Sanhedrin, Chapter 2, Mishnah 5 - the final Mishnah in the chapter. Although we are still dealing with the laws of the kings of Israel, the Mishnah no longer focuses on what the king is permitted or forbidden to do, but rather on how the nation must relate to the king.
The Guiding Principle: "Over You" Rather Than "For You":
The Torah says, "Som tasim alecha melech" - you shall surely set a king over you, and the Mishnah itself quotes this verse. The exposition relies on the precise wording: it does not say "appoint a king for yourselves," but rather "over you" - above you. The king must be elevated above the people psychologically, in everything related to honor, awe, and reverence. By virtue of this principle, various restrictions are derived regarding the nation's relationship toward him, and the Mishnah focuses on two general points.
The First Restriction - The King's Belongings:
"Ein rochvin al suso" - a person may not ride on the king's horse.
"Ve'ein yoshvin al kiso" - a person may not sit on his throne.
"Ve'ein mishtamshin besharvito" - a person may not use his scepter.
The rule is that anything identified with the king and designated for him is for his exclusive use and not for the use of anyone else. His "throne" does not refer specifically to the royal throne: even if the king has a comfortable chair in which he usually sits and reads, or a regular seat around the dining table, no one else is permitted to sit in it. The same applies to his scepter, which is a unique implement for him. This is also true of any other object - a shtender that the king likes to use, a book that he regularly reads, and the like: they all belong to the king, and no one else may use them, neither during the king's lifetime nor even after his death.
Therefore, the halachah is that upon the king's death, all his belongings are burned, so that no one else will ever use them. His servants and slaves, of course, are not included in this, Heaven forbid, and they are permitted to serve the next king, his heir. According to the Rambam, who holds that concubines are a possibility for a king of Israel, concubines are also included in this category.
The Second Restriction - Maintaining His Dignified Appearance:
The king must maintain his honor, and he may only be seen in a dignified state. As the Mishnah words it: "Ve'ein ro'in oso keshehu mistaper" - one may not see the king while he is being groomed and getting a haircut, something that was done daily. The basis for this is a verse in Isaiah: "Melech beyofyo techezenah einecha" - your eyes shall see the king in his beauty, in his splendor, and in his glory. Because of this, the king must always appear perfectly groomed, and therefore he gets a haircut every day; but in the middle of the process, which is not a dignified state, no one is permitted to look at him. It goes without saying that the barber is exempt from this prohibition, but other people may not see him at this time.
And similarly: "Velo keshehu arom, velo beveis hamerchatz" - not when he is unclothed, and not in the public bathhouse. What is the difference between "unclothed" and "the bathhouse"?
Some commentators explain that even in the bathhouse, where it is normal not to be clothed, one may not see the king, because it is not a dignified state. This does not mean there is a lack of modesty, as there is nothing wrong with undressing in the bathhouse or in the mikvah, and this is the way one enters a mikvah; however, it lacks the dignity required of the king.
Other commentators explain that these are two completely separate laws: one may not see the king when he is unclothed, and one may not see the king in the bathhouse at all, even when he is completely dressed, because it is not a dignified place for the king to be found and seen in. Therefore, it is a private place: when the king enters the bathhouse, a sauna, or the like, he does so in private, and a person is not permitted to see him like this.
The source for all these laws is in the verse that the Mishnah cites: "Shene'emar: 'Som tasim alecha melech' - shetehei eimaso alecha" - as it is stated, "You shall surely set a king over you," that his awe should be upon you, meaning that the awe of the king must always be upon the nation.
This concludes the second chapter of Tractate Sanhedrin, and from here we will move on to the third chapter.