Parashat Hashavua: Joint Rachel/Leah Leadership and Megillat Esther

Beit Midrash

Sections
Chemdat Yamim
Parashat Hashavua

קטגוריה משנית

Torah Portion and Tanach
Shmot
Tetzave

Female Lesson Parashat Hashavua Series'Library Piskei Din (Hebrew)Test Yourself

Before the finish of our discussion on unity and leadership shared between the descendants of Leah and of Rachel, we will take a quick look at relevant material in Megillat Esther.
The co-hero of Megillat Esther, Mordechai, is introduced in a perplexing way (Esther 2:5). He is called an "ish Yehudi" in Shushan and, after listing his genealogy, is called an "ish Yemini." The gemara (Yevamot 12b) notes that the beginning of the pasuk sounds like he is from the Tribe of Yehuda, and the end sounds like he is from the Tribe of Binyamin. The gemara answers that Mordechai’s father was from Binyamin and his mother from Yehuda.
This fits beautifully with the thesis we have been promoting – to bring salvation, one needs a mix between the families of Rachel and Leah. Mordechai achieved his mixture through his mother and father. To this we add the unity call of his cousin, Esther, who said: "Go gather all the Jews" (Esther 4:16).
Let us return to the period of David. In addition to the chance of partnership with Shaul, Yonatan, and Michal, David had the possibility of partnership with Shaul’s cousin, Avner ben Ner. Even in Shaul’s lifetime, Avner and Ner thought that Avner was the one who was fit to be king. After Shaul died in battle, Avner coronated Shaul’s weak son, Ish Boshet (Shmuel II, 2:8-9), as king of 10 tribes. While titularly, Ish Boshet was king, in practice, he was a puppet of the actual leader, Avner. Avner eventually took a step toward becoming full king, and to show this, he took Shaul’s concubine, Ritzpa bat Aya. Ish Boshet, sensing what was transpiring, protested Avner’s action (ibid. 3:7). The slighted Avner decided that he preferred being David’s junior partner than to lead through Ish Boshet. The powerful Avner informed Ish Boshet and took immediate steps to reach out to David, then the King of Yehuda.
Under Avner’s plan, there would be a reuniting of all of the tribes, under David’s leadership (from Leah), with Avner (from Rachel) as his number 2. David accepted, but he made it conditional on the return of his wife Michal (ibid. 3:13). David phrased it, that Avner could "see my face" only if Michal returned and implied that Avner must be the one to bring her.
The term "seeing the kings face" returns us to Megillat Esther. Achashveirosh’s cabinet were called the seven ministers "who see the king’s face" (Esther 1:14). Indeed, for a monarch of that magnitude, not just anyone had the right to see the king’s face (comparing the incomparable – "… for a man will not see Me and live" (Shemot 33:20)).
When David demanded of Avner to bring Michal, David was hinting that David could unite the descendants of Rachel and Leach through his marriage with Michal. Thus, he did not need Avner’s partnership to do this. Still, David offered Avner a role in his cabinet in return for Avner’s support. Avner, who had already burned his bridges regarding Shaul’s family, was ready for a deal, but not one involving Michal. David arranged to get her back on his own, through Ish Boshet, now Avner’s rival. Unfortunately, the building of intertribal partnerships did not reach fruition, not through Avner and not through Michal.

Tetzave

Parashat Hashavua