Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
כִּי תָבֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְיָשַׁבְתָּה בָּהּ וְאָמַרְתָּ אָשִׂימָה עָלַי מֶלֶךְ כְּכָל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹתָי׃
שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ בּוֹ…
When you come to the land that God your Lord is giving you, and inherit it, and settle there, you might say, “Let’s have a king, like all the nations around me.”
Som tasim a king over yourself, one chosen by God your Lord...
Is it good for Benei Yisrael to have a king?
A lot depends on how you understand the words “som tasim.” They literally mean something like “set, yes set.” When the Torah doubles a verb (action word), it often means that this action is something you really should do.
On the other hand, Sefer Devarim emphasizes that we aren’t supposed to be “like all the nations.” So, the request doesn’t sound ideal!
Rambam and Ibn Ezra have different understandings. Try to see how each one reads “som tasim.”
הִיא שֶׁצִּוָּנוּ לִמְנוֹת עָלֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ יְקַבֵּץ כָּל אֻמָּתֵנוּ וְיַנְהִיגֵנוּ. וְהוּא אֲמָרוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ "שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ."
וּכְבָר קָדַם לָנוּ לְשׁוֹנָם בְּסִפְרֵי, שָׁלֹשׁ מִצְוֹת נִצְטַוּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּכְנִיסָתָן לָאָרֶץ: לִמְנוֹת עֲלֵיהֶם מֶלֶךְ, וְלִבְנוֹת לָהֶם בֵּית הַבְּחִירָה, וּלְהַכְרִית זַרְעוֹ שֶׁל עֲמָלֵק.
Positive mitzvah #173 is to appoint a king to lead us, as it says “som tasim a king over yourself.” The Sifrei Devarim teaches that Benei Yisrael were given three special mitzvot when they entered Eretz Yisrael: to appoint a king, to build the Beit Ha-Mikdash, and to destroy Amalek.
"שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים" - רְשׁוּת.
“Som tasim”—this is optional.
- What are the pros and cons to having a king?
- What do you think of the request in the first pasuk to be “like all the nations”? Could this be evidence for one of the positions above? What other evidence can you find in the pesukim?
- Read Devarim 17:15-20 in a humash. Does it seem like the Torah is excited about the idea of a king? What do you notice about the rules for kings? Could a king who follows these rules help Benei Yisrael to serve God?
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