The function and purpose of the king
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The Image of the Jewish King According to the Torah
Rabbi Elyakim KrumbeinWhat is the purpose and function of the king?
The Vision of the Future Temple
Part 2 - More Concealment than Revelation
Dr. Tova GanzelThe description of the Temple and the city, has some concrete and precise elements, but at the very same time, lacks some very central details.
According to Yehezkel's prophecy, the changes in this Temple include not only the outer structure of the edifice, but also fundamental difference in who enters it. This change relates both to the measure of access afforded the people, but also the division of roles among the various leaders of the nation, and the degree to which they are connected to the Temple.
The impression arising from Yehezkel’s prophecy is that the Temple is not a spiritual center for the entire nation. The Temple serves the kohanim and leviim, who perform their service within it as representatives of the people, while the only roles that are given to the people are the auxiliary functions and appearances: funding of the sacrifices, prostration, and a partial view of the Divine service.
The Concluding Chapters of Yehezkel
Dr. Tova GanzelThe first part of Chapter 45 deals with the division of the land among the tribes of Israel. But the division here is fundamentally different to that familiar to us: the one dating to the period when the land was originally settled. This new division apparently serves two different purposes. First, the placement of the Levite inheritance between the inheritance of the other tribes and the Temple is meant to prevent the Temple from being defiled. In addition, this new arrangement will prevent the office-bearers from being dependent, to some extent, on the people – a situation which in the past had led to the misuse of the leaders’ power.
There are some significant discrepancies between the laws that Yehezkel sets down and the laws of the Torah, specifically in the area of Korbanot. It is difficult to characterize all the differences between the sacrifices set down in the Torah and those we encounter in Yechezkel’s prophecy. However, the changes to the sacrifices listed in Yechezkel should be viewed as part of a broader totality of change, including a new order of leadership with the aim of preventing a repetition of the catastrophe of the departure of the Divine Presence and the subsequent destruction of the Temple.
The changes extend from the Temple itself to Jerusalem and to the other parts of the country: the city becomes shared by all the tribes of Israel, and the land is divided among the tribes in an egalitarian manner. This redivision of the inheritances will help to reduce antagonism among the tribes, and perhaps help to prevent oppression and theft, since these, too, were among the reasons for God’s departure from the Temple in the past.
Chapter 47 offers a surprising turning-point in the vision of the future Temple. The prophet speaks here neither of the structure nor of the order of service, but rather describes a wondrous stream that emerges from the entrance to God’s House and flows all the way to the Arava. Although Yechezkel has distanced the people from anything connected to the Temple, now he is also creating a Divine connection with the people that has never existed before.
The wondrous river that appears at the end of the Sefer seems to be a way of bringing the Sanctuary into the very midst of the people more than ever before: through connecting with the miraculous abundance and healing forces of the river, powers not found in the usual course of nature.
It turns out that in order to heal the people, the prophet foresees a fissure in the regular order of nature. Beyond purification - a necessary condition for the revival of the people in the future - there will also be possible forms of healing that pass through the Sanctuary, but that do not require the people to approach.
Now we see that the healing properties of the river in fact have the wondrous ability to repair the flaws that caused the Destruction. The distancing of the people from the Temple turns out to be a physical measure that does not reflect any spiritual distancing: God connects the people to the Temple by means of the river that flows from the very midst of the House, notwithstanding the geographical distance.
So it turns out that ultimately the bond between God and His people is not only renewed unilaterally by God; but the entire nation is part of the process as they are nourished, by the river from the Temple, more directly than ever before.
Shoftim - Who Needs Them?
Rabbi Gad Dishi | 49 minutesWhat is the function of the shoftim? This lesson examines the historical and geographical context of the period of the shoftim, and explores the internal and external contradiction of the Navi's view of a king. The theme at the end of the sefer, "ein melech beYisrael" (there is no king in Israel), clearly portrays a monarch as a necessity, yet we can also see throughout the sefer a strong resistance towards kingship as well.
The Will of the People and the Authority of the King: A Study of the Biblical Text
Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin NunThe Torah tells us to “appoint a king over you whom the Lord your God shall choose” (Devarim 17:15). The verse seems to indicate clearly that the king is chosen by God and not by the people. However, when we read how the process actually unfolds, as described in Sefer Shemuel, we find that the decisive factor in the choice of the king is in fact the will of the people.
We look at the descriptions of Shaul, David (and Avshalom) being crowned as kings, and we examine different opinions about the laws of appointing a king.
We find that the system of ruling in the Torah entails two centers of power, each comprising two authorities. One center is the religious authority, consisting of the Kohanim and the judges. The other center consists of the political leadership, combining the king and the prophet – who are sometimes at odds.
Translated by Kaeren Fish