The Abarbanel’s Question
The Abarbanel raises a very straightforward and compelling question. The story of the life of David HaMelech is recounted in Sefer Shemuel. Why then, is the story of the end of David HaMelech’s life not included in Sefer Shemuel? Why does it make its way to Sefer Melachim,2A simple answer might be that at least a part of David HaMelech’s life is included in Sefer Melachim since David HaMelech serves as the gauge for the evaluation of the kings of Sefer Melachim. Kings in Sefer Melachim are rated as either as good, worse or, rarely, even possibly better than David HaMelech. which recounts the story of Shlomo HaMelech?
The Abarbanel and Malbim’s Answer
The Abarbanel and Malbim answer3The Abarbanel and Malbim differ in their respective explanations as to why the Avishag HaShunamit episode is included in Sefer Melachim. that David HaMelech’s infirmity explains the reason why Adoniyahu takes the initiative to take the kingship. Adoniyahu, in the Malbim’s view, perceives David HaMelech to be irrelevant and decides that the time to appoint his replacement has arrived. Therefore, Adoniyahu grabs onto what he perceived as his opportunity to become the king. This story is included in Sefer Melachim since Shlomo HaMelech, about whom the beginning of Sefer Melachim focuses, rises to the throne in the wake of Adoniyahu’s misguided attempt to seize power.
The Prophetic Agenda of a Sefer in Tanach
We suggest that we can answer the Abarbanel’s question by identifying the respective agendas of Sefer Melachim and Sefer Shemuel. How might one detect and identify the prophetic agenda of a Sefer of Tanach? In some Sefarim, one might be able to do so by noticing the shift from the beginning of the Sefer to the end of the Sefer. Three examples illustrate this principle:
1. Sefer Shemot begins with the Bnei Yisrael as slaves in Mitzrayim with Hashem in His mode of “Hester Panim,” where He conceals His involvement in the world. Yet at its conclusion, Hashem’s pronounced presence in the Mishkan serves as the centerpiece of the encampment of a nation freed from the bondage of slavery. Thus, Sefer Shemot may be summarized as the Bnei Yisrael’s transition from a condition of slavery and alienation from Hashem, to a situation of both spiritual and physical freedom.
2. Sefer Shemuel begins with a sorely fragmented nation in the problematic waning days of the Mishkan in Shilo. It concludes with David HaMelech laying the groundwork for the building of the Beit HaMikdash. Sefer Shemuel, accordingly, may be defined as the dramatic ascent of Am Yisrael from a splintered people with a problematic spiritual center to a people with a great leader, ushering in the dawn of the era of the Beit HaMikdash.
3. Sefer Yechezkeil begins with the Navi Yechezkeil prophesying on the banks of the river Kevar, deep in the Babylonian exile, and concludes with a grand vision of the third Beit HaMikdash. It would seem, then, that the agenda of Sefer Yechezeil is a spiritual roadmap as to how to extract ourselves from the mire of the exile, and arrive at the exalted redemption in Jerusalem.
We suggest the application of this model to Sefer Melachim and Divrei HaYamim. Sefer Melachim begins with David HaMelech on the throne and concludes with an episode relevant to our exile in Babylon. Thus, we may presume that the agenda of Sefer Melachim is to explain the Bnei Yisrael’s deterioration from the pinnacle of having a great king sitting on the throne in Yerushalayim, to a people ensconced in the Babylonian exile. In other words, we may call Sefer Melachim, “Sefer HaChurban,” “the Book of the Destruction,” since it provides a prophetic explanation for the Churban.
This perspective fits perfectly with Chazal’s assertion (Bava Batra 14b-15a) that Yirmiyahu HaNavi authored Sefer Melachim. It is most fitting that the Navi of the Churban authored the Sefer of the Churban. Even the Abarbanel, who sometimes questions Chazal’s identification of the authors of the various Sefarim of Tanach, subscribes to Chazal’s view that Yirmiyahu HaNavi authored Sefer Melachim. It is indeed a compelling assertion.
Divrei HaYamim, on the other hand, concludes with a much more optimistic event— Cyrus’s permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Beit HaMikdash. Divrei HaYamim essentially is a new presentation of the events of Sefer Shemuel and Sefer Melachim, written in the time of Bayit Sheini.4See Bava Batra 15a. The Abarbanel assumes Ezra composed all of Divrei HaYamim. However, its agenda in retelling these stories in a somewhat of a new fashion is to teach us “Shiru LaHashem Shir Chadash,” to “sing a new song to Hashem” (Tehillim 96:1).
In other words, Divrei HaYamim presents the stories of Sefer Melachim5Perhaps this is why the more optimistic Sefer Shemuel narrative is merged with the Sefer Melachim narrative in Divrei HaYamim to constitute one Sefer. in a more optimistic style to encourage and inspire the Jews at the dawn of the era of Bayit Sheini in their quest to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash, Eretz Yisrael, and themselves. Thus, it is not surprising that Divrei HaYamim begins by outlining the beginning of humanity— “Adam, Sheit, Enosh” (Divrei HaYamim I 1:1). Divrei HaYamim represents a new beginning and a fresh start. No longer are the Bnei Yisrael encumbered by the sins of the past. It is a new beginning and, so to speak, a second creation of humanity.
Our New Answer
Based on this approach, we suggest that Sefer Shemuel does not end with David HaMelech’s death, since Sefer Shemuel’s agenda is not to present the biography of David HaMelech. Rather, it concludes with the story of David HaMelech’s acquisition of Aravnah the Yevusi’s granary as the future site of the Beit HaMikdash and his construction of a Mizbei’ach on the site, since the agenda of Sefer Shemuel is, as we said, to describe the dramatic ascent of Am Yisrael from a splintered people with a problematic spiritual center to a people with a great leader, ushering in the dawn of the era of the Beit HaMikdash.
Sefer Melachim, in turn, begins with the story of David HaMelech’s death since it sketches the Bnei Yisrael’s deterioration from the pinnacle of his sitting on the throne in Yerushalayim, to a people ensconced in the Babylonian exile.
We may add that the Adoniyahu debacle and our narrow escape from it illustrates a major theme of Sefer Melachim and Sefer Yirmiyahu. Adoniyahu nearly emerges as a king, due to the ill-advised neglect of the prophetic message of Natan HaNavi, whom Melachim I 1:8 specifically notes is not included in the effort to coronate Adoniyahu. A disastrous reign of Adoniyahu, in turn, is narrowly averted due to David HaMelech and Batsheva heeding the advice and intervention of Natan HaNavi.
Failure on the part of the last Judean kings to heed Yirmiyahu’s repeated calls to submit to Babylon directly led to the Churban. These less than excellent kings thought they knew better than the Navi, similar to Adoniyahu. Thus, the story of the Adoniyahu rebellion very much belongs in Sefer Melachim,6Achav in Melachim I 22 similarly falls in battle due in part to his spurning the wise advice of the Navi, and listening instead to the false prophets who predict his victory. Yarav’am ben Nevat in Melachim I 14 also suffers a staggering loss due to his failure to internalize the message of Achiyah HaShiloni. which highlights the failures that emerge from disregard for prophetic message and intervention.
On the other hand, the Adoniyahu story is not included in Divrei HaYamim since its sobering lesson does not fit with the prophetic agenda of this Sefer— to uplift the spirit of the Jews rebuilding their lives at the outset of Bayit Sheini.
Conclusion
One of the earliest and wisest pieces of advice this author received when he began designing community Eruvin is that sometimes taking the bigger picture into account resolves smaller scale issues. The same applies to Tanach learning, as we have seen in this discussion. Perhaps by considering the overall agenda of Sefer Shemuel and Sefer Melachim, we best solved the mystery of the inclusion of the last days of David HaMelech in Sefer Melachim. Instead of focusing on the more narrow local issues of the opening chapters of Sefer Melachim, the utilization of a wider perspective might present a more convincing solution.
Postscript
The differences between the respective agendas of the various Sefarim of Tanach are most worthy of bearing in mind when delving into Sefer Melachim. Differences between Sefer Melachim and Divrei HaYamim abound, and keeping in mind the different agendas of both Sefarim will play a very significant role in resolving these difficulties.