The Book of Kings (1 & 2) presents the kings of Israel and Judah from the days of David and Solomon until the destruction of the First Temple. It is one book, but is split into parts 1 and 2 for technical reasons. 1 Kings opens with the transition of the monarchy to Solomon, and ends with Ahab king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah. In the days of Solomon, the kingdom reaches it’s apogee, and the Temple is built. After Solomon, the kingdom is divided, and its deterioration begins. A central character in 1 Kings is the prophet Elijah, the zealous warrior against idol worship.<\/p>\n","static_cube_color":"","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"62986","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"2","name":"In Conclusion ","post_title":"In Conclusion","slug":"in-conclusion","old_id":"62986","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33692,"post_title":"Alex Israel","slug":"33692-2","old_id":"33692","first_name":"Alex","last_name":"Israel","description":"Alex Israel teaches Tanakh at the Pardes Institute, Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and Matan, Jerusalem. His first book \"I Kings - Torn in Two\" was published in 2013. See his website www.alexisrael.org, and his podcasts at https:\/\/elmad.pardes.org\/ and https:\/\/tanachstudy.com\/ \r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","short_description":"Alex Israel teaches Tanakh at the Pardes Institute, Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and Matan, Jerusalem.","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33693,"alt":"","title":"alex israel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel.jpg","width":1657,"height":2500,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-199x300.jpg","medium-width":199,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-679x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":679,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-679x1024.jpg","large-width":679,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel.jpg","1536x1536-width":1018,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel.jpg","2048x2048-width":1357,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-795x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":795,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-278x420.jpg","home_baner-width":278,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"2010","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Thoughts on the Book of Kings so far, and the upcoming transition to the second half","post_main_content_content":"
We bring our study of I Kings to a close very much in the middle of the story.<\/span> As Kings is a single work, and the division between I Kings and II is arbitrary and not indigenous to the book.<\/span> The ending of I Kings offers no natural point of closure; the great prophet Elijah remains on the scene, and the dynasty of Ahab still reigns in Samaria.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Nevertheless, we will note a theme that develops throughout I Kings as an independent unit, which relates to the main characters we have encountered. Most dominant are undoubtedly kings Solomon, Jeroboam, and Ahab. Each of these personalities is far from simple, torn between loyalty to God and a conflicting attraction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Solomon's initial years as king reflect his religious purity and earnest pursuit of wisdom. His grand construction of the Temple constitutes both a towering religious achievement and a national milestone. Yet these accomplishments are tainted by his foreign wives, attraction to wealth and luxury, and idolatry. Solomon seems caught between his commitment to God and his universal interests, between humility and excess, failing at the delicate balancing act between his pure allegiance to God and the zeitgeist of imperial grandeur and international engagement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Jeroboam too is a complex character. Initially designated by prophetic mandate and motivated by social and religious justice, he swiftly becomes haunted by the prospect of losing his national following, leading him to instigate an illicit religious cult. Jeroboam is suspended between the prophet and his own pursuit of political power, between his allegiance to God's law and his self-made sacrificial centers. His commitment becomes entangled by his need to ensure political control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Ahab similarly believes in the God of Israel, but he also believes that the key to national prosperity and security is his alliance with Phoenicia. Ahab pays a heavy spiritual price, as Israel is overwhelmed by Baal. Elijah depicts the nation as schizophrenic, \"wavering between two opinions.\" Ahab seeks to lead his nation with a dual allegiance, to both God and Baal, but the two are mutually exclusive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Each of these kings suffers from divided loyalties, finding his religious orientation at variance with his national agenda. Each embodies contradictory objectives, making singular adherence to God's law impossible. These leaders raise questions for ourselves, as we too find it difficult at times to juggle our Judaism with the competing commitments of life. Whether we are caught between particularism and universalism, or whether life's myriad attractions collide with our religious priorities, these personalities leave us much to think about.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Alex Israel, 1 Kings: Torn in Two, Maggid Books, 2013, In Conclusion\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61437,"alt":"","title":"alex israel - kings 1","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","width":1020,"height":1304,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-235x300.jpg","medium-width":235,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-768x982.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":982,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-801x1024.jpg","large-width":801,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1020,"1536x1536-height":1304,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1020,"2048x2048-height":1304,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-939x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":939,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-329x420.jpg","home_baner-width":329,"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":"Excerpts from: 1 Kings - Torn in Two","tile_main_caption":"In Conclusion","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Thoughts on the Book of Kings so far, and the upcoming transition to the second half","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61437,"alt":"","title":"alex israel - kings 1","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","width":1020,"height":1304,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-235x300.jpg","medium-width":235,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-768x982.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":982,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-801x1024.jpg","large-width":801,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1020,"1536x1536-height":1304,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1020,"2048x2048-height":1304,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-939x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":939,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-329x420.jpg","home_baner-width":329,"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,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":false,"chapter_main_number":false,"date":"20190918","wall_id":"2010"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"61453","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Everything You Need to Know About the Jewish People \u2013 in One Chapter ","post_title":"Everything You Need to Know About the Jewish People \u2013 in One Chapter","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-jewish-people-in-one-chapter","old_id":"61453","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":"288","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"By the end of the book, because of our incompetence, betrayal, disloyalty and venality, we will lose it all. Or almost...","post_main_content_content":" It\u2019s all right here in the first chapter of the First Book of Kings. Attempts at dynastic control from one generation seeking to manage the future. Contentious claimants to the same throne. Powerless women scheming as the only available mode of influence in a patriarchal system. Prophets weighing in on how awful people are behaving. Siblings competing for fame and power. Priests divided and supporting competing nobility. And in all this chaos, competition, ego and bloodshed, somehow the covenant between God and the people Israel kicked from side to side, bruised yet managing to survive.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Spoiler alert: by the end of this book, the ongoing series of incompetence, betrayal, disloyalty and venality will break the monarchy entirely. Our claim on the land of Israel, our hold on a Holy Temple capable of uniting the people in the service of the one God, the monarchy itself will smash apart on the rocks of our own lack of vision and decency.\u00a0 We will lose it all.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Or, almost all. We won\u2019t lose the one God who called us as a people, nor will we lose that covenant. Instead, we will discover that both God and Torah are portable and will go with us wherever we wander in the world. We will discover that there are ways to keep alive our ancient sacred tradition, so that it can provide comfort and resilience, even by the waters of Babylon. And we\u2019ll discover (and forget, and discover, and forget) that the trappings of statehood and power are at best ancillary to our true vitality. The real source of Israel\u2019s vibrant resilience remains our reciprocal love affair with the Holy One, our distinctive fusion of ritual and ethics that emerges as ethical monotheism, and the ongoing expression of that heritage in a people of flesh and blood.<\/span><\/p>\r\n All that can be found in this very first chapter: David\u2019s sons battle it out for the throne while the poor man is still alive. His wife and prophet both intervene with him to get him to act, and factions of priests and nobility wrap themselves around the prince they think most likely to succeed. The monarchy\u2019s hold on the people is less than solid. The hold on the sublime morality promised by Torah even less so.<\/span><\/p>\r\n And yet \u2026 survive it does. Imperfect though we may be, the people Israel continues to keep that covenant alive, transmits it to the next generation, learns from the mistakes it keeps making, and somehow inspires the next generation not to abandon the effort.<\/span><\/p>\r\n That\u2019s it. And that may be as good as it gets in this world. Imperfect people, imperfectly struggling to live up to God\u2019s expectations and our own.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Turns out, that may also be as good as it needs to be.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61454,"alt":"","title":"1kings1-StarofDavidBroken","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","width":320,"height":310,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken-300x291.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":291,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","medium_large-width":320,"medium_large-height":310,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","large-width":320,"large-height":310,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","1536x1536-width":320,"1536x1536-height":310,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","2048x2048-width":320,"2048x2048-height":310,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","post_full_size-width":320,"post_full_size-height":310,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","home_baner-width":320,"home_baner-height":310}},"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":"Everything You Need to Know About the Jewish People \u2013 in One Chapter","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"By the end of the book, because of our incompetence, betrayal, disloyalty and venality, we will lose it all. Or almost...","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61454,"alt":"","title":"1kings1-StarofDavidBroken","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","width":320,"height":310,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken-300x291.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":291,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","medium_large-width":320,"medium_large-height":310,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","large-width":320,"large-height":310,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","1536x1536-width":320,"1536x1536-height":310,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","2048x2048-width":320,"2048x2048-height":310,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","post_full_size-width":320,"post_full_size-height":310,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","home_baner-width":320,"home_baner-height":310}},"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":"I Kings","chapter":"1","chapter_main_number":"288","date":"20261006","wall_id":"288"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"395","name":"Covenant","old_id":"795"},{"term_id":"434","name":"War","old_id":"834"},{"term_id":"444","name":"History","old_id":"844"}]},{"order":3,"id":"61514","color":"#f6f5de","size":"1","name":"\u201cBe A Man\u201d - But What Does That Mean ","post_title":"\u201cBe A Man\u201d - But What Does That Mean","slug":"be-a-man-but-what-does-that-mean","old_id":"61514","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":56290,"post_title":"Sandra Cohen","slug":"sandra-cohen","old_id":"56290","first_name":"Sandra ","last_name":"Cohen","description":"Rabbi Sandra Cohen teaches, provides pastoral care, and works in mental health outreach. She and her husband live in Denver, Colorado. ","short_description":"Rabbi Sandra Cohen teaches, provides pastoral care, and works in mental health outreach.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":56293,"alt":"","title":"Sandra Cohen","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","width":279,"height":303,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen-276x300.jpg","medium-width":276,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","medium_large-width":279,"medium_large-height":303,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","large-width":279,"large-height":303,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","1536x1536-width":279,"1536x1536-height":303,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","2048x2048-width":279,"2048x2048-height":303,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","post_full_size-width":279,"post_full_size-height":303,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","home_baner-width":279,"home_baner-height":303}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"289","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"What kind of men do we want our sons to become?\u00a0","post_main_content_content":" \u201cAs King David\u2019s death was drawing near, he tells his son explicitly what men have been telling their sons implicitly for as long as we know: \u201cBe strong and be a man.\u201d Are the two equivalent?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n The Tanakh is full of blessings from father to son. Isaac blesses Jacob. Jacob blesses his grandsons. David continues in the tradition, blessing his child and charging him to follow in the ways of God, and adhering to the Torah\u2019s commandments.<\/span><\/p>\r\n But his first words are more basic. \u201cChazak! - Be Strong!! Man up!!\u201d\u00a0 What does this charge mean? What is King David telling us it means to be a man?<\/span><\/p>\r\n Western culture has long understood \u201cbeing a man\u201d to mean being a strong, silent type. Work hard, provide, be tough, no feelings, John Wayne-rugged. The Jewish ideal man is almost the opposite: learned, pale, weak, an intellectual.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n What kind of men do we want our sons to become? Feminists are rightly pointing out that we often teach our daughters how to avoid being raped, rather than teach our sons not to rape, not to view women as objects. As Jews, we want our sons to value our heritage; like King David, we urge them to guard our traditions and relationship with God.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Solomon has a heavy task in front of him: leading the nation in the wake of his powerful and popular father\u2019s death. The succession has not been an easy one, nor will the next steps be clear. David goes further than just urging Solomon to follow God\u2019s path. He tells Solomon that if he, and Solomon\u2019s descendants, are scrupulous in doing God\u2019s will, David\u2019s line will endure forever.<\/span><\/p>\r\n This is both a remarkable promise, and a heavy burden. \u201cDo it right son,\u201d David implores, \u201cand you ensure my legacy forever.\u201d But, he implies, if Solomon messes up, it will not just be his failure; it will destroy the family\u2019s place in history.<\/span><\/p>\r\n This is the burden we place on our sons. \u201cBe strong. Be a man.\u201d There is no room for failure.\u00a0 There is no room to be hesitant, unsure. Do not appear weak; that is the way of women. Vulnerability will destroy you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n In many ways Solomon follows this advice. He builds the Temple and a huge palace for himself. He has 600 wives, horses galore, riches beyond imagination. He is strong, he is mighty, he is a man.<\/span><\/p>\r\n But one of the stories we most remember Solomon for shows his other side. Two women come before him, arguing over whose baby is alive. King Solomon understands, intuitively, that the real mother would do anything \u2014 even give up her baby \u2014 so as not to hurt the small infant. He shows he knows what love is, how a parent feels for her child.<\/span><\/p>\r\n This, too, is being a man. Teaching our daughters and SONS to love, to be vulnerable, to respect one another, and as well as being capable, smart, and learned in God\u2019s laws.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61515,"alt":"","title":"1kings2-father son","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","width":640,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-150x300.png","medium-width":150,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-512x1024.png","medium_large-width":512,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-512x1024.png","large-width":512,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","1536x1536-width":640,"1536x1536-height":1280,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","2048x2048-width":640,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-600x1200.png","post_full_size-width":600,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-210x420.png","home_baner-width":210,"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":"\u201cBe A Man\u201d - But What Does That Mean","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"What kind of men do we want our sons to become?\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61515,"alt":"","title":"1kings2-father son","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","width":640,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-150x300.png","medium-width":150,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-512x1024.png","medium_large-width":512,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-512x1024.png","large-width":512,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","1536x1536-width":640,"1536x1536-height":1280,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","2048x2048-width":640,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-600x1200.png","post_full_size-width":600,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-210x420.png","home_baner-width":210,"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":"I Kings","chapter":"2","chapter_main_number":"289","date":"20261007","wall_id":"289"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"503","name":"Power","old_id":"903"},{"term_id":"614","name":"Daughters","old_id":"1014"},{"term_id":"918","name":"Sons","old_id":"1318"}]},{"order":4,"id":"61527","color":"#efefef","size":"1","name":"Abishag, Accessory to Power ","post_title":"Abishag, Accessory to Power","slug":"abishag-accessory-to-power","old_id":"61527","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":39842,"post_title":"Avigayil Halpern","slug":"avigayil-halpern","old_id":"39842","first_name":"Avigayil ","last_name":"Halpern ","description":"Avigayil Halpern graduated from Yale in May of 2019 and is beginning study toward rabbinic ordination at the Hadar Institute. Avigayil has written extensively on issues of Jewish observance and gender in the Jewish media, and was an opinion columnist for the Yale Daily News.","short_description":"Avigayil Halpern graduated from Yale in May of 2019 and is beginning study toward rabbinic ordination at the Hadar Institute","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":39843,"alt":"","title":"A. Halpern headshot","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221.jpg","width":1612,"height":1935,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-250x300.jpg","medium-width":250,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-768x922.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":922,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-853x1024.jpg","large-width":853,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221.jpg","2048x2048-width":1612,"2048x2048-height":1935,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-1000x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-350x420.jpg","home_baner-width":350,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"289","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And Bathsheba? Access to Power","post_main_content_content":" When we meet Bathsheba at the beginning of I Kings, she appears much more powerful than she has previously been. In Chapter 1, she has negotiated with King David for her son Solomon\u2019s right to rule rather than one of his older brothers. It is this power, one can assume, that draws Adonijah to approach her in Chapter 2.<\/span><\/p>\r\n After he is not anointed as king, but watches his brother take the throne, Adonijah comes to Bathsheba with a request. \u201c\u201cPlease ask King Solomon\u2014for he won\u2019t refuse you\u2014to give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife,\u201d (2:17), he asks. Bathsheba is willing, and takes up his cause with her son the new king.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Solomon, though, is not as acquescient to the request his mother brings before him as Adonijah expects. Not only does he not grant Adonijah\u2019s wish to marry their father\u2019s former attendant, Solomon treats this entreaty as a threat to his authority: \u201cWhy request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Request the kingship for him!\u201d (2:22). For Adonijah to marry Avishag, in Solomon\u2019s eyes, would be a declaration of his authority. Much like Absalom sleeping with David\u2019s concubines as part of his rebellion, for the king\u2019s son to engage with his father\u2019s woman attendant would be to claim his father\u2019s right to rule.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n This is an attitude towards women in which they are commodities, representing and containing male power without being granted agency themselves. Abishag is not given the opportunity to express her own wishes; she is a metaphoric representation of David\u2019s authority.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n It is notable that Bathsheba is willing to be the messenger for Adonijah\u2019s request. She does not refuse him on the grounds of solidarity with Abishag, even though Bathsheba herself was once similarly subject to the king\u2019s absolute power. Even for those of us who have experienced marginalization and the abuse of power, once we are granted access to the halls and thrones of power it is too easy to settle there. We must resist the urge to become comfortable making others disposable in the ways we have been.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61528,"alt":"","title":"1kings2-power","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power.png","width":1280,"height":954,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-300x224.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":224,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-768x572.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":572,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-1024x763.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":763,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power.png","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":954,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power.png","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":954,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-1200x894.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":894,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-564x420.png","home_baner-width":564,"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":"Abishag, Accessory to Power","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"And Bathsheba? 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Why is it necessary to know that the two women were harlots? Perhaps this is to show that the king was willing to listen to all, from the aristocracy to the margins of society and judge fairly.<\/span><\/p>\r\n I would like to focus on the bereaved mother. Of the two women the first is deemed by the commentators to be the mother of the living child. She gives an introduction, the narrative and her shock in finding a dead child at her breast in the morning who probably died a \u2018cot death\u2019 or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. We then read: \u201cNo, the live one is my son, and the dead one is yours!\u201d (verse 22).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n That\u2019s all she says. \u201cNo, he\u2019s mine.\u201d For me this speaks volumes. Her bereavement has stunned her into silence. She is unable to say more than a few words. She is barely able to articulate a story, express her feelings nor make a credible defense. It is almost possible to touch her anguish and guilt.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Evidently Solomon could do so. Before him we have a harlot, a woman who has broken several of the Ten Commandments (\u2018You shall not steal\u2019 refers to kidnap, \u2018don\u2019t bear false witness\u2019 and \u2018don\u2019t covet your neighbour\u2019s\u2026..) and all this in in the court of the king.\u00a0 Anybody who has followed the last couple of books of the bible on 929 would have seen that the kings of the day were not exactly averse to the death penalty. But what happens? Solomon returns the child to his mother and the other is never mentioned again. Presumably she leaves dejected and broken and tries to resume her life.<\/span><\/p>\r\n I hope she had another child.<\/span><\/p>\r\n My son, my son David.\u00a0 David, my son.<\/span><\/p>\r\n In loving memory of my son David Binyamin who died aged four months.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61555,"alt":"","title":"1kings3-sids","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","width":186,"height":278,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","medium-width":186,"medium-height":278,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","medium_large-width":186,"medium_large-height":278,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","large-width":186,"large-height":278,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","1536x1536-width":186,"1536x1536-height":278,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","2048x2048-width":186,"2048x2048-height":278,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","post_full_size-width":186,"post_full_size-height":278,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","home_baner-width":186,"home_baner-height":278}},"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":"Grappling with SIDS","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The suffering of the mother who lost her child","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61555,"alt":"","title":"1kings3-sids","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","width":186,"height":278,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","medium-width":186,"medium-height":278,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","medium_large-width":186,"medium_large-height":278,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","large-width":186,"large-height":278,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","1536x1536-width":186,"1536x1536-height":278,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","2048x2048-width":186,"2048x2048-height":278,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","post_full_size-width":186,"post_full_size-height":278,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","home_baner-width":186,"home_baner-height":278}},"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":"I Kings","chapter":"3","chapter_main_number":"290","date":"20261008","wall_id":"290"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"383","name":"Death","old_id":"783"},{"term_id":"431","name":"Personal\/memoir","old_id":"831"},{"term_id":"487","name":"Health","old_id":"887"}]},{"order":6,"id":"61483","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"Solomon Rezones ","post_title":"Solomon Rezones","slug":"solomon-rezones","old_id":"61483","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33692,"post_title":"Alex Israel","slug":"33692-2","old_id":"33692","first_name":"Alex","last_name":"Israel","description":"Alex Israel teaches Tanakh at the Pardes Institute, Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and Matan, Jerusalem. His first book \"I Kings - Torn in Two\" was published in 2013. See his website www.alexisrael.org, and his podcasts at https:\/\/elmad.pardes.org\/ and https:\/\/tanachstudy.com\/ \r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","short_description":"Alex Israel teaches Tanakh at the Pardes Institute, Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and Matan, Jerusalem.","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33693,"alt":"","title":"alex israel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel.jpg","width":1657,"height":2500,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-199x300.jpg","medium-width":199,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-679x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":679,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-679x1024.jpg","large-width":679,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel.jpg","1536x1536-width":1018,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel.jpg","2048x2048-width":1357,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-795x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":795,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/alex-israel-278x420.jpg","home_baner-width":278,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"291","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Modernization, expansionism, rational restructuring - or gerrymandering?","post_main_content_content":" The chapter moves on to the demarcation of the twelve administrative regions through which Solomon finances the country. The number twelve is striking in that it recalls the classic tribal division that we have been accustomed to throughout Jewish history, from Exodus through to the period of Judges. When we examine the list of districts, however, we discern that the geographical regions do not match specific tribes. In fact, only five regions (Mount Ephraim, Naphtali, Asher, Issachar, and Benjamin) correspond to tribal identities. It appears that Solomon has remodeled tribal borders and generated new regional boundaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n What is Solomon's objective in altering the ancient tribal divisions?<\/span><\/p>\r\n But rezoning the country has its hazards. Notwithstanding Solomon's intent, historic identities endure; ethnic statuses remain intact. A significant and troubling detail is that the tribe of Judah is not specified in this list of tax colonies. Some suggest that this omission is evidence that Solomon's own tribe is fully absolved of its tax burden.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Solomon's changes are most severe for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, as they suffer from a more invasive subdivision, and hence a disproportionate tax burden. This uneven policy is possibly deliberate, intended to weaken the tribes of Joseph, who represent a potential source of opposition to the king, but this strategy has a devastating ripple effect in later years. The act that eventually tears Solomon's kingdom apart after his death is a demand for a reduction of the crushing tax burden, and the epicenter of the revolt is the tribes of Joseph (1 Kings 11:27-28).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Alex Israel, 1 Kings: Torn in Two<\/em>, Maggid Books, 2013, A Fresh National Agenda\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61437,"alt":"","title":"alex israel - kings 1","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","width":1020,"height":1304,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-235x300.jpg","medium-width":235,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-768x982.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":982,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-801x1024.jpg","large-width":801,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1020,"1536x1536-height":1304,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1020,"2048x2048-height":1304,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-939x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":939,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-329x420.jpg","home_baner-width":329,"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":"Excerpts from: 1 Kings - 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It\u2019s the tone of powerful men, detached from the reality of everyday suffering and subjection, speaking about their grand plans. \u201cI propose to build a house for the name of God,\u201d Solomon says to Hiram. \u201cGive orders for cedars to be cut for me in Lebanon. My slaves will work with yours. I\u2019ll give you any wage you ask for the use of your slaves. Because as you know, there is no one who can cut timber like the Sidonians\u201d (5:19).<\/span><\/p>\r\n I hear him saying that last sentence with a chuckle, a joke of those in power at the expense of those who are sweating and bleeding into the construction of a place of worship. At best, I hear it as empty flattery and sycophantism.<\/span><\/p>\r\n This is the behavior of the wisest man of all time? The one who we just learned composed three thousand proverbs, one thousand songs (5:12)? Who explained natural phenomena of all kinds (5:13)? Sought after by followers from kingdoms far and wide who wanted to listen to his wisdom (5:14)?<\/span><\/p>\r\n Yes. And this would not be the first nor the last time power and wealth was confused with wisdom and intellect.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The language of Solomon\u2019s servants building the Temple should remind us of the way Pharaoh\u2019s subjection of the Israelites is described in the book of Exodus. Yes, the two instances are different in that Solomon\u2019s servants are described as being satisfied with the peace they are enjoying, each having his own fig and his own vine (5:4). They might also actually enjoy the fruits of their labor in being able to visit the Temple when it\u2019s completed. But they are still slaves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Perhaps the chapter intentionally chooses similar language for King Solomon\u2019s workers\u2019\/slaves\u2019\/servants\u2019 construction of the Temple as the language used to describe Pharaoh\u2019s subjection of the Israelites. The Torah never asks us to nod along unthinkingly. And here is no exception. The clues in the language might lead us to ask: What\u2019s wrong with this picture? And to ask, when - now, individually and as a society -- do we confuse wealth with wisdom? How - now - might we create a society in which people are able to enjoy the metaphorical shade of their own fig and vine without paying the price of their freedom?<\/span><\/p>\r\n Image: Warner Murals, Wilshire Boulevard Temple<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61770,"alt":"","title":"1kings5-temple3","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","width":676,"height":800,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3-254x300.jpg","medium-width":254,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","medium_large-width":676,"medium_large-height":800,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","large-width":676,"large-height":800,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","1536x1536-width":676,"1536x1536-height":800,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","2048x2048-width":676,"2048x2048-height":800,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","post_full_size-width":676,"post_full_size-height":800,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3-355x420.jpg","home_baner-width":355,"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":"Confusing Wealth With Wisdom","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Though Solomon is building God\u2019s Temple - there\u2019s something of the Pharaoh about him\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61770,"alt":"","title":"1kings5-temple3","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","width":676,"height":800,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3-254x300.jpg","medium-width":254,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","medium_large-width":676,"medium_large-height":800,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","large-width":676,"large-height":800,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","1536x1536-width":676,"1536x1536-height":800,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","2048x2048-width":676,"2048x2048-height":800,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3.jpg","post_full_size-width":676,"post_full_size-height":800,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-temple3-355x420.jpg","home_baner-width":355,"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":"I Kings","chapter":"5","chapter_main_number":"292","date":"20261012","wall_id":"292"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"372","name":"Wisdom","old_id":"772"},{"term_id":"440","name":"Wealth\/money","old_id":"840"},{"term_id":"503","name":"Power","old_id":"903"},{"term_id":"778","name":"Temple","old_id":"1178"},{"term_id":"838","name":"Solomon","old_id":"1238"}]},{"order":9,"id":"61839","color":"#e6f5f3","size":"1","name":"The Cherubim ","post_title":"The Cherubim","slug":"the-cherubim","old_id":"61839","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":61340,"post_title":"Matthew Miller","slug":"matthew-miller","old_id":"61340","first_name":"Matthew ","last_name":"Miller ","description":"Matthew Miller is passionate about Jewish Studies and the Hebrew Language, having completed a BA in Jewish Studies and Linguistics at McGill and an MA in Hebrew Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London. 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He currently lives in London with his wife, Georgia.","short_description":"Matthew Miller is passionate about Jewish Studies and the Hebrew Language","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":61342,"alt":"","title":"Matthew Miller","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Matthew-Miller.jpg","width":251,"height":310,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Matthew-Miller-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Matthew-Miller-243x300.jpg","medium-width":243,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Matthew-Miller.jpg","medium_large-width":251,"medium_large-height":310,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Matthew-Miller.jpg","large-width":251,"large-height":310,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Matthew-Miller.jpg","1536x1536-width":251,"1536x1536-height":310,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Matthew-Miller.jpg","2048x2048-width":251,"2048x2048-height":310,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Matthew-Miller.jpg","post_full_size-width":251,"post_full_size-height":310,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Matthew-Miller.jpg","home_baner-width":251,"home_baner-height":310}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"293","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Divinely commanded idolatrous images - or cultural appropriation?","post_main_content_content":" In 1 Kings 6:23 we read about the Cherubim which were made for Solomon's Temple.<\/span><\/p>\r\n The cherub has found a prized place in English literature and art. One beautiful example can be found in Macbeth (Act 1, Scene 7) in his soliloquy about killing King Duncan:<\/span><\/p>\r\n And pity, like a naked new-born babe,<\/span> Some argue that this image of a horsed winged cherub can also be found in Ezekiel 2:14 in his oracle against Tyre.<\/span><\/p>\r\n In the Decalogue (Exodus 20:4, Deuteronomy 5:8), God enjoins the people from creating images of divine beings.<\/span><\/p>\r\n How, then, could the selfsame God instruct the people to build the cherubim, which would be placed in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\t
\r\n<\/span>The language of soft-eyed gazelles that graze among the lilies,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Who taught him how to leap from crag to crag<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>On the mountains of spices, and to step firmly along steep cliffs.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>He learned the language of doves that nest in clefts of rocks,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Who taught him the secrets of how the male courts the female,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>And the way of a man with a maid.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>After the winds blew gently before dawn,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Awakening him in his orchard of pomegranates,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Solomon wrote <\/span>The Song of Songs.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\r\n
\r\n<\/span>The language of ants that gather their food in the summer,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Of locusts that have no general yet go forth in troops,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Of spiders that weave webs in his palace.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>He learned the language<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Of snakes sunning themselves on rocks in spring,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Of eagles gliding in the air in autumn,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Of rock-badgers that hide in winter.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>When his ships set sail to bring him peacocks and monkeys from Ophir,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Solomon wrote <\/span>The Book of Proverbs.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\r\n
\r\n<\/span>Satiated from conversing with animals and birds,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>He studied the language of the moon, the stars and the sun,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Who taught him to everything there is a season<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>And a time under heaven:<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>A time to sing and a time to refrain,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>A time to speak and a time to keep silent,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>A time to write and a time to lay down the pen.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>For what profit does a man have from all his labor<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>That he labors under the sun?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n
\r\n<\/span>\u201cThis too is vanity and a striving after the wind.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Surely for the wise man, whose eyes are in his head,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>His wisdom should make his face shine.<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Surely God should bring every deed into judgment<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Concerning every hidden thing,<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Be it for good or for evil.\u201d<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>After writing <\/span>Kohelet<\/span><\/i>, the old man<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Stood up, leaned down on his cane<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>And said <\/span>Kaddish.<\/span><\/i><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61782,"alt":"","title":"1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n.jpg","width":426,"height":414,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n-300x292.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":292,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n.jpg","medium_large-width":426,"medium_large-height":414,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n.jpg","large-width":426,"large-height":414,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n.jpg","1536x1536-width":426,"1536x1536-height":414,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n.jpg","2048x2048-width":426,"2048x2048-height":414,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n.jpg","post_full_size-width":426,"post_full_size-height":414,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings5-proverbs-ecclesiastes-song-of-songs-n.jpg","home_baner-width":426,"home_baner-height":414}},"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":"929 Poetry Corner","tile_main_caption":"King Solomon\u2019s Wisdom","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The wisdom of his 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Solomon is building God\u2019s Temple - there\u2019s something of the Pharaoh about him\u00a0\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"
\r\n<\/span>Striding the blast, or heaven's <\/span>cherubim<\/b>, horsed<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>Upon the sightless couriers of the air,<\/span><\/p>\r\n