Chapter 22 of Divrei HaYamim I is the great transition chapter: King David, after the site of the Altar was revealed to him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, establishes that location as the site of the House of Hashem for all generations, and begins tremendous preparations for the construction of the Temple. The entire chapter is David's charge to his son Solomon and to the leaders of Israel: the preparation of materials, the assembly of craftsmen, and the explanation of why specifically Solomon - and not David - will build the House. We will follow the order of the verses, examine the commentaries of Malbim, Pseudo-Rashi, Radak, and the Metzudos, and reflect upon the fundamental principles that emerge from here.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד זֶה הוּא בֵּית יְהֹוָה הָאֱלֹהִים וְזֶה מִּזְבֵּחַ לְעֹלָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And David said: "This is the House of Hashem God, and this is the Altar of burnt offering for Israel."
Pseudo-Rashi explains: From now on, anyone who wishes to offer a sacrifice to Hashem must offer it upon this Altar, because this is the House of Hashem God. Until now, the House of Hashem had been in Givon, but from this point forward, this place was permanently designated.
And why is it called specifically "the Altar of burnt offering"? After all, sin offerings, guilt offerings, peace offerings, and pesach offerings are also brought on the Altar! Metzudas David explains: The majority of the regular, fixed communal offerings are burnt offerings - the morning Tamid offering, the afternoon Tamid offering, and the like. Therefore, the outer Altar is called "the Altar of burnt offering", even though it has other names (the copper Altar, the outer Altar), and even though all types of sacrifices were offered upon it.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד לִכְנוֹס אֶת־הַגֵּרִים אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲמֵד חֹצְבִים לַחְצוֹב אַבְנֵי גָזִית לִבְנוֹת בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים׃ - And David commanded to gather the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, and he appointed stonecutters to hew dressed stones to build the House of God.
Why specifically the gerim? Pseudo-Rashi explains: David did not want to subject the people of Israel to backbreaking labor. Hewing dressed stone is grueling physical work, so he spared the pedigreed Israelites and did not impose these tasks upon them. We find this similarly with Solomon in Divrei HaYamim II chapter 2: "And Solomon numbered... and made seventy thousand of them burden bearers" - he placed the heavy loads upon them. Likewise, it is stated, "And of the Children of Israel, Solomon made no bondservants," meaning that he did not impose upon them the arduous labor typically assigned to slaves.
There is also a natural aspect to this: The Gemara remarks concerning non-Jews that "their bodies are stout" - robust and bulky, and indeed they are better suited for rigorous physical labor. The Jewish people, by contrast, are generally not distinguished primarily by sheer brute force and physical stamina. Historically, until recent generations, the Jewish people were never praised for physical prowess; their praise lay in wisdom: "For this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations," and the prophecy that rested among them was their true glory. Only in the most recent generation have we become a nation of warriors bearing swords, but historically, physical strength was predominantly found among the other nations.
Metzudas David explains that these gerim were the Gibeonites. According to this, one would have to say that this stage occurred before David pushed them away, since it is recorded later that "the Gibeonites are not of the Children of Israel" and David arose and distanced them. Alternatively, one could say this refers to the Gibeonites after he distanced them, and in any event, he assigned them to be stonecutters and carriers of heavy burdens.
וּבַרְזֶל לָרֹב לַמִּסְמְרִים לְדַלְתוֹת הַשְּׁעָרִים וְלַמְחַבְּרוֹת הֵכִין דָּוִיד וּנְחֹשֶׁת לָרֹב אֵין מִשְׁקָל׃ - And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and copper in abundance beyond weighing.
The Malbim explains that the word *lachatzov* ("to hew" or "to quarry") is used for two matters: "to hew cut stones to build the House of God," and also - to quarry iron in abundance. For iron was quarried from the earth, as it is written: "a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper."
And what are the *mechabrot* ("joinings")? The Malbim explains: nails for the joinings refers to the timbers that join the building together, which were reinforced with iron nails. There were timbers used to reinforce the House, and these timbers were joined to one another with nails - what we call nails today, which Scripture already called by that name.
וַעֲצֵי אֲרָזִים לְאֵין מִסְפָּר כִּי הֵבִיאוּ הַצִּידֹנִים וְהַצֹּרִים עֲצֵי אֲרָזִים לָרֹב לְדָוִיד׃ - "And cedar trees without number, for the Sidonians and the Tyrians brought cedar trees in abundance to David."
David also gathered cedar trees beyond measure for the construction of the Temple, brought to him by the Sidonians and the Tyrians. "The Tyrians" refers to Hiram, king of Tyre, as we see that when Solomon set out to build the Temple, he had ties with Hiram, king of Tyre, who sent him skilled craftsmen.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד שְׁלֹמֹה בְנִי נַעַר וָרָךְ וְהַבַּיִת לִבְנוֹת לַיהֹוָה לְהַגְדִּיל לְמַעְלָה לְשֵׁם וּלְתִפְאֶרֶת לְכׇל־הָאֲרָצוֹת אָכִינָה נָּא לוֹ וַיָּכֶן דָּוִיד לָרֹב לִפְנֵי מוֹתוֹ׃ - "And David said: 'Solomon my son is young and tender, and the House that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, for fame and for glory throughout all lands; I will therefore make preparation for him.' So David prepared abundantly before his death."
Why does David exert himself so much? Because his son Solomon is "young and tender." What is the reason for this double expression? The Malbim explains: *na'ar* means young in years, while *rach* means gentle in nature. Solomon ascended the throne at the age of twelve; his Bar Mitzvah was celebrated in the royal palace. David knew his son's character and knew that he had a gentle disposition, and so he said: I must assist and support him in every way I can, so that he does not become overwhelmed later with the work of building the Temple.
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains the repetition differently: even a person of forty-two years can be called a *na'ar*, not only a fourteen-year-old, as it is said: "and Joshua the son of Nun, a youth [*na'ar*], did not depart from within the Tent." Although there are many proofs from Chazal that a person can be called a *na'ar* even when mature - such as regarding Isaac, "Do not lay your hand upon the lad," when he was thirty-seven years old - this is not a proof from Scripture itself, for Isaac's age is known to us only through the traditions and calculations of Chazal. Here, the commentary attributed to Rashi presents a calculation derived directly from Scripture itself.
And this is the calculation: Joshua led after Moses for only twenty-eight years, and his entire lifespan was one hundred and ten years - both stated in explicit verses. Thus, in the first year the Israelites were in the wilderness, when Scripture attested of him, "and Joshua the son of Nun, a youth," he was forty-two years old: the forty years of the wilderness plus the twenty-eight years of his leadership equal sixty-eight, and the difference up to one hundred and ten is forty-two. (It is worth noting: in our printed text of Rashi, it reads "in the thirty-first year," which confuses anyone who reads it; however, commentators have already pointed out that this is a scribal error, and the original text read "in the first year" - the letter *resh* acquired a mark on top and was mistaken for a *lamed*. This is noted in *Musaf Rashi* on the Torah and in other works.)
It follows, then, that from the word *na'ar* alone one cannot conclude that the subject is young, which is why Scripture had to add *v'rach* ("and tender") - indicating that Solomon was truly only twelve years old when he became king. This is the difference between the interpretations: the Malbim holds that *na'ar* ordinarily denotes youth, while *rach* signifies a gentle disposition; whereas the commentary attributed to Rashi holds that *na'ar* does not prove a young age, and it is *rach* that teaches of his tender years.
According to the commentary attributed to Rashi, "to magnify upward" is understood literally: Solomon raised the House to a height of one hundred and twenty cubits, which is roughly sixty meters high. Such a building requires immense expenditure and an entirely different level of engineering. As we see with structural engineers: there is a permit for five stories, for ten stories, and for skyscrapers - these are completely different fields of study. Not everyone authorized to build at a certain height can build at another; the quantities of iron and the calculations are completely different. Here, we are dealing with a House "to magnify upward," requiring a tremendous investment - and David prepared everything in advance so that Solomon, in his youth, would not become stalled in the work.
The Malbim explains "exceedingly magnificent" (literally "to magnify upwards") not in terms of physical height, but in terms of spiritual elevation and supreme virtue: fitting for the greatness of Hashem Who dwells within it, for Hashem is supreme and awesome. Therefore, it will be "for fame and for glory throughout all lands" - before all nations. And both meanings are true: the Temple had to be built to the absolute highest standards, as befits the House of Hashem.
וַיִּקְרָא לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְנוֹ וַיְצַוֵּהוּ לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Then he called for Shlomo his son, and commanded him to build a house for Hashem, the God of Israel.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְּנִי אֲנִי הָיָה עִם־לְבָבִי לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לְשֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָי׃ - And David said to Shlomo: "My son, as for me, it was in my heart to build a house for the Name of Hashem my God.
וַיְהִי עָלַי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה לֵאמֹר דָּם לָרֹב שָׁפַכְתָּ וּמִלְחָמוֹת גְּדֹלוֹת עָשִׂיתָ לֹא־תִבְנֶה בַיִת לִשְׁמִי כִּי דָּמִים רַבִּים שָׁפַכְתָּ אַרְצָה לְפָנָי׃ - But the word of Hashem came to me, saying: 'You have shed much blood, and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight.'
As we recall, David wanted to build the Temple, and Hashem sent Natan the prophet to say to him, "Would you build Me a house?" Here, for the first time, the reason is revealed: "You have shed much blood." Radak already points out that we find no earlier mention of this reason - in the Book of Shmuel, there is no hint of this explanation. Radak resolves this in two ways: it is possible David said this in his heart, meaning Hashem refused him and David understood on his own that the reason was the bloodshed; or it is possible Hashem said this to him through a prophet, and even though it was not recorded in Shmuel, from the statement here we learn it retroactively. We find something similar in the Torah: "And you said, 'Let us send men before us'" - and nowhere previously in the Torah do we find that the people said this, but because it is stated here, "and you said," we know that this is what they had said.
Here a tremendous question arises: David fought the wars of Hashem! Indeed, there is a Midrash that states that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to David: All that blood you shed before Me is like the blood of burnt offerings that atone and find favor before Me. Killing a Hezbollah terrorist is not something one is held liable for; it is considered like bringing an offering - you eliminated someone who seeks to harm the Jewish people, you delivered the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor, you saved Israel from their enemies. If so, what was the grievance against David?
Radak explains: among that blood, there was also innocent blood. For example, the blood of Uriah - David caused his death outside the proper legal process. Although Uriah was technically liable to death as a rebel against the king (mored bemalchut), first of all, David brought about and orchestrated his death, and had he not taken Batsheva, it would never have come to this; and secondly, he had him killed by the sword of the Ammonites, whereas he should have been tried before the Sanhedrin.
Radak adds: also the blood of the kohanim. David was the indirect cause of the slaughter of the kohanim of Nov. When he fled to Nov, the city of kohanim, and took the sword of Goliath from Achimelech son of Achituv, this aroused the wrath of Shaul, and Shaul killed eighty-five kohanim who wore the linen ephod, along with Achimelech son of Achituv. Even though Chazal state that David was seized with severe hunger (bulmus), nevertheless, because their death was brought about through him, it required rectification.
This principle has a basis in Halachah as well: Rabbi Akiva Eiger cites that if a person sends a messenger on an errand - to travel abroad and bring something back for him, paying him for the task - and the messenger dies along the way, the sender must do teshuvah, for death was brought about through his agency.
One might also add (though Radak does not mention this): David waged wars, and in warfare it often happens that a battle is conducted in a certain way resulting in casualties, whereas had it been waged differently, fewer lives might have been lost. Heaven forbid that we should judge David, but these are realities that are exceedingly difficult to avoid. In the military history of our own country, there are endless such stories, may Hashem protect us.
Radak adds further: even regarding the blood of the gentiles that he shed - those who were not combatants and did not come to wage war against him, it is possible there were good and righteous individuals among them. Even so, he was not punished on their account, because his intention was to destroy the wicked so they would not breach Israel's borders, and to save his own life, as occurred in the land of the Philistines, where "he left neither man nor woman alive." Nevertheless, since substantial bloodshed came about through him, Hashem prevented him from building the Beit HaMikdash, for the entire essence of the Temple is peace. Just as iron is not wielded upon the Altar or in the Beit HaMikdash, because weapons of slaughter are made of iron, and it is unfitting to make vessels for the service of Hashem from it - so too David, who also engaged in matters of killing, was not the one fitting to build a House whose essence is peace, prayer, and atonement for iniquity, matters that are the antithesis of bloodshed.
The Malbim explains that the statement "you have shed much blood" occurred after the prophecy of Natan. He too grapples with the fact that no such statement appears in Natan's prophecy, and explains that this occurred between Natan's prophecy and the birth of Shlomo: David had a Divine revelation then - it is not specified how - in which he was told, "You have shed much blood."
The Malbim explains the two phrases: "You have shed much blood" refers to optional wars (milchamot reshut). David fought optional wars; an obligatory war (milchemet mitzvah) is a commandment, and on the contrary, "you shall not leave alive any soul." But there were optional wars, such as when they came to David and told him that the economic situation was dire, and instead of telling them to levy a one-time tax, he said, "Go, stretch out your hands in raiding bands" - go fight the enemies and thereby generate income. There, blood may have been shed unnecessarily. And "you have waged great wars" refers to those he was compelled to fight: an obligatory war or a war against enemies who provoked him, which is also considered an obligatory war. Regardless, the one who builds the Temple must be a man of rest and in a time of rest, whereas David lived in a time of wars.
הִנֵּה־בֵן נוֹלָד לָךְ הוּא יִהְיֶה אִישׁ מְנוּחָה וַהֲנִיחוֹתִי לוֹ מִכׇּל־אוֹיְבָיו מִסָּבִיב כִּי שְׁלֹמֹה יִהְיֶה שְׁמוֹ וְשָׁלוֹם וָשֶׁקֶט אֶתֵּן עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיָמָיו׃ - Behold, a son shall be born to you; he shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies, for Shlomo shall be his name, and peace and quiet I will give upon Israel in his days.
The Malbim explains: "He shall be a man of rest" - by his very nature, he will not be a warrior. Furthermore, he will not even need to fight, as it says, "and I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies" - I will create such a climate for him that he will have no need for wars, for all the enemies will leave him alone. And see how clear this is: "for Shlomo shall be his name" - and because his name is Shlomo (from shalom), peace and quiet will prevail in his days.
הוּא־יִבְנֶה בַיִת לִשְׁמִי וְהוּא יִהְיֶה־לִּי לְבֵן וַאֲנִי־לוֹ לְאָב וַהֲכִינוֹתִי כִּסֵּא מַלְכוּתוֹ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד־עוֹלָם׃ - He shall build a House for My Name, and he shall be to Me as a son, and I will be to him as a father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.
"And he shall be to Me as a son, and I will be to him as a father" - the Malbim explains that this refers to His love for him, just as it is said in Shmuel II: "I will chasten him with the rod of men... but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him." As discussed at length there in the words of the Malbim: the Holy One, Blessed be He, promises to watch over Shlomo so that he will not deteriorate, for if he were to deteriorate, He would have to remove His lovingkindness from him. And how would He watch over him? When he begins to slide, he will receive slaps that will immediately set him straight. This is what is promised in "and My lovingkindness shall not depart from him," for had He allowed him to deteriorate unchecked, he might have reached a point where he was no longer worthy of that lovingkindness. Therefore, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I will ensure that he does not deteriorate, and if he strays, he will be struck. And indeed, Hashem raised up an adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliada, and others who troubled him at the stage when his condition declined - as we saw when he married many wives and brought Pharaoh's daughter, and did not protest against his wives who established shrines of idol worship. This is the meaning of "and I will be to him as a father" - the watchful care of a father.
And as a result, "and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever": through his building of the Temple, his kingdom is established forever. As the Malbim explains in Tehillim 132, through Hashem's choosing of Tzion, the kingdom of David endures forever, as it says, "Their children also shall sit upon your throne forevermore... for Hashem has chosen Tzion" - since Hashem chose Tzion, and that is the seat of David's monarchy, they will consequently sit upon it forever.
When we studied this topic in the Book of Shmuel, we cited the Malbim's commentary on Melachim I 5:17, where he offers a wonderful explanation. There, Shlomo turns to Hiram to request men for the construction, explaining why his father did not build it: because all his days he was occupied with wars, whereas he is a man of peace and able to build. The Malbim explains that there are three points here.
The first point is the straightforward meaning: to build such a great House for Hashem requires tranquility and peace, and one who is constantly occupied with wars cannot dedicate himself to the building of the Temple.
The second explanation: this is what the Torah commanded. "And Hashem gives you rest from all your enemies" - specifically when there is rest were we commanded to appoint a king, eradicate the offspring of Amalek, and build the Chosen House, in this exact order. And there the Gemara proves that the building of the Chosen House comes last: after "and Hashem gives you rest" comes "then it shall be the place which He chooses." First a king is required, and therefore the first task Shaul undertook was to wipe out Amalek - though he did not complete his mission - and only afterward comes the building of the Beis HaMikdash.
The third explanation is the central point, and the Malbim elaborates on it in his work Artzot HaShalom: in the building of the Beis HaMikdash there is a unique quality, where the phrase "a house for My Name" is repeated numerous times - "he shall build a house for My Name," "will you build a house for My Name?" The meaning of this is that to build a house for Hashem, the intention must be purely leshem shamayim (for the sake of Heaven); and if any self-interest is mixed into it, this house is no longer fit to be for Hashem.
As is well known, it is exceedingly difficult to do something purely leshem shamayim, and even for the greatest of people it is difficult. As the Gemara recounts regarding the question, "Has any deed ever come to your hand?" - and as the Rambam explains there - the question was whether you have ever performed an act purely leshem shamayim. And out of all the days of Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon, after all his gathering of public assemblies and teaching Torah openly, what did he answer? Once, charity coins became mixed up with my own, etc. One sees how difficult this matter truly is.
To such an extent does the Rambam write that if a person fulfills even a single mitzvah purely leshem shamayim, he has already merited life in the World to Come through it. We have already studied these matters at length - and whoever wishes may look into Michtav MeEliyahu - that the World to Come is acquired only through leshem shamayim; that is the accepted currency. From this emerges a wonderful explanation of the teaching, "The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to grant merit to Israel, therefore He gave them an abundance of Torah and mitzvos": seemingly, a multitude of mitzvos is a liability rather than a merit, for there are far more opportunities to stumble. Rather, when there are many mitzvos, it is virtually impossible that not even one of them will ever be performed purely leshem shamayim. Had there been only two mitzvos, a person might never connect to them; but out of 613, surely you have done something leshem shamayim. Therefore, "The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to grant merit to Israel."
And now consider: when the Beis HaMikdash is built, Scripture states that there will be rest from enemies. As the Gemara states, whoever establishes a fixed place for his prayer, his enemies fall beneath him, as it says, "And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and plant them, and they shall dwell in their place and tremble no more, neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more." The Holy One, blessed be He, promises that after the building of the House there will be rest and the enemies will no longer torment them. Furthermore, the building of the Beis HaMikdash ensures economic abundance - during the Temple era, silver and gold were like stones in Jerusalem, an immense abundance. And as the holy Ohr HaChaim writes, had the nations known how much abundance flows to them through the building of the Beis HaMikdash, they would have stationed guards and fences around it to ensure it would never be destroyed - all the more so for the Jewish people.
Whereas in the days of David there were wars, and David suffered from the enemies all around him his entire life; likewise, in his days there was not such great economic abundance as there was in the days of Shlomo. It follows, then, that there was a concern lest a thought slip into David's mind: let us hasten the building of the House, for once it is built there will be peace, rest, an end to wars, and economic abundance. To this the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him, "Will you build a house for My Name?" - can you build a house purely for the sake of Hashem's Name? There is a concern that a thought of personal benefit might creep in. But Shlomo - "he will be a man of rest," he has no such interests: he has no wars in any case, and he already enjoys economic abundance. Thus, Shlomo specifically is the one who can build with a pristine intention, purely leshem shamayim.
Heaven forbid that we attribute personal motives to either of them; rather, one must understand that even at the most exalted levels, as Rav Dessler writes, there exists the "shadow of the body" - and then there is a concern that the action will be performed with an imperfection, an imperfection relative to his sublime spiritual stature, which cannot be equated to our terms. Certainly, even the thought that might slip in would be a thought of "let there be peace" - so that there would be tranquility, so that the Jewish people could immerse themselves in Torah, so that I could dwell in the Beis Midrash - entirely for the sake of Heaven; yet a microscopic trace of self-benefit slips in, and on account of this, as it were, Heaven did not desire that David build the House of Hashem.
The Malbim adds: because Shlomo did not wish to disclose to Hiram the true reason of "you have shed much blood," he told him only "because of the wars that surrounded him" - which was another genuine reason, that the wars surrounded him and consequently it was difficult to build a house for His Name - while concealing the matter of the bloodshed from him.
There is another homiletical teaching in Chazal regarding "you have shed much blood": this refers to the period when there were three years of famine in Israel. It is taught that people came to David and said to him: Behold, you have amassed wealth for the Beis HaMikdash - and we will soon see explicit verses describing this - give us some of this money so that we may sustain ourselves; we will go and purchase food from the nations and have a livelihood. David said: Heaven forbid, this has been consecrated to the House of Hashem, how can I give it to you? And it is taught that as a consequence, some people died of starvation, and regarding those who perished the Midrash says, "You have shed much blood." For saving a life overrides everything, and he should have distributed the funds to them immediately; however, David evidently reasoned that what was consecrated to the House of Hashem stood on a higher plane than any other consecration, and therefore he did not give it to them, and for this an exacting claim was brought against him.
עַתָּה בְנִי יְהִי יְהֹוָה עִמָּךְ וְהִצְלַחְתָּ וּבָנִיתָ בֵּית יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר עָלֶיךָ׃ - "Now, my son, may Hashem be with you, and may you succeed and build the House of Hashem your God, as He spoke concerning you."
After the promise, David tells him: Hashem will surely be with you, in two respects. First, "and you shall succeed" - the success that you will have rest from all your surrounding enemies. Second, "and you shall build the House of Hashem your God" - when there is rest, you will be able to build a House for Hashem.
אַךְ יִתֶּן־לְךָ יְהֹוָה שֵׂכֶל וּבִינָה וִיצַוְּךָ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלִשְׁמוֹר אֶת־תּוֹרַת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ׃ - Only may Hashem give you discretion and understanding, and place you in charge of Israel, and to keep the Torah of Hashem your God.
Everything depends on one thing: that Hashem grant you discretion and understanding. "Discretion and understanding" - for the purpose of leading the people with justice and uprightness, and this is "and place you in charge of Israel," that you guide them in justice and integrity. And the second thing - "and to keep the Torah of Hashem your God," that you not deviate to the right or to the left.
And this is an easy and simple thing for a king to stray in, since in those days monarchy was absolute rule, unlike a modern prime minister. Greatness can easily go to a king's head, causing him to act haughtily toward his subjects and feel that everyone exists solely to serve him, becoming insensitive to the lives and needs of the people. One need not look far: it suffices to see what took place in Europe and what happens to this day in Arab countries to understand how completely detached kings can be from their populace, with the people suffering the disgrace of starvation while the leaders take no interest at all. Therefore, the Torah issues stern warnings specifically to the king - he requires safeguards more than anyone else: a special Sefer Torah that accompanies him all his days, and many other provisions designed to ensure the king remembers that his role is to serve the people, not that the people exist to serve him.
אָז תַּצְלִיחַ אִם־תִּשְׁמוֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ אַל־תִּירָא וְאַל־תֵּחָת׃ - Then you will succeed, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and the ordinances that Hashem commanded Moses concerning Israel; be strong and courageous, do not fear and do not be dismayed.
The Metzudat David notes that the wording here appears reversed - as if it should have said: "If you take care to fulfill the statutes and ordinances, then you will succeed." But the Malbim explains why it opens specifically with "Then you will succeed": because the primary success hinges upon this. "And to keep the Torah of Hashem your God" - then you will succeed; all success depends on keeping the Torah.
The Malbim further notes: "If you take care to fulfill [lit. guard to do]" - meaning that the guarding must be for the purpose of practical fulfillment. And not only must you observe the rational commandments, but also the chukim, the statutes received by tradition that have no stated rationale. Rational mitzvot are far easier to observe because one understands and identifies with them; but the chukim - this is what you heard, and so you must do; I do not understand them intellectually, but rather am commanded to do them because I heard them. As we have already explained, wherever "chukim and mitzvot" or "chukim and mishpatim" are mentioned, chukim refer to these supra-rational decrees, laws without apparent rationale, while mishpatim or mitzvot refer to rational matters that human intellect can comprehend.
And corresponding to what he said, "and place you in charge of Israel," he tells him: fulfill the ordinances that Hashem commanded Moses concerning Israel - that the justice system conform to the laws of the Torah, so that you do not judge them unjustly or with distorted laws, but rather according to the Torah that Moses transmitted to Israel. And he charges him to be strengthened through this: "Be strong and courageous, do not fear and do not be dismayed" - through this you will fear no one and will not be broken. "Made without fear [chat]" - without being broken.
וְהִנֵּה בְעׇנְיִי הֲכִינוֹתִי לְבֵית־יְהֹוָה זָהָב כִּכָּרִים מֵאָה־אֶלֶף וְכֶסֶף אֶלֶף אֲלָפִים כִּכָּרִים וְלַנְּחֹשֶׁת וְלַבַּרְזֶל אֵין מִשְׁקָל כִּי לָרֹב הָיָה וְעֵצִים וַאֲבָנִים הֲכִינוֹתִי וַעֲלֵיהֶם תּוֹסִיף׃ - Behold, in my poverty I have prepared for the House of Hashem one hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousands talents of silver; and the copper and iron are beyond weighing, for they are in such abundance; and timber and stones I have prepared, and you may add to them.
As we have seen, David amassed silver and gold during his wars for the purpose of building the Temple. But what is meant by "in my poverty"? Radak explains that he was not exceedingly wealthy and had heavy wartime expenses, yet despite this, he spared from his own food to set aside for the House of Hashem. In an additional explanation, Radak suggests: whenever David fasted, he would dedicate the cost of his meal to Heaven - that is, "in my poverty" [be'onyi] stems from the term for fasting [ta'anit], meaning: through my fasting I prepared gold for the House of Hashem. And this was not like a simple meal of ours worth twenty shekels; this was a royal feast, and when he spared a royal feast, he contributed a very substantial sum to the Beit HaMikdash.
The Metzudat David explains: "in my poverty" - I am considered poor compared to what is truly fitting for the construction of the House of Hashem. It does not mean that David was literally poor, for the Gemara states that there is no poor king, just as there is no poor community; rather, the requirements of the House of Hashem are so immense that even I am considered poor beside them.
And the Malbim explains: "In my poverty" - I dedicated all my wealth to Hashem until I became poor and destitute, for all my possessions were consecrated to Heaven. That is, I made myself poor by preparing my wealth for the House of Hashem. And David tells Shlomo: all the things I have enumerated for you - silver, gold, bronze, and iron beyond weighing, timber, and stone - "and you may add to them," for all of these are still not enough for building the Beit HaMikdash.
וְעִמְּךָ לָרֹב עֹשֵׂי מְלָאכָה חֹצְבִים וְחָרָשֵׁי אֶבֶן וָעֵץ וְכׇל־חָכָם בְּכׇל־מְלָאכָה׃ - "Moreover, you have workmen in abundance: hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all who are skilled in every kind of work."
I have prepared for you not only the materials needed for the work, but also the craftsmen: "hewers" - those who quarry the stones from the mountains; "workers of stone and timber" - those who dress and shape the stones; "and all who are skilled in every kind of work" - artisans in every form of craftsmanship and design, as it was necessary to execute all manner of metal overlay and carving, which requires skilled artisans. David tells him: I have prepared the experts in these fields to assist you in building the House.
לַזָּהָב לַכֶּסֶף וְלַנְּחֹשֶׁת וְלַבַּרְזֶל אֵין מִסְפָּר קוּם וַעֲשֵׂה וִיהִי יְהֹוָה עִמָּךְ׃ - "Of the gold, the silver, the bronze, and the iron there is no number. Arise and do, and may Hashem be with you!"
According to the Metzudat David, "there is no number" refers to the skilled artisans: I have prepared craftsmen skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and there is no count to those expert artisans. The Malbim adds that the gold and silver themselves are also beyond counting - for earlier it was said, "and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for it was in great abundance," and here it adds that the gold too is without number. And what is lacking now? Only that you arise and do.
Here David hints at what is written below in chapter 29, verses 3-4: "Furthermore, because I have set my affection on the House of my God, I have a personal treasure of gold and silver that I have given to the House of my God, above all that I have prepared for the holy House: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses." A segulah is a private collection of gold and silver, a treasure, as in "the treasure of kings." In other words: besides everything else, there is yet another treasure. And all that is left now is to arise and do - "and may Hashem be with you," for unless Hashem builds a house, its builders labor in vain.
וַיְצַו דָּוִיד לְכׇל־שָׂרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעְזֹר לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְנוֹ׃ - "David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Shlomo his son:"
David is not content with making preparations and instructing Shlomo; he commands the leaders as well to be a help and support to him.
הֲלֹא יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם עִמָּכֶם וְהֵנִיחַ לָכֶם מִסָּבִיב כִּי נָתַן בְּיָדִי אֵת יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ וְנִכְבְּשָׁה הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה וְלִפְנֵי עַמּוֹ׃ - "Is not Hashem your God with you, and has He not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before Hashem and before His people."
"Is not Hashem your God with you" - meaning that you shall have tranquility, "and has He not given you rest on every side." And as we have seen, this is the condition for building the Beit HaMikdash: only after "and He grants you rest from all your enemies" does there follow "then there shall be the place that Hashem shall choose."
עַתָּה תְּנוּ לְבַבְכֶם וְנַפְשְׁכֶם לִדְרוֹשׁ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְקוּמוּ וּבְנוּ אֶת־מִקְדַּשׁ יְהֹוָה הָאֱלֹהִים לְהָבִיא אֶת־אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָה וּכְלֵי קֹדֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִים לַבַּיִת הַנִּבְנֶה לְשֵׁם־יְהֹוָה׃ - "Now set your heart and your soul to seek Hashem your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of Hashem God, to bring the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the Name of Hashem."
David says to them: I will no longer be here, and my son Shlomo needs assistance - therefore, set your heart and your soul, give him that help and support, and seek Hashem your God. Arise and build the Sanctuary of Hashem God, so that you may bring in and place inside the Ark and all the holy vessels "to the house that is built for the Name of Hashem." And why does it say "that is built" (hanivneh) in the present tense, when it had not yet been built? Because at the time of bringing them in, it will already be built. And once again we see here the phrase "for the Name of Hashem" - the expression that recurs repeatedly in the context of the building of the Beit HaMikdash.
Chapter 22 is the chapter of the great preparation: David designates the site of the Temple and the Altar, gathers the resident aliens for the arduous labor so as not to burden the people of Israel with crushing toil, and amasses iron, copper, cedar wood, silver, and gold without measure - "in my poverty," through frugality, through fasts, and through making himself poor for the sake of the House of Hashem. He reveals to Shlomo the reason he himself was not privileged to build it - "you have shed much blood" - a reason that the Radak and the Malbim explain in several ways, culminating in the deepest explanation: that the House of Hashem must be built purely "for My Name," without a shred of personal benefit, and specifically Shlomo, a man of rest who has no personal interests, is fitting for this. And finally, David charges his son and the leaders of Israel: wisdom and understanding for righteous leadership, the observance of the statutes and ordinances, strength and courage - "Arise and act, and may Hashem be with you," for unless Hashem builds the house, its builders labor on it in vain.