2023-08-29
2023-08-27
DEVARIM 17:14-20 The Mitzvah to Appoint a King
Deuteronomy Chapter 17:14-20 דְּבָרִים
יד כִּי-תָבֹא אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ, וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְיָשַׁבְתָּה בָּהּ; וְאָמַרְתָּ, אָשִׂימָה עָלַי מֶלֶךְ, כְּכָל-הַגּוֹיִם, אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹתָי. 14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein; and shalt say: 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me';
טו שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ, אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בּוֹ: מִקֶּרֶב אַחֶיךָ, תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ--לֹא תוּכַל לָתֵת עָלֶיךָ אִישׁ נָכְרִי, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-אָחִיךָ הוּא. 15 thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother.
טז רַק, לֹא-יַרְבֶּה-לּוֹ סוּסִים, וְלֹא-יָשִׁיב אֶת-הָעָם מִצְרַיְמָה, לְמַעַן הַרְבּוֹת סוּס; וַיהוָה, אָמַר לָכֶם, לֹא תֹסִפוּן לָשׁוּב בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה, עוֹד. 16 Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses; forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you: 'Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.'
יז וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה-לּוֹ נָשִׁים, וְלֹא יָסוּר לְבָבוֹ; וְכֶסֶף וְזָהָב, לֹא יַרְבֶּה-לּוֹ מְאֹד. 17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
יח וְהָיָה כְשִׁבְתּוֹ, עַל כִּסֵּא מַמְלַכְתּוֹ--וְכָתַב לוֹ אֶת-מִשְׁנֵה הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת, עַל-סֵפֶר, מִלִּפְנֵי, הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם. 18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites.
יט וְהָיְתָה עִמּוֹ, וְקָרָא בוֹ כָּל-יְמֵי חַיָּיו--לְמַעַן יִלְמַד, לְיִרְאָה אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו, לִשְׁמֹר אֶת-כָּל-דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת וְאֶת-הַחֻקִּים הָאֵלֶּה, לַעֲשֹׂתָם. 19 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 law and these statutes, to do them;
כ לְבִלְתִּי רוּם-לְבָבוֹ מֵאֶחָיו, וּלְבִלְתִּי סוּר מִן-הַמִּצְוָה יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול--לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים עַל-מַמְלַכְתּוֹ הוּא וּבָנָיו, בְּקֶרֶב יִשְׂרָאֵל. {ס} 20 that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel. {S}
https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0517.htm
2023-08-26
OPPOSERS OF THE KING by Yosef Dayan Ha Nasi
#497 Devarim 17
K
From Throne & Crown by
Yosef Dayan (c) 2004
Six sects will
severely oppose the idea of reinstating the kingship, each for its own reasons:
1. the Arabs,
2. the media,
3. the judicial system,
4. the politicians,
5. the "members of the intellectual and spiritual elite", and
6. the skeptics - the small-of-faith.
The
Arabs.
There is no need to elaborate on the reasons that they would not be happy with the idea of the Kingdom of Israel.
In the monarchic era they will not be counted within the
voting public – and needless to say – they will not be elected.
But they are not the
only ones who will not be voters. There will be no voters!
Obviously, the
election game will be called off upon the reinstatement of the Kingdom of
Israel.
There will no longer
be a need for misleading party platforms, image-building consultants or PR
campaigns.
Funding for
political parties and associations promoting various political platforms will
be curtailed, there will be no more Popolitika 2 and we will be rid of Chanan
Chrystal 3.
Everything will be
different, and for the better!
The status of the
Arabs – those who remain – will be the status of "sojourners" 4, they
will have no political rights.
Their opposition to
the Kingdom will be intense and maybe even violent. But already today their
opposition to the democratic State is
2 A popular Israeli
TV talk show??. – PT
3 A popular
political commentator?? - PT.
4 Leviticus 25, 35 –
PT
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intense and
definitely violent.
I do not
consider the Arabs as my reference group. I have no sense of respect for them,
their opinion doesn't interest me and I don't believe them. Therefore their
opposition is irrelevant to me.
The
Media.
When our king reigns
over us, the hostile media will incur a fatal injury.
It will no longer
malign the actions of representatives of the public with its shameful
allegations, it will no longer embarrass the opponents of its anti-Jewish stance.
In the reign of the
Kingdom of Israel, the media will not give our enemies opportunities to express
their views and will not justify all the actions of those who oppose Israel.
It will not flood
our homes with descriptions of debauchery and crime, and will not arouse man's
basest instincts.
Obviously, the media
will not set the national agenda.
The media
is not my reference group. I have no sense of respect for its protagonists,
their opinions don't interest me and I don't believe them. Therefore their
opposition is irrelevant to me.
The
Judicial System.
It will certainly
oppose the kingship, and its opposition will be most severe.
Therefore it will
mobilize all the other opposition sects and will actually be the flagship in
the battle to frustrate the idea of establishing the Kingdom of Israel.
This institution,
headed by the Supreme Court, which has set itself the goal of eradicating every
Jewish feature that still prevails in the State of Israel, will lose not only
its dominant influence, but also its superior status.
It will lose the
power bestowed upon it by the judicial tyranny of Aharon Barak.
Actually, it will no
longer be the ultimate sovereign.
The judicial system
will cease to exist, de facto as well as de jure.
In its place will
come the Sanhedrin, which will base its adjudications on the Hebrew code of
law.
No more precedents
from the American, German or British judicial systems.
We shall have Hebrew
justice!
The Supreme Court
judges know this, and therefore we can expect uncompromising opposition from
them.
The
judicial system, which has had no restraints in wielding its tyranny, is not my
reference group, I have no sense of respect for its members, their opinion
doesn't interest me, and I don't believe them. Therefore its opposition is
irrelevant to me.
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The
Politicians.
Because everything
that has been written in their condemnation is true, and if only for this
reason alone, they will wage vicious battles against the idea of the monarchy.
Though they are
blind to the needs of the people, they are remarkably alert regarding their own
needs.
They would never be
willing to forfeit their role as the decision makers regarding the wishes of
the "common people" of Israel, lest the people again desire the
majesty of kings such as David.
The
politicians are not my reference group, I have no sense of respect for them,
their opinion doesn't interest me and I don't believe them. Therefore their
opposition is irrelevant to me.
The
"Intellectual and Spiritual Elite"
We have already said
all we have to say about them, but in summarizing, we shall not remove the
quotation marks from the appellation they have applied to themselves.
Their works will
become a thing of the past and without the mobilized, one-sided media that
cultivates and blows them out of all proportion, nobody will know they ever
existed.
All the shallow and
hollow creations currently produced by the "intellectual & spiritual
elite" will simply disappear from the scene, and not as a result of any
royal decree.
It will be unnecessary
to address the matter.
"Queen of the
Bath" (Malkat Ha-ambatya), "Days of Tziklag" (Yemey Tziklag) and
"My Michael" (Michael Sheli) will remain only as living testimonials
of a dead past, evidence of the depravity to which a nation can sink in its
self-hatred.
The
"intellectual and spiritual elite" are not my reference group, I have
no sense of respect for them, their opinion doesn't interest me and I don't
believe them. Therefore their opposition is irrelevant to me.
All these are
Sanballatim (following the coinage of Uri Zvi Greenberg) no more a marginal
minority; so-called "elites" that aren't capable of any positive
sentiments for Israel.
Sanballatim – the
likes of the Horonite mentioned in chapter 2 of the Book of Nehemiah:
"When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official
heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the
welfare of the people of Israel."
The
skeptics - The small-of-faith.
This sect
is different from the others. It IS my reference group, it definitely is! I
feel no sense of respect for its members, but
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neither
do I feel contempt for them. Their opinion interests me, because even if it
seems strange to me – they can be believed.
They are
not evil. Therefore I cannot say that their opposition is of no consequence to
me or that I consider it irrelevant.
On the
contrary, I consider it very relevant.
Regrettably,
I do not know how it might be possible to strengthen their will, or to imbue
them with an urge toward faith.
Many, more qualified
than I, have attempted and failed.
Their opposition to the idea of a monarchy
will be the most difficult, and I tremble as I prepare to face it.
I shall be able,
with G-d's help, to cope with any attack aimed at me and at the idea that I am
obliged to fulfill, but the trauma inflicted by the skeptics will be severe.
I do not fear the
Pharisees, nor the non-Pharisees, nor the hypocrites who pretend to be
Pharisees and commit the acts of Zimri while they demand the reward of Pinchas.
I fear only the
deriders! Because that which has happened – is liable to recur in an even more
intense form:
"But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the
Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard [it], they laughed us to scorn, and
despised us, and said, What [is] this thing that ye do?"
In the poetry of Uri
Zvi Greenberg there is a passage that is more painful than anything he ever
wrote, a passage that is actually horrifying.
When he speaks about
the Messiah that CAME – and was chased away in disgrace, the poet says:
Had they come upon him with a knife, and wedged it in his heart
/ He would have leapt with the knife in his heart over their
bodies.
But because they pierced him with mockery – they triumphed over him
then, The peddlars.
Contempt and
derision! This will probably be my share, to be meted out by the small-of-faith,
the sceptics. How fearful!
Yes, I am afraid of
mockery – but I fear my Creator even more.
Therefore, I shall
pray to him with all the power of my heart, that He may give me courage to
withstand the laughers who lack vision.
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Each and every sect
– has its own brand of venom.
All the more so all
of them together.
This, in itself, is
a good reason to establish the kingdom immediately.
Because none of the
sects regards the people of Israel and their future as something that should be
cared for, cultivated and promoted.
Matters that are of
interest to us – do not interest them.
There is no doubt
that the great power that is concentrated in their hands will heap up
difficulties on the way to the establishment of the kingdom.
May it only please
the Lord that the verse which contains the response to Sanballat's words of
derision may apply to me:
"Then answered
I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we
his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor
memorial, in Jerusalem."
The greater the
strength of the opposition powers – so shall their demise be more terrible.
Establishment of the
kingdom is a mighty idea. Despite all the obstacles it will triumph and defeat its
opponents – sooner (I hope) or later.
There is no power in
the world that can overcome it.
The Kingdom of the
House of David shall be reinstated!
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