Spiritual and
Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach;
JOSHUA, JUDGES, SAMUEL, KINGS (Nevi’im Rishonim)
by Dr. Meir Tamari
These four
books ostensibly are merely the history of Israel from the entry into the
Promised Land until the destruction of the Temple and the temporary loss
of independent statehood. In fact they are actually, in a specifically
Jewish sense, the most deeply religious and spiritual books of the Bible.
One does not have to be specifically Jewish to see or feel the religion
and spirituality in the revelations of the prophetic writings or in the
words of the Tehillim. They speak to all people, as evidenced by the fact
that the Bible is still the world's bestseller and there are millions of
non-Jews who regularly recite the Psalms. However, it is specifically and
intrinsically Jewish to understand that G-d is revealed in the prosaic
material, in the political, social and military events in the lives of
ordinary men and women, kings and leaders that are described in the Nevim
Rishonim. Here are described the ideology and religious thoughts in
Judaism, while in Chronicles we have the purely historical.
Saul, the Troubled King
How is it that Saul,
who was amongst the prophets, the first king of Israel, and whom Bible
calls, 'the anointed messiah of G-d', could become the relentless hunter
of David and one consumed by an evil spirit, described in chapter 18 and
further on? How are we to explain the many incidents of his fury at David
such as the casting of the spear at him while he was playing the harp
before Saul or the slaughter of the priest of Nov for giving David
sanctuary or the pursuit after him in the wilds of EIn Gedi and Midbar
Yehuda?
Many Jewish and non-Jewish artists have portrayed him as madman like Lear;
authors and playwrights have depicted him in the web of depression; and
academics have described his pursuit as the necessary acts of a man
frightened for his political life. However, all those surrounding him seem
to have had no inkling of any depression, instability or insanity. To his
son Jonathan, he was a father to be respected and a king worthy of
obeying; Michal his daughter was faithful to his wishes; and his generals
and troops loyally followed him into battle both against the Philistines
and against David. Furthermore, had they been told in the Books of
Chronicles, that are in essence history, just like the archives of kings
and states, perhaps the explanations of mental instability would have been
appropriate, but in the prophetic books that are concerned with
religiosity-spirituality, morality and ethics, they have no place. Even
though the text tells us that, "An evil spirit from G-d came upon Saul"
(18:10), that could easily account for such explanations, still there is
no place for them.
This spirit came upon Saul after Samuel had spoken his traumatic words;
"The Lord has torn the Kingdom of Israel from you …and given it to your
neighbor that is better than you" (15: 28). Not only the merit of kingship
of the kingdom of priests was torn from him, but the spirit of HaShem left
him (16:13-14); instead his soul was filled by the evil spirit of despair
and rejection caused by the realization of the enormity of his sin. We
should bear in mind that all of Saul's sins were connected to his role as
king; there was not even a hint of any personal wrongdoing.
Abarbanel explained that because of this imagination and self-examination,
he no longer was like other people, rather he was constantly busy with his
sin and with the sorrow that he had failed in his allotted messianic duty.
According to the Malbim, the knowledge that the evil spirit that had come
upon him was from the Lord, led to the thought that now G-d was his enemy.
We hear echoes of the same idea in the prayer of Jonah from the depths of
the sea.
It was this utter despair and feeling of complete rejection arising out of
the obsession with his sin, that our sages saw as the cause of the loss of
prophecy, of his pursuit of David and of his inability to repent and thus
achieve spiritual peace.
"Prophecy does not come in laziness, nor in sorrow and sadness; rather
through simcha" (Shabbat 30b). Sorrow, worry and concern caused prophecy
to depart from Saul. "Because of the sighing, concern and worry of Jacob
all the time of his mourning over Joseph, the Divine Spirit left him. Then
when he heard that Joseph was alive, it is written, 'And the spirit of
Jacob revived'; which Onkelos translates as, 'and the spirit of prophecy
dwelt on Jacob'." (Rambam Shmoneh Perakim 7).
Sorrow and despair of themselves are actually a sin and they lead us
easily into further evil. Devoid of hope and a future, people are easily
led to continue and even expand the evil that led to their wrongdoing in
the first place, since they feel powerless to change anything. "That is
why there are three reminders in the daily mincha offering [that was
brought by the soul as homage]; one to atone for sin, the other cure the
soul [that is sick with despair] and the third for the sin that will come
because of that sickness " (HaEmek Davar, Vayikra 2:2).
The process of repentance and the confession that is a prerequisite
thereof, should not be a morbid involvement with the dark recesses of the
human soul and thought, as Saul allowed it to become. Rather, "It is the
great mercy that the Almighty has given to His creatures. [Hashem himself
taught us the 13 Divine Attributes which form the core of our selichot
(penitential prayers)]. He has thereby prepared for them a pathway out of
the guilt-filled pit and an escape out of the conscience-racked trap [of
remorse yet inaction at] their offenses. [It is this Divine gift of
repentance that enables people] to save themselves from spiritual
destruction…. Even if they have offended, rebelled and corrupted, He has
not closed before them the gates of repentance" (Rabbi Jonah of Gerondi,
Shaarei Teshuva, First Gate, section 1).
"Adam asked Cain why he was no longer downcast and sad at the murder of
Hevel. Cain replied, 'Hashem showed me that one can repent and I did'.
When Adam heard this he exclaimed, 'All these long years and only now have
I understood how easy that is'. Immediately, he stood and sung, 'A Song of
praise to the Shabbat Day" (Bereishit Rabba).
Saul's inability to understand and assimilate this Divine Mercy of the
possibility of teshuva, caused the black spirit that corrupted his very
being and led to the relentless pursuit of David, even to the massacre of
the priests of Nob.
This is the fourteenth installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and
its messages for our times.”
[The
Parshat To-l'dot Homepage]
[The TORAH tidbits Homepage] [How to use TORAH tidbits]
[About The OU/NCSY Israel Center] [About TORAH tidbits]
[www.ou.org]
|