommended the “national beauty contest” that led to the identification of Avishag Hashunammit were the same servants who backed Adoniyahu’s efforts to claim the throne. By publicizing David’s need for a woman to keep him warm, they made sure that the population became aware of just how feeble the king was and how serious of a vacuum of leadership prevailed in Jerusalem. This, they thought, would make Adoniyahu’s candidacy and immediate rise to power much more appealing.

Another difficulty with the story is the roundabout approach of Natan to addressing David. Why does he prompt Batsheva to speak to the king and only arrive afterwards to confirm her words? Can’t he simply appear before David in his capacity as a prophet and ask him to render a decision on the issue of succession? Alternatively, couldn’t Batsheva alone convey the message?

It seems that Natan understood David’s state of passivity and waning strength and therefore was sensitive to what needed to be done in order to pressure him into taking an official position on a contentious political issue. Had Batsheva come alone, David may have brushed off her request, promising to “take care of it later”, assuming that it wasn’t particularly urgent and hoping not to have to deal with it altogether.

On the other hand, if Natan had discussed the matter with David independently, David’s response might have been more circumspect and less direct; he may have opted to take a “hands off” approach to the controversy. The combination of Batsheva’s request that the oath to her be honored and Natan’s emphasis of the urgency of the situation moved David out of complacency to offer a decisive, dramatic and final answer – exactly what was needed to put the brewing conflict to rest.

As soon as he has declared his preference for Shelomo, David details and initiates an official coronation ceremony full of proper pomp and circumstance, clearly and obviously contrasted with the unofficial, grassroots event organized by Adoniyahu. And as soon as Adoniyahu and his associates realize that David has, surprisingly, reinserted himself into the public arena to make his “endorsement” – an endorsement they know that the nation will embrace and uphold – they accept the fact that their movement has been effectively and permanently undermined in favor of Shelomo’s ascent to the throne.