פּירוש אויף מלכים א 1:28

“King David responded and said, call Bathsheba, etc.” [1:28]. When Nathan the prophet came in to David, Bathsheba, as it were, left, so that people should not notice that she and Nathan the prophet had spoken about this previously. Therefore, the king responded to Nathan the prophet and said that Bathsheba should be called. Bathsheba came and stood before the king. The king took an oath and said: “as God lives,” the God who protected me from all my troubles, I swore to you by the God of Israel that Solomon should be king in my place. This should happen this very day. She bowed to the ground twice, to the king. She said: may my lord King David live forever.

The Tanhuma writes about the haftorah, “King David was old and advanced in years” [1:1]. Where do we find someone who is worthy to be old and hoary? Scripture answers, “it is attained by the way of righteousness” [Proverbs, 16:31].¹⁴The first part of this verse is, “Gray hair is a crown of glory.” That is to say, one who gives charity lives long. Concerning this, we find that it says about Abraham our Patriarch, “to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right” [Genesis, 18:19]. He gave charity and therefore he was worthy to be old, as the verse says, “Abraham was old, advanced in years” [Genesis, 24:1]. It is also written here, “David administered justice and equity to all his people” [II Samuel, 8:15]. Therefore, he was worthy to attain old age, as the verse says, “King David was old and advanced in years” [I Kings, 1:1]. King Solomon showed this in the Book of Ecclesiastes, “cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it” [Ecclesiastes, 11:1]. That is to say, give your bread to the poor, just like somebody who throws it in the water and he gives up on it. You should give charity in the same way and not for the reward. Give up hope and only give it out of goodness. “For after many days, you will find it” [Ecclesiastes, 11:1].¹⁵Tanhuma, Hayyei Sarah, 4. That is, you will have the opportunity to give for many days. This means, you will find your reward from your giving of bread to the poor and you will have many good days. When a person gives charity in the expectation that he will be rich and have much wealth then God gives him much wealth. However, when a person gives charity out of goodness, he lives long.

The Talmud writes in [tractate] Megillah: Rabbi Jacob says in the name of Rabbi Yohanan. Abishag was permitted to King Solomon as a wife, because Solomon was a king. He was allowed to sleep with the queen of another king. If you wanted to say that Abishag was his father’s wife, the answer is that David did not sleep with her. She only warmed him in the bed. However, Adonijah should not have taken her as a wife, because he was a commoner, that is to say, not a king. He should not take a queen as a wife.¹⁶It is found in B. Sanhedrin, 22a and Yalkut Shimoni, I Kings, Remez 166. The previous footnote in the Yalkut refers to tractate Megillah.