When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. But Yehosheba, the daughter of King Yehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Yoash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed.

He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

In the seventh year Yehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of God. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of God. Then he showed them the king’s son.

He commanded them, saying,

“This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath—a third of you guarding the royal palace, a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple—and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king. Station yourselves around the king, each of you with weapon in hand. Anyone who approaches your ranks is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

The commanders of units of a hundred did just as Yehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men—those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty—and came to Yehoiada the kohen. Then he gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God. The guards, each with weapon in hand, stationed themselves around the king—near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.

Yehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”

When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of God. She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, “Treason! Treason!”

Yehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops: “Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the kohen had said, “She must not be put to death in the temple of God.” So they seized her as she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds, and there she was put to death. (II Kings 11:1-16)

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets (Midrash: This was Yonah) and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of olive oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. When you get there, look for Yehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, ‘This is what God says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!”

So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.

“For which of us?” asked Yehu.

“For you, commander,” he replied.

Yehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Yehu’s head and declared, “This is what God, the Lord of Israel, says:

‘I anoint you king over God’s people Israel.

You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all God’s servants shed by Jezebel.

The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free.

I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Yeravam son of Nevat and like the house of Baasha son of Achiyah.

As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’”

Then he opened the door and ran.

When Yehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac come to you?”

“You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Yehu replied.

“That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.”

Yehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what God says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Yehu is king!”

So Yehu son of Yehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Yoram. (Now Yoram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, but King Yoram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.)

Yehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.”

Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Yoram was resting there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.

When the lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Yehu’s troops approaching, he called out, “I see some troops coming.”

“Get a horseman,” Yoram ordered. “Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’”

The horseman rode off to meet Yehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

“What do you have to do with peace?” Yehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”

The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”

So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

Yehu replied, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

The lookout reported, “He has reached them, but he isn’t coming back either. The driving is like that of Yehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a maniac.”

“Hitch up my chariot,” Yoram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Yoram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Yehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite.

When Yoram saw Yehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Yehu?”

“How can there be peace,” Yehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”

Yoram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”

Then Yehu drew his bow and shot Yoram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot.

Yehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer,

“Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when God spoke this prophecy against him:

‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares God, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares God.’

Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of God.”

When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan. Yehu chased him, shouting, “Kill him too!” They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there. His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in the City of David. In the eleventh year of Yoram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah. (II Kings 9:1-29)

Yehu then set out and went toward Samaria. At Beth Eked of the Shepherds, he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?”

They said, “We are relatives of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother.”

“Take them alive!” he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them by the well of Beth Eked—forty-two of them. He left no survivor.

After he left there, he came upon Yehonadav son of Rekav, who was on his way to meet him. Yehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?”

“I am,” Yehonadav answered.

“If so,” said Yehu, “give me your hand.” So he did, and Yehu helped him up into the chariot. Yehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for God.” Then he had him ride along in his chariot.

When Yehu came to Samaria, he killed all who were left there of Ahab’s family; he destroyed them, according to the word of God spoken to Elijah. (10:12-17)

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

In the fifth year of Yoram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Yehoshaphat was king of Judah, Yehoram son of Yehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of God. Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, God was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.

In the time of Yehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. So Yehoram went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home. To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time.

As for the other events of Yehoram’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? Yehoram rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.

In the twelfth year of Yoram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Yehoram king of Judah began to reign. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of God, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.

Ahaziah went with Yoram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Yoram; so King Yoram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram.

Then Ahaziah son of Yehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Yoram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded. (II Kings 8:16-29)

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

When I heard a rabbi describe himself as, “the Rav Moshe Feinstein of our generation,” I realized that it’s not just presidential candidates who claim to be the reincarnation of Lincoln or Reagan, but people in all areas of life who claim to lead as did a great person from the past.

It’s not always so blatant; I observe rabbis imitating their teachers when responding to a halachic question, using their teacher’s words and mannerisms. People imitate those they admire. They appear to lead as did their teacher. I always heard my grandfather zt”l consider how his rebbi, the Alter of Slabodka, would have responded to a situation, but he never tried to be his teacher; he was who he was; deeply rooted in the past, but highly sensitive to the present and future. Yesterday, my sister and I were discussing how extraordinary it was for a man so rooted in the Yeshiva world of Europe to be so aware of the different needs of American students.

What happens when a situation demands an entirely new type of leader? The Rambam was unlike anyone before him; his approaches disconcerted the established rabbinic authorities of his time. The Baal Shem Tov responded to the unique demands of the post Shabtai Tzvi and Chelministki pogroms with an entirely new approach. He certainly shook up the establishment! We then have the iconoclasts who define themselves as such in imitation of the Baal Shem Tov. They present themselves as “unique” in imitation of someone else!

Which takes us back to Moshe: His generation, the slaves in Egypt, needed a leader who was different from the Patriarchs and Joseph. We suggested in “All in the Family,” that when the people “forgot” Joseph they were severing a link to the past. Perhaps, it was an expression of a deeper sense of disconnect; a sense that even Joseph would be unable to save them from their current situation. No wonder Moshe insists to God, “They will not believe in me!” They need a leader who will carry them as an alate protector, “On the wings of eagles,” not someone with a speech impediment!

Even if he can perform a bunch of miracles and claim them as signs; What kind of leader is Moshe projecting? We know that he wants to insert God into their vocabulary, (see “Debate Performance”) and succeeds only to disappoint them when their situation gets worse. Moshe begins to wonder what kind of leader he will be (“A Leader’s Spirit.”)

We will explore his decision making as we began in “Moment to Decide,” and attempt to diagnose the symptoms exhibited by the nation he was to lead.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide,

In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side;

Some great cause, some great decision, offering each the bloom or blight,

And the choice goes by forever, ‘twixt that darkness and that light.

– James Lowell, 1845

“It happened in those days that Moses grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man, so he struck down the Egyptian and hit him in the sand (Exodus 2:11–12).” Moses had no problem with his “Moment to Decide.” He did not only decide to protect the Hebrew man, he decided to risk his position as a member of the royal palace by executing the Egyptian aggressor.

This was not Moses’ first Moment to Decide, as we saw in, “The Mouth.”

“The minister of Midian had seven daughters; they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s sheep. The shepherds came and drove them away. Moses got up and save them and watered their sheep (16–17).” Moses had no problem with his “Moment to Decide.” In the moment, he decided to provoke the shepherds and defend the women, once again, placing himself at risk in a place where he did not have the advantage of being a member of the royal family. The women he saved, on the other hand, were not quite as skilled in taking advantage of their “Moment to Decide.” Moses saved them, and they go home without him. “Then where is he? Why did you leave the man? Some and him and let him eat bread (Verse 20)!”

Yitro’s daughters were not the only ones who were not quite as skilled as Moses in taking advantage of their, “Moment to Decide,” Aaron too, once failed, as we saw in, “Biblical Personalities-Aharon-Selections from the Midrash.”

This man who has no difficulty in taking full advantage of his “Moment to Decide,” continues his pattern when, “he saw and behold! The bush was burning in the fire but the bush was not consumed. Moses thought, ‘I will turn aside now and look at this great sight’ (3:2).” (See, “A Dream-Wine & Vision,” “Lessons from Life,” and, “A Fantasy Lecture by King Solomon.”)

Something changes. “Do not come closer to here, remove your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground (Verse 5).” We never read of Moses removing his shoes.  Did he hesitate?

“I am the Lord of your father, the Lord of Abraham, the Lord of Isaac, and the Lord of Jacob. Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to gaze toward the Lord (Verse 6).” We could say that Moses did decide; he decided to hide his face, however, when the verse says that, “he was afraid,” it implies that this was not a deliberate decision, but an act of fear. What happened to this man who never before had a problem with his Moment to Decide?

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should take the Children of Israel at of Egypt?” Not the answer we would expect from the man who has the confidence to act in his Moment to Decide!

The sages teach us that Moses spent an entire week arguing with God. What happened to the Moses who never before hesitated to act with confidence and determination?

Is this what happens to a decisive person who meets God?

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

“A man went from the house of Levi and he took a daughter of Levi (Exodus 2:1).” [We have discussed the absence of proper names in “Table Talk–Shemot I."]
Perhaps this verse informs us of one of the reasons that the Children of Israel fell into the trap of slavery: “a man from the house of Levi,” “a daughter of Levi,” it seems to be all about the tribe of Levi. Perhaps we are dealing with the family no longer functioning as one family, but as divided families. A man from Levi marries a woman from Levi is all we need to know. The tribes are sticking to themselves. We are no longer dealing with a single family but twelve.

Something terrible happens when a family divides. “She could not hide him any longer, so she took for him a wicker basket and smeared it with clay and pitch; she placed the child into it and placed it among the reeds at the bank of the River.” What did this mother expect to happen to her child? “His sister stationed herself at a distance to know what would be done with him.” The sister was concerned with what would happen to the baby; not the mother and not the father. Are we to believe that she is the only person who came up with the idea of saving a child this way? Was it not a regular scene on the Nile for a bunch of baskets to be floating with Jewish babies inside?

The Children of Israel were no longer a unified family. Each tribe lived independently and separately. Perhaps, once the people began to sever strong family ties, they became inured to family connections; they could place a baby in a basket, send it down the river, and walk away.

We are taught that the tribe of Levi did not fall into the trap of slavery. It seems that although they were not tricked into becoming slaves, they absorbed some of the influence of living amongst slaves.

There are other hints in the text to this loss of family connections: “A new King arose over Egypt, who did not know of Joseph.” While we are quite critical of the king for pretending that he did not know of Joseph and for lacking gratitude, we have to wonder whether the Children of Israel were any more grateful than the new King!

No one knew where Joseph was buried. Surely the family understood that Joseph’s role in Egypt would be an important asset for them as they remained there. I would have expected the family to build. A huge mausoleum marking the place where Joseph was buried but, they did not. They too forgotten about Joseph. Another family connections severed.

“During those many days, it happened that the king of Egypt died, and the Children of Israel groaned because of the work and they cried out.” Rashi quotes the Midrash that teaches us that Pharaoh did not actually die, but was stricken with leprosy and was instructed by his physicians to bathe in the blood of Jewish babies. Yet, they cried out, “because of the work,” not because their children were being slaughtered! Yet another family connection severed.

People who will sever such important and powerful connections will eventually lose their sense of identity. This is why, this Book, Exodus, or, “Names,” begins without names; a man from Levi, a daughter of Levi, his sister, the baby; descriptions, but no names. They had lost their sense of identity. How? By severing family connections.

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“Presumption is our natural and original malady. The most vulnerable and frail of all creatures is man, and at the same time the most arrogant (Michel de Montaigne).”

We have been tracing Jacobs steps as he sets out with his “Two Way Vision,” to reverse the steps taken by all since Adam was expelled from the Garden, creating increasing distance from what could have been humanity’s natural state. (“A Different Sort of Fear of Life”) Jacob is the “Eternal Man,” and refusing to, “Wait for his Monument,” lived every moment of his life, even in death and after! Jacob understands that to seek tranquility is to forfeit, “The Fragrance of Permanence.” He contained all the energy showered on him by God, and, “Stopped the Leaks,” that occur when we, “Break Our Link to the Eternal.”

In this, the final portion in the Book of Genesis, Jacob begins by teaching Joseph the importance of, “Balance,” as Joseph had begun to master in resisting his Temptations, “Directing the Conversation,” and the additional lesson of, “The Power of Softness.”

Jacob, the Master Teacher, allows Rachel and Leah to independently form their, “The Character in the Storm,” and building a family that will learn how to combine their strengths, as we saw in Part “Two.”

It takes the man who can allow the people around him to master their own growth with minimal guidance to understand the importance of “The Power of Softness.” This is why after Rachel and Leah have mastered combining their strengths, and healed their relationship (An Eloquent Silence Part Three) that Leah gives birth to Dinah and Rachel gives birth to Joseph, the brother and sister who are understood to share the same soul strength. The two sisters, with their newly combined attributes, are able to give birth to the male and female side of a single soul.

Jacob further developed his sense of balance through his dealings with Laban and his bravado: “Laban said to him, ‘I have learned by divination that God has blessed me on account of you’ (30:27).” Laban didn’t need divination to figure out that his wealth had exponentially increased since Jacob began working for him. His divination claim is pure bluster.

“It is in my power to do you all harm; but the Lord of your father addressed me last night, saying, ‘Beware of speaking with Jacob either good or bad’ (31:29).” Sounds like a mixed message to me! If it was truly in his power to harm everyone, why is he obeying the Lord of their father? If he has to obey God’s message, which included a warning to beware even of speaking with Jacob about good, why is he insinuating a threat in his words? Laban is torn between his desire to smash Jacob and his fear of Jacob and his God. (Learning How to Stand Up to a Bully)

“The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children and the flock is my flock, and all that you see is mine (31:43).” This is Laban as the famous, “Aramaean [who] attempted to destroy my forefather (Deuteronomy 26:5),” who we include in the Haggadah. Laban wanted to lay claim to the entire family (An Eloquent Silence Part Two). After all, he and his father had contributed more to Jacobs family than had Abraham and Isaac: Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, the maidservants, and all of Jacob’s wealth; Jacob had arrived in Laban’s home as a penniless vagabond.

Laban successfully distracted Jacob from his connection to the eternal and had him touch death: “With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live (31:31).” Jacob had just unknowingly cursed Rachel who had stolen Laban’s gods. He carries this taste of death for the rest of his life, as he says, in this week’s portion, to Joseph, “but as for me; when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan on the road (48:7).” Here is Jacob speaking to Joseph about the importance of maintaining an unbroken link to the eternal and yet he is still carrying this “taste of death!”

Joseph is not resentful of Jacob for burying Rachel in a faraway place. Joseph is not resentful of the fact that Jacob inadvertently caused Rachel’s early death. Joseph is resentful of Jacob carrying this sense of “on me,” ever since Rachels death. Jacob was not only carrying the guilt; he was keeping alive the wound of death that Laban had inflicted on him!

Joseph suspected that Laban was successful in wounding Jacob because there was a part of Jacob that believe Laban’s gasconade.

Jacob explains to Joseph that the issue was not that he was intimidated by Laban; but because Rachel died, “while there was still a stretch of land to go,” Jacob was weak because he felt he still had “far to go.”

At this moment, as Jacob is approaching death and his family will soon face slavery in Egypt with all its depressing suffering, he must send a message to the family that when we perceive ourselves as weak, we make ourselves vulnerable to the false claims of power and influence of liars such as Laban and Pharaoh.

In this, we see a powerful parallel to David’s reflections on his life as he speaks to Solomon in “Haftarah-Vayechi-Abner IV.”

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

Many of the essays posted on The Foundation Stone have “Machberes Avodas Hashem” (The Service of God Notebooks) credited as the author. These essays are based on thoughts I’ve jotted down over the years to remember all the significant ideas I learn, hear, and read, and, what is more important, to figure out ways to incorporate into my Service of God in prayer, study, and work on my personal attributes, what I term, “Spiritual Tools,” many of which you can find as “Applications,” at the bottom of an essay.

One of my goals for The Foundation Stone is to introduce people to the idea of, “So What,” now that I have heard an idea; how can I use it.

If there is no practical lesson; it is not real Torah!

I recently posted a few essays on prayer based on the Parsha:

“Without a Battle.”

“Gathering the Joy.”

“Becoming Magnets.”

“Forgiveness.”

I hope to continue a series, “So What,”  on The Foundation Stone, throughout this calendar year of applying the commentaries to the Torah to Prayer and Spiritual Growth. I hope you enjoy this series, and that you will learn to reify all that you learn.

You can find more on this idea in, “Spirituals 101,” and, “Mishlei-Insight and Application,” and, “Stopping the Leaks.”

Enjoy!

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

“Now you yourself know what Yoav son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Yeter. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace (I Kings 2:5-6).”

We have studied the confrontation between Yoav and Avner over the issue of balance that David is addressing in his charge to Solomon. We now begin to examine why Yoav’s assassination of Amasa belongs in this opening paragraph of “Balance.”

Who was Amasa?

• David’s nephew and Yoav’s cousin,


• He was the person who successfully defended David’s lineage by quoting Samuel’s ruling. (Yevamot 77a)


• He is described, together with his cousin Avishai, as a “Lion in Torah.” (Yerushalmi, Peiah 1:1)


• Refused, with Avishai to murder the Kohanim of Nov at Saul’s order (Midrash Tehillim 52:5).


• Had a history of standing up against the king when he felt halachically justified (Midrash HaGadol).


• Brought all of Israel to invite David back as king, just as Avner had done See: Abner I (Kadmoniyot HaYehudim II 159).


• Yoav considered him to have the halachic status of one who rebelled against the king for having led Avshalom’s armies (II Samuel 17:25), and he was justified in killing him (Sanhedrin 49a).

Historical Background: A Time of Instability

Avshalom, David’s oldest son, plots a conspiracy, forming an army and winning the hearts of the Israel through displays of warmth and kindness. Supported by David’s chief counselor, Avshalom goes to Hebron where his followers pronounce him king. Informed of this event, David flees from Jerusalem with his men, and the people of the countryside weep as he marches by.

One of Saul’s relatives, Shimi ben Geira, a relative of King Saul, however, curses and throws stones at the band, gloating over David’s demise. David forbids his attendants, including Yoav’s brother, Avishai, to punish the man.

Yoav ignores David’s instructions to treat Avshalom gently and drives three spears into Avshalom’s hanging body (something David does not mention in his instructions to Solomon).

When David is notified of Avshalom’s death, he weeps, screaming repeatedly, “O my son Avshalom, O Avshalom, my son, my son (19:4)!” Yoav is furious with David for mourning the son who rebelled against him.

Shimi ben Geira knows that he’s in danger and meets David and begs forgiveness. Avishai insists on killing him, to which David replies: “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel (II Samuel 19:23).”

To the frustration of his officials, David shows mercy to all of Avshalom’s supporters who approach him for forgiveness, especially Avshalom’s commander Amasa. David sends messengers to the leaders of Judah, and the tribe welcomes him back to Jerusalem. The remaining tribes—Avshalom’s chief supporters—fear that David will be angry at them. An uprising ensues.

Text: David Takes Immediate and Decisive Action

“Then the king said to Amasa, ‘Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.’ But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.

David said to Avishai, ‘Now Sheva ben Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.’ So Yoav’s men and the Kereti and Peleti and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Avishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheva ben Bichri.

While they were at the great rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Yoav was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.

Yoav said to Amasa, ‘How are you, my brother?’ Then Yoav took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Yoav’s hand, and Yoav plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Yoav and his brother Avishai pursued Sheva ben Bichri.

One of Yoav’s men stood beside Amasa and said, ‘Whoever favors Yoav, and whoever is for David, let him follow Yoav!’ Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him. After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Yoav to pursue Sheva ben Bichri (II Samuel 20:4-13).”

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

We left off in “The Character in the Storm” with Rachel, having incorporated Jacob’s lessons (“Strength from Brokenness“) in her relationship with Leah, but wondering whether Leah understood Rachel’s message. I wonder whether Jacob was prepared for the storm that awaited him upon his return home. We must also see how Jacob incorporated the gains of this major event in his life into his final moments in this week’s portion, “Vayechi.”

“So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. ‘You must sleep with me,’ she said. ‘I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.’ So he slept with her that night.

Isn’t it a little strange for Leah to phrase this night as, “hiring Jacob?”

“Now Dinah, the daughter of Leah, and she had borne to Jacob, went out to look over the daughters of the land (34:1).” “Because Dinah went out, in contradiction to the code of modesty befitting a daughter of Jacob, she is called the daughter of Leah because Leah, too, ‘went out.’ (Rashi) However, the Midrash on Proverbs praises Leah for going out, and says that it was her going out that caused her to merit to have descendants who would be kings and prophets (Chapter 31)!” Clearly, Leah’s going out is ambiguous. Why?

When Leah insists that she “hired” Jacob, she is informing him that she now feels equal to Rachel in her relationship with Jacob. Jacob hired himself out to marry Rachel. Leah was informing him that he was now hired out to marry her; in her mind, he would work for her just as he had worked for Rachel.

The first time that Jacob met Rachel, she too, was “going out.” “While he was still speaking with them, Rachel had arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherdess (29:9).” Everything that Leah was doing at this moment was a re-creation of the beginnings of the relationship between Jacob and Rachel.

Leah had clearly understood Rachel’s message of their joint eternal link to Jacob. The storm was over. Jacob did not walk into a fight, but into an entirely new stage of relationship with both, Rachel and Leah.

God considers Leah’s change as a form of prayer, and He grants her both Issachar and Zebulun who would eternally work together as partners, just as she was now prepared to work with Rachel.

Here is a woman going out to be with her husband and achieving greatness; as the Midrash says, kings and prophets would descend from her, just as another woman who “went out” to be with her husband and merited to say, “I have acquired a man with God (4:1),” I referred, of course, to Eve.

Remember, that when Eve decided to leave the Garden from which she had not been expelled just to be with her husband, she was willing to forfeit some of her elevated status to be with someone else. She certainly did the correct thing, but she paid a price, just as Leah will eventually pay a price for her “going out.”

“The Lord listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said, ‘The Lord has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.’ So she named him Issachar.

Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, ‘The Lord has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.’ So she named him Zebulun.

Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah (Genesis 30:14-21).”

It is not only the sons who will work eternally as partners who result from this new relationship with Jacob, it is also Dinah, who will be at the center of another storm yet to a buffet Jacob and his family. Eve too, merited to “acquire a man with God,” but that man, Cain, would also be at the center of a storm.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.