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Week 111 - Wednesday - 9 January 2002

SANHEDRIN: CHAPTER 2: MISHNAH 3

If someone of his died, he may not go out from the doorway of his royal palace. Rabbi Yehudah says, If he desires to go out behind the bier, he may go out, for we find that David went out behind the bier of Abner, as it is written, "And King David followed the bier" (II Sam. 3:31). They said to him, this was merely to placate the people. And when they prepare the funeral meal for him, all the people sit on the ground, and he sits on the couch (dargash).

Kehati

This mishnah continues to teach the laws of the king.

If someone of his - the King's close relatives, died, he - the king, may not go out from the doorway of his royal palace - for it is unbecoming for the king to appear sad and mournful to the people. Rabbi Yehudah says, If he - the king, desires to go out behind the bier - to accompany the dead, he may go out, for we find that - King - David went out behind the bier of Abner - when he was killed by Joab, as it is written, "And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him: 'Rend your clothes, and gird yourselves with sackcloth, and wail before Abner,' and King David followed the bier" - Abner was a sage, and the law is that if a Sage dies, everyone is considered as his close relative. They - the Sages, said to him - Rabbi Yehudah, This was merely to placate the people - King David went after Abner's bier only in order to placate the people, so that everyone would know that Joab's murder of Abner was not at his wish or his order. This was a temporary law, for the welfare of the kingdom; as a general rule, however, if the king desires to accompany his dead relative we do not heed him. And when they prepare the funeral meal - the se'udat hahavra'ah (see our commentary on 2:1, above), for him - the king, i.e., when the king is the mourner, and they serve him the first meal after the burial of his relative, all the people - who come to console him, sit on the ground - to share in his grief, and he - the king, sits on the couch (dargash) - the Gemara explains that a dargash is a "bed with a leather mattress," a small, low, couch (see Sanh. 20a; and our commentary on Ned. 7:5).

SANHEDRIN: CHAPTER 2: MISHNAH 4

And he takes out to milhemet reshut by the Court of seventy-one. And he may break through to make for himself a road, and they do not stay his hand; the king's road has no measure. And all the people take spoil and place it before him, and he takes a portion first. "He shall not multiply wives to himself," only eighteen. Rabbi Yehudah says, He may multiply to himself, provided that they do not turn away his heart. Rabbi Shimon says, Even one is prohibited if she turns away his heart. If so, why was it written, "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself" (Deut. 17:17)? - even as Abigail. "He shall not multiply horses to himself" (ibid., v.16), only enough for his chariot. "Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold" (ibid., v.17), only enough to provide aspanya. And he writes for himself a Torah scroll; if he goes out to war - he takes it out with him; if he comes in he brings it in with him; if he sits in judgment - it is with him; if he sits - it faces him, as it is said, "And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life" (ibid., v. 19).

Kehati

And he - the king, takes out - his army, to milhemet reshut - a voluntary war, e.g., to expand the boundaries of Eretz Israel, or to publicize his bravery, by the Court of seventy-one - as was explained above (1:5). And he - the king, may break through - the fences of the fields of others - to make for himself a road - to his vineyard and to his field, and they do not stay his hand - prevent him; the king's road has no measure - he may make for himself, within the boundaries of others, as wide a road as he needs (see B.B. 6:7); although, according to another view, this applies only during wartime. (Rambam, Hil. Melakhim 5:3; see Kesef Mishneh, loc. cit.)

And all the people take spoil - during war, and place it - bring the spoils, before him - the king, and he - the king, takes a portion - that he chooses - first - the Gemara explains that he takes half of all the spoils, as it is written, "And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the Lord to be prince, and Zadok to be priest" (I Chr. 29:22): the Bible compares prince to priest: just as the High Priest takes half of the lehem panim (the shewbread) and the other half is for the other priests (see Yoma 17b), the same is true regarding the "prince" (i.e., the king) and the spoils, half to him and half to the people. This mishnah teaches, additionally, that the king chooses his half first, so that he may choose the better portion.

"He shall not multiply wives to himself" - he is permitted to marry - only - up to - eighteen - wives. The Gemara explains that King David had six wives (II Sam. 3:2-5), and the prophet said to him, "and if that were too little, then would I add unto you like them and like them" (II Sam. 12:8), which was expounded, "like them" - an additional six, "and like them" - an additional six, a total of eighteen.

Rabbi Yehudah says, He may multiply - wives - to himself - as he wishes, even more than eighteen, provided that they do not turn away his heart - from the commandments of the Lord, as the Torah states, "that his heart turn not away" (Deut. 17:17). Rabbi Shimon says, Even one - wife, is prohibited if she turns away his heart - The Gemara explains that Rabbi Shimon always expounds reasons for the commandments in the Torah; here, too, according to Rabbi Shimon, we ourselves can understand that the reason the prohibition of "He shall not multiply wives to himself," is followed by "that his heart turn not away," is to teach that if even one wife turns away his heart, then he may not wed her. If so, why was it written, "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself?" - to teach, even as Abigail - who was "of good understanding" (see I Sam. 25:3), he may not wed more than eighteen. The halakhah follows the First Tanna.

"He shall not multiply horses to himself," only enough for his chariot - i.e., the king is prohibited to multiply horses for his own satisfaction and aggrandizement; he is permitted to do so, however, for his chariots and horsemen to wage war on his enemies. "Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold," only enough to provide aspanya - HeArukh reads this as "afsaniya," which is a Greek word meaning the expenses of maintaining an army. The mishnah teaches that the king is prohibited from amassing silver and gold in his treasury to take pride in, or to derive pleasure from his wealth, but he is permitted to store up silver and gold so that it will be at hand for the maintenance of the army and its expansion, when necessary.

And he writes for himself a Torah scroll - the Gemara explains that if his forefathers did not leave him a Torah scroll, the king is obliged to write for himself two Torah scrolls, as it is written, "that he shall write him two of this Torah" (Deut. 17:18 according to Rashi) - Every person in Israel is obliged to write for himself one Torah scroll, as it is written, "Now therefore write you this song for you" (Deut. 31:19); whilst the king is different inasmuch as he must write for himself two Torah scrolls, one which remains in his treasury, and one which he takes out and brings in with him; our mishnah speaks of this second scroll: if he goes out to war - he takes it - the Torah scroll, out with him; if he comes in - when he returns from the war, he brings it in with him - to his residence; if he sits in judgment - e.g., if he is a king of the Davidic line, who is permitted to sit in judgment (see the commentary on mishnah 2, above), it - the Torah scroll, is with him - in the Court; if he sits - to eat, it - the Torah scroll, faces him - standing in the Ark, as it is said, "And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life - that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this Torah and these statutes, to do them."

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