Prohibition for a non-Kohen to Serve in the Mikdash

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1. The Best of Times: The Reigns of Yerovam ben Yoash and Uziya

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   The long and impressive reign of Yerovam ben Yoash sees the Northern Kingdom reaching the summit of its regional power and material prosperity. The prophet Amos who prophesies during this period, reveals a society of enormous wealth, complacency, and security and yet bearing startling inequalities of income, and outrageous exploitation of the poor by the rich.

   Uziya's long reign is filled with a long list of impressive accomplishments: Military conquests, extensive fortification of Jerusalem, development of agriculture and a cutting-edge military. However, his successes lead to arrogance and his eventual downfall, plagued till his death with Tzaraat. Yishayahu describes a society in Yehuda similar to what Amos described in the North.

   While Sefer Melakhim dwells almost exclusively on the issue of idolatry, Amos and Yishayahu highlight the sins of arrogance and social injustice. Amos warns of an earthquake which shakes the kingdom a mere two years after Amos begins his prophecy. And yet, even with a national disaster of this proportion, Israel and Yehuda fails to harness its peace and wealth towards kindness, justice, and communal support.

2. Tumult and Decline

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   The chapter opens with the formidable King Uzzia of Yehuda, and closes with his son, "the flawless" Yotam, presenting a sixty-two year span of dynastic stability and serenity in the South. Concurrently, and occupying the central space of the chapter, five Northern kings are described as passing in rapid, tumultuous succession, with the Northern state racked by relentless political opportunism in which one national revolt is swiftly followed by further mutiny. The quick pace of coup and counter-coup along with foreign invasion race toward Yisrael's end, as Yisrael stands on the precipice of exile.

   The looming danger is the ascent of the Empire of Ashur, a superpower the likes of which the Middle East has never seen. It is a historical event that will fundamentally change the region. As a result, an unprecedented four prophets prophesy during this period.