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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