Komentarz do Powtórzonego Prawa 33:5

ויהי AND HE WAS — i.e. the Holy One, blessed be He, was

AND THERE WAS A KING IN JESHURUN. This alludes to the aforementioned Name [in Verse 2: ‘The Eternal’ came from Sinai], Who was King over Israel when they were upright and all the heads of the people and all tribes of Israel were gathered together. Now this verse, too, is connected [with the above theme — the Revelation at Sinai], and the sense thereof is that Israel will always say: “The Torah which Moses commanded us will forever be an inheritance to the entire congregation of Jacob. We shall never alter it or change it.” And they will further say that “G-d became King over Israel when our leaders, our elders, our judges and all tribes of Israel gathered, for we all, together, accepted His reign upon ourselves for all generations, and we are obligated to keep His Law and [acknowledge] His Kingdom forever.” This commandment is the precept of I am the Eternal thy G-d,⁶³Exodus 20:2 (see Vol. II, p. 286). and it constitutes “the acknowledgment of the Kingdom of Heaven,”⁶⁴Berachoth 13b. as I have explained there.⁶³Exodus 20:2 (see Vol. II, p. 286). Thus he mentioned the Torah in general, and the Kingdom of Heaven in partizcular, for whoever acknowledges the Kingdom of Heaven denies the idols and acknowledges the entire Torah.⁶⁵Mechilta, Bachodesh 6. The people thus intimated that they and their leaders accepted [the commandment to acknowledge] the Kingdom of Heaven [directly] from the mouth of the Almighty⁶⁶This is a reference to the statement of the Rabbis that Israel heard the first two commandments directly from the Almighty (Makkoth 24). and saw that He is King of Israel and his Redeemer. They accepted the Torah from the mouth of Moses for they took upon them, and upon their seed⁶⁷Esther 9:27. to believe in him and to do whatever he commands in behalf of the King, just as they said [to Moses], and thou shalt speak unto us all that the Eternal our G-d may speak unto thee, and we will hear it, and do it.⁶⁸Above, 5:24.
This interpretation of the verse is clear and well founded. It accords with the rendering of the Rabbis in the Gemara of Tractate Rosh Hashanah:⁶⁹Rosh Hashanah 32b. The text refers to the law that, as part of the Additional Service of the New Year, ten verses from Scripture are recited on each of these three topics: The Sovereignty of G-d, Remembrances, and Shofar. Now, each unit of ten verses is composed of three verses from the Pentateuch, three from the Prophets, three from the Writings, with one concluding verse from the Pentateuch. On these four verses from the Pentateuch concerning the Sovereignty of G-d the Rabbis in the Gemara asked: “But only three verses referring to Sovereignty etc.” “But only three verses referring to Sovereignty [of G-d] are found [in the Five Books of Moses]! The Eternal shall reign for ever and ever;⁷⁰Exodus 15:18. The Eternal his G-d is with him, and the ‘t’ruah’ (shouting) for the King is among them;⁷¹Numbers 23:21. And there was a King in Jeshurun.”⁷²“And we need four verses referring to [G-d’s] Sovereignty [in order to complete the ten-verse unit]!” Ramban does not cite the Talmud’s answer because he cited the passage merely to prove that “the King” in this verse refers to G-d, the King on high. The Gemara’s answer is that the verse Hear, O Israel: The Eternal our G-d, the Eternal is One (above 6:4) is also a statement of Sovereignty even though the word “King” is not mentioned. In our Additional Service on the New Year this is indeed the verse we cite as the concluding expression of G-d’s Sovereignty. We have also been taught so in the Sifre:⁷³Sifre, Brachah 347. “When the elders [of Israel] sit in council on earth, His Great Name is praised on high, as it is said, And there was a King in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. The term ‘gathering’ applies only to the elders, as it is said, Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel.⁷⁴Numbers 11:16. All the tribes of Israel together — when there is but one brotherhood [then there is a King in Israel] but not when they become numerous factions. And so it is also said, It is He that buildeth His upper chambers in the heaven, [and hath founded His band upon the earth].⁷⁵Amos 9:6. “When does He build His upper chambers in heaven? At the time when His band is founded upon the earth” (Rabbeinu Bachya). In other words, when there is unity in Israel then G-d’s Kingdom becomes firmly established. And in the Midrash Rabbah⁷⁶Bamidmar Rabbah 15:14. they also stated, ‘His throne is firmly set, as it were, on high, when Israel is formed into a single association; therefore it is stated, It is He that buildeth His upper chambers in the heaven, and hath founded His band upon the earth.’⁷⁵Amos 9:6. “When does He build His upper chambers in heaven? At the time when His band is founded upon the earth” (Rabbeinu Bachya). In other words, when there is unity in Israel then G-d’s Kingdom becomes firmly established. And there was a King in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, etc.” This also accords with the manner in which I have explained, for the Rabbis interpreted: there was a King over them because they were gathered and all of them together took His Kingdom upon themselves, and so shall it be an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. “The King” [mentioned in the verse] is thus the Holy One, blessed be He, and so it is our custom to recite [this verse: And there was a King in Jeshurun etc.] in the New Year’s [Additional] Prayers composed by Rav⁷⁷Yerushalmi Rosh Hashanah I,30. — Rav, see above, p. 39, Note 246. [as one of the verses of His Sovereignty].
However, in some Agadoth [homilies] they explain the term “king” with reference to Moses. Thus they say:⁷⁸Shemoth Rabbah 48:8. Vayikra Rabbah 32:2. “Moses was king, for it is said, And there was a king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered.” And if so, Scripture is stating: “Moses commanded us a Law⁷⁹Verse 4. that it be an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob,⁷⁹Verse 4. and he was king over us and all our tribes together, and it behooves us to obey his words and his commandments for he was a great and wise king over us.” Scripture also tells in honor of the emissary [Moses] that he was great and trustworthy. The correct and true interpretation is what we have explained [above]. Thus he mentions that G-d dwells in Israel, and that they — all their tribes together — accepted His Torah and His reign upon themselves and upon their seed for [all] their generations. If so, they are worthy of blessing.

ויהי בישורון מלך, since that occasion G’d became “King” in Israel among all those who study Torah more than superficially.