CHOCHMAS NASHIM: SHOFTIM: ELUL:
TALK ABOUT KINGS
Suri Davis
The overriding theme of the parsha, in my mind, today, is temptation. The temptation to do evil, and as for the king, it should be one appointed by G-d, and not by the people. AND even though the king will be appointed by G-d, he will be lead away by temptation.
G-d requires that a king write for himself a sefer torah scroll, so that he knows and is familiar with every word and rule and commandment and admonishment therein. The Torah should be the king’s constant companion. Then the Torah warns about the king possessing too many horses, marrying too many wives “vlo yasur levavo/so that the king’s heart isn’t tempted to do evil, the influence wives have on their husbands.
Summing up on this issue, Deuteronomy 17:20: This is so that his (the king’s) heart will not be arrogant over his brothers, and he will not veer away from even the smallest commandment, either to the right or to the left, in order that he will reign for a long time over his kingdom, he and his sons, among Israel.”
We look now at the Haftorah, supplemental reading, which is from Isaiah 51:12-52:12, which starts with “It is I, yes I, Who comforts you…you have forgotten (the influence of) G-d, Who made you, Who stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundations of earth. And ends with “…since G-d is going before you, and the G-d of Israel is your rear guard.”
The king on earth is merely the messenger of G-d, but only if he is anointed by the G-d, follows in his ways, and doesn’t get so caught up in physical pleasures that he is taken down by temptation.
When I went to the Abraham Accord a few months ago, we were ready to say a unique blessing that I had never ever said before. The blessing when one sees a secular king or president: “Bless You G-d, King of the universe who took of His glory and gave it to a human being.” We say this blessing for a secular king, not a Jewish king or prime minister and that is so because when each Jewish child is born, G-d blows into that child a neshoma, soul, in G-d’s image, so every Jewish child is born with G-d’s image/honor in it, therefore the blessing when seeing a Jewish dignitary is superfluous.
The rabbis tell us that it was not G-d’s intent to have physical kings, but that it was a request by the Jews to have kings as the secular population had kings and so G-d acquiesced. G-d created us in His divine image, and blew into each of us a soul that is renewed each morning. G-d gives each one of us from His honor, as a third parent.
This month of Elul is powerful, the Rebbe tells us that G-d is in the field accepting greetings from all people who approach him, even in ripped jeans, uneducated, dirty from a days work. We do not need a special invitation, special clothes and a reason to approach other than to acknowledge that He is our king, and that there but for the grace of G-d go I.
A window of opportunity. Look for G-d, He is especially near nowadays, find the G-dly image in ourselves, brush off our dust/apathy, laziness and stand up tall as proud Jew, servant of G-d and minister to G-d. Look within, reach above, listen carefully, He is near.
Shabbat shalom.
-Suri