The Reading
The Summary
Shemuel Alef Chapter 8
This chapter is undoubtedly the “turning point” in the Book of Shemuel. Shemuel is now old and appoints his sons, Yoel and Aviyah, to serve as judges in his stead. However, the text tells us that the sons of Shemuel exhibited signs of corruption – they took bribes – and therefore did not find favor in the eyes of the people as Shemuel had. In response to this “failed” process of succession, the nation approaches Shemuel and demands that a king be chosen to rule over them.
Shemuel is greatly disturbed by this request and prays to Hashem. Hashem reassures Shemuel that he should not interpret this development as an indictment of him; rather, it is a sign that the Jewish people reject Hashem as their king. Hashem instructs Shemuel to fulfill the request of the Jews but first to make them aware of how the coronation of a king will affect their lives.
Shemuel addresses the populace and details the various ways in which the needs of the king and his government will impinge upon the freedoms and property of his subjects. He will collect taxes in the form of money, produce and livestock and will draft both men and women into his service. He will enjoy the benefits of absolute authority and they will be subordinate to his desires and direction. The Jews insist that they nevertheless wish to have a king rule over them, and Hashem commands Shemuel to begin the process of finding the right man for the job.
The question of whether the establishment of a monarchy was a positive or negative development in the history of Israel is hotly debated by the commentators. The Tanakh itself seems to send mixed messages on the issue. On one hand, the Torah is understood as commanding us to choose a king, and the key refrain of the Book of Shofetim – which charts the disastrous decline of the Jewish people in the absence of a strong central government – appears to support the view that having a king is a necessity. On the other hand, Shemuel’s reaction in this chapter, and Hashem’s statement that the request for a king is a sign of rejection of the Almighty, indicate that the move to appoint a king is perceived negatively.
We may be able to distinguish here between two functions that a monarchy serves. The primary benefit that it would provide to the nation would be much-needed stability. We can see that Shemuel was sensitive to this concern and intended to respond to it in two ways; first, by proactively engaging in public life, traveling, educating and inspiring, and by passing the mantle of leadership on to his sons so that the momentum thus created would not end with his eventual death. He was the first Shofet to take steps to prevent a relapse into idolatry after his demise. This aspect of “kingship” is a welcome development even from Shemuel’s perspective.
Sadly, Shemuel’s efforts in this regard fall flat because his sons are not capable of replacing him. The Midrash tells us that they didn’t actually take bribes but set up a bureaucratic system of judging the nation that entailed charging court fees and expecting remuneration for their time. Apparently, the absence of charisma, enthusiasm and selfless devotion on their part – the reduction of the position of Shofet into a mere “job” – left a bad taste in the mouths of the people, perhaps reminding them of the regime of the sons of Eli all over again.
The presence of Shemuel, an individual of immense spiritual stature, filled the void of leadership to such an extent that the idea of a king seemed irrelevant; the people were satisfied. His sons, by contrast, left much to be desired; perhaps the people figured that, if they are going to settle for career politicians of one sort or another, they might as well have the “real deal”, a king.
The second function served by a king is providing an emotional sense of security to the people. This is where, from a religious standpoint, the establishment of a monarchy is inherently problematic and objectionable. The human king projects a comforting illusion that everything is under control and that everyone is well protected, but he exacts a heavy price for this from his subjects in the form of taxes and services.
Other nations are prepared to make these sacrifices in exchange for what they believe is the only source of security available to them – the beneficent protection of a king. However, the Jewish people should know better. They should realize that ultimately, protection and security come only from Hashem and are dependent on the Jewish people’s observance of Torah and mitzvoth. Shemuel was profoundly disappointed that the psychological weakness of the people led them to seek emotional reassurance from a ruler of flesh-and-blood instead of inspiring them to develop a more lasting and genuine sense of confidence from their relationship with the True King.
So we can say that Shemuel recognized and even tried to address the first motive for having a king – namely, the need for stability. This function of the monarchy is what was “missing” in the Book of Shofetim that Shemuel himself wrote, and appointing a king to serve this purpose would indeed constitute a mitzvah. On the other hand, the desire for the false emotional security provided by a king is what distressed Shemuel and aroused his opposition; this search for a human being who would offer the nation a superficial feeling of safety and protection was construed as a rejection of Hashem’s kingship rather than the fulfillment of His will.