Chapter 10 of Divrei HaYamim II describes the beginning of the reign of Rechavam, son of Shlomo, the continuator of the royal dynasty. The chapter relates how Rechavam sought to continue the monarchy over all of Israel in the ways of David and his father Shlomo, but in the end the kingdom was severed from him. This was part of the predetermined decree: if Shlomo strayed from the path, the kingdom would be torn apart. For to Shlomo himself it had been promised, "when he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the afflictions of the children of men" - his own reign was secured; but for the son who arose after him, the throne was no longer guaranteed. And that is precisely what happens here: Rechavam loses ten tribes.
וַיֵּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם שְׁכֶמָה כִּי שְׁכֶם בָּאוּ כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַמְלִיךְ אֹתוֹ׃ - And Rechavam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
Rechavam goes to Shechem, because that is where all Israel had assembled to crown him. Shechem was the home territory of Yeravam - Yeravam was an Ephraimite, and Shechem lay within Ephraim's territory. The seed of the problem is already hinted at here: Yeravam had already rebelled against Shlomo and was forced to flee to Egypt under threat of his life, and now Rechavam goes to be crowned specifically on Yeravam's home turf. This was the beginning of the calamity, and as the commentary attributed to Rashi notes, it was brought about by Hashem to fulfill His word to tear the kingdom away.
Why did they gather specifically there? The Metzudat David explains that this was a demand made by the people. They did not want the coronation to take place on Rechavam's home ground, "thinking that in Jerusalem, being his own domain, he would gather strength to rule without fulfilling their request." In Jerusalem he would feel entrenched and refuse to grant their petition; therefore, they summoned him to Shechem. They came to establish a kind of covenant with him regarding the monarchy - kingship is not automatic, but conditional upon terms.
וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ יָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט וְהוּא בְמִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר בָּרַח מִפְּנֵי שְׁלֹמֹה הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיָּשָׁב יָרָבְעָם מִמִּצְרָיִם׃ - And it came to pass, when Yeravam the son of Nevat heard it - he was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of King Shlomo - that Yeravam returned from Egypt.
"And it came to pass, when [he] heard" - the commentary attributed to Rashi explains that this refers to an earlier point in time: he had already heard that they were coming to crown Rechavam in Shechem, and thereupon returned from Egypt. The Malbim makes a precise observation: In the Book of Melachim it is written, "and Yeravam dwelt in Egypt" - meaning that at first he remained dwelling there and did not return on his own until they summoned him. Here, Ezra adds that after they called for him to return, he came back from Egypt. They then asked him to lead them before Rechavam and serve as their spokesman, seeing that he possessed authority and strength. Furthermore, he was an immense scholar: all the sages of Israel were before him like blades of grass in the field, and "a new garment" signified novel Torah insights that originated from him. They said to him: You are the worthy one to conduct the negotiations with Rechavam, son of Shlomo.
וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ וַיִּקְרְאוּ לוֹ וַיָּבֹא יָרָבְעָם וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֶל רְחַבְעָם לֵאמֹר׃ - And they sent and called for him; and Yeravam and all Israel came and spoke to Rechavam, saying:
The commentary attributed to Rashi notes: All of this comes to demonstrate the will of the King of kings, that even Yeravam himself came intending to crown Rechavam - yet the Holy One, blessed be He, turned the people toward Yeravam. That is, Yeravam arrived to set terms in order to accept Rechavam's sovereignty; he did not come from the outset to seize the throne. That was not his objective. Observe how this was brought about by Hashem to redirect the monarchy to him.
אָבִיךָ הִקְשָׁה אֶת עֻלֵּנוּ וְעַתָּה הָקֵל מֵעֲבוֹדַת אָבִיךָ הַקָּשָׁה וּמֵעֻלּוֹ הַכָּבֵד אֲשֶׁר נָתַן עָלֵינוּ וְנַעַבְדֶךָּ׃ - "Your father made our yoke harsh; now, lighten your father's harsh servitude and his heavy yoke that he placed upon us, and we will serve you."
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: Shlomo maintained a lavish royal table, tremendous wealth, and immense upkeep. People were needed to sustain this vast royal palace and to provide for all the servants whom he sent to all corners of the world - in short, enormous expenditures. As it is written in Melachim, "And King Shlomo levied a tax": even though wealth was abundant, a tax from the people was still necessary. It was this that made the yoke so harsh - to sustain his vast household and to maintain the horses, which was also a heavy expense, as Metzudat David notes. This was quite literally a yoke, like the yoke placed upon a beast of burden - such was the weight of taxation upon them.
But now, the people said to him: You do not possess your father's supreme stature. People do not flock to you from the ends of the earth to hear your wisdom, nor do you have all that your father had - and therefore, the royal expenditures can be scaled back. There is no need for such immense opulence that requires searching for ways to fund it. Reduce the size of your royal household, and we will be able to pay lighter taxes.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם עוֹד שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים וְשׁוּבוּ אֵלָי וַיֵּלֶךְ הָעָם׃ - "He said to them, 'Wait three days and then return to me.' And the people departed."
He told them: I wish to seek counsel; return to me in three days.
וַיִּוָּעַץ הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם אֶת הַזְּקֵנִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ עֹמְדִים לִפְנֵי שְׁלֹמֹה אָבִיו בִּהְיֹתוֹ חַי לֵאמֹר אֵיךְ אַתֶּם נוֹעָצִים לְהָשִׁיב לָעָם הַזֶּה דָּבָר׃ - "King Rechavam took counsel with the elders who had stood before his father Shlomo during his lifetime, saying, 'How do you advise to answer this people?'"
*No'atzim* ("advise") has the same meaning as *yo'atzim* ("counsel"), as the commentary attributed to Rashi explains, similar to the relationship between *yode'im* and *noda'im*. Radak here uses puzzling wording: "*Eich atem no'atzim* - how are you yourselves to give me counsel?" Indeed, this phrasing is clarified by his comments in Sefer Melachim: "How do you confer amongst yourselves, one with another, to give me counsel?" In other words: deliberate among yourselves, sit together as a council, weigh what is best, and present me with the conclusion you reach.
Notice whom he consulted: "who had stood before his father Shlomo" - the advisors of the wisest of all men. And do not assume these were the advisors of his old age, when he was no longer fully in command of affairs; therefore it says "during his lifetime" - while he was still in the fullness of his strength, they were his counselors. These were the wisest of the wise, and he turned to them to confer among themselves and present him with their conclusions.
וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר אִם תִּהְיֶה לְטוֹב לְהָעָם הַזֶּה וּרְצִיתָם וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם דְּבָרִים טוֹבִים וְהָיוּ לְךָ עֲבָדִים כָּל הַיָּמִים׃ - "They spoke to him, saying, 'If you will be good to this people and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants for all time.'"
"If you will be good to this people" - be benevolent toward them, speak to them gently. "And please them" - speak words of conciliation and appeasement. Then they will be your servants forever, and you can rule as king to your heart's desire. The Malbim elaborates further in his commentary there, for whoever wishes to look into it; the core of the advice is: initially, lower your head until you firmly establish your monarchy, and once you are securely established, do as you please. This was exceptionally wise counsel.
וַיַּעֲזֹב אֶת עֲצַת הַזְּקֵנִים אֲשֶׁר יְעָצֻהוּ וַיִּוָּעַץ אֶת הַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר גָּדְלוּ אִתּוֹ הָעֹמְדִים לְפָנָיו׃ - He abandoned the counsel of the elders that they had given him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.
The counsel of the elders did not appeal to him, because he did not want to humble himself. The elders found it easy to tell him, "Lower yourself" - in their eyes, he was still young. But the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him, felt awkward telling a king with whom they had grown up to lower his head - and they spoke in the way young people speak.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם מָה אַתֶּם נוֹעָצִים וְנָשִׁיב דָּבָר אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר דִּבְּרוּ אֵלַי לֵאמֹר הָקֵל מִן הָעֹל אֲשֶׁר נָתַן אָבִיךָ עָלֵינוּ׃ - He said to them, "What do you advise that we should answer this people, who spoke to me, saying: 'Lighten the yoke that your father put upon us'?"
וַיְדַבְּרוּ אִתּוֹ הַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר גָּדְלוּ אִתּוֹ לֵאמֹר כֹּה תֹאמַר לָעָם אֲשֶׁר דִּבְּרוּ אֵלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר אָבִיךָ הִכְבִּיד אֶת עֻלֵּנוּ וְאַתָּה הָקֵל מֵעָלֵינוּ כֹּה תֹּאמַר אֲלֵהֶם קָטָנִּי עָבָה מִמָּתְנֵי אָבִי׃ - The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus shall you say to the people who spoke to you, saying: 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us' - thus shall you say to them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins!'"
"My little finger is thicker than my father's loins" - my smallest finger is thicker than my father's loins; and *motnai* is plural, meaning thicker than both of his loins. On the surface, this sounds like disrespect toward his father, but the Malbim explains beautifully: "My littleness is thick [strong] from the power of my father's loins" - my father started small, whereas I am already starting with immense power. I am the son of Shlomo, who ruled over the entire world; I am a known figure, and I am inheriting an established kingdom. This is not David, who was hunted all his days, but Shlomo, who possessed a mighty kingdom. Therefore, even my "weakest" power stems from the immense and formidable strength of my father's loins, and so I have no reason to fear anyone who refuses to accept my kingship - I come with immense power behind me.
וְעַתָּה אָבִי הֶעְמִיס עֲלֵיכֶם עֹל כָּבֵד וַאֲנִי אֹסִיף עַל עֻלְּכֶם אָבִי יִסַּר אֶתְכֶם בַּשּׁוֹטִים וַאֲנִי בָּעַקְרַבִּים׃ - "And now, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I with scorpions!"
This advice belongs to that familiar style of leadership: like a teacher who enters the classroom on the first day and slams a desk to create intimidation, assuming everything will be easier afterward. So the young men told him: Confront them with maximum force; tell them that whatever my father did to you until now was child's play, and from here on you will begin to suffer in earnest. "My father disciplined you with whips" - a whip is a stripped branch that leaves no deep lacerations; "but I with scorpions" - a scourge embedded with barbed thorns that inflicts severe pain. In other words: know that you have far more to worry about than you ever did in the days of Shlomo.
וַיָּבֹא יָרָבְעָם וְכָל הָעָם אֶל רְחַבְעָם בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִשִׁי כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִשִׁי׃ - Yarov'am and all the people came to Rechav'am on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, "Return to me on the third day."
Until now, these were only the words of the young men to Rechav'am; he had not yet spoken them in practice. Now the people came to hear the answer.
וַיַּעֲנֵם הַמֶּלֶךְ קָשָׁה וַיַּעֲזֹב הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם אֵת עֲצַת הַזְּקֵנִים׃ - The king answered them harshly, and King Rechav'am abandoned the counsel of the elders.
וַיְדַבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם כַּעֲצַת הַיְלָדִים לֵאמֹר אַכְבִּיד אֶת עֻלְּכֶם וַאֲנִי אֹסִיף עָלָיו אָבִי יִסַּר אֶתְכֶם בַּשּׁוֹטִים וַאֲנִי בָּעַקְרַבִּים׃ - He spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, "I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I with scorpions!"
"I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it" - on the surface, this is difficult to understand: if he himself makes it heavy, what is he adding to? Indeed, the Radak wonders: he ought to have said, "My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to it." He resolves this by explaining that a connecting phrase is implicit here, meaning: I will make your yoke heavy just as my father made it heavy, and I will add to it even more beyond what my father did. Another possibility: akhbid ("I will make heavy") is understood as though written with a heh, hikhbid ("he made heavy") - meaning, my father made the yoke heavy upon you; thus referring to his father rather than to himself.
וְלֹא שָׁמַע הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל הָעָם כִּי הָיְתָה נְסִבָּה מֵעִם הָאֱלֹהִים לְמַעַן הָקִים ה' אֶת דְּבָרוֹ אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד אֲחִיָּהוּ הַשִּׁלוֹנִי אֶל יָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט׃ - And the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events from God, so that Hashem might fulfill His word which He spoke through Achiyah the Shilonite to Yerovam the son of Nevat.
Here Ezra presents Rechavam as far wiser than we might have thought. When reading the account, it strikes us as sheer foolishness and a total lack of sense: how could someone say such a thing? Moreover, when elders and youths stand before you, whom do you listen to? Especially when basic logic aligns with the elders: speak to them gently and favorably, and in doing so win them over and gradually solidify your reign; then add a little more each time until your rule is fully established. Why act otherwise?
To this the verse responds: do not look for logic here. "For it was a turn of events from God, so that He might fulfill His word." As it were, free will was taken from Rechavam. It was not out of the depths of foolishness that he failed to heed the people, but because Hashem willed that Yerovam ben Nevat would reign. Therefore, matters unfolded in this manner, leading him to accept the counsel of the youths against all reason, so that he would lose the ten tribes and fulfill what was spoken: "I will surely tear the kingdom away from you."
The commentary attributed to Rashi cites: this is what was meant by "The scepter shall not depart from Yehudah" - and until when? "Until Shiloh comes," until Yehudah comes to Shiloh to crown Rechavam; "and unto him shall be an assemblage of nations (yikehat amim)" - yikehat means a gathering of peoples, for there they would gather to crown him and there he would lose the ten tribes. And if you ask: did they not come to Shechem rather than to Shiloh? The Rav answers: Shechem was a small town adjacent to Shiloh, and he brings proofs for this from the verses. If so, until when would he hold the kingdom? Until he came to Shiloh, which was adjacent to Shechem - and there the full monarchy came to an end.
וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי לֹא שָׁמַע הַמֶּלֶךְ לָהֶם וַיָּשִׁיבוּ הָעָם אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר מַה לָּנוּ חֵלֶק בְּדָוִיד וְלֹא נַחֲלָה בְּבֶן יִשַׁי אִישׁ לְאֹהָלֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַתָּה רְאֵה בֵיתְךָ דָּוִיד וַיֵּלֶךְ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאֹהָלָיו׃ - And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: "What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Yishai! Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, David!" And all Israel went to their tents.
All Israel see that the king refuses to listen to them, and they reply: What portion do we have in David? Why should we abandon our tents to follow him? We have no share in his tent - let each man return to his own tent. "See to your house, David" relates back to "nor an inheritance in the son of Yishai": we have no inheritance in him, except in the Beis HaMikdash in Yerushalayim, where we offer sacrifices and appear on the three pilgrimage festivals; see to your house, David - we have no need for that place to belong exclusively to you. This is how the commentary attributed to Rashi explains in his first interpretation, though he immediately adds: "And all this does not seem correct to me," for at this stage we do not find that they rebelled against the Beis HaMikdash. They did not despise the Beis HaMikdash, only David and Rechavam. Rather, "see to your house, David" means: we want nothing to do with you or with your Beis HaMikdash.
It was noted earlier that when people wished to speak disparagingly, they would not mention a person by his own name, but rather by his father's name. Shaul never addressed David by name, but always referred to him as "the son of Yishai." What does "son of Yishai" imply? A son without a name of his own; in his own right he possesses no merit, and only because his father Yishai was a prominent figure who "entered among multitudes and went out among multitudes" does he have any stature. Therefore, here as well: "What portion have we in David, nor an inheritance in the son of Yishai." As for the parallel phrasing in the verse and the explanation of "see to your house, David," this has already been addressed following the Malbim, so there is no need to repeat it. According to the plain meaning, the message is: you, Rechavam, who descend from David - oversee your own household, but do not rule over ours. We have no need for you; we will have another king.
וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיֹּשְׁבִים בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וַיִּמְלֹךְ עֲלֵיהֶם רְחַבְעָם׃ - But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Yehudah, Rechavam reigned over them.
He reigned over the cities of Judah, which was his own tribe.
וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם אֶת הֲדֹרָם אֲשֶׁר עַל הַמַּס וַיִּרְגְּמוּ בוֹ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶבֶן וַיָּמֹת וְהַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם הִתְאַמֵּץ לַעֲלוֹת בַּמֶּרְכָּבָה לָנוּס יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - King Rechavam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, and Bnei Yisrael stoned him with stones so that he died; and King Rechavam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
Here too, Rechavam acted completely illogically: he sent someone to collect the tax. You see that the people are bitter and resentful, and is there anything worse than imposing further decrees on a disgruntled populace and demanding their taxes? Surely at this stage he should have appeased them. However, this too, as we have said, was brought about by Hashem so that the kingdom would ultimately be divided. They went and murdered the tax collector, and King Rechavam himself escaped by the skin of his teeth - "made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem." With that, the kingdom was irrevocably severed: they had already rebelled against him, they refused to pay him taxes, and he himself fled from before them.
וַיִּפְשְׁעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבֵית דָּוִיד עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - And Yisrael rebelled against the House of David unto this day.
Vayifshe'u denotes rebellion: they rebelled against the House of David unto this day, meaning until the exile from the land - for the kingdom of Shomron, that is, the ten tribes, continued its rebellion against the House of David until it was exiled from the land.
Rechavam came to be crowned in Shechem, Yarov'am's home territory, and the people presented him with a condition: lighten the heavy burden of Shlomo's taxation. The elders, advisors to the wisest of all men, advised him to lower his head and speak gently until his kingdom was firmly established; the young men who grew up with him, who felt uncomfortable telling him to humble himself, advised him to intimidate and intensify the burden. Rechavam chose the counsel of the young men contrary to all reason, and not by coincidence: "for it was brought about by God, that Hashem might establish His word" through Achiyah of Shiloh. From that point on, events unfolded rapidly - the people withdrew, the tax collector was stoned, the king fled to Jerusalem, and the ten tribes rebelled against the House of David until their exile from the land. The entire chapter teaches that when Hashem decrees a matter, no king's judgment and no advisors' wisdom can hinder the fulfillment of His word.