Musar su II Samuele 15:38

What is the meaning of David saying in Samuel II 15,25: והראני אותו ואת נוהו, "if I find favor, He will let me see Him and His abode?" Who is able to see G–d? What is meant is that when David realized that his punishment was due to his conduct with Bat Sheva, he realized that anyone who does not observe this sacred covenant in its full implications cannot be called righteous. This is why he prayed. The word אותו, refers to the city of Jerusalem which is inextricably linked with מלכות. The two are linked by the אות ברית. Since David had lost מלכות through his indiscretion, he was bound to lose ירושלים, by corollary. This is the reason he linked Jerusalem and מלכות, in the prayer we quoted from the book of Samuel. So far from the Zohar.

The Parshah mentions only the number of Israelites, and the fact that the Levites from the age of thirty days and over were chosen to replace the firstborn. The number given for the Levites in this Parshah is only that of the Kehatites, since the מחנה שכינה contained the כהנים who came from their ranks. The reason why the כהנים were included in the count of the Kehatites is that we find the Priests carrying the Holy Ark on three occasions, though that assignment was usually reserved for the Levites of the family of the Kehatites. These three occasions were: A) When Israel crossed the Jordan (Joshua 3,3), see the commentary of Kimchi there. B) When they marched around the city of Jericho (Joshua 6,12-13), and C) when the Holy Ark was returned to where it belonged during the uprising of Absalom against David (Samuel II 15,29).

Perhaps we have something similar in a statement of our sages on Samuel II 15,32: ויהי דוד בא עד הראש אשר ישתחוה שם לאלוקים, "When David reached the top where he would usually prostrate himself before G–d." Rabbi Yehudah in Sanhedrin 107 uses this verse to claim that David was about to commit an idolatrous act, claiming that the word ראש is a description of an idolatrous deity. He cites proof from Daniel 2,32. All this occurred when David had to flee for his life from his own son Absalom. His friend Chushai remonstrated with him saying that it was unseemly for a king of his stature to become guilty of such a grave sin. David responded: "How is it possible that a king such as myself should be pursued by his own son! Better that I should die having committed the sin of idol-worship than that the name of the Lord be desecrated publicly if my own son were to kill me." We must ask ourselves what could have possessed David to even contemplate the commission of such a sin? Clearly David knew that in the eyes of most of his people he was viewed as a pious G–d-fearing individual. Many people would begin to question G–d's justice if he were to become the victim of Absalom's revolt. He therefore preferred to commit a public sin so that people would not question how G–d could have allowed a pious man such as David to have been killed by his own son. David certainly harboured no idolatrous thoughts which would have led him to commit such a sin. Eventually, he did not go through with his plan, and that is why he said: "a king such as I, etc." [He fled, leaving ארץ ישראל, which is tantamount to serving idols, since one foregoes G–d's direct protection, cf. Maharsha. Ed.]