Upon entering Eretz Yisrael, Am Yisrael is instructed to “be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Yisraelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Yisraelite,” Devarim (Deuteronomy) 17:15.
This decree by G-d seems inconsistent with Shmuel’s displeasure and rejection of the demands of Am Yisrael to anoint a king over them when they challenge him “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go before us and fight out battles,” 1 Shmuel 8:19-21.
What seems to be the basis for this appeal to Shmuel, by Am Yisrael, is their apparent desire to be “like all the other nations.” In fact, that is the only form of ruling they had been exposed to before, both as former slaves and as a young nation. The long list of Pharaohs’ dynasties is what had been ingrained in their minds through the hundreds of years they had served as slaves in Egypt. Later, the terrain of their journey to Eretz Yisrael was mottled with kingdoms. That was the practice of governance throughout the ancient middle east. That is the only kind of authority Am Yisrael was familiar with. Their plea to Shmuel is merely to be no different than their neighbours. They had not yet mastered the idea of an invisible G-d, the king of kings, one that is both omnipotent and omnipresent.
G-d, in His wisdom, had anticipated the request or rather demand posed to Shmuel. G-d realized that it was forthcoming. There was, therefore, a need to prepare and forewarn Am Yisrael towards such an eventuality. This week’s parashah is establishing the model.
To ensure that the king does not abuse his power, there are restrictions appended to such an appointment. The parameters of such a designation, its boundaries and limitations follow the decree and are dictated in this week’s parashah (Devarim 17:16-17).
There are three restrictions imposed on the monarchy that Devarim sets up. The first is military and armament. “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” Egypt, evidently, bred horses from the latter part of the 18th dynasty and had the finest and most well-trained horses. In addition to pulling the king’s chariots, horses were deployed during wars. Having them in one’s arsenal was essential. G-d was concerned that in trying to upgrade his means of transportation and his military, the king may want to attain them from Egypt.
Such a necessity may force the Yisraelites to become dependent on Egypt, their former slave masters. That would defeat to whole purpose of God’s deliverance and the Exodus from Egypt. Though G-d has not forbidden Am Yisrael to build an army, its survival should depend primarily on their trust in G-d and not in human beings (especially those who had tormented them, as did Egypt), who can turn against them any time. Verse 16 states the prohibition to engage with Egypt very clearly, “You are not to go back there again.” Egypt, where kings were considered gods, is not only the enemy of the ancient Yisraelites, but also the enemy of G-d.
The second realm where a king may have much influence is in the diplomatic one. That parameter is expressed in the prohibition “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.” (Devarim 17:17).
The practice of marrying many wives was very common in ancient societies. Most of the royal courts included a harem which served as the dwelling place of the ruler’s wives, his concubines, their female attendants, and eunuchs, their guards. In many instances, kings added wives for the purpose of forging, reinforcing political alliances and securing political power through intermarriage between royal families. Moreover, in many harems, wives tried to maneuver themselves and their sons to secure high positions for them. This command serves to ensure that the king does not focus his attention on keeping his wives to safeguard his political pacts rather than attending to the needs of G-d’s People and His commandments.
The third delineated limitation is fiscal. Earthly kings may feel that they can exempt themselves from the laws that they create for their people. The temptation to amass their personal fortune is alluring to anyone who is in a position of power. The Yisraelite king is commanded to accumulate wealth for his nation and the benefit of his subjects only.
One very striking obligation that rests with the king is the one described in verses 18-19:
“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his G-d and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.” Upon ascending the throne, the first command that the king is required conform to is obtain the original Torah scrolls that are in the custody of the priests and copy that document himself, word for word. He is then to keep it close by his side wherever he is.
The emphasis on the importance of the king copying the Torah by himself contains much wisdom. As any teacher knows, it has a pedagogical value. Through the act of copying, the king will come to a better understanding of G-d’s laws, enhance his adherence to them and serve as a role model to his people.
The law in Devarim, while sanctioning the appointment of a king, is designed to preserve the notion that G-d is the ultimate king of Am Yisrael. The human king is merely His representative on earth who is entrusted with the basic role of inspiring his subordinates to become closer to G-d, the King of the universe. In the words of the Talmud, “Royalty on earth reflects royalty in Heaven,” (Berochot 58a).
Shavua tov
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