Jerusalem in the Days of David (IV)
Jerusalem in the Bible
Yeshivat Har Etzion
NEW BOOK BY RAV YOSEF
DOV SOLOVEITCHIK ZT"L
For more than a decade, Rabbi Soloveitchik spent virtually the entire day of Tish'ah be-Av expounding upon its major themes and reading and closely analyzing the Kinot, drawing upon on a whole range of sources including the Bible, rabbinic literature (Talmud and Midrash), medieval halakhic and philosophical works, Hebrew poetry, and Jewish history. The Lord is Righteous in All His Ways features the Rav's teachings on this day. Editor: Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter.
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This
shiur is dedicated in memory of Dr. William Major z"l.
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SHIUR #26: Introduction to
in the days of David (III)/
The connection between the monarchy and the Mikdash
and Between the selection of the Davidic monarchy And
Rav Yitzchak Levi
After
having clarified the significance of the Divine selection of
1. the selection of the Monarch and the
selection of the Mikdash
Before we come to examine the special relationship between the selection of Jerusalem and the selection of David as king, let us examine the relationship in the Torah between the selection of a king and the selection of the place of the Mikdash, and particularly the parallels between the passage dealing with the king (Devarim 17:14-20) and the passage dealing with "the place that the Lord will choose" (Devarim 12).
2. Parallels
|
|
"The place that the Lord will choose" (Devarim 12) |
"The king that the Lord will choose" (Devarim 17) |
|
The choosing |
"The place that the Lord will choose" (v. 5) |
"And you shall say, I will set a king over me
then
you may appoint a king over you, whom the Lord your God shall choose"
(vv. 14-15) |
|
After possession and settlement |
"These are the statutes and judgments, which you shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of your fathers gives you to possess it, all the days that you live upon the earth" (v. 1) "But when you traverse the |
When you come to the land which the Lord your God gives you, and shall possess it, and shall dwell in it" (v. 14) |
|
"Every man whatever is right in his own eyes" the antithesis of the Mikdash and the monarchy |
"You shall not follow after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatever is right in his own eyes" (v. 8) |
"In those days there was no king in |
|
Mikdash the opposite of "your heart's desire; Monarchy "over all that your heart desires" |
"Nonetheless, you may slaughter animals and eat their flesh to your heart's desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has bestowed on you, throughout all your gates, the unclean and the clean may eat of it as they do of the gazelle and the deer" (v. 15) |
And Avner said to David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that you heart desires" (II Shemuel 3:21) "And I will take you, and you shall reign according
to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over |
|
Fear |
"You shall keep My sabbaths, and revere My sanctuary" (Vayikra 26:2) "And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the tithe of your corn, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings of your herds, and of your flocks; that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always" (Devarim 14:23) "Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and your stranger that is within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord you God, and observe to do all the words of this Torah" (Devarim 31:12) |
"And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this Torah and these statutes, to do them" (Devarim 17:19) "'Then you may appoint a king over you' that his fear shall be upon you" (Sanhedrin 19b) |
3. THE MEANING OF THE PARALLELS
The choosing: The place of the Mikdash is
selected by Divine choice. We saw this principle already with respect to
Avraham at the Akeida; afterwards with respect to David, when the prophet Gad
commanded him in the name of God to construct an altar at the threshing floor
of Arvana (I Divrei Ha-yamim 21:18); and similarly during the
Second Temple period, when one of the prophets who returned from the Exile
testified about the place of the altar (Zevachim 62a). The king was also
selected by Divine choice. While the request and initiative regarding his
appointment came from the people something that may be likened to the
initiative required of man to seek out God's resting place the king's
identity was determined by God.
The Ramban in his commentary to Devarim 17:15 expands upon the parallel between the selection of the king and the selection of the place of the Mikdash:
In my opinion, according to the plain meaning of the text, the meaning of "that He will choose" is that anyone who reigns over one of the nations does so by Divine decree And thus they said: Even the lowliest officeholder is appointed in heaven (Bava Batra 91b). It says: "Then you may appoint a king over you" anyone who is decreed in heaven to rule as king And similarly according to the plain meaning of the text: "The place that the Lord your God will choose" wherever they build the Bet ha-Mikdash for God is by the will of God.
The Rambam emphasizes that fact that both the choosing of the king and the choosing of the place of the Mikdash are Divine choices. Just as the selection of any officeholder is essentially a Divine choice, so "wherever they build the Bet ha-Mikdash for God is by the will of God," that is to say, a revelation of the will of God.
After possession and settlement: The place of the Mikdash is arrived at
through possession of the land and dwelling in it, and rest from the enemies of
Israel
"Every man whatever is right
in his own eyes": The Mikdash is
the antithesis of "every man whatever is right in his eyes," namely,
offering sacrifices on the bamot. The monarchy is also the antithesis of
"every man whatever is right in his eyes." The concluding chapters of
the book of Shoftim the stories of the idol of Mikha and the
concubine in Giv'a illustrate the
great need for a king, by showing how the state of "every man doing
whatever is right in his eyes" leads to idolatry, illicit sexual relations
and bloodshed.
Your heart's desire: Here there is a difference between the Mikdash and
the monarchy. Offering sacrifices "to your heart's desire
throughout all
your gates" is the antithesis of "the place that the Lord will
choose," whereas the king may choose the city from which he will rule and
reign over all that his heart desires.
Fear: The Mikdash is a place of fear, and indeed, it is in the place
that the Lord will choose that the mitzvot of eating tithes and hakhel
are observed. Fear of the king must be cast upon the people, and in this sense
he parallels the Mikdash. On the other hand, the Torah emphasizes the
king's own obligation to fear God, and it is not by chance that it is the king
who reads from the Torah before the entire people at the Hakhel assembly
a mitzva whose objective is to bring all of Israel
According to our approach, the deeper significance of all these parallels is that the site of the Mikdash is the site of the sovereignty of the King of the universe. On the other hand, in many respects a king of flesh and blood parallels the King of the universe "an earthly king is akin to the heavenly King" (Zohar, Bereishit 197a).
II. THe connection
between the monarchy and the Mikdash
After having seen the details of the parallels found in the Torah between the monarchy and the Mikdash, let us now examine several additional proofs to this connection[1]:
1) The proximity of the High Court to the Mikdash the
proximity of the Sanhedrin to the altar: We have dealt with this issue in Shiurim
6-7 ("
2) Extensive parallel between the king, who is responsible
for the daily life of the country and the nation, and the High Priest,
who is responsible for the Mikdash the eternal life of the Jewish
people. On the head of the High Priest rests the tzitz which is similar
to the royal crown; both are anointed with the anointing oil; ordinarily, both
of these offices are passed on as an inheritance, like other offices; the laws
governing the honor due to the High Priest parallel the laws governing the
honor due to the king; both the king and the High Priest are responsible for
establishing the rule of Torah in Israel, and both judge the people.
3) The connection and proximity between the house of God and the house of the king,[2] with both the prospects (see the previous shiur) and the dangers (see Yechezkel 43:7-8) that this involves.
4) The connection between the holy ark and the place of the monarchy (see Shiur #24).
5) Yeravam's denial of the Davidic monarchy and of God. Chazal say:
R. Shimon ben Yochai taught: There are three things that they will despise in the future: the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of the House of David, and the construction of the Bet ha-Mikdash. When did they despise these three things? In the days of Rechavam. This is what is written: "What portion have we in David" (I Melakhim 12:16) this is the kingdom of heaven; "Neither have we inheritance in the son of Yishai" (ibid.) this is the kingdom of the House of David; "To your tents, O Israel, now see to your own house, David" (ibid.) this is the construction of the Bet ha-Mikdash.
R. Shimon ben Menasya said: Israel will never see blessing until they once again seek these three things. This is what is written: "Afterwards the children of Israel shall return, and seek the Lord their God" (Hoshea 3:5) this is the kingdom of heaven; "And David their king" (ibid.) this is the kingdom of the House of David; "And shall come trembling to the Lord and His goodness in the latter days" (ibid.) this is the construction of the Bet ha-Mikdash." (Midrash Shemuel 13:4)
The connection that the Midrash finds between the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of the House of David, and the Mikdash regarding the manner in which Israel would first reject and later seek them out testifies to the close connection between the three.
"The king's Mikdash royal city"[3]:
Permanent monarchy as condition and antecedent for the construction of the
permanent Mikdash:
First of all, the antecedency of the permanent monarchy to the permanent Mikdash is what actually occurred, as we saw in II Shemuel 7 and Tehillim 132.
Chazal strengthen this connection in several places. In Bava Batra 4a, the Gemara states: "The Bet ha-Mikdash is different, for without the monarchy it would not be built." In other words, the construction of the Mikdash is conditioned upon the existence of the monarchy. Indeed, the Gemara in Sanhedrin 20b rules that the communal commandments which fell upon the Jewish people when they entered the Land of Israel "To appoint a king, to destroy the seed of Amalek, and to build the Bet ha-Bechira" must be fulfilled in that order.[4]
It is interesting to note that according to the Gemara in Gittin (56b) this connection expresses itself (in a different manner) with respect to the destruction of the Mikdash as well: Jerusalem and the Mikdash only fall into the hands of a king.
Lastly, the Rambam emphasizes the connection between the monarchy and the Mikdash even in the future, putting the construction of the Mikdash at the top of the list of the functions of the messianic king, and as a definitive proof of his kingship:
The messianic king will arise in the future and restore the Davidic monarchy to its original rule, and rebuild the Mikdash . (Hilkhot Melakhim 11:1)
If there arise a king from the House of David who meditates on the Torah, occupies himself with the commandments, as did his ancestor David, observes the precepts prescribed in the Written and the Oral law, prevails upon Israel to walk in the way of the Torah and to repair its breaches, and fights the battles of the Lord, it may be assumed that he is the Messiah. If he succeeds and rebuilds the Mikdash in its place, and gathers the outcasts of Israel, he is certainly the Messiah. And he will repair the entire world to serve God together, as it is stated: "For then I will convert the peoples to a purer language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent" (Tzefanya 3:9). (Ibid., halakha 4)
III. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SELECTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE SELECTION OF THE DAVIDIC MONARCHY
In a number of scriptural passages, a connection is made between the choosing of Jerusalem and the choosing of the Davidic monarchy. We saw already in the two previous shiurim the correlation between the selection of the city and the selection of David in the words of Shelomo at the dedication of the Mikdash (I Melakhim 8:16; II Divrei Ha-yamim 6:5-6), and in the prophecies regarding the division of the kingdom (I Melakhim 11:13, 32-36). In another shiur (Shiur #6: "Jerusalem City of Righteousness"), we saw the parallel verses regarding the future king of the House of David and the city of Jerusalem, both of whom will be called "The Lord is our Righteousness" (Yirmiyahu 23:5-6; ibid. 33:15-16).
The prophet Yechezkel draws a parallel between David's eternal kingship and the eternal resting of the Shekhina in the Mikdash:
And they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Yaakov My servant, in which your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, and their children, and their children's children for ever. And My servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, which I will give them. And I will multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. And My tabernacle shall be with them. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Then the nations shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. (Yechezkel 37:25-28)
The prophet Hoshea prophesies: "Afterwards the children of Israel shall return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall come trembling to the Lord and His goodness in the latter days" (Hoshea 3:5). As we saw earlier, R. Shimon ben Menasya, in his exposition of the verse (Midrash Shemuel 13:4), draws a connection between the request for the restoration of the Davidic monarchy and the request for the reconstruction of the Mikdash.
Likewise, we find a connection between David's kingship over all of Israel and his arrival in the city of Jerusalem (as discussed at length in previous shiurim), and a similar connection between the destruction of the monarchy and the destruction of the city at the end of the First Temple period.
It is interesting that this special connection between David and Jerusalem was preserved in the Shemoneh Esrei prayer and in Birkat ha-Mazon. The Shemoneh Esrei prayer reads:
Return in mercy to Your city Jerusalem and dwell in it as You have promised; rebuild it soon, in our days, as an everlasting structure, and speedily establish in it the throne of David.
And Birkat ha-Mazon reads:
Have mercy, Lord our God, on Israel Your people, on Jerusalem Your city, on Zion the abode of Your majesty, on the royal house of David Your chosen one, and on the great and holy Temple that bears Your name Rebuild Jerusalem the holy city speedily in our days.
This phenomenon has halakhic significance:
It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer says, Whoever has not mentioned the monarchy of the House of David in the "Builder of Jerusalem" blessing has not fulfilled his obligation. (Berakhot 48b)
In other words, the connection between the kingdom of the House of David and the rebuilding of Jerusalem must not be severed. Thus rules the Rambam:
Whoever has not mentioned in this blessing the monarchy of the House of David has not fulfilled his obligation. For this constitutes the very essence of the blessing. Israel's consolation will only be a complete consolation when the Davidic monarchy is restored. (Hilkhot Berakhot 2:4)
In other words, the true consolation of Jerusalem lies in the restoration of the monarchy of the House of David, because the two are connected, as essentially they are the same thing.
IV. THE SELECTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE SELECTION OF THE MONARCHY OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID: WHICH ONE LED TO THE OTHER?
As we have seen in the two previous shiurim, Scripture implies the following order: the human selection of Jerusalem by David; the Divine selection of the kingdom of the house of David; and finally, the Divine selection of Jerusalem and the Mikdash in the days of Shelomo.
The Malbim (in his commentary to Tehillim 132:11) offers a persuasive explanation as to the causal connection underlying this chronological order:
"The Lord has sworn to David" (Tehillim 132:11) He explains that because of the choice of Zion, God has sworn to David that the kingship will not veer from his seed, as it is written (II Shemuel 7). This may be likened to the friend of a king who, because of his great love, stayed as a guest [in his house]. He built a royal palace for him in his house that was so beautiful that the king wanted to live there forever. He swore to him that he would never leave the place. Therefore, he stayed as a guest at that place by [the friend's] seed as well, and the covenant remained in force regarding his seed. Thus the friend was the reason that the place was chosen, and the place was the reason that the friend's seed was chosen forever. This is what is stated here regarding the selection of the Mikdash, that it was "for Your servant David's sake" (ibid., v. 10). And afterwards it says that since He chose the Mikdash forever, "The Lord has sworn to David One of the sons of your body will I set upon your throne" (ibid. v. 11). "For the Lord has chosen Zion" (ibid. v. 13). For afterwards, because of the selection of Zion, He swore that the kingship would never veer from the House of David. Now this oath had two components, for regarding the seed of David, He took an absolute oath with no conditions whatsoever, for about this it says: "The Lord has sworn in truth to David; he will not turn from it. One of the sons of your body will I set upon your throne." But regarding the seed of his seed there was a condition.
According to the Malbim's explanation, Jerusalem was chosen because of God's love for David, but once God chose it, and, as it were, settled in it, this brought to the selection of the Davidic monarchy forever. Thus, David brought to the selection of the city, and the city brought to the selection of the House of David forever. Thus, the two selections are combined, in such a manner that each one influences the other. This is the source of the eternal connection between David and Jerusalem.
SUMMARY
In this shiur, we have examined the significance of the connection between the monarchy and the Mikdash in Scripture, the Midrash and Halakha, and the connection between the selection of Jerusalem and the selection of David.
In the next shiur, we shall, with God's help, examine the significance of the Divine promise regarding the eternality of the monarchy of the House of David.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] These are broad topics, each of which deserves a shiur of its own. We dealt at length with some of these topics in the past, and with God's help, we will deal at length with some of them in the future.
[2] Next year, when we deal with the days of Shelomo, we will devote a separate shiur to this topic.
[3] This sentence, taken from the Lekha Dodi piyyut, is rooted in the verse, "But do not prophesy again any more at Bet-El for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house" (Amos 7:13).
[4] The Yerushalmi (Ma'aser Sheni 5:2) cites the position of Rabbi Acha that in the future Mikdash the order of events will be different: "Rabbi Acha said: This means that in the future, the Bet ha-Mikdash will be built prior to the restoration of the monarchy of the house of David."
(Translated by David Strauss)
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