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. Throughout the centuries, Jews have bequeathed to their children ethical advice and spiritual teachings. These have not been deathbed wills, made in illness or as life departs, but rather while still in possession of all the parent's mental and spiritual faculties, even if prior to death. The considerable literature of Jewish ethical wills is not confined to those of great or famous people, scholars, saints or communal leaders. Rather, it includes people from all walks of life and of differing spiritual and religious achievements. Only part of two such wills are presented here but they must be viewed as representing a common form of Jewish religious and ethical literature; indeed a form that has its roots inter alia in chapters of the Tanach. "Beware of oppressing other people, whether by money or by words; neither envy them or hate them. Do not rely on the broken reed of human support and do not set up gold as your hope, for that is the beginning of idolatry. Rather, distribute your money according to G-d's will; He is able to cover your deficit. Let expenditure of your money be of less value to you than the utterance of your words. Do not set your eyes on those who are richer than you, but on those who are poorer… Rejoice in your lot, whether it be large or small" (Rabbenu Asher; early 13th century Spain). Some decades earlier, Maimonides had written the following to his son, Abraham. "On the day when I shall bequeath to you the heritage vouchsafed to me by the Creator, I shall transmit to you the quality of trust- worthiness by virtue of which I acquired these possessions. For with my staff I passed over to acquire the permanent bread and drink offering, and the Lord has blessed me till now. "It was my faithfulness that led me to places where my family could never have brought me and bestowed upon me an inheritance greater than that of my parents. It invested me with authority over those greater and better than myself, and I prospered and became useful to myself and to others. Be therefore zealous for the welfare of others, even lifnim mishurat hadin, beyond the letter of the law; keep your word and do not evade your private or public promises made either verbally or in writing, either before witnesses or in private. Reject and avoid fraudulent, underhand and unlawful practices… Do not partake of anything, large or small, that is not yours… know that one who accustoms himself to do dubious things, will inevitably resort to willful activity, just as one who takes a small amount in the beginning or takes something secretly, will eventually take much and in public until he is known as a confirmed liar, robber, and embezzler… Be proud of your moral values and content in your faithfulness, for there is no greater nobility and no more glorious inheritance". It is wills like these that place material success and all forms of power in their Torah perspective, that form the subject of these two chapters of the book of Kings, in which David hands over the kingdom to his son Solomon. In the first chapter, David settles the transmission of the material, military and political aspects of kingship, while in the next chapter he gives Shlomo the moral and spiritual guidance that he will need to be a Jewish kings. In this he was following the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but also adding a link to the chain of the generations of Israel. In the Torah, when Jacob gathers his twelve sons, the tribes of Israel about him, he first arranges for the material inheritance whereby Yosef receives the two portions of the Promised Land that are the inheritance of the first born, instead of Reuven, the actual first born. Then, he foretells for his descendants what will be their spiritual future. His father Yitzchak had followed a similar pattern. When he blessed the person he thought was Eisav, he gave him material wealth and all its benefits. Later, knowing that Yaakov was the recipient, he blessed him with the Abrahamic Covenant of Land and People. The relationship between the spiritual and material aspects of inheritances in all these stories is essential for understanding their significance and relevance. This is the twentieth installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times” [The
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