{"id":60981,"date":"2018-07-09T17:44:03","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T14:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-286\/"},"modified":"2023-03-13T11:48:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T09:48:05","slug":"wall-286","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-286\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Prophets-II Samuel-23"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"286","date":"20261004","book":"II Samuel","chapter":"23","chapter_main_number":"286","books_group":"Prophets","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"60461","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"JPS Audio Bible - II Samuel Chapter 23 ","post_title":"JPS Audio Bible - II Samuel Chapter 23","slug":"jps-audio-bible-ii-samuel-chapter-23","old_id":"60461","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"286","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"JPS Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"II Samuel 23","tile_main_caption_size":"2","tile_sub_caption":"Hear the daily chapter","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/JPS_Audio_Bible_II_Samuel_Chapter_23","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Samuel","chapter":"23","chapter_main_number":"286","date":"20261004","wall_id":"286"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"113321","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"Water For The King! ","post_title":"Water For The King!","slug":"water-for-the-king","old_id":"113321","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33877,"post_title":"Marc Bregman","slug":"marc-bregman","old_id":"33877","first_name":"Marc","last_name":"Bregman","description":"Marc Bregman received his Ph.D. from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1991. He taught at the Hebrew Union College (Jerusalem), The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the Schechter Institute for Judaic Studies in Jerusalem, and at the Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheba, Israel. During 1993 he was Visiting Associate Professor at Yale University, and during 1996 he was the Stroum Professor of Jewish Studies and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Washington in Seattle. During 2005, Bregman served as the Harry Starr Fellow in Judaica at Harvard University and was awarded a Teaching Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has served as Forchheimer Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Humanities at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is the author of The Tanhuma-Yelammedenu Literature: Studies in the Evolution of the Versions (Gorgias Press, 2003). In 2006, Bregman was appointed the Herman and Zelda Bernard Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, where he also headed the program in Jewish Studies, until 2013. Bregman retired from UNCG as of July 31, 2017. He has now returned to Jerusalem where he is continuing his research and teaching activities.","credit":"","image_url":"","short_description":"Marc Bregman is the Herman and Zelda Bernard Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies emeritus, at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33878,"alt":"Marc Bregman","title":"Marc Bregman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","width":361,"height":488,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman-222x300.jpg","medium-width":222,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","medium_large-width":361,"medium_large-height":488,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","large-width":361,"large-height":488,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","1536x1536-width":361,"1536x1536-height":488,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","2048x2048-width":361,"2048x2048-height":488,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman.jpg","post_full_size-width":361,"post_full_size-height":488,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Bregman-311x420.jpg","home_baner-width":311,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"286","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"David\u2019s warriors and their zany antics\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

Our chapter begins<\/span> \"These are the last words of David\"<\/span><\/a>, signaling the end to the aged king\u2019s long and eventful career. Previously,<\/span> 2 Samuel 21:15<\/span><\/a> had related that after: \u201cDavid and the men with him went down to fight the Philistines, David grew weary\u201d. And later, King David\u2019s dotage is the opening scene of<\/span> the Book of Kings<\/span><\/a>: \u201cKing David was now old, advanced in years; and though they covered him with bedclothes, he never felt warm\u201d. Indeed, in the following Chapter (<\/span>I Kings 2:11-13<\/span><\/a>), King David dies, his 40 year reign comes to an end and his son, Solomon, begins to reign.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Current Biblical interpretation regards the final chapters of II Samuel<\/span> (21-24)<\/span><\/a> as an \u201cappendix\u201d to the Books of Samuel (see<\/span> Miqra LeYisrael p. 225<\/span><\/a>). These four chapters relate various events that transpired at various times during the reign of King David. II Samuel, Chapter 21 includes four short stories about the heroic deeds of several of David\u2019s most notable warriors. These stories continue in our chapter: \u201cThese are the names of the warriors who David had\u201d and concludes that they were \u201cthirty-seven in all\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

One of the most interesting of these stories is found in 23:13-17:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Once, toward the beginning of the harvest, three of the thirty warriors went down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a force of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, and a Philistine garrison was then at Bethlehem. David felt a craving and said, \u2018Who might get me a drink of water from the cistern which is by the gate of Bethlehem!\u2019 So, the three warriors broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the cistern which is by the gate of Bethlehem, and they carried it back to David. But David did not drink it. Instead, he poured it out as a libation to the Lord. For he said, \u2018God forbid that I should do this! How could [I drink] the \u2018blood\u2019 of the men who went at the risk of their lives?!\u2019 So, he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Traditional commentators found much that needed explanation in this cryptic and curious story. For example,<\/span> Rada<\/span><\/a>k<\/span> explains that David was particularly thirsty because this story took place \u201ctoward the beginning of the harvest\u201d before the beginning of the rains replenishing the supply of readily available water.<\/span> Abarbanel<\/span><\/a> suggests that for emotional reasons, David was merely expressing an elderly reminiscence of water from his birthplace and hometown, Bethlehem, currently occupied by the enemy Philistines. However, his three closest warriors mistakenly took David at his word and daringly broke through the Philistine forces to bring their beloved leader the water they thought he had actually requested to drink. David, realizing how he had misled his men, causing them to risk their lives, poured out the water as a repentant libation to God.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A popular Israeli song was written about this incident - embellishing it even more. See it here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Water For The King!","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"David\u2019s warriors and their zany antics","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/mXb2zd40_yw","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Samuel","chapter":"23","chapter_main_number":"286","date":"20261004","wall_id":"286"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"435","name":"Water","old_id":"835"},{"term_id":"834","name":"David","old_id":"1234"}]},{"order":3,"id":"113326","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"David\u2019s House - Established? ","post_title":"David\u2019s House - Established?","slug":"davids-house-established","old_id":"113326","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":62571,"post_title":"Yaakov Bieler","slug":"yaakov-bieler","old_id":"62571","first_name":"Yaakov ","last_name":"Bieler ","description":"Rabbi Yaakov Bieler has been involved in Jewish education and the synagogue Rabbinate in New York, NY and Silver Spring, MD since being ordained by Yeshiva University in 1974. He has lectured and written extensively on Modern Orthodoxy, and blogs daily at https:\/\/yaakovbieler.wordpress.com ","short_description":"Rabbi Yaakov Bieler has been involved in Jewish education and the synagogue Rabbinate in New York, NY and Silver Spring, MD since being ordained by Yeshiva University. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":62572,"alt":"","title":"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","width":141,"height":180,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler-141x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":141,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","medium-width":141,"medium-height":180,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","medium_large-width":141,"medium_large-height":180,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","large-width":141,"large-height":180,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","1536x1536-width":141,"1536x1536-height":180,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","2048x2048-width":141,"2048x2048-height":180,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","post_full_size-width":141,"post_full_size-height":180,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","home_baner-width":141,"home_baner-height":180}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"286","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"David\u2019s sins and shortcomings don\u2019t seem to upset his sense of moral triumph\u00a0\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

This chapter provides insights into the mindset of David at the end of his life, when he is a) acknowledging the military and personal assistance that he has received from others (vs. 8, 9, 11, 18, 20, 24-39); b)\u00a0 castigating his many enemies (vs. 6-7);\u00a0 and c) evaluating his situation vis-\u00e0-vis God. Regarding God (verses 3,5):<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The God of Israel has spoken,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>The Rock of Israel said concerning me:<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>He who rules men justly,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>He who rules in awe of God\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Is not my House established before God?<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>For He has granted me an eternal pact,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Drawn up in full and secured\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n

David\u2019s contrition for his extreme malfeasance towards a loyal soldier (Uriah), because the king lusted after his wife, Bathsheba, is glaringly absent, even though at the time, it warranted harsh criticism by God via his prophet, Nathan, and the death of the child conceived in sin (see 12:9-10, 15, 18).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A second shortcoming attributed to David is his insistence that a census be taken, resulting in a severe Divine plague among David\u2019s subjects, with 70,000 being struck down (see 24:1, 15).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

So how could David be so oblivious, and think that all was \u201cright\u201d between him and God?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A number of classical commentators interpret that all that God had implied was that David\u2019s reign would continue via his offspring (see Psalms 131:11-2), as opposed to Saul, who was \u201cone and done.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

While God never says that David is wrong in drawing such a conclusion, Nachmanides, in his commentary on Genesis (28:20), says that the forefathers of the Jewish people did not put much trust in God\u2019s promises: \u201cLest the (<\/span>human<\/span><\/em>) sin cause the abrogation of the (<\/span>Divine<\/span><\/em>) promises.\u201d Wouldn\u2019t one expect David to be more religiously modest, and acknowledge that he may not have completed his penance for his considerable shortcomings? Perhaps a leader of men, even one as sensitive as David, cannot be too introspective when it comes to matters of the soul.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":59561,"alt":"","title":"2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","width":331,"height":600,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore-166x300.jpg","medium-width":166,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","medium_large-width":331,"medium_large-height":600,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","large-width":331,"large-height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","1536x1536-width":331,"1536x1536-height":600,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","2048x2048-width":331,"2048x2048-height":600,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","post_full_size-width":331,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore-232x420.jpg","home_baner-width":232,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"David\u2019s House - Established?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"David\u2019s sins and shortcomings don\u2019t seem to upset his sense of moral triumph\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":59561,"alt":"","title":"2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","width":331,"height":600,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore-166x300.jpg","medium-width":166,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","medium_large-width":331,"medium_large-height":600,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","large-width":331,"large-height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","1536x1536-width":331,"1536x1536-height":600,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","2048x2048-width":331,"2048x2048-height":600,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore.jpg","post_full_size-width":331,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam1-David_SM_Maggiore-232x420.jpg","home_baner-width":232,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Samuel","chapter":"23","chapter_main_number":"286","date":"20261004","wall_id":"286"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"384","name":"God","old_id":"784"},{"term_id":"400","name":"Sin","old_id":"800"},{"term_id":"834","name":"David","old_id":"1234"}]},{"order":4,"id":"113329","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"When Water Isn\u2019t Water ","post_title":"When Water Isn\u2019t Water","slug":"when-water-isnt-water","old_id":"113329","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. He and his daughter studied the Tanach again for her bat mitzvah. Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group. When not studying for 929, Josh works as an in-house lawyer in New Jersey.","short_description":"Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group, and is an in-house attorney in New Jersey. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"286","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And a whim isn\u2019t a whim, and a simple story becomes a legal parable\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

\u00a0<\/span>Chapter 23 continues the summation of David\u2019s rule. After another brief prophecy\/prayer, the chapter goes on to list David\u2019s many warriors. In the middle of the chapter there is a bizarre tale of David and water. David and his men are hiding out in a cave and he suddenly has a thirst for water, but not just any water, the water from inside the city of Bethlehem, ruled by Philistines. Three of his top warriors take on the task and successfully retrieve the water from behind enemy lines. They rush back to David with the water and he immediately\u2026spills it out on the ground!<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Why does David do this? The Talmud in Bava Batra 60b interprets the whole scene metaphorically. David was not asking for water, but for an halachic opinion from the rabbis of Bethlehem. Water here means Torah. That\u2019s also why three warriors went, the minimum for a rabbinical court. The question was about whether David could destroy the property of another in order to kill Philistine soldiers who were hiding. The rabbis responded that it is normally forbidden, but the king may do as he pleases. The Talmud then gives another scenario in which David was asking whether he could confiscate lentils owned by Philistines in order to pay for barley owned by Israelites to feed his animals. The Rabbis gave the same answer. The Talmud then goes on a lengthy tangent to determine which opinion makes more sense. The Talmud then explains that David pouring out the water meant that he either did not agree with the ruling that as a king he should go against what the general rule is, or that he mentioned the ruling without giving proper citations to its original decisor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Some interpretations do not go this far into detail, but still offer a metaphoric explanation. They explain that it was the holiday of Sukkot and David was looking for water to perform the water libation ceremony that is only performed on Sukkot. That is also why he spills out the water.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Radak does not like these grandiose explanations. He looks at the basic text and explains that it was the summer and David was extremely hot. He knew the water in Bethlehem was particularly cold, which is why he desired it. He did not really intend for the warriors to go. Because they risked their lives, he felt the water was almost tainted by their sacrifices. That\u2019s why he offered the water to God, because it was made holy by their devotion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

So why does the Talmud go through such an odd explanation? The rabbis must have also been struck by the very odd nature of this story that they felt there must be something beyond its plain meaning. Even Radak, who tried to interpret this practically, ends up waxing poetic by the end.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

image:\u00a0This is a photo of an exhibit at the Diaspora Museum, Tel Aviv -\u00a0en:Beit Hatefutsot<\/a>. Depicts the development of\u00a0Jewish Oral law:\u00a0<\/a>\"The relief depicts the development of the Oral Law as the course of a river. It starts as a small stream whose gentle flow gradually becomes a strong current in the spiritual landscape of the Jewish people eventually reaching the sea of the Halakha (lower part)\" (2011).<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":113330,"alt":"","title":"-64076df3ca7db--64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea of halacha water law.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","width":785,"height":900,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg-262x300.jpg","medium-width":262,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg-768x881.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":881,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","large-width":785,"large-height":900,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":785,"1536x1536-height":900,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":785,"2048x2048-height":900,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":785,"post_full_size-height":900,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg-366x420.jpg","home_baner-width":366,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"When Water Isn\u2019t Water","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"And a whim isn\u2019t a whim, and a simple story becomes a legal parable","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":113330,"alt":"","title":"-64076df3ca7db--64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea of halacha water law.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","width":785,"height":900,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg-262x300.jpg","medium-width":262,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg-768x881.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":881,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","large-width":785,"large-height":900,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":785,"1536x1536-height":900,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":785,"2048x2048-height":900,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":785,"post_full_size-height":900,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/64076df3ca7db-64076df3ca7dc2sam23-sea-of-halacha-water-law.jpg-366x420.jpg","home_baner-width":366,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Samuel","chapter":"23","chapter_main_number":"286","date":"20261004","wall_id":"286"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"435","name":"Water","old_id":"835"},{"term_id":"627","name":"Talmud","old_id":"1027"},{"term_id":"662","name":"Halacha","old_id":"1062"}]},{"order":5,"id":"61156","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Be the Song You Sing! ","post_title":"Be The Song You Sing!","slug":"be-the-song-you-sing","old_id":"61156","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33992,"post_title":"Bradley Shavit Artson","slug":"rabbi-dr-bradley-shavit-artson","old_id":"33992","first_name":"Bradley Shavit ","last_name":"Artson","description":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles, and is professor of philosophy there. Artson is married to Elana Shavit Artson, and they are the parents of twins, Shira and Jacob.\r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson is the Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles.","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33993,"alt":"","title":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","width":204,"height":199,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-256x300.png","medium-width":256,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","medium_large-width":204,"medium_large-height":199,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","large-width":204,"large-height":199,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","1536x1536-width":204,"1536x1536-height":199,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","2048x2048-width":204,"2048x2048-height":199,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","post_full_size-width":204,"post_full_size-height":199,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","home_baner-width":204,"home_baner-height":199}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"286","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"

Toward the end of the Second Book of Samuel, near the very end of the reign of King David, the old monarch erupts in a song of gratitude, expressing wonder for the life he has been able to live, the House he was privileged to establish, and the centrality of justice and reverence as the defining traits of Israelite governance and prestige. By way of contrast, those whose grasping for influence is poisoned by wickedness and brute force will be \u201craked aside like thorns.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Knowing, as we do, the actual behavior of the kings of the House of David, we recognize the aspirational nature of the founding sovereign\u2019s description. We are to strive for the ideal of justice and law, to build a society in which there is no favoritism for the rich or the poor, in which the widow and orphan and stranger are fed, clothed, housed, and honored. Those virtues remain worthy of unceasing effort and of our greatest song.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

And what is that greatest of songs? Well, the obscurity of the Biblical Hebrew invites us to offer a few possibilities. In Hebrew, David is described as <\/span>ne\u2019im zmirot Yisrael<\/span><\/em>,<\/em> conventionally translated as \u201csweet singer of Israel.\u201d The NJPS translation offers \u201cthe favorite of the songs of Israel,\u201d implying that David isn\u2019t necessarily a composer of songs, but that he, himself, is the favorite of songs.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Living up to his Hebrew name (David means \u201cBeloved\u201d), David has always found special favor.\u00a0 Beloved by the Holy One who singled him out for glory and allowed him to reshape the history of God\u2019s people, David was beloved by a cluster of compelling and talented women, by his soldiers who adored him until his life had ended, and by so many members of the Israelite court. He wasn\u2019t a prophet, nor did he live a blameless life. But he was loved and he changed our history forever. His life was itself a song; his deeds, the notes that we continue to sing and which reverberate across the ages. The symphony of David\u2019s inspiration lures us toward a messianic future and a world of unimagined harmony and joy.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

As we brace ourselves to say farewell to this most extraordinary of Israel\u2019s kings, we can hum his life as the melody we are all meant to sing: in the face of life\u2019s threats, to be bold. In the face of life\u2019s possibilities, to risk and create. In the face of our relationships, to love and to be loved.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In that way, we each become the song that can cascade across the ages, joining a chorus of our people and our species that can link us across time and lift us above all tribulation.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61157,"alt":"","title":"2sam23-song","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song.png","width":1034,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-242x300.png","medium-width":242,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-768x951.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":951,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-827x1024.png","large-width":827,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song.png","1536x1536-width":1034,"1536x1536-height":1280,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song.png","2048x2048-width":1034,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-969x1200.png","post_full_size-width":969,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-339x420.png","home_baner-width":339,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Be The Song You Sing!","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"David was loved and he changed our history forever: His life was itself a song","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61157,"alt":"","title":"2sam23-song","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song.png","width":1034,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-242x300.png","medium-width":242,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-768x951.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":951,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-827x1024.png","large-width":827,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song.png","1536x1536-width":1034,"1536x1536-height":1280,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song.png","2048x2048-width":1034,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-969x1200.png","post_full_size-width":969,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2sam23-song-339x420.png","home_baner-width":339,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Samuel","chapter":"23","chapter_main_number":"286","date":"20261004","wall_id":"286"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"402","name":"Leadership","old_id":"802"},{"term_id":"444","name":"History","old_id":"844"},{"term_id":"802","name":"Song","old_id":"1202"},{"term_id":"834","name":"David","old_id":"1234"}]},{"order":6,"id":"61167","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"David\u2019s Other Valedictory: A Close Reading ","post_title":"David\u2019s Other Valedictory: A Close Reading","slug":"davids-other-valedictory-a-close-reading","old_id":"61167","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34243,"post_title":"Moshe Sokolow","slug":"moshe-sokolow","old_id":"34243","first_name":"Moshe","last_name":"Sokolow","description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University, and teaches a weekly class in parashat hashavu`a at Lincoln Square Synagogue. He is the author of TANAKH: An Owner\u2019s Manual (Jerusalem: Urim\/Ktav, 2015).\r\n\r\n","short_description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34244,"alt":"","title":"sokolow","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","width":302,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-300x298.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":298,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","medium_large-width":302,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","large-width":302,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","1536x1536-width":302,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","2048x2048-width":302,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","post_full_size-width":302,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","home_baner-width":302,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"286","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Highly lyrical, and highly cryptic\u2026","post_main_content_content":"

Our chapter opens with a highly lyrical, and highly cryptic, valedictory. We will try\u2014as we did in the previous chapter\u2014to extract its significance by focusing on the language. Here is the text (1-7) according to the 1917 Jewish Publication Society translation:<\/span><\/p>\r\n