Comentários de Citação sobre I Reis 21:20

Eliyahu HaNavi reproaches Achav (Melachim I 21:20) that he “committed himself to doing what is evil in the eyes of Hashem.” The Malbim (ibid.) explains that this commitment refers to Achav’s arrangement with Izevel, in which he enables her to do whatever she wants. He sells his soul to Izevel and is therefore held responsible for her utterly despicable actions. This is a most poignant explanation, especially as Achav is primarily motivated to marry Izevel for the economic benefits that will result from an alliance with the Phoenicians (recall that Izevel is a Phoenician princess). Achav is the great enabler, as he grants Izevel a free hand, all for the sake of economic advancement.

Achav, on the other hand, is not punished solely for the murder and theft of land from Navot HaYizre’eili. Achav’s terrible behavior towards Navot merely caps a long list of terrible sins. Eliyahu HaNavi (Melachim I 21:20) informs Achav that he is being punished for his addiction (Hitmachrut) to acting in evil ways.¹¹⁶Achav is addicted to sin. His punishment, argues TABC alumnus Binyamin Jachter (‘17), is similar to the one meted out to the Ben Soreir UMoreh, the wayward son (Devarim 21:18-21), whose track record points to repeated and escalated evil in the future. Better Achav die now than commit serial and grievous offenses in the future. In other words, the murder of Navot and the subsequent theft of his land are merely the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Achav’s life consists of constant stumbles and falls. The incident of Navot is not at all an aberration. Achav merely goes farther than before. Moreover, the Navot incident establishes that Achav would do such acts, and convince others to do them for him again in the future. Therefore, Achav is subject to severe consequences.