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We will try to explain what stands behind this loaded and harsh pronouncement. David was pursued by three very significant factors.
A. The Plishtim, who remembered David’s killing of their hero, Goliat, who made all around him quake. The Plishtim hated David greatly.
B. Shaul, King of Israel, who constantly pursued him and tried to have him killed many times and with many means, as it says: "Shaul sought him all of the days" (ibid. 23:14).
C. The descendants of Kalev ben Yefuneh, who lived in the southern part of the mountains of Chevron, who tried to get rid of him by aiding Shaul in catching him. This applied to the people of Zif, who sent word about David to Shaul (ibid. 19-20, and ibid. 26:1). Even the people of Ke’ila, whom David saved from the Plishtim, wanted to hand him over to Shaul. Hashem, through the urim and tumim, confirmed that indeed the people of Ke’ila were plotting to hand him over. Before seeing how David handled the situation, let us see what the claims of these apparent traitors were.
The pasuk about banishing David can be read in two ways: 1. The question is whether he would be allowed to marry a normal Jewish woman and thereby enable the Divine Presence to dwell upon him. 2. Whether he would be able to stay in Eretz Yisrael, where the Divine Presence dwells on a regular basis. David’s detractors argued that he was not fit to marry into the Jewish people because he came from Moavites (see Yevamot 76b). Because of the efforts of Shaul and the descendants of Kalev to seize David, David decided to leave Eretz Yisrael and ostensibly join the forces of the Plishtim under Achish the King of Gat. The latter received him because they viewed him as the enemy of their enemy, Shaul, and hoped in that way to split the Israelite nation.
What caused David to take the bold step? There are a few possibilities: 1. It was a way to avoid a civil war between his forces and Shaul’s. 2. It was a way to sabotage the Plishti enemies of his nation, even those compatriots who were cruel to him. 3. To help Shaul if his forces would start losing to the Plishti army. Either way, David raised a high bar for a leader acting to put the welfare of the nation before his own, as his joining up with the enemy army put him in grave danger. Only with Divine Help did he succeed in his mission.
Next week we will see why the claims of the descendants of Kalev were not accepted. In the meantime, we will continue to pray for leaders who will increase love between different parts of the nation and will put the welfare of the nation before their own and those of their political allies.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
