Introduction: Asa's Reign - Tranquility Within and Without
Chapter 14 of Divrei HaYamim II opens the period of the reign of Asa, king of Yehudah. The chapter is composed of two parts: the first describes the campaign to eradicate idolatry from the land and the tranquility Asa merited as a result, and the second describes the great war against Zerach the Cushite - a war decided entirely by the Hand of Heaven. We will follow the order of the pesukim according to the commentary of the Malbim.
The Good and the Upright - Two Realms
וַיַּעַשׂ אָסָא הַטּוֹב וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָיו׃ - Asa did what was good and upright in the eyes of the Lord his God.
"The good" refers to matters between man and God. "And the upright" refers to matters between man and his fellow. Both realms were complete in him.
Altars, High Places, Pillars, and Asherah Trees
וַיָּסַר אֶת־מִזְבְּחוֹת הַנֵּכָר וְהַבָּמוֹת וַיְשַׁבֵּר אֶת־הַמַּצֵּבוֹת וַיְגַדַּע אֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרִים׃ - He removed the foreign altars and the high places, shattered the monuments, and cut down the Asherah trees.
The Malbim distinguishes between the different types of installations. The altars (mizbechos) were sites where many sacrifices were offered on a regular basis, and they were generally located in a central place for the public. The high places (bamos) were intended more for individuals and for temporary use - a person would build a bamah in his courtyard. Both of them, the altars and the high places, were constructed of many stones that formed the altar upon which they sacrificed.
In contrast, a pillar (matzevah) was made of a single stone, and they did not offer sacrifices upon it; rather, they poured oil on its top, as we saw with Yaakov Avinu. The pillar was beloved in the days of the Patriarchs, but later the Holy One, Blessed is He, despised it, because the nations adopted it for their idolatrous worship.
It was their practice to set up the pillars and the Asherah trees in front of the altar. Through the Asherah trees, they sought to draw down spiritual forces, as these spiritual forces were believed to clothe themselves in trees, and thus they drew them down to rest upon the sacrifice. This is the meaning of the verse, "You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah of any tree beside the altar of the Lord your God" - showing that they would plant the Asherah in close proximity to the altar. And immediately following that: "Neither shall you set up a pillar." According to the Malbim, both the Asherah and the pillar were placed right next to the altar: upon the pillar they poured oil, and the Asherah was meant to receive the spiritual forces that would rest upon the sacrifice.
The Completeness of Service: Study and Action, Written and Oral
וַיֹּאמֶר לִיהוּדָה לִדְרוֹשׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם וְלַעֲשׂוֹת הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה׃ - He commanded Yehudah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to fulfill the Torah and the mitzvah.
Rabbi Yosef Kara notes: Unlike the Ten Tribes, who sought other gods and did not seek the God of their fathers - here Asa commands the entire tribe to seek Hashem, the God of their fathers.
The Malbim explains: "To seek" refers to the theoretical dimension of study. "And to do" refers to the practical dimension, the observance of the mitzvos. "The Torah" is the Written Torah, and "the mitzvah" is the Oral Torah. Thus, he commands them concerning the complete perfection of divine service: study and practice, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.
The Chammanim - Sun Worshipers
וַיָּסַר מִכׇּל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה אֶת־הַבָּמוֹת וְאֶת־הַחַמָּנִים וַתִּשְׁקֹט הַמַּמְלָכָה לְפָנָיו׃ - And he removed from all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images, and the kingdom was quiet before him.
"The high places" (bamos) were the private altars upon which individuals would sacrifice at home. "The sun-images" (chammanim) were idols fashioned in the shape of the sun. The worshipers of chammanim were those who served the sun, as we find depicted regarding those who exited the Beis HaMikdash with "their backs toward the Sanctuary of Hashem and their faces eastward" - facing east to greet the rising sun at dawn, like one going out to greet a king.
A practical halachic lesson is derived from here: One who prays at sunrise (netz) should not pray facing an open window directly facing the sun, as this appears like the worshipers of the sun - like one going out to greet the sun and bowing to it in the middle of Shemoneh Esreh. One should pray facing a curtain or facing a wall, but not stand facing the sun and pray directly toward it, as that was the practice of sun worshipers.
Three Challenges that Threaten a King at the Outset of His Reign
"And the kingdom was quiet before him" - how was this expressed? The Malbim explains that a king at the beginning of his reign faces three primary challenges.
The first is internal opposition to his kingship. This was seen with Rechavam, whom Yerovam opposed, establishing a rival kingdom. Aviyah also had to contend with this challenge, as the kingship passed to him over his brothers. With Asa, by contrast, "the kingdom was quiet before him" - there were no pockets of rebellion arising from within his realm. Yerovam no longer retained the strength to challenge Judah, and Asa's father's household agreed to his succession as the firstborn; consequently, he did not have to face forces seeking to undermine his reign.
וַיִּבֶן עָרֵי מְצוּרָה בִּיהוּדָה כִּי־שָׁקְטָה הָאָרֶץ וְאֵין־עִמּוֹ מִלְחָמָה בַּשָּׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה כִּי־הֵנִיחַ יְהֹוָה לוֹ׃ - And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Hashem had granted him rest.
"Fortified cities" (arei metzurah) are fortress cities, where the people can fortify themselves in the event of a siege. Here lies the second challenge: A king who faces rebels within his kingdom cannot construct fortified cities and place heavy burdens upon the people, as construction requires a labor force - just as even Shlomo levied a corvée of labor, requiring people to dedicate part of their time to work for him. In Asa's case, mobilizing the people posed no difficulty: the land was quiet, and the construction caused no internal unrest or complaints that "now he has come to subjugate us." The people were at peace with him, there were no rebels within his kingdom, and he was therefore able to build fortified cities.
The third challenge is that a king at the start of his reign often faces external forces rising up to wage war against him, seeing that he is still inexperienced and newly anointed, thinking he can be easily defeated. Regarding this, the verse states, "and he had no war" - external enemies did not attack him. And if you might suggest that perhaps it was simply a peaceful era in the region, the verse specifically emphasizes "in those years" - those very years were a time of widespread warfare, yet he experienced no war at all. This defied natural circumstances. The explanation is given at the conclusion of the verse: "because Hashem had granted him rest." Do not assume this occurred naturally; by natural standards, these were turbulent years of conflict. Rather, because he did what was good and right in the eyes of Hashem and removed the foreign altars, Hashem granted him rest and prevented enemies from approaching his kingdom.
"We Have Sought... We Have Sought" - Natural Effort and Boundless Service
וַיֹּאמֶר לִיהוּדָה נִבְנֶה אֶת־הֶעָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְנָסֵב חוֹמָה וּמִגְדָּלִים דְּלָתַיִם וּבְרִיחִים עוֹדֶנּוּ הָאָרֶץ לְפָנֵינוּ כִּי דָרַשְׁנוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ דָּרַשְׁנוּ וַיָּנַח־לָנוּ מִסָּבִיב וַיִּבְנוּ וַיַּצְלִיחוּ׃ - And he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and surround them with a wall and towers, doors and bars, while the land is still before us, because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on all sides." So they built and prospered.
Asa says to Judah: Who knows what a day may bring? Our tranquility is not guaranteed by the circumstances of the times; quite the contrary, historically this was an era of emergency, a period of wars, and nevertheless we have quiet. This is a miracle, and a miracle does not happen every day; one cannot rely on a miracle indefinitely. Therefore, it is best that we make an effort through natural means, strengthening ourselves in the natural realm as well.
Nor is there the slightest hint of rebellion against Hashem in this, for a person must also act through natural channels. A king would prepare an army, and David, with all his trust in Hashem, did not say, "I will sit on the side and Hashem will fight my battle," but rather, "I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back until they were destroyed." One must make natural effort. Asa therefore says: Let us build while the land is before us, as long as we have this opportunity and this tranquility, which is a miraculous tranquility.
And why the repetition, "because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought" - would once not have been enough? The Malbim explains: Seeking Hashem has no end and no limit; there is no boundary to how much a person can seek Hashem. The service of Hashem proceeds in ever-ascending levels without restriction or end. And the more we continued to seek Hashem, the more Hashem granted us rest. "We have sought... we have sought" - and therefore, "He has given us rest on all sides," in exact correspondence to the measure of our seeking.
Asa's Army
וַיְהִי לְאָסָא חַיִל נֹשֵׂא צִנָּה וָרֹמַח מִיהוּדָה שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף וּמִבִּנְיָמִן נֹשְׂאֵי מָגֵן וְדֹרְכֵי קֶשֶׁת מָאתַיִם וּשְׁמוֹנִים אָלֶף כׇּל־אֵלֶּה גִּבּוֹרֵי חָיִל׃ - And Asa had an army bearing large shields and spears from Judah, three hundred thousand; and from Benjamin, bearers of shields and drawers of the bow, two hundred and eighty thousand; all these were mighty warriors.
"Drawers of the bow" - as we have explained several times, their practice was to string and draw the bow with the foot: placing the foot against the wooden bow and pulling the bowstring back with all their might with their hands, which allowed the arrow to shoot a great distance. A tzinah is a large body shield protecting against the sword, and he had both spears and shields, while the smaller shield (magen) protects against arrows from the bow.
Zerach the Cushite Marches to War
וַיֵּצֵא אֲלֵיהֶם זֶרַח הַכּוּשִׁי בְּחַיִל אֶלֶף אֲלָפִים וּמַרְכָּבוֹת שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת וַיָּבֹא עַד־מָרֵשָׁה׃ - And Zerach the Cushite came out against them with an army of a thousand thousands and three hundred chariots, and he came as far as Maresha.
וַיֵּצֵא אָסָא לְפָנָיו וַיַּעַרְכוּ מִלְחָמָה בְּגֵיא צְפַתָה לְמָרֵשָׁה׃ - And Asa went out to meet him, and they deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Maresha.
"The Valley of Zephathah at Maresha" - the Metzudas David explains: in the valley visible and overlooking from where one stands in Maresha. Zerach the Cushite was a king who came to wage war in order to conquer, marching out with an army of a thousand thousands - one million men - and three hundred chariots. A tremendous force.
The Prayer of Asa
וַיִּקְרָא אָסָא אֶל־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָיו וַיֹּאמַר יְהֹוָה אֵין־עִמְּךָ לַעְזֹר בֵּין רַב לְאֵין כֹּחַ עׇזְרֵנוּ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ כִּי־עָלֶיךָ נִשְׁעַנּוּ וּבְשִׁמְךָ בָאנוּ עַל־הֶהָמוֹן הַזֶּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ אַתָּה אַל־יַעְצֹר עִמְּךָ אֱנוֹשׁ׃ - And Asa cried out to Hashem his God and said: "Hashem, it means nothing to You whether helping the mighty or those who have no power. Help us, Hashem our God, for upon You do we rely, and in Your Name we have come against this multitude. Hashem, You are our God; let no mortal prevail against You!"
At first glance, the phrasing here seems disjointed, and one might interpret it as the words of someone under immense stress. But that is certainly not the case; rather, there is an orderly progression here that we must understand, and for this we need the commentators.
The Malbim explains: Human help is limited in power. Therefore, when a person comes to assist someone who already possesses strength of his own, it is much easier - one brings some strength, the other has some strength, and between them they manage to overcome. With the Holy One, Blessed is He, however, power is infinite - entirely unlimited - and He has no need for the recipient to assist Him. He can save even when the one being helped is completely helpless. This is the meaning of "Hashem, there is none with You to help" - You do not need another force to assist along with You; "between the mighty and the powerless" - it makes no difference whether the one being helped has great strength or no strength at all. When a human being comes to help, he cares whether the recipient has strength, because if the recipient is completely powerless, whatever assistance he provides might not suffice. With the Holy One, Blessed is He, there is no difference, because there is no one else assisting alongside Him - everything comes from His power; You alone are the Helper.
The Two Grounds for the Request
From here, Asa petitions on the basis of two considerations. The first is from our side: "Help us, Hashem our God, for upon You do we rely." As the Chovos HaLevavos writes, the Holy One, Blessed is He, helps and supports the one who trusts in Him. Whoever trusts in Hashem, Hashem aids him; but whoever does not trust in Him, Hashem says to him: Go seek help and lean on the one in whom you placed your trust. Do you think the army will save you? Go to it. Do you think I will help you? Come to Me - and then I take responsibility. But if you rely on the Iron Dome or on all kinds of vanities, Hashem says, "Let them arise and help you, let it be your shield" - go to them for help. Here Asa says: We trust in You, and therefore it is fitting that You bestow all Your power to protect us.
A grammatical note: In the word nish'annu ("נִשְׁעַנּוּ"), the nun has a dagesh, and the dagesh replaces a doubled nun. For nishan is a word in its own right, with its own root nun, while the nun of the plural suffix -nu is an additional letter; grammatically, it should have been nish'an-nu ("נִשְׁעַנְנוּ"). However, by placing a dagesh in the nun, it can be written as nish'annu, and it is pronounced as though it were nish'an-nu.
The second consideration is on behalf of His blessed Name: "And in Your Name we have come against this multitude, Hashem our God." For the sake of Your great Name, since we place our trust in You, it is fitting that You show us wonders and that Your Name be sanctified. Therefore they say, "Hashem, You are our God" - we ask that You alone do everything, so that it becomes evident that the Holy One, Blessed is He, is close to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth, and everyone will see that whoever trusts in Hashem finds help and salvation.
"Let No Mortal Prevail Against You" - Three Explanations
According to the Malbim: "Let no mortal hold back alongside You" - this does not merely mean that no one can assist You, for that was already stated in the opening clause, "Hashem, there is none with You to help." Rather, here Asa asks that in practice You act entirely on Your own, with no human strength involved at all - for only in this way will it be clear that everything is from Him, blessed be He. If mortal man were to hold sway alongside Him, people would say: There were valiant, highly motivated men here who fought with all their might - and there would be people to whom credit could be distributed. Asa asks that the credit belong solely to Him. We relied upon You and came in Your Name; therefore, it is fitting and proper that You do everything and Your Name be sanctified, without anyone else taking credit for the victory in battle.
The Radak explains that ya'atzor is related to sovereignty and restraint (like a ruler or crown prince): let no mortal reign alongside You - let everything come from You. Following this line of thought, it can also be interpreted regarding those coming to wage war against us: let no ruler or leader prevail over us and defeat us. Why is a ruler referred to this way? Because his role is to restrain the people, to limit them - "do not pounce on the spoil" - ensuring they are subordinate to the king's command. That is what Shaul failed to do, and that was the claim against him, for that is the function of a king. A further explanation: al ya'atzor is related to gathering strength - let no mortal muster power against You.
The Defeat: Hashem Struck and They Merely Pursued
וַיִּגֹּף יְהֹוָה אֶת־הַכּוּשִׁים לִפְנֵי אָסָא וְלִפְנֵי יְהוּדָה וַיָּנֻסוּ הַכּוּשִׁים׃ - And the Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled.
Just as he had requested, so it was: Hashem struck down the Cushites before Asa without any battle whatsoever.
וַיִּרְדְּפֵם אָסָא וְהָעָם אֲשֶׁר־עִמּוֹ עַד־לִגְרָר וַיִּפֹּל מִכּוּשִׁים לְאֵין לָהֶם מִחְיָה כִּי־נִשְׁבְּרוּ לִפְנֵי־יְהֹוָה וְלִפְנֵי מַחֲנֵהוּ וַיִּשְׂאוּ שָׁלָל הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד׃ - And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Cushites fell without recovery, for they were broken before the Lord and before His camp; and they carried away exceedingly much spoil.
After the collapse, what remained for them to do? Only to pursue. This is what is meant when it says regarding Asa, "and he pursued them" - he was saying: I am not fighting; I am merely pursuing. "Without recovery" (literally, without life remaining) - the Malbim explains that their vitality was completely drained, and the reason is: "for they were broken before Hashem" - they had already been broken before Hashem beforehand, leaving them with no strength or life left in them. Therefore, they carried off exceedingly much spoil and took all their goods, for there was no one left to oppose them. Furthermore, when one is occupied with subduing an enemy, one is less free to collect spoils, being engrossed in the battle itself; but here they were not involved in battle at all, for the enemy had fallen on its own. As Chazal say: they were broken before Hashem and not before Asa - he merely pursued, while the Holy One, Blessed be He, acted on His own. Consequently, all that remained for them was to gather the spoil.
Spoil Versus Plunder
וַיַּכּוּ אֵת כׇּל־הֶעָרִים סְבִיבוֹת גְּרָר כִּי־הָיָה פַחַד־יְהֹוָה עֲלֵיהֶם וַיָּבֹזּוּ אֶת־כׇּל־הֶעָרִים כִּי־בִזָּה רַבָּה הָיְתָה בָהֶם׃ - And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was upon them, and they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.
The Malbim notes the shift in terminology: earlier it says, "and they carried away exceedingly much spoil (shalal)," whereas here it says, "and they plundered (vayavozu) all the cities, for there was much plunder (bizah) in them." What is the difference between shalal (spoil) and bizah (plunder)? The Malbim already explained in Yeshayahu chapter 8 that shalal refers to what is left behind on its own: when the owners fall in battle, whatever remains falls into the hands of the conqueror as spoil. Here, the spoil was beyond measure, and they had no need for bizah, which implies forcibly taking and seizing goods. Everything fell like ripe fruit - the Cushites abandoned their possessions and died, and nothing remained but to gather them up.
In contrast, the cities around Gerar, which belonged to the Philistines, were not struck down directly by Hashem, and there battle was required - which is why it says, "and they struck all the cities around Gerar." "For the fear of Hashem was upon them" - the dread that had already gripped them beforehand brought about their submission, which aided Judah in striking them down, unlike the battle against the Cushites, where the Holy One, Blessed be He, fought the entire battle Himself. And there, precisely, the term "and they plundered" (vayavozu) is used, because when fighting, the enemy does not readily surrender its wealth and belongings, and one must plunder and seize it by force; it did not simply fall into their hands as spoil on its own. This stands in contrast to the Cushites, who fell and died on their own, leaving everything behind as spoil.
Captivity - Pertaining to Living Creatures
וְגַם־אׇהֳלֵי מִקְנֶה הִכּוּ וַיִּשְׁבּוּ צֹאן לָרֹב וּגְמַלִּים וַיָּשֻׁבוּ יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - And they also struck the tents of livestock, and carried away sheep in abundance and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.
"And they also struck the tents of livestock" - this does not mean they struck the physical tents, but rather that they struck the people of the livestock tents, the nomads who pastured there. "And carried away sheep in abundance and camels" - the verse uses the term shevi (taking captive), and the Malbim explains that captivity applies to living creatures. Regarding anything that has the breath of life, whether human or beast, Scripture uses neither "plunder" nor "spoil," but rather "captivity."
In summary: Asa did what was good and upright; he eliminated the altars, the high places, the monuments, the asheim, and the sun-images, and commanded Judah toward perfection of divine service in study and in deed, in the Written Torah and in the Oral Torah. In this merit, he was granted three things that a king rarely attains at the beginning of his reign: no opposition to his rule, the ability to build fortified cities without internal unrest, and external peace during years that were naturally prone to war - "for Hashem had granted him rest." Despite all this, he did not rely on a miracle, but applied natural effort, building and prospering with the recognition that "we sought... we sought" - that there is no end to seeking Hashem, and according to the measure of seeking is the measure of rest. And when Zerah the Cushite marched against him with one million men, Asa prayed that everything be accomplished solely by the Hand of Heaven, so that mortal man would have no share in the glory. And so it was: Hashem struck down the Cushites, and Asa was left only to pursue, gather spoil, and return to Jerusalem.