Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Musar for I Kings 20:9

וַיֹּ֜אמֶר לְמַלְאֲכֵ֣י בֶן־הֲדַ֗ד אִמְר֞וּ לַֽאדֹנִ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ כֹּל֩ אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֨חְתָּ אֶל־עַבְדְּךָ֤ בָרִֽאשֹׁנָה֙ אֶעֱשֶׂ֔ה וְהַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה לֹ֥א אוּכַ֖ל לַעֲשׂ֑וֹת וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ הַמַּלְאָכִ֔ים וַיְשִׁבֻ֖הוּ דָּבָֽר׃

Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad: ‘Tell my lord the king: All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do.’ And the messengers departed, and brought him back word.

Mesilat Yesharim

Rabbi Yochanan said: Why did Achav merit royalty for twenty-two years? - Because he honored the Torah, which was given in twenty-two letters, as it is written (I Kings 20:9), "And he sent messengers to Achav... it shall be, that whatever is the desire of your eyes, they shall put in their hand, and take it away... And he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, Tell my lord the king, all that you did send for to your servant at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do." Now what is meant by 'whatever is the desire of your eyes'? Surely the Scroll of the Torah!" (Sanhedrin 102b).
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