Musar zu Schemuel II 8:19

And the third is that the holy people who are servants of God, may He be blessed, should not humble themselves to flesh and blood. So it is not fitting that the fear of flesh and blood be upon them except for the sake of the Heavens. As it is stated (Leviticus 25:55), “For it is to Me that the Israelites are servants” - [they are] My servants, and not the servants of servants. And it is stated (Exodus 19:6), “But you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The expression, priests, is [to mean] masters and officers; and like this [usage] is (II Samuel 8:18) “and David’s sons were priests.” And the whole nation is called a kingdom, from [the usage] (I Kings 18:10), “there is no nation or kingdom”; (Isaiah 60:12), “For the nation or the kingdom.” The explanation [of Exodus 19:6] is that you shall be a kingdom that is all officers, such that the yoke of flesh and blood shall not be upon you. And it is stated (Isaiah 51:12), “What ails you that you fear man who must die”; and it is [also] stated (Isaiah 51:7), “Fear not the insults of men.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sotah 47b), “From the time when those who say to evil, good; and to good, evil,” proliferated, [they removed the yoke of the Heavens from upon themselves, and the yoke of flesh and blood was thrown upon them].” And King David, peace be upon him, said (Psalms 9:20-21). “Rise, O Lord; let not men have power; let the nations be judged in Your presence. Strike fear into them, O Lord; let the nations know they are only men. Selah.” We have learned from this that at a time when a man has power, he does not recognize that he is [only] a man. For dominion is not fitting for man, except for the sake of the Heavens.

בצדק תשפוט את עמיתך . The moral lesson here is that you should employ the weapon of צדקה, charity, to ensure that your fellow (especially if he is poor), should not become guilty of theft and have to be judged, i.e. משפט. We have an example of David who is reputed to have paid the penalty of people he convicted when he found that they did not have the means to pay the judgment. This is another aspect of "judging with righteousness" (19,15).

It is nonetheless true that G–d personally performed these judgments on the firstborn of Egypt. The distinction of both Moses and the Jewish people at that time was that the people were prepared to become G–d's people, i.e. army, and that the שכינה was ready to resume residence on earth because by their absorption of Torah precepts and their performance of good deeds, the people of Israel had repaired the damage that had previously caused the שכינה to withdraw. Service to G–d is something that is "needed" by G–d, as we know from the Zohar's comment on ועשיתם, read attem. When someone performs all the commandments, G–d considers this as if that someone had in a sense "made Him." Our sages have stated, that when Israel performs the will of G–d, it adds strength to the גבורה in the Celestial Regions. We find such a concept applicable in Samuel II 8,13: ויעש דוד שם, "David made a Name." One can add lustre to someone's name; this is another way of "making" such a person. This is the very reverse of what a רשע, evil person, does by this wickedness. Such a person is described as נקב השם, having pierced or perforated the Shem, name of G–d, as we know from Leviticus 24,11. Cursing G–d is tantamount to perforating His image. This דרש is lengthy, and I shall explain it in its proper place.

Great is charity — it is this quality for which the Holy One, Blessed be He, will be praised when he brings salvation to Israel, as it is said, "I that speak in victory, mighty to save" (Is. 63:1). Great is charity — it brings honor and life to those who practice it, as it is said "He that followeth after righteousness and mercy, findeth life, prosperity and honour" (Prov. 21:21). Great is charity — with this quality, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will redeem Israel, as it is said, "Zion shall be redeemed with justice and they that return of her with righteousness" (Is. 1:27). Great is charity — with this quality Abraham, our father, was praised, as it is said, "And he trusted in God and He reckoned it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6), and it is said further, "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice" (Gen. 18:19). Great is charity — with this quality, David, King of Israel, was praised, as it is said, "And David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people" (II Sam. 8:15). Great is charity — with this quality King Solomon was praised, as it is said. "Blessed be the Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made He thee king, to do justice and righteousness" (I Kings 10:9). Great is charity — it reaches up to the very Throne of Glory, as it is said, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne" (Ps. 89:15). Great is charity — through it Israel was praised, as it is said, "And it shall be righteousness unto us" (Deut. 6:25). Great is charity — with it, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will in future be praised on the Day of Judgment, as it is said, "But the Lord of hosts is exalted through justice, and God the Holy One, is sanctified through righteousness" (Is. 5:16). Great is charity — it accompanies those who practice it at the hour of their departure from the world, as it is said, "And thy righteousness shall go before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward" (Is. 58:8). Great is kindness — with it the world was built, as it is said, "The world on mercy is built" (Ps. 89:3). Wherefore a man should cleave to the quality of generosity which brings about all these good things (Mekhilta on Ex. 15:13).

In any event the term Elohim used in these two verses refers to Moses whom G–d had elevated to such a position. The reference to the Jewish people becoming His people refers to their appointment as G–d's צבאו, "army." The words: לשים לו שם, are to be understood in the same way as the verse in Samuel II 8,13, which speaks about David making a "name," in line with the Zohar which describes performing G–d's commandments as making a "name" for G–d, i.e. ועשיתם אותם-ועשיתם אתם. The words לעשות לכם הגדולה ונוראות, refer both to G–d and to Israel. As far as G–d is concerned, we are already familiar with the hints contained in the line ועשיתם אתם that such performance is tantamount to "making G–d," hence the word "הגדולה," "the (known) greatness." As far as the people of Israel is concerned, the word: ונוראות alludes to the spiritual elevation achieved by Israel as mentioned in Exodus 34,10: וראה כל העם אשר אתה בקרבו את מעשה השם כי נורא הוא אשר אני עושה עמך, "And the whole nation among whom you are will see the work of the Lord that I am about to do with you, that it is awesome."

We read in Chronicles I 16,27: הוד והדר לפניו, עז וחדוה במקומו, "Glory and majesty are before Him, strength and joy are in His place." This verse contains a lesson about the exiles of the Jewish people, i.e. that they are for the good of the Jewish people. The chapter quoted describes an ongoing activity, i.e. בשרו מיום אל יום ישועתו, that even the redemption that has not occurred yet should be spoken of daily, or better still, it refers to a period of over one thousand years. Considering that in our eyes G–d's day is equal to a millenium, it follows that this is why Adam died on the day he ate from the tree (as he was warned he would in Genesis 2,17), though he lived close to one thousand years, the verse quoted in Chronicles, clearly refers to a period of exile. Lamentations 1,13, which describes the exile as already lasting כל היום,-at least one thousand years,- prompts the Zohar to comment that "my very glory," הודי, has proven to be my ruin." When you re-arrange the letter of the word הוד, you get דוה, as in כל היום דוה, "suffering constantly" (ibid.). I have already elaborated on this elsewhere, where I wrote that the word "הדר," is derived from "היפוך, i.e. "turning something around, reversing it," similar to the meaning of the expression "הדרן עלך," i.e. הפוך בה והפוך בה," (keep reviewing it, keep busy with it). What the Zohar meant was that the original "הוד," glory, will eventually lead to an even greater degree of "הוד" in the messianic future, just because that "הוד" had been converted to "דוה." We are told of that day in the future that ישמח ה' במעשיו, "that G–d will delight in His works" (Psalms 104,31). When you re-arrange the letters of the word ישמח, you have the word משיח, a reference to when that time will come. Concerning that day, the Midrash says that the Messiah will be given the combined “הוד, glory of Moses and הדר (its reversal) of Joshua, meaning that from the time of Joshua the spiritual decline set in, and the glory, הוד, kept turning into progressively more דוה, suffering. The הדר, decline would then reverse itself, i.e. the meaning of that term would no longer be negative. This process will lead to the cessation and disappearance of the iniquity due to the pollutants that the serpent spread throughout the world, and will enable the Messiah to make his appearance, and the new dimension of "light," the glory of the Messiah to manifest itself. The הדר (reduced measure of majesty in relation to Moses) of the new leader Joshua will be reversed at that time, a time described in Ezra 2,63 as the period when there is once again a High Priest who can stand in front of the אורים ותומים, the time when Elijah will have appeared. This period is alluded to when the Torah tells us in Numbers 27,21 that the new leader of the Jewish people will have to consult G–d by means of the אורים ותומים, i.e. the Ineffable Name worn by the High Priest Elazar in his breast plate. We also find an allusion to messianic times when the Jewish people are counted in our portion; the name of the son of Dan is given as שוחם (26,42), whereas in Parshat Vayigash, (Genesis 46,23) it is given as חשים. I have found that the Ari comments on this that the reason why the letter ו is missing in the spelling of that name in Genesis is to allude to the letters in the word משיח. In the time immediately preceding the arrival of the Messiah, one of the descendants of Dan will conduct a great battle. All this is mentioned in the Zohar's commentary on Parshat Balak (page 68-69, Sullam edition). It is based on Genesis 49,17: "Dan shall be a serpent (נחש) by the road, a viper (שפיפון) by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider is thrown backwards." According to the Zohar, the "serpent" is a reference to Shimshon whereas the "viper" is a reference to Elijah who rescued Tzaliah a descendant of Dan when the latter "flew" in pursuit of Bileam. The latter, escaped by means of sorcery and Tzaliah was at a loss what to do. When Numbers 23,3 describes Bileam as וילך שפי, this is a reference to Bileam's profound identification with the negative forces in this world as symbolized by the serpent. Jacob's blessing to Dan referred to above and resulted in two descendants of Dan referred to as Tzaliah and Ira asserting mastery over the evil forces of this world. Ira was one of David's warriors. This is what is alluded to in Samuel II 8,4: "David hamstrung all the horses (of his adversary)…"The רכב referred to in that verse alludes to Genesis 49,17, i.e. an exploit of Dan. The words ויפול רוכבו אחור in that same verse refer to someone called Shalyah from the tribe of Dan who will assist the משיח בן יוסף in the war preceding the coming of the Messiah. The verse in Genesis concludes with the word לישועתך קויתי השם, to indicate that looking forward to imminent redemption at that time will be justified. The reason why the son of Dan here is referred to as שוחם is to express the hope that this descendant of Dan at the time mentioned will be equivalent to the משוח מלחמה, the Priest whose special task it was to accompany Israel in battle (Sotah 42 on Deuteronomy 20,2). [Active participation in war was certainly not the Priest's normal function. In fact any priest who had killed a person was no longer fit to perform Service in the Temple. Ed.] Pinchas too, seeing that he was descended maternally from the tribe of Joseph, whose descendants will play the leading role in the battle preceding the coming of the Messiah, was such a משוח מלחמה. At a later stage this very שוחם is "transformed" into a חומש. When someone has inadvertently used sacred property, i.e. Temple property, for personal or mundane purposes, he must make restitution of the principal amount plus twenty per cent so that the total amount paid back is twenty percent (חומש) larger than the original. The people of Israel are considered as קדש לשם "sacred to the Lord," as Rashi explains on Song of Songs 8,12: האלף לך שלמה, ומאתים לנוטרים את פריו. Israel is considered G–d's vineyard, and anything stolen from it must not only be replaced, but the חומש, in this case מאתים, must be added to make the restitution legal.

Rabbi Acha understands the words ועשיתם אתם according to a Kabbalistic interpretation that performance of the Sacrificial Service is something required by Heaven. This is based on the perception that by performing מצות Israel enhances the honour and glory of G–d. This is also the approach followed by the Zohar in its commentary on the words ועשיתם אתם. The following is a quotation from that passage in the Zohar, (Sullam edition page 7) on Bechukotai: G–d says: "If someone performs the commandments and walks in My paths, it is as if he had made the heavens, had made ME and preserved ME." This is derived from the defective spelling of Otam without the letter ו, so that the reading is "you have made (them) yourselves," i.e. you have constructed the fabric of the Name of G–d which is Torah. Rabbi Shimon explained Samuel II 8,13: ויעש דוד שם בשובו מהכותו את ארם בגיא מלח, "David made a name when he returned from defeating Aram at the valley of salt." Did David "make a name?" The meaning is that because David complied with G–d's instructions and walked in His paths, he made a name for G–d. No other king in the world achieved this merit. David used to rise from his bed at midnight singing the praises of G–d, until G–d Himself, i.e. His Holy Name arose on His throne at dawn, a reference to the emanation מלכות. We have learned in Leviticus 24,11 that the reverse is possible also, when the Torah says, ויקוב בן האשה הישראלית את השם ויקלל "The son of the Israelite woman made a hole in the name (of G–d) by cursing it." This source is the reason we can interpret the verse in Samuel as we did. This is also why the Torah writes in Leviticus 26,3 ועשיתם אתם, meaning that if you perform them (the commandments), the result will be that you improve His Name. Thus far the Zohar.

[The author continues to see additional symbolisms in the juxtaposition of certain vowels in the words מגדול, מגדל. I have decided to omit those. According to these symbolisms it was David's task to rescue mankind from the effects of the Tower מגדל בבל, and this is why we have these various spellings of the word מגדל in the Book of Samuel. Ed.] The result of G–d's dispersing the people who had built the מגדל, Tower, in Genesis 11,5 was to create seventy nations. It will be the task of the Messiah, i.e. David reincarnate, to repair the damage caused at the time that Tower was built. He will conquer all those nations and he alone will rule. We find an allusion to this when the people of the generation of the Tower justified their action by saying: נעשה לנו שם, "Let us make a name for ourselves." We also find that it is said of David: ויעש דוד שם, "David made a name for himself" (Samuel II 8,13).

In the case of David we find the reverse process. David, who always tried to involve G–d in all that goes on here on earth, tried to build a sanctuary to provide G–d with a permanent abode here on earth, and thereby to reverse any separation between man and G–d. This is the deeper significance of the מגדל דוד … בנוי לתלפיות, "the tower of David built as an ornament" (Song of Songs 4,4). The Temple was the structure that all mankind is meant to turn to as a symbol of G–d's Presence on earth. Despite David's intentions and endeavors, G–d's ultimate Sanctuary has not yet been built on earth; a structure built by humans would not endure. This is what the Psalmist means when he says אם ה' לא יבנה בית שוא עמלו בוניו בו, "if G–d Himself does not build the house, its builders labor in vain with it" (Psalms 127,1).

This camp had three distinct features. 1) גמילות חסדים, the practice of kind deeds. 2) צדקה, performance of charity. 3) מעשר, tithing. The practice of kind deeds extends to rich and poor alike, to the living as well as to the dead, to the individual as well as to a group of people. The finest way of practising this virtue is by providing the needs of the community faithfully, without exploiting one's position. By upholding the principles of justice, truth and peace, one assures that G–d in His Heaven will deal with us on the basis of חסד. All of this is alluded to in Genesis 49, 16, דן ידין עמו, "Dan will judge his people." There was no other public-spirited person such as the famous Samson who devoted his life to judging the people. The reason the verse quoted adds "like one of the tribes of Israel," is explained by Rashi as a comparison with King David. It is written of King David that he "practiced justice and charity to all his people" (Samuel II 8,15). In addition to these two virtues, the attribute of חסד is added as belonging to this camp, similar to Jeremiah 9,23: כי אני ה' עושה חסד, משפט וצדקה בארץ, "for I the Lord, perform kindness, justice and charity on earth."

The fourth of Yitro's requirements, that they be שונאי בצע, abhor unjust gain, refers to a quality such as demonstrated by David who is described as performing "justice and charity simultaneously." (Samuel II 8,15) It says there: ויהי דוד עושה משפט וצדקה, and the Talmud in Sanhedrin 6 on that verse explains that David first handed down a verdict based on justice. When he found the convicted party too poor to pay the judgment he would pay the judgment out of his own pocket. The reason he did so was that he was afraid that he might have erred and then the convicted litigant would certainly not be able to walk away happy from Court, as we had stated earlier that he should. Midrash Shemuel, commenting on Psalms 119,121, in which David is reported as having prayed: “עשיתי משפט וצדקה, אל תניחני לעושק," "I have performed justice and charity, do not hand me over to the oppressor," explains that David prayed that his charitable nature should not be taken advantage of by those wicked ones who knew him.