In our chapter, the greatness of Shlomo is laid out before us: his dominion over all the surrounding kingdoms, the tranquility and abundance that marked his days, and his immense wisdom whose fame spread among all the nations. From here on, the chapter moves to the first preparations for building the Beit HaMikdash: the negotiations with Chiram king of Tzor, the mobilization of workers, and the preparation of the timber and stones. We will follow the order of the pesukim together with the commentary of the Malbim, and along the way weave in the words of Chazal about Shlomo and his wisdom.
וַיָּבֹאוּ מִכׇּל־הָעַמִּים לִשְׁמֹעַ אֵת חׇכְמַת שְׁלֹמֹה מֵאֵת כׇּל־מַלְכֵי הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר שָׁמְעוּ אֶת־חׇכְמָתוֹ׃ - And they came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Shlomo, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Whoever pays attention will notice a puzzling duplication here. It would have been enough to say "and they came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Shlomo," or "and they came from all the kings of the earth." What is meant by "from all the nations... from all the kings of the earth"? The Malbim brings two explanations. The first, in the name of the Abarbanel: it was the kings of the earth who heard the report of his wisdom, and it was they who sent emissaries from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Shlomo. In other words, the kings themselves did not come, but their emissaries did. So the pasuk reads: they came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Shlomo, and who sent them? From all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
A second explanation: the kings of the earth themselves came to hear the wisdom of Shlomo, and when they returned to their kingdoms they would gather assemblies and teach what Shlomo had taught them. According to this: "and they came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Shlomo" - for example, a distant king who returned to his land, and in his land people gathered to him from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Shlomo; and from where did they hear it? "From all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom" - from the mouths of the kings themselves, who had heard his wisdom directly from Shlomo.
The Malbim adds a further hint: those kings would come to hear the wisdom of Shlomo specifically in those matters in which he taught about the affairs of this world. For it was Shlomo who said "vanity of vanities, said Kohelet, vanity of vanities, all is vanity," and he spoke much about the vanity of worldly matters. In their times, wealth, riches, and the desires of this world occupied a very central place in the lives of the kings, and Shlomo would come and give them moral instruction on these matters, especially after Shlomo was driven from his kingdom.
Regarding the greatness of Shlomo's wisdom on the one hand, and his fall on the other, the Midrash relates (in Otzar HaMidrashim): "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom" - this refers to Shlomo son of David. When he sat upon his royal throne, he grew proud and haughty and said: there is none like me in the world. He transgressed what is written in the Torah, "He shall not multiply wives for himself," and he transgressed "He shall not multiply horses for himself," and he transgressed "He shall not multiply silver and gold for himself." What did the letter yud do? It stood before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said: Master of the Universe, did You write even a single thing in the Torah in vain? He said to it: No, nothing is in vain. It said before Him: But Shlomo has nullified me, for he married a thousand wives, as it says, "And he had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred concubines." Even a single letter that he nullified - the smallest of the letters - already has grounds to make a claim.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the yud: It is upon Me to plead your cause and judge your case. Immediately He said to Ashmedai, king of the demons: Go to Shlomo and take his signet ring from his hand, take on his likeness, and sit upon his throne. Ashmedai went and took the signet ring, took on his likeness, and sat upon his throne, and Israel thought that he was Shlomo. And Shlomo wandered through all the towns and villages, saying: I am Shlomo, I am Kohelet son of David, I was king in Yerushalayim, I was king over Israel. And so it went for three years. People would say to one another: look how foolish this man is, the king sits upon his throne, and this one says "I am Kohelet, I was king." His wisdom was also taken from him, and he no longer possessed that mighty wisdom he had before. (Regarding the continuation, with the shamir worm and Ashmedai, we will dwell in the chapters on the building of the Beit HaMikdash.)
What did Ashmedai do during those three years? He went in to all of Shlomo's wives, until he came to one of them while she was a niddah. When she saw him, she said to him: Shlomo, why have you changed your taste and your custom that you always kept with us? He had never demanded of her during her time of niddah, and suddenly she saw that something here was different. He immediately fell silent. She said to him: You are not Shlomo - it is impossible that Shlomo would do such a thing.
And further: Ashmedai went to Shlomo's mother and made a demand of her. She said to him: My son, from the place you came out of, there you seek pleasure? If you do such a thing, you are not my son. She immediately went to Benayahu son of Yehoyada and said to him: Thus and so did Shlomo demand of me. He immediately shuddered, tore his garments, pulled out his hair, and said: Surely this is not Shlomo but Ashmedai, and that youth who wanders about saying "I am Kohelet" is Shlomo himself. That is to say, the very man they had been mocking until now is the true Shlomo.
He immediately sent and called for that youth and said to him: My son, tell me who you are. He said to him: I am Shlomo son of David. He said to him: How did this come about? He said to him: One day I was sitting in my place, and a stormwind came upon me and cast me from my place, and from that day my mind was taken from me, and therefore I have been wandering. He said to him: Do you have any proof? He said to him: Yes. When I became king, David my father took one of my hands and placed it in your hand - for it was Benayahu son of Yehoyada who took him to anoint him at the stream - and my other hand in the hand of Natan the prophet, and my mother stood and kissed the head of my father.
When Benayahu heard his words, he called the Sanhedrin and said to them: Go, write for yourselves the Ineffable Name and set it upon your hearts. They came and said: Are we afraid of that name engraved upon the heart of Ashmedai? He said to them: Can one name prevail over seventy names? We come with seventy, and rely as well upon His blessed mercy. What did Benayahu do? He took his hand and struck Ashmedai a single blow, took the ring, and sought to kill him. A heavenly voice came forth and said: Do not touch him, for from Me this matter came, since he transgressed what is written in the Torah. Immediately he restored the ring to Shlomo's hand, and Shlomo took on his own form again and returned to his kingship. At once Shlomo said: Where is my kingship, where is my might, for none of it availed me? Rather, whoever humbles himself in this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, raises him up, for there is nothing in the world like humility and lowliness of spirit, as it is said, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."
It is told of Shlomo during that period that he came to the house of a wealthy man. The man said to him: Come to me, sit with me today, I will set a table for you and give you fattened fowl. He set it out and prepared for him, and when they came to eat, that wealthy man began to say: Ah, I remember you, you are Shlomo, how great you were, what a table you had, what happiness you had. And Shlomo, the Midrash relates, instead of eating, lost his appetite, began to weep, and ate nothing. The next day a neighbor came and invited him to eat with him. Shlomo said to him: Do you seek to do to me as your neighbor did yesterday? He said to him: No, I am poor, I have only a little herbs and simple things. He came to him and ate with him, and that poor man began to encourage him: God will yet restore you to your kingship, God will yet give to you, God has chosen you. Concerning this Shlomo said: "Better is a dinner of herbs and quiet with it" - better was the meal I ate with that man who did not give me who knows what, but there was quiet with it, than a fatted ox with strife accompanying it.
The Midrash further says: There was an incident in the days of Shlomo, king of Israel. One day Ashmedai, king of the demons, came in and said to him: Are you the one about whom it is written, "And he was wiser than all men"? Shlomo said to him: Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, promised me. And Shlomo indeed spoke with the demons and understood their speech. Ashmedai said to him: If you wish, I will show you something you have never seen in your life. He said to him: Yes. Immediately he stretched his hand into the earth of the netherworld and brought up from it a man with two heads and four eyes. One person with a single head can barely manage, and here there were two heads and four eyes.
Immediately Shlomo trembled and was alarmed and said: Take him into my chamber. He sent and called Benayahu son of Yehoyada and said to him: What do you say, are there human beings beneath us? He said to him: By your life, my lord the king, if I know. But I heard from Achitofel, your father's counselor, that there are human beings beneath us - and Achitofel was wise with immense wisdom, for whoever inquired of him was as one who inquired of the word of God. He said to him: If I show you one of them, what will you say? He said to him: And how can you show him from the depths of the earth, which is a journey of five hundred years? Immediately he sent and had him brought before him. When he saw him, he fell upon his face and said: Blessed is He who varies the creatures, blessed is He who has kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this time.
He said to him: Whose son are you? He said to him: I am of human beings, of the descendants of Kayin. He said to him: In what place is your dwelling? He said to him: In the land of the netherworld. He said to him: Do you have sun and moon? He said to him: Yes, and we too plow and reap and are owners of flocks and cattle. He said to him: In what place does the sun rise? He said to him: The sun rises in the west and sets in the east - there things work in reverse. How there is a sun for one who dwells in the depths of the earth a journey of five hundred years, I do not know; this Midrash is wondrous to me, but so it says. He said to him: Do you pray? He said to him: Yes. And what is your prayer? He said to him: "How manifold are Your works, O Lord; in wisdom You have made them all." He said to him: Do you wish that we return you to your place? He said to him: Do me a favor and return me, I left a family there. Immediately the king called Ashmedai and commanded him to return him. He said to him: I cannot return him ever, for once he has come out he will not go back. When he saw this, he took a wife and fathered from her seven sons, six in the likeness of the mother and one in the likeness of the father, with two heads. And he plowed and reaped and became very wealthy, among the wealthy of the world; you think with one head, and he thinks with two.
After a time the man died and left an inheritance to his sons, and a wondrous case came before Shlomo. The six said: We are seven, let us divide our father's wealth into seven portions. And the one with two heads said: We are eight, and I must take two portions - count how many heads there are here. They all came before Shlomo and said: Our lord the king, we are seven, and our brother with two heads says that we are eight and wants to take two portions. When Shlomo heard this, the matter escaped him. He called the Sanhedrin and said: What do you say? They said: If we say he is one, behold he is two; and we have no way to decide. They fell silent. Shlomo said to them: In the morning there will be judgment.
At midnight he entered the sanctuary and stood in prayer and said: Master of the Universe, when You revealed Yourself to me at Givon and said to me, "Ask what I shall give you," I asked of You neither silver nor gold but wisdom, so as to judge people justly. This was his essential desire in wisdom, not to invent devices nor to make an impression, but "who is able to judge this weighty people of Yours?" And therefore I ask of You that You give me a solution to this question. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: I will give you wisdom in the morning.
And it came to pass in the morning, he gathered all the Sanhedrin and said: Bring before me the man with two heads. He said to them: See, if this head knows what I do to that one, he is one; and if not, they are two. Shlomo said: Bring hot water and old wine and garments of fine linen. They brought them and placed them over his face, and he threw hot water and old wine upon him (I do not know what the old wine adds; seemingly the hot water alone would have sufficed). Immediately he cried out: My lord the king, we are dying, we are dying, we are one and not two, and we will no longer say to you that we are two. What is this "we are dying"? They poured the water upon one head, so why does the other also cry out? A sign that they are both one. When Israel saw the king's judgment, they were astonished and trembled and all feared him, and therefore it is said, "And he was wiser than all men." This incident is alluded to briefly in Tosafot in tractate Menachot, page 37a, in the passage beginning "o kum geli."
From this incident they derived a parable for the whole of Israel: When do we know that the people of Israel is one entity? After all, it has many heads and many people. Rather, if one strikes a Jew here and a Jew at the other end of the world cries out, it is a sign that they are one. But if one strikes a Jew here and the one on the other side does not care ("not my family, I do not know him"), that is a sign, God forbid, that we have turned into several bodies. And when we see Jews from all over the world rallying when there is war here or a difficult situation, it is a sign that we are still "sons of one man are we."
In Sefer Asarah Ma'amarot by the Rama of Fano, in the Ma'amar Em Kol Chai, part three, section nine, a midrash is cited that I have not seen anywhere else. It is written in the aggadah that the very ring on which the Ineffable Name was engraved, Shlomo was enticed and gave it to Ashmedai, and Ashmedai cast it into the Great Sea. In the Gemara it is written that a fish swallowed it, and it is possible that it swallowed it, brought it out, and then cast it into the sea; or that "swallowed it" means it hid and concealed it, as in the expression "they shall not come to see when the holy is covered." The Holy One, blessed be He, summoned a fish and it swallowed the ring. And for three years Shlomo was cast about in his poverty, because he had transgressed three prohibitions: he shall not accumulate many wives, he shall not accumulate many horses, and he shall not accumulate much silver and gold, and he stumbled in all of them. His mind became deranged with the loss of the ring, that is to say, that wisdom of Shlomo was taken from him and he became like any ordinary person, what the chassidim call "mochin d'katnut."
Until the Holy One, blessed be He, had mercy upon him. Shlomo came before the king of Bnei Ammon and became his cupbearer, what a fall from a lofty height to a deep pit. Naamah, the king's daughter, saw him and desired him and wished to marry him, and she wanted no one else. When her father saw that his daughter was bringing terrible disgrace upon him, he took the two of them and threw them into the wilderness, that they would die a natural death and "let my hand not be upon them." What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brought them to the seashore, and that fish fell to their lot, they caught a fish and found the ring inside it. And measure for measure, through Naamah Shlomo received his consolation, for she gave him the ring upon splitting open the fish, and his spirit revived and "his understanding returned to him" (the expression said of Nevuchadnetzar when his mind returned to him). And there is no doubt that Shlomo did not let slip a great mitzvah that came to his hand, and as soon as he recovered he converted her. Yet the two of them were still utterly destitute. And Naamah merited more than Ruth, for she was called simply "the king's mother," Naamah is the mother of the Mashiach according to our Sages, and her name attests to the pleasantness (noam) of Hashem our God, just as Ruth was named after the fact that David came from her, who "quenched" (rivah) the Holy One, blessed be He, with songs and praises. She is that same Naamah of whom it is said that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not destroy Lot in Sedom, for He said: I still have two doves to bring forth from him, one Ruth the Moabite and the other Naamah the Ammonite, whom Shlomo married and who bore him Rechavam.
וַיִּשְׁלַח חִירָם מֶלֶךְ־צוֹר אֶת־עֲבָדָיו אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה כִּי שָׁמַע כִּי אֹתוֹ מָשְׁחוּ לְמֶלֶךְ תַּחַת אָבִיהוּ כִּי אֹהֵב הָיָה חִירָם לְדָוִד כׇּל־הַיָּמִים׃ - And Chiram king of Tzor sent his servants to Shlomo, for he had heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Chiram had always loved David.
Chiram sends his servants to Shlomo, because he heard that he had been anointed king in place of his father David, for Chiram had loved him always. That is to say, the relationship between Chiram and Shlomo is not a new relationship, but a continuation of the old relationship he had with David. The Malbim here notes a change in language: regarding David it is written that Chiram sent "messengers" to David along with cedar trees and woodworkers, experts in cutting timber; and here it is written "his servants." "Messengers" means a high-level delegation, "his servants" ordinary people. And why did he send messengers to David but servants to Shlomo? On this the verse continues: "for they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Chiram had always loved David." When a person comes to forge diplomatic ties he does not send a junior official, but out of respect for the state sends the foreign minister and important people. With David, when the relationship was being freshly woven, Chiram sent messengers; but with Shlomo this is merely a continuation of those same ties, and there is no need to weave new ties, and therefore it was enough to send servants to inquire after his welfare and to bless him. And in essence he sends to tell him: the old covenant that existed between me and your father David, as far as I am concerned it continues with you as well.
אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֶת־דָּוִד אָבִי כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לְשֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָיו מִפְּנֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה אֲשֶׁר סְבָבֻהוּ עַד תֵּת־יְהֹוָה אֹתָם תַּחַת כַּפּוֹת רַגְלָי׃ - You know David my father, that he could not build a house for the name of Hashem his God because of the wars that surrounded him, until Hashem placed them under the soles of my feet.
Shlomo sends his request by the hand of those same servants who came to him. The Malbim says there are three intentions here. The first: David my father could not build the Beit HaMikdash, for building the House requires tranquility and quiet; one cannot build a Beit HaMikdash when you are constantly engaged in wars and struggles against enemies. The second: the Torah commanded that the Beit HaMikdash be built only after they appointed a king and cut off the seed of Amalek, and then the Chosen House would be built, "and it shall be when Hashem your God gives you rest from all your enemies around." The Chosen House comes at the end, and with David the stage of Hashem granting him rest from all his enemies had not yet arrived.
In the written text it is written "raglo" (his foot) and in the read text "raglai" (my feet). The Radak says: "raglo" refers back to David my father, that although he had wars, Hashem placed his enemies under his foot, he fought but prevailed over them. And "raglai" means that I already have no wars at all and no struggles; after my father's foot had wiped them out, I no longer need to fight.
And here is the third and wondrous point. Of David it is said that he could not build the Beit HaMikdash "for you have shed much blood." And what does Shlomo argue to Chiram? The essential purpose of building the Beit HaMikdash is for the sake of Hashem. If one builds a Beit HaMikdash not for the sake of Hashem, it is not a Beit HaMikdash, perhaps not even a synagogue. The Beit HaMikdash must be purely for the sake of Hashem. And note how many times this recurs in the verses: "to build a house for the name of Hashem his God," "and behold I intend to build a house for the name of Hashem my God," "he shall build the House for My name," and likewise there, when David wanted to build, the matter of "for My name" is mentioned many times. The Beit HaMikdash must be built purely for its own sake with the full force of intention, and had any personal, private accompanying intention been mixed into it, it could not have been built.
Through the Beit HaMikdash we are assured that enemies will not prevail over us, and we are assured of economic abundance, the source of abundance in the world is through the people of Israel and through the Beit HaMikdash, and the source of prayers is the Beit HaMikdash; everything comes from the place of the Mikdash. And therefore Shlomo says: if David my father had built the House, since he had wars on every side, it is quite possible that in some most subtle, imperceptible way an additional intention might have crept into his heart, that he would have quiet from the enemies, that the wars would cease; and it is possible that an intention might also have crept in that through this economic abundance would come, so that there would not be years of famine as there were in his days.
וְעַתָּה הֵנִיחַ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי לִי מִסָּבִיב אֵין שָׂטָן וְאֵין פֶּגַע רָע׃ - And now Hashem my God has given me rest all around, there is no adversary and no evil occurrence.
This is what Shlomo means: now Hashem has given me rest all around, there is no adversary and no evil mishap. Even without the Beit HaMikdash I have no adversaries, no enemies, and no kings against whom I must wage war, and the economic situation in my time was the best that the nation of Israel had ever known in any era. Therefore I am able to build a house purely for the sake of Hashem, without any ulterior motive at all. But in David's time, for him to build it purely for the sake of Hashem without any additional motive, even the most minute, would have been very difficult. Inevitably, the Malbim writes, his own benefit would also have entered his heart, to find rest from his enemies. "Adversary" refers to the nations close to us who stood against him for harm (not the Angel of Death), and "evil mishap" refers to enemies coming from afar to strike at him.
וְהִנְנִי אֹמֵר לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לְשֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָי כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה אֶל־דָּוִד אָבִי לֵאמֹר בִּנְךָ אֲשֶׁר אֶתֵּן תַּחְתֶּיךָ עַל־כִּסְאֶךָ הוּא־יִבְנֶה הַבַּיִת לִשְׁמִי׃ - And behold, I intend to build a house for the name of Hashem my God, as Hashem spoke to David my father, saying: your son whom I will set upon your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.
Shlomo says to him: see, Hashem said precisely to my father David that your son, when he has quiet from his enemies, he will build the house for My name. He will be able to build the house purely for the sake of Hashem, which is the essential purpose and destiny of the house. And since the time had come, the request follows.
וְעַתָּה צַוֵּה וְיִכְרְתוּ־לִי אֲרָזִים מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן וַעֲבָדַי יִהְיוּ עִם־עֲבָדֶיךָ וּשְׂכַר עֲבָדֶיךָ אֶתֵּן לְךָ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמֵר כִּי אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ כִּי אֵין בָּנוּ אִישׁ יֹדֵעַ לִכְרׇת־עֵצִים כַּצִּדֹנִים׃ - And now command that they cut cedars for me from the Levanon, and my servants will be with your servants, and I will give you the wages of your servants according to all that you say, for you know that there is none among us who knows how to cut timber like the Tzidonim.
After all this introduction, that he wishes to build a most special house that will be entirely purely for the sake of Hashem, comes a small request: that he grant permission for the craftsmen and woodcutters in his kingdom to work with him in the Levanon, not in his own Levanon but in that portion that lies within the border of Eretz Yisrael, to help his servants cut cedars, for Chiram's people were the great experts in cutting cedars. It turns out that he did not ask him for wood at all, only for experts to help his own experts, and not from his portion but from Shlomo's portion. A small request: send your experts.
וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ חִירָם אֶת־דִּבְרֵי שְׁלֹמֹה וַיִּשְׂמַח מְאֹד וַיֹּאמֶר בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לְדָוִד בֵּן חָכָם עַל־הָעָם הָרָב הַזֶּה׃ - And it was, when Chiram heard the words of Shlomo, that he rejoiced greatly and said: Blessed is Hashem this day, who has given David a wise son over this great people.
What great wisdom did he see here that made him so glad? The Malbim says: Chiram understood from Shlomo's words that in his heart he wanted more than he expressed with his lips, that not only would he send him craftsmen, but he would also supply him with the wood of the Levanon in Tzor, which was finer than the forest of the Levanon in the portion within Eretz Yisrael. This is "when Chiram heard the words of Shlomo," that he grasped the depth of the matter and understood between the lines. And what did he rejoice over? "Who has given David a wise son," for this is great wisdom: when a person wishes to request something from his fellow, he does not at first ask for a great thing but for a small thing, and then he sees the willingness of the other side, and the other side gives graciously. But one who comes to ask immediately for a great thing, perhaps he will not even give him the small thing.
וַיִּשְׁלַח חִירָם אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה לֵאמֹר שָׁמַעְתִּי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַחְתָּ אֵלָי אֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת־כׇּל־חֶפְצְךָ בַּעֲצֵי אֲרָזִים וּבַעֲצֵי בְרוֹשִׁים׃ - And Chiram sent to Shlomo, saying: I have heard what you sent to me; I will do all your desire regarding cedar wood and cypress wood.
Without the Malbim's explanation, what does "I have heard what you sent to me" mean? Surely it is obvious that if he sent, he heard. Rather the meaning is: I have grasped between the lines what you wished to say to me. Explicitly you asked only for craftsmen to cut in your area, but I understand that your main desire is to receive from the wood that I have, which is the finest wood. Therefore "I will do all your desire," I will fulfill all your desire, even what you did not express with your lips, even something that is merely a desire of the heart, that I will give you cedar wood from the Levanon in Tzor.
עֲבָדַי יֹרִדוּ מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן יָמָּה וַאֲנִי אֲשִׂימֵם דֹּבְרוֹת בַּיָּם עַד־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־תִּשְׁלַח אֵלַי וְנִפַּצְתִּים שָׁם וְאַתָּה תִשָּׂא וְאַתָּה תַּעֲשֶׂה אֶת־חֶפְצִי לָתֵת לֶחֶם בֵּיתִי׃ - My servants will bring them down from the Levanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts on the sea to the place that you send to me, and I will break them apart there, and you will carry them, and you will do my desire, to provide food for my household.
Here he establishes with him the order of the work. The first part, cutting the trees and bringing them down to the sea, his servants will do. "And I will make them into rafts on the sea": this is how they transported wood, and in Europe the timber trade was highly developed by this method: they take a large quantity of trees, tie them to one another, float them on the river, and drag them with ropes. Trees weighing tens of tons, which cannot be loaded onto ships, are floated and dragged; this is the easiest way, and these are the rafts, the "dovrot." "To the place that you send to me," to the place where you wish us to unload. "And I will break them apart there," to break apart (lenapetz) means to separate a joined thing, a whole into parts, in the way that wool is carded (menaptzim) with a comb and separated into strands; and from the same root comes also the expression "to explode" (lefotzetz).
"And you shall carry them" - from the place where I bring the timber down, from there onward it is already your work, not my servants'. And this is no simple matter: if it comes ashore at the port of Yafo, it must be hauled from there up to Yerushalayim by wagons, for they had no harbor near Yerushalayim (as indeed there is none even today). "And you shall do my desire in giving food for my household" - the workers need a supply of food, and so does the king himself; this is the payment that you will give me.
וּשְׁלֹמֹה נָתַן לְחִירָם עֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף כֹּר חִטִּים מַכֹּלֶת לְבֵיתוֹ וְעֶשְׂרִים כֹּר שֶׁמֶן כָּתִית כֹּה־יִתֵּן שְׁלֹמֹה לְחִירָם שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה׃ - And Shlomo gave Chiram twenty thousand kor of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kor of beaten oil; thus Shlomo would give to Chiram year by year.
Chiram indeed gave Shlomo cedar wood and cypress wood, all that he desired, and Shlomo kept the agreement and gave him food for his household. "Macholes," say the commentators, is like "maacholes," from the root of eating, with the aleph dropped - and from this comes our word "makoles," a place where food is sold. He gave him wheat for his household's eating, and likewise oil - "beaten oil," meaning pure oil. "Thus Shlomo would give to Chiram year by year" - this was his commitment over the years.
וַיהֹוָה נָתַן חׇכְמָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר־לוֹ וַיְהִי שָׁלֹם בֵּין חִירָם וּבֵין שְׁלֹמֹה וַיִּכְרְתוּ בְרִית שְׁנֵיהֶם׃ - And Hashem gave wisdom to Shlomo as He had spoken to him, and there was peace between Chiram and Shlomo, and the two of them made a covenant.
"And Hashem gave wisdom to Shlomo as He had spoken to him" - as we will see further on, in the very building of the Beis HaMikdash, which we will deal with in the coming chapters, Shlomo's great wisdom is evident, the extensive planning and the intelligence he invested, both in building his own house and in building the Beis HaMikdash. And likewise later, the Queen of Sheva comes and is astonished at his tremendous wisdom.
And the commentators ask: Shlomo had peace with the rest of his enemies as well; what was special about the peace between him and Chiram? Rather, the peace with all his enemies was out of fear: Shlomo was a mighty king, he had a large army and many horses - in today's terms, the most tanks - and so everyone feared him. But the peace with Chiram was on account of his great wisdom, for Chiram was astonished at Shlomo's great wisdom and uniqueness. This is a different kind of peace, a truer and stronger peace, for peace that stems from fear will vanish when the fear vanishes; but peace that stems from mutual esteem is a true peace. And through this "the two of them made a covenant": the covenant from the days of his father had been a covenant between Chiram and David, and now they make an additional covenant out of their own friendship.
The holy Zohar says on "and there was peace between Chiram and Shlomo": what has one to do with the other? What is the connection between Shlomo and Chiram - one is the holy of holies and the other, may Hashem have mercy? Rather, thus we have learned: "And Hashem gave wisdom to Shlomo," and in what was the wisdom measured? Said Rabbi Yosi, in that Shlomo brought Chiram down from that level on which he was. For concerning Chiram it is said in Yechezkel 28, "I have sat in the seat of a god," and the Baraisa says that Chiram king of Tzor made himself into a god: he set up pillars in the sea and upon them mighty platforms of glass, and built story upon story, and sat above and said, "I have sat in the seat of a god." And after Shlomo in his wisdom brought him down from that scheme, meaning he cured him of his madness, Chiram acknowledged Shlomo, and therefore it is written "and there was peace between Chiram and Shlomo." And how did he do this? Said Rabbi Yitzchak in the name of Rabbi Yehuda: he would send him a certain demon, and it would take him down through the seven levels of Gehinnom and bring him up, and would send him notes every single day - for who could speak with him, seated up there on the seventh story and unreachable? So he sent him a demon, and the demon would bring him Shlomo's notes, day by day, until in the end Chiram acknowledged Shlomo. This is a true peace: Chiram saw in him a true and close friend, who cured him of his madness and of his seeing himself as a god, and restored him to sanity.
וַיַּעַל הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מַס מִכׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְהִי הַמַּס שְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף אִישׁ׃ - And King Shlomo raised a levy out of all Yisrael, and the levy was thirty thousand men.
In the previous chapters we spoke of the tax that they would bring up to Shlomo, which included provision for those at his table and his household - a very great and considerable expense. Beyond that, in order to build the Beis HaMikdash and Shlomo's own house, workers were needed, and for this purpose they raised a levy out of all Yisrael. "Mas" here means conscription: there is a mas that is a payment, and there is a mas that is an obligation to come and serve in person. And the levy was thirty thousand men. For even though the work of felling the trees in the Levanon was done by Chiram's men, still the smaller trees within the border of Yisrael, as well as bringing the timber up from the place where it was felled to the place of building and all the operations required for it - all these require many men. And therefore thirty thousand men, whose main occupation was with the smaller trees, for to carry the timber there were additional porters besides them, as we will see shortly.
וַיִּשְׁלָחֵם לְבָנוֹנָה עֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים בַּחֹדֶשׁ חֲלִיפוֹת חֹדֶשׁ יִהְיוּ בַלְּבָנוֹן שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים בְּבֵיתוֹ וַאֲדֹנִירָם עַל־הַמַּס׃ - And he sent them to the Levanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: a month they would be in the Levanon and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the levy.
Shlomo divided them: thirty thousand men, ten thousand each month. In Tishrei the first group, with twenty thousand remaining at home; in Cheshvan the second group, with twenty thousand at home; in Kislev the third group, and the first return to their homes, and so on. It turns out that each group of ten thousand spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. All this so that they would not be cut off from their homes for too long, for a man cut off from his home, from his wife and children, finds it naturally difficult. Therefore the service that took them away from home was no more than thirty days. The one appointed over the levy was Adoniram; apparently he was very successful, for we see him appointed over the levy for a very long period, a very trustworthy man with whom there were no problems.
וַיְהִי לִשְׁלֹמֹה שִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף נֹשֵׂא סַבָּל וּשְׁמֹנִים אֶלֶף חֹצֵב בָּהָר׃ - And Shlomo had seventy thousand who bore burdens and eighty thousand who hewed in the mountain.
Besides those thirty thousand, he had another seventy thousand burden bearers and eighty thousand hewers in the mountain, one hundred and fifty thousand in all. And who were they? Rashi says in the name of Chazal: they were all gerim gerurim, drawn-along converts, who converted because of Shlomo's greatness and his table. And so it is written in Divrei HaYamim: "And Shlomo counted all the converts... and he found them one hundred and fifty thousand, and he made of them seventy thousand burden bearers and eighty thousand hewers in the mountain."
From here we see Shlomo's greatness: even though very difficult tasks had to be done, he made an effort not to impose them on his brethren, the children of Israel, but on those converts. Now, one must be very careful regarding the honor of a convert, but we must remember that in Shlomo's days they did not accept converts, for anyone who came to convert in his time came for the "welfare package": not because he truly believed in the service of Hashem, but because there was enormous economic abundance here. That is why the Gemara calls them "gerim gerurim": we did not convert them, rather they attached themselves to us and were drawn along after us. And in order to tell them that whoever truly wishes to draw close to us must sacrifice, what was the sacrifice? That he be willing to come and work on the building of the Beit HaMikdash. Therefore seventy thousand burden bearers and eighty thousand hewers in the mountain, which are very difficult physical labors.
לְבַד מִשָּׂרֵי הַנִּצָּבִים לִשְׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַמְּלָאכָה שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת הָרֹדִים בָּעָם הָעֹשִׂים בַּמְּלָאכָה׃ - Besides Shlomo's chief officers who were over the work, three thousand three hundred, who ruled over the people who did the work.
Besides them there were the chief officers appointed over them, three thousand three hundred, what we would today call work supervisors; for the work to proceed properly, chief officers are needed. "Nitzav" is like "the woman who stands (hanitzevet) with you," a person who stands. And the Malbim distinguishes: an "omed" is one who rose and stood, while a "nitzav" is one who firmly established himself in his standing, what we would call taking a stand, standing in a stable manner. And this was their role: to strike the heads of the rest of the men so that they would not slacken in their work.
וַיְצַו הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיַּסִּעוּ אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת אֲבָנִים יְקָרוֹת לְיַסֵּד הַבָּיִת אַבְנֵי גָזִית׃ - And the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, precious stones, to lay the foundation of the House, hewn stones.
What is the difference between "large" and "precious"? "Yakar" at its root means heavy, as in "yakar libba d'Pharaoh" - Pharaoh's heart was heavy. And the concept characterizes several matters: heavy in weight, and heavy in the sense of honor (kavod and kaved are from the same root, and likewise yakar of weight and yakar of honor). "Precious stones" means the most honored stones, that is, rare ones. So here both qualities were present: large, and also precious in their quality. Like a person who goes to buy marble, and they tell him: this is 500 shekels a meter and this is 2,000 shekels a meter, what is the difference? The precious marble is rare, it has a uniqueness, a certain luster, a certain distinction. One can get Chevron marble at a tenth of the price, and one can get the most luxurious marble and pay many times over. And Shlomo took both the large ones and the most precious and special ones.
"Avnei gazit" - from the word to shear; dressed stones are called avnei gazit, stones that were hewn and shorn. Rashi asks: but it is said "no hammer or axe was heard in the House while it was being built"? Rather, indeed within the House it was not heard, but outside the House they dressed the stones and brought them in. And by way of derash Chazal expound that the shamir worm was what cut the stones with precision, and there was no need to dress them at all. But according to the plain meaning, they dressed the stones on site, and when they brought them they brought them already complete and ready for building.
וַיִּפְסְלוּ בֹּנֵי שְׁלֹמֹה וּבֹנֵי חִירוֹם וְהַגִּבְלִים וַיָּכִינוּ הָעֵצִים וְהָאֲבָנִים לִבְנוֹת הַבָּיִת׃ - And Shlomo's builders and Chiram's builders and the Givlim hewed them, and they prepared the timber and the stones to build the House.
Notice: sometimes it is written "Chiram" and sometimes "Chirom." This is the same person, but when a person is called by two names - sometimes he was called this and sometimes that - Scripture writes both names, because both were truly his name, and some called him by one name and some by the other. And who are the "Givlim"? Rashi cites among the commentators one explanation, that Geval is a nation, as we say "Geval and Ammon." And there is another pasuk: "the elders of Geval and its wise men were within you, repairing your breaches" - "repairing your breaches" means the renovators, those who maintain the upkeep of the house. From this you learn that the people of Geval were experts in this work and in building, and therefore they brought the Givlim, people of that nation, to build.
The chapter opens with the peak of Shlomo's greatness - wisdom that all the nations and kings come to hear, peace and abundance from Dan to Be'er Sheva - and immediately Chazal remind us of the other side of the coin: "let not the wise man boast of his wisdom," for the letter yud that he nullified brought him down from his throne for three years, until he admitted "there is nothing in the world like humility and lowliness of spirit." Against this backdrop comes his request from Chiram, which contains a great principle: the Beit HaMikdash must be built purely for the sake of Hashem, without any accompanying intention even the slightest bit, and therefore specifically Shlomo, who has no adversary and no evil affliction, is fit to build it. His wisdom is revealed also in the manner of the request - to ask for little and receive much - and in the peace he made with Chiram, a peace of esteem and not of fear. And from here on the preparations are arranged: a levy from Israel in a rotation that leaves the men close to their homes, one hundred and fifty thousand converts in the hard labors, great and precious stones and hewn stones - all so that we may enter in the coming chapters into the building of the house itself.
Immediately after the nullification and the return to kingship, when Shlomo received the ring from the hand of Na'amah, he did not miss the great mitzvah that came his way and converted her - that same Na'amah who is the mother of Mashiach according to our Sages, and whose name testifies to the pleasantness (no'am) of Hashem our God. And from that combination of wisdom, humility, and pure intention for the sake of Hashem, the Beit HaMikdash was built.