Everyone is aware of the unusual manner in which the Torah commands us concerning a king. Although it is a mitzva to appoint a king upon the nation, there is an implied warning in the opening pasuk of the parsha about MELECH, which says, “When you come to the Land... and you will say - let me place a king upon myself just like all the nations that surround me...” From the very first words, the idea of a human king sounds doomed to have its “downside”. Besides the warning, the Torah’s words are also prophecy, because they came true when the people came to Shmuel HaNavi with their request/demand for a king, “just like other nations”. G-d tells Shmuel that it is not him (Shmuel) that the people are rejecting with their insistence for a king, but it is G-d’s authority that they are rejecting. G-d instructs Shmuel to “read them the riot act”, to tell them what they are really getting themselves into with a king, specifically one that will not necessarily follow the proper conduct of a Jewish king. Our track record throughout Tanach sadly demonstrates the “downside” of our having kings, despite the mitzva to appoint them, and their great potential for being a positive force for Jewish Life. Part of our hope and belief in the coming of Mashiach is that he will be the king that G-d wanted us to have - and not the ones corrupted by our and their distorted motives. Then there are the prophets. G-d first tried (so to speak) direct communication with us. We panicked. G-d made a “deal” with us. A NAVI, like Moshe, will arise and speak to us in G-d’s name. And we are obligated to listen to him (them). But we are warned about false prophets, who either speak in the name of other gods or in G-d’s name, but that He did not tell them to. We are commanded not to listen to the false prophet and not to be afraid to get rid of them. Once again, the track record throughout Tanach is not so good. Too many episodes of not listening to true prophets, and too many examples of following false ones. As with a king, when the “system” works the way it is supposed to, everything is wonderful. But when it fails - watch out! We seemed to have faired better with the Sanhedrin and its role as transmitter of Oral Law and legislator of Rabbinic Law. And yet, we must be wary of distortions of True Torah in the form of attempted “modernizing” of Judaism and the creation of so-called divergent streams. Warned of the tremendously harmful downsides of these institutions of authority, we fervently pray for their restoration in their most proper form. [The
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