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. Three Kings Do Not Have a Share in
the World To Come (Melachim Bet 21; Divrei HaYamim Bet 33) From the discussion in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 101b-102b) regarding this mishna, we gain important insights not only into the evil actions of these three kings but also into the ways of teshuva. Rambam in Hilkhot Teshuva teaches that teshuva requires confession of ones sins, acknowledgement that the action was wrong and an undertaking not to repeat it. Sometimes teshuva does not always mean freedom from punishment; that may require a sacrifice [in Temple days], a monetary fine, or some social action such as charity, suffering, or even death. The sins between man and man, social sins, require that the injured party must first be compensated for loss or injury before teshuva can be effective. Where there is no way of compensating the injured party, we have only an imperfect form of teshuva. “The punishment for incorrect weights and measures is very severe” (Choshen Mishpat 131: 19). Rambam, bringing the same din, teaches that that is because the latter is only a sin between man and G-d whereas the former is a sin between man and man and therefore requires a double form of teshuva. The Tur Shulchan Arukh explains that in those cases where a person defrauded many people through using false weights and measures [as in sales to many consumers in share market scandals or pyramid schemes or through public sector corruption], he is unable to make compensation to all, if any of them, even if he wishes to do so. Then we would have people who were unable to do teshuva. Out of pity for such people's spiritual dilemma, our Sages opened a way and said they should give charity and do acts of righteousness; this is only second grade teshuva not meant as a gimmick for fraud and then giving charity. In this spirit we have a teshuva concerning an employer whose salesman was killed while traveling on his behalf. There were no legal grounds for making the employer liable in any way for the death as there was no coercion on his part nor was there any negligence nor were there any prior indications of any danger. Nevertheless, since he was involved in some way, the employer was told to give charity to the dead man's children, pay for their education etc; if there were none he should support orphans (Teshuvot Maharil Weil, section 128). Although the Rambam writes that if one of the types listed in the mishna does teshuva, he has a share in the World to Come since there is nothing that stands in the way of teshuva, we will see from the three kings that there are actions and attitudes that prevent full atonement for sin. Originally Yeravam ben Nevat, the earliest of these kings, merited kingship because he had rebuked Shlomo HaMelech in the difficulties he placed in the path of those coming to worship in the Temple. “And this was the matter that he raised a hand against the king: Shlomo had built up the Milo and closed up the breach of the City of David” (Melachim Alef 11:27). Whereas David had breached the city walls in order to facilitate entry of the masses into the Temple, Yeravam accused Shlomo of closing that breach in order to thereby levy a toll on those coming to the Temple, for Pharaoh’s daughter whom Shlomo had married. That was meritorious, however, Yeravam’s arrogance led him to rebuke Shlomo in public, thereby showing that that pious act was only a pretext for rebellion; as was later shown by the Calves that he set up in order to prevent the people from pilgrimage to Yerushalayim, the seat of the Davidic dynasty. Until the time of Yeravam, Israel suffered the consequences of the one Calf that they made in the desert, from then onwards they suffered also from the two that he made. Hashem had said at the first one: "Your nation has sinned", reminding Moshe that he had, in opposition to Hashem's advice, allowed the mixed multitude to join Israel in their Exodus. Now that mixture had led the Jews to make the idol. Moshe replied that it was all the wealth that G-d gave to the Israelites that caused them to make a Calf of Gold. "At the sea, G-d gave Israel much treasure and at Sinai He gave them a Torah to teach them how to use it" (S.R. Hirsch, Ex.3:12). Despite Yervam's misleading of Israel, he was given a chance to repent but his arrogance prevented him from doing so. "After this thing Yeravam, did not turn back from his evil way (Melachim Alef 13:33). R' Abba said, 'What is the meaning of ‘after this thing’? Hashem said, return from your evil ways and then I, you and the son of David will walk together in Gan Eiden. Who will lead, asked Yeravam? The son of Yishai, answered Hashem. If so, said Yeravam, I do not desire it." So he has no share in the World to Come, since he did not repent. This is the 63rd installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times” [The
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