וְלָ֥מָּה לֹא־שָׁמַ֖עְתָּ בְּק֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה וַתַּ֙עַט֙ אֶל־הַשָּׁלָ֔ל וַתַּ֥עַשׂ הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ (ס)
Warum hast du denn nicht gehorcht dem Befehl des Herrn und bist hergefallen über die Beute und hast das Böse getan in den Augen des Herrn?
Kol Dodi Dofek
When a miracle does not find its appropriate echo in actual deeds, a lofty vision dissipates and is squandered, whereupon Divine Justice indicts the ungrateful recipient of the miracle. “The Holy One sought to make Hezekiah the Messiah and Sennacherib, Gog of Armageddon. However, God’s Justice said to Him … ‘Hezekiah, for whom You wrought all these miracles, did not sing in praise before You. Shall You make him Messiah?”.5 Then comes distress, the hour of misery. Suffering is the final warning given by Providence to the man, who is devoid of gratitude for the good God has done for him. To the final proclamation that issues forth from suffering, one must react quickly and answer the call of the Almighty, who cries out to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). Judaism has been very careful about not missing the appointed hour. It has a very sensitive time awareness; any delay is considered sinful. Man may sometimes lose his entire world for but one sin — that of tarrying. “But he lingered” (Genesis 19:16). What is the sin of leaving over a sacrifice, if not missing the appointed hour (Leviticus 19:5–8)? What is the desecration of the Sabbath, if not the performing of prohibited actions one second after the setting of the sun — work that just one second before was permitted? How does the loss of the ability to perform a mitzvah occur if not for the tarrying of a few moments, such as reciting the passages of the Shema after its appointed hour or the taking of the Lulav and Etrog after sunset, and the like? Two kings of Israel, both equally the anointed of the Lord and heroes of the nation, sinned, repented fully, and confessed. One God did not absolve; the other was immediately forgiven upon his confession. With regard to Saul, God acted in accordance with the demands of strict justice and tore the kingdom from him. With respect to David, He tempered justice with mercy and his dynasty was not wrested from his children. Why was the Holy One so strict with Saul and compassionate with David? The question does not require special analysis. The answer is quite simple. David did not miss the opportunity and immediately confessed his sin; Saul tarried a bit, and for this delay kingship was wrested from him. When Nathan the prophet came to David and uttered his cry, “You are the man!” (II Samuel 12:7), David, in the blinking of an eye, began his confession. “And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord” (II Samuel 12:13). After he heard Samuel’s reprimand, Saul wasted one precious second, a second “more precious than gold and pearls” (Proverbs 20:15). “And why did you not listen to the command of God but instead went after the booty?” (I Samuel 15:19). Saul began to argue with the prophet and only later confessed: “And Saul [initially] said to Samuel: ‘Indeed I have done what God has commanded me to do, and I have gone along the path in which the Lord has sent me’" (I Samuel 15:20). Indeed, in that confrontation, [after a moment’s reflection] he also confessed his sins out of a broken heart and a tempest-tossed spirit. “And Saul said … ‘I have sinned, for I transgressed God’s command and your instructions’" (I Samuel 15:24). But this confession was not timely, and a momentary lag such as this caused Saul to lose his kingdom. By the time Saul confessed, the decree was already sealed and the opportunity was lost. “The Lord has rent the kingdom of Israel from you” (I Samuel 15:28). If Saul had not missed the proper moment, and had he not been among the laggards, his dynasty would have continued.6