YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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Reading Midrash
By Rav Ezra Bick

Shiur#6: Malkizedek

	Last shiur, in a series of nonlinear jumps, we reached the aftermath of the "War of the Four Kings." We examined the midrash that described the turning point in Avraham's public career, and the climax and immediate crushing disappointment of Avraham in his efforts to reform the entire world directly.  This then is the point where Avraham in fact retreats from engagement with the world and its population.  Does he "say goodbye?"

A.	Malkizedek

	Today's midrashim revolve around Avraham's encounter with a shadowy and rather mysterious figure, Malkizedek, the king of Shalem, who was "a priest of the Most High God."

And Malkizedek, the king of Shalem, brought out bread and wine, and he was a priest of the Most High God.
And he blessed him, and he said: Blessed be Avram to the Most High God, the maker of heaven and earth;
And blessed be the Most High God, who has delivered your enemies to your hands.  And he gave him a tenth of everything.  (Bereishit 14,18-20).

"The king of Shalem" - this place grants righteousness to its inhabitants.  Malkizedek ("the king of righteousness"), Adonizedek ("master of righteousness" - the king of Jerusalem during the invasion of Canaan, Josh.  10).  Jerusalem is called "Zedek," as is written, "Righteousness (zedek) dwells in it" (Is.  1,21).  
"The king of shalem (perfection)" - R.  Yitzchak the Babylonian said: He was born circumcised.  (43,6)

	This is one of those not infrequent occurrences in the midrash where, either because of an elision in the editing or because it is so well known that the authors assumed you would know, a major piece of information is left out.  This midrash - or at least the second one that interprets "shalem" as perfect - assumes that the identity of Malkizedek is known.  Who is this perfect individual, the king of righteousness, born bearing the mark of the covenant that is, in fact, the mark of Avraham himself? Surely no anonymous tzadik! The answer is that he is Shem, the son of Noach, who was blessed by his father with the words, "He (God) shall dell in the tents of Shem" (Bereishit 9,27).  This identification is put forward nowhere in Bereishit Rabba in a direct manner, but is assumed or referred to in many places all over rabbinic literature, including at least one place in Bereishit Rabba (56,10 - "Shem called it Shalem, as is written, 'And Malkizedek the king of Shalem…'").  It apparently is assumed to be obvious to any reader of the midrash.

	The question that our midrash is asking is, what is the meaning of the word "shalem?" If it is a place-name, it seems strange that it is not known from other sources.  The midrash gives two explanations.  The first is that Shalem is another name for Jerusalem - YeruSHALEM.  It is on this basis that the midrash later (56,10) states that this name, the name of Jerusalem under Shem, is eternalized by being combined with the name given by Avraham to the scene of the akeida - "Yireh" - to produce the eternal name of the city - Yeru-shalem.  Placing Malkizedek in Jerusalem - in fact, allowing him to give a permanent name to the city of God - and calling him a "priest of the Most High God," makes it quite clear that the midrash is not merely identifying him as a very righteous man, a man of God, but as the supreme religious representative of the proper worship of the true God in the world - at least outside of Avraham.  The later midrash, which explains that the name of Jerusalem is a careful balancing act of God between the merits and honor of Avraham and that of Shem-Malkizedek, even more clearly establishes a parallel between the two.

Avraham called it Yireh, as is written, "Avraham called the name of that place HaShem Yireh." Shem called it Shalem, as is written, "And Malkizedek the king of Shalem." The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: If I call it Yireh as Avraham did, the righteous man Shem will be upset.  If I call it Shalem, the righteous man Avraham will be upset.  I shall call it Yerushalem, as they both did.  (56,10).

	Now if Avraham and Shem are partners in the founding of Yerushalayim, God's city (and it should be noted that the name Yerushalayim is referred to in the midrash as "God's name for the city), then the meeting described in the verses is a momentous one, the only meeting between these two individuals.  What actually transpires between them at this meeting?

B.	Gifts

	Let us skip ahead a bit.

"He brought out bread and wine and he was a priest of the Most High God." 
R. Shmuel bar Nachman and Rabbaban.  R. Shmuel said: He disclosed to him the laws of the high priesthood.  "Bread" - this is the showbread (of the Temple).  "And wine" - these are the libations.  
Rabbanan said: He disclosed to him Torah, as is written, "Come eat of My bread and drink the wine which I have poured" (Prov.  9,5).  

	This mysterious figure, Malkizedek, turns out not only to be a righteous individual, but he becomes one of the teachers of Avraham, giving him "Torah" and the secrets of the high priesthood.  The midrash deliberately changes a physical offering - bread and wine - into something of immense spiritual import.  Torah is the quintessentially Jewish spiritual expression - "Torah was taught to us by Moshe, an inheritance of the community of Yaacov." Similarly, the high priest was the unique individual, who entered deeper into the presence of God than any other individual, penetrating to the core of holiness, the Holy of Holies, on Yom Kippur.  Avraham, who has already been chosen by God to father the chosen people, receives at least some element of these two things from another individual, outside the chosen people.

	I think that Shem, the righteous son of Noach, represents the ideal of the righteous individual from the nations, outside of the covenant of Israel.  We saw in the last shiur that the Sages assumed that Avraham, having discovered the truth, would seek to spread it to anyone who would listen.  Why hide the truth only among your own family and people? If Avraham had been successful, there would have been no connection between the truth we call Judaism and the Jewish people, or any particular people.  Each individual would choose his path, to follow Avraham or not.  But that, as we saw, was not to be.  Avraham failed in his attempt to "convert" the people about him.  The midrash preceding the one we are now reading is the one we read last time, where, the peoples of Canaan, attracted to Avraham, attempt to deify him.  Avraham will now turn inward, to producing and educating his only son Yitzchak, and through him the separate unit within humanity.  The path that has failed exists nonetheless, for a small minority of individuals within the human race, just as it existed before Avraham.  Noach is the name the Sages use whenever they refer to non-Jews - the sons of Noach.  Shem is the leader and the ideal of the sons of Noach.  In his meeting with Avraham at this juncture, when Avraham is turning away from Shem, when the Jews are separating from humanity, Shem gives Avraham gifts, the legacy of the long and lonely road he has continued from the righteous man Noach.  

	The Sages are saying that Judaism is not a completely new invention.  Spirituality as such is native to humans.  A change in plan is taking place here, a change in direction, inward rather than outward, and this change will also eventually express itself, at Sinai, in hundreds of new commandments.  But there remains a core of spiritual value, of the service of God (the priesthood) which was the essence of the creation of Man.  The Sages state that Adam built the first altar.  We know that Noach built an altar.  Serving God as Man, as the image of God, is not something that Avraham invents, even though it is something he has discovered for himself on his own.  At this point in time, these two unique individuals meet, to each go on his separate path, which will not meet again until the ends of time.  Avraham gives Malkizedek a tithe - a sign of respect perhaps, a recognition of his spiritual standing, and Malkizedek gives Avraham a parting gift, knowing that for Avraham, Malkizedek will no longer and never again be the priest to the Most High God.  

	There is, of course, a difference between the two opinions - priesthood or Torah.  The priesthood, the knowledge how to be a servant of God, is something which can be understood in a non-Jewish context.  To say that this non-Jew, righteous as he was, gives Avraham TORAH, is much more audacious.  Spirituality is found among the nations, but Torah, we are taught, is not.  I am not sure exactly what the Sages could have envisioned as the contents of Shem's teachings, but the use of the term Torah to describe it implies a closer relationship between the model of righteous individual and righteous Jew than we are used to.  

	This is paralleled by the second explanation quoted above for "shalem." R. Yitzchak the Babylonian said that Shem was not the "king of Shalem" but a "shalem - perfect - king." This perfection was that he was born circumcised.  Now circumcision MEANS being Jewish.  What is more, in what is practically ironic, it is the sign of Avraham, the mark of God's covenant with him.  Shem, of course, did not perform circumcision - he was not given a commandment and was not part of the covenant.  He was born, naturally, without effort on his part, with the mark of circumcision, and for that reason is called "perfect." This seems to imply the following: Within the world, there can exist a few examples of perfectly righteous individuals without a need for the creation of the separate unit of the Jewish people.  But this can never lead to the perfection of humanity as a whole.  The creation of the Jewish people is a long and arduous road to achieve that same measure of perfection on a communal basis, a perfect society of man.  As an individual then, Shem can even impart Torah to Avraham.

C.	Transfer or Replacement

	This presentation presents the transition between Shem and Avraham as an amicable one.  In my presentation, the die has already been cast in regard to Avraham's leaving the world arena.  His meeting with Shem is part of that departure, Shem representing the old order of righteous individuals, and Avraham the new order where spiritual history will take place within Israel.  The torch is passed on, so to speak, with the tithe of Avraham representing an offering of respect, and perhaps thanks, for the old.

	There are other tones present in the midrash.  One is found immediately after the midrash we have quoted.

R. Abba Bar Kahana said: In every case of wine mentioned in the Torah, it left an impression (i.e., it had a negative effect - the commentators refer to the cases of Noach, Lot, and Nadav and Avihu), except for this one.  R. Levi said: This one as well we did not escape - for from there the verse continues, "and they shall enslave them and oppress them for four hundred years." (43,6)

	It is not easy to understand this midrash, but it is clearly negative.  Somehow, the fact that Avraham drank the wine of Malkizedek leads to the enslavement of his children in Egypt.  I think this views Malkizedek as a leader of the nations - hence, an effect of drinking his wine is coming under his power, which is expressed in the power of Egypt.  While I do not believe that the midrash sees Malkizedek as being himself not righteous, this midrash nonetheless refuses to divorce him from the world in which he lives, and hence claims that despite his personal piety, Avraham should have avoided him.  It seems to me that the meaning of this would be that, having already accepted his destiny as the founder of the separate unit within humanity, there is no place for Avraham to conduct the parting ceremony I described in the first half of today's shiur.  Even the goodness of Malkizedek is part of the world that Avraham is to reject, and he cannot share his wine any longer without coming under its influence.  

	This opinion, with its negative view of Avraham's relationship with Malkizedek, implies a negative view of a corresponding relationship between the Jewish people and non-Jews, which is quite the opposite from what I think was implied by the previous midrashim.  It emphasizes total divorce, and not merely a parting of the ways.  This question - is every connection with the non-Jewish world a flirting with danger and with subjugation to its distorted ideals, as represented by Egypt - is one which the Jewish community has wrestled with throughout history, and, of course, has no easy answer.

	Even more negative, at least in regard to Malkizedek himself, is a midrash found in Vayikra Rabba.  

R. Yishmael taught: God planned that the priesthood would develop from Shem, as is written, "And Malkizedek the king of Shalem." However, when he preceded the blessing to Avraham before the blessing to God, Avraham said to him: Does one bless the servant before the master? God took it from Shem and gave it to Avraham, as is written (Psalms 110), "God's speech to my master….  God has sworn and will not repent, you shall be a priest forever, on my word a king of righteousness ('malkizedek')" - because of the words of Malkizedek.

Here we do not find a willing gift of the priesthood from Malkizedek to Avraham, but rather a punishment from God.  The original plan seems to have called for some sort of partnership between Israel and the righteous part of the world - the people of God would be served by priests from Shem.  While this sounds strange indeed to our ears, it is not so preposterous logically - priests by definition are somewhat removed from Jewish society in order to serve God.  It is possible that the original plan accepted the necessity of a separate society based on the covenant, but still sought to preserve the role of the righteous individuals as priests, who are basically individuals outside of regular society.  

	But this, like Avraham's original plan of leading the entire world to God, was not to be.  The reason? - Malkizedek first blesses Avraham ("Blessed be Avram to the Most High God") and only afterwards God Himself ("And blessed be the Most High God,").  This reversal of the proper order leads God to cancel Shem's appointment as priest and transfer it to Avraham "forever." This does seem to us to appear a relatively trivial sin to warrant such a radical reaction.  I am once again unsure exactly how to understand this bit of criticism of Malkizedek but would like to make at least a suggestion.

	Preceding Avraham before God might indicate a willingness to defer to worldly society, to the king or the needs of the public.  One of the flagrant sins of the priesthoods of ancient society (and at times of modern clergy as well) is to become part of the civil service of the state and subject the needs of religion to the needs of the state.  Avraham has just won a mighty battle and saved Canaan.  Blessing him before God is not so much a grievous sin as a misunderstanding of the role of the priest, and hence God chooses to bring the priesthood out of Israel itself, as a separate tribe within the whole.  

D.	Partnership

	One last midrash, too important to skip, before we go.

"Blessed be Avram to the Most High God, maker of heavens and earth"
R. Yitzchak said: Avraham would host passersby and when they had eaten and drunk would say to them, "Bless." They would say to him, "What shall we say?" He would say to them, "Say, Blessed be God of the world, of whose we have eaten." 
God said to him: My name was not known to My creatures and you made it known to My creatures.  I consider it as though you are My partner in the creation of the world.  This is what is written, "maker of heaven and earth." (43,7)

	In other words, the verse should be read as "Blessed be Avram to the Most High God, (for Avram is) the maker of the heavens and the earth.

	There are two interconnected central ideas of Judaism here.  The first is that the world exists only to know the name of God.  If God is not known in the world, it is basically meaningless, or even more strongly, it hardly exists.  The second is that the means of making God's name known is not in God's hands but in Man's.  Avraham, the Jewish people, create the world by accepting the Divine role of bringing God into relationship with the world.  In this, Man becomes the partner of God in creation.  The redemption of the world from meaninglessness is in the hands of Man.  

Next shiur:
We are going back a bit in time, to Avraham's descent to Egypt.
40,3