Spiritual and
Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach;
JOSHUA, JUDGES, SAMUEL, KINGS (Nevi’im Rishonim) 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. On Being a Jewish King When Ben Haddad of Damascus laid siege to Shomron, he sent to Achav, demanding the most treasured of his possessions; Achav agreed to give him gold, silver, his wives and his children. Ben Haddad was not satisfied and demanded, "Give to me even your most treasured and beloved possessions" (19:2-9). Our Sages understood this to refer to the Sefer Torah, whose words are, "more to be desired than plentiful gold, even much fine gold" (T'hilim19:11). Achav showed love for the Torah and replied that that Torah was what he had written as his obligation as a king (D'varim 17:18), so that it did not belong to him and was not his to give away (Sanhedrin 105b). For this refusal, the cost of which was war, he merited a great victory against Ben Haddad and his 32 kingly allies, killing 100,000 of their men in one day. The remnant fled before Israel to Afek, only to suffer further defeat when the city wall collapsed and killed many. Ben Haddad sought refuge in the innermost rooms of the city until his servants came up with a suggested way for saving him. "Behold we have heard that the kings of Israel are indeed merciful. Let us then clothe ourselves in sackcloth and place ropes on our heads [as a sign of submission]. Perhaps the king will grant you your life?" (20:31). Achav, acting on a centuries old national religious tradition, showed Ben Haddad great mercy and let him return to Damascus. "Three traits this people [Israel] have. They are merciful and the sons of merciful Fathers". Avraham whose merit is chesed, pleaded for G-d's mercy on S'dom, even though they did not deserve it. Our Rabbis learnt from 'vayichan Yaakov', [lit. encamped, but understood instead to flow from chen - mercy], that Yaakov in his mercy for the city of Shechem, established things that benefited the inhabitants; either a just coinage, or public baths or efficient market places. Moshe had mercy on the daughters of Yitro and saved them from the antagonistic shepherds, and David, merciful shepherd, saved his flocks from the lions and bears. This tradition befitted Israel as they tried to imitate Hashem at the beginning of whose Torah He clothed the naked [Adam and Eve. (Gen. 3:21) and at its end He buried the dead - chesed shel emet [Moshe (D'varim 34:6]. Hashem, who Himself taught Moshe the 13 Attributes of His kindness, so that the Jews would always be able to rely for forgiveness on, "Lord, Lord merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in love" (Sh'mot 34:6). Because of this longstanding and intrinsically Jewish trait, it is difficult to understand the anger of G-d at Achav's behavior as expressed in the words of the prophet, "Because you have let out of your hand a man who I have devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be forfeit for his and your people for his" (29:42). So too in the light of our traditions of mercy, we may have difficulty in understand- ing the anger at Saul's treatment of Agag, the Amaleki. However, it becomes clear if we bear in mind Judaism's balance between mercy and justice that is an integral part of the perpetual and consistent balance between spirituality and materialism, between ethics and legalism, between universalism and nationalism, and between ritualism and religious ecstasy. Whenever, in Jewish history there has been a distortion of such a balance in any sphere, suffering, spiritual or physical, has come upon us. Both Agag and Ben Haddad were enemies of
G-d and of the Jewish People, not only of the Jewish kings, so their
treatment could not only be considered in the light of the king's individual
spiritual and ethical values. After his first defeat at the hands of Achav
and Israel, Ben Haddad reasoned that the G-d of Israel was a god of the
mountains, who could be defeated on the plains; thereby he needed to be
taught that Hashem was Lord and Master of everything. Pharaoh had said, "Who
is Hashem? I know Him not", and therefore was forced through the 10 plagues
to acknowledge that he had sinned before Hashem. Agag followed his ancestor
Amalek who had mocked the greatness of G-d's miracles and thereby mocked Him
until there is war between them for eternity, and so deserved to die. This is the 29th installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times” [The
Parshat Vayaqhel-P'kudei Homepage]
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