Schemuel I 15:27 Midrasch: Ruth Rabbah & Midrash Tehillim

“The redeemer said to Boaz: Buy it for yourself. He removed his shoe” (Ruth 4:8).
“The redeemer said to Boaz: Buy it for yourself. He removed his shoe.” Whose shoe? Rav and Levi, one said: Boaz’s shoe, and the other said: The redeemer’s shoe. The matters appear to be in accordance with the one who said: Boaz’s shoe, as it is the way of the purchaser to give a down payment.
Likewise, “Aḥiya grabbed the new garment [that was on him, and rent it into twelve pieces]” (I Kings 11:30). Whose garment? Rav and Levi, one said: Yerovam’s garment, and the other said: Aḥiya’s garment. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It stands to reason, in accordance with the one who said: Aḥiya’s garment, as it is the way of the righteous to rend his garments when there is a schism in the royal House of David.
Likewise, “Samuel turned to go; he seized the edge of his robe, and it ripped” (I Samuel 15:27). Whose robe? Rav and Levi, one said: Saul’s robe, and the other said: Samuel’s robe. It stands to reason, in accordance with the one who said: Samuel’s garment, as it is the way of the righteous to rend their garments when their plantings are not successful.²⁴⁵Samuel had originally anointed Saul as king, and had informed Saul immediately before the verse cited here that his kingship would be torn from him.
Likewise, “Yerovam did not again recover strength [in the days of Aviya, and the Lord afflicted him and he died]” (II Chronicles 13:20).²⁴⁶It is not clear whether it was Yerovam or Aviya who was afflicted and died. Rabbi Shmuel said: Do you think that it was Yerovam who was afflicted? It was only Aviya who was afflicted. Why was Aviya afflicted? It is because he disfigured the faces of Israel, as it is stated: “The show of their countenance speaks against them” (Isaiah 3:9). Rabbi Aḥa said: It is because he stationed guards over them for three days so their form would be altered, as it is taught: One may testify that a man died only if he can testify about seeing the countenance of the face with the nose (Yevamot 120a).²⁴⁷Thus, Aviya’s army saw to it that the soldiers of Yerovam’s army who had been killed would not be able to be positively identified in such a way that their wives could remarry.
Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is because he publicly humiliated them, as it is stated: “With you are the golden calves [that Yerovam made for you as gods]” (II Chronicles 13:8). Reish Lakish said: It is because he demeaned the honor of Aḥiya the Shilonite, as it is stated: “Vain and wicked men gathered around him” (II Chronicles 13:7) – he called Aḥiya the Shilonite wicked.²⁴⁸It was Aḥiya the Shilonite, a prophet, who had appointed Yerovam king over the ten tribes and declared that they would break away from the kingdom of Judah. Aviya characterized Yerovam’s rise to power as supported only by vain and wicked men. The Rabbis say: It is because idol worship came under his authority and he did not eliminate it. That is what is written: “Aviya pursued Yerovam [and captured cities from him: Beit El and its environs…]” (II Chronicles 13:19), and it is written: “He positioned one in Beit El” (I Kings 12:29).²⁴⁹Yerovam had positioned a golden calf in Beit El as a place of worship, in place of the Temple in Jerusalem. When Aviya captured Beit El he did not destroy it. Consequently, it is clear that when Aviya derided Yerovam and the kingdom of Israel for its golden calves, he did so only to demean them. These matters can be deduces a fortiori: If, [regarding] a king who demeans a king, the verse states that he was afflicted, a commoner who demeans a commoner all the more so.²⁵⁰The Holy One blessed be He takes pity on the downtrodden.

"I call upon the Most High God to complete [His blessing] upon me. Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Joshua that in three places, the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with the lower court. And our sages say that even in Jericho, He agreed with them through Joshua, as it says, 'And the Lord said to Joshua, "Why do you fall upon your face? Israel has sinned; they have also transgressed my covenant." ' And these are the three places: Tithes, the Scroll of Esther, and the greeting of peace [given in the name of God]. Where do we derive the law of tithes? Because Israel was exiled only because they neglected tithes. And when they were exiled, they were freed from the obligation of tithes, as it says, 'These are the statutes and the ordinances which you shall observe to do.' But when they returned in the days of Ezra, they re-established them on their own. Where do we derive this? Rabbi Yochanan says, 'And the beginning of your dough.' And it says, 'Yet we make them.' Whether we are in exile or not, we fulfill the commandment of tithes. Where do we derive that the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with them [in these three places]? As it says, 'With a seal.' One uses the word 'seal' only with regard to something that is sealed permanently. They repealed them, but Malachi also says, 'Will a man rob God?' And you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and in offerings. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak said, 'In the world's practice, if a student issues a decree and the teacher carries it out, it is because the student issued it properly. But you issued a decree against me concerning the tithes, and I have completed it with you. And then you repealed it against me.' 'Will a man rob God?' What does 'Will a man rob God?' mean? Rabbi Levi said, 'Anyone who wants to say to his friend, "What have you stolen from me?" should say, "What have you owed me?"' Another explanation of 'Will a man rob' is that God said to Israel, 'You establish Me [as your God] so that I will not stretch out my hand against the world to destroy it.' " As it is said, "Let man establish God." Where is it stated in the Book of Esther? "The Jews established and accepted" (Esther 9:27). They established above what they had accepted below. And regarding the greeting of peace, where is it stated? "And he said to the reapers, 'The Lord be with you'" (Ruth 2:4). If he says it on his own initiative, he has fulfilled his obligation, but if they do not respond to him, he has not fulfilled his obligation before Heaven. As it says, "The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor'" (Judges 6:12). Rabbi Tachlifa of Caesarea said: When Saul transgressed against the decree of the Holy One, blessed be He, with regard to Amalek, and Samuel came and rebuked him, as it is written, "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord" (1 Samuel 15:23), when Saul sought to depart, Samuel tore his cloak. As it is said, "And Samuel turned to go away, but Saul seized the corner of his cloak, and it tore" (1 Samuel 15:27). Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you" (1 Samuel 15:28). Saul said to him, "Who is he?" Samuel said to him, "I am only hinting to you: the one who tears your cloak is destined to take your kingdom." When David entered the cave and tore Saul's cloak, he immediately recognized what Samuel had told him. He began to say, "Behold, I know that you will surely be king" (1 Samuel 24:20). You will be king in this world and in the world to come.