Introduction: A Chapter of Changing Kings
Chapter 15 of Melachim B is a chapter of rapid transitions. It opens with Azaryah son of Amatzyah, king of Yehudah, who is the Uziyahu familiar to us, and it moves back and forth between the kingdom of Yehudah and the kingdom of Yisrael. In the kingdom of Yisrael we see a chain of conspiracies and murders: Zecharyah, Shalum son of Yavesh, Menachem son of Gadi, Pekachyah and Pekach, kings almost all of whom ascended their throne in blood and descended from it in blood. At the end of the chapter we are exposed for the first time to the first exile of the tribes of Yisrael at the hands of the king of Ashur. We will go through the verses in order.
Azaryah is Uziyahu: The Beginning of His Reign
בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וָשֶׁבַע שָׁנָה לְיָרָבְעָם מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל מָלַךְ עֲזַרְיָה בֶן־אֲמַצְיָה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה׃ - In the twenty seventh year of Yaravam king of Yisrael, Azaryah son of Amatzyah, king of Yehudah, began to reign.
We have already seen that there was another king named Yaravam, apart from Yaravam son of Nevat, and he reigned over Yisrael. At that same time, over the kingdom of Yehudah, reigned Azaryah son of Amatzyah, and as we explained, this is Uziyahu, the king familiar to us by that name.
בֶּן־שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה הָיָה בְמָלְכוֹ וַחֲמִשִּׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ יְכָלְיָהוּ מִירוּשָׁלִָם׃ - He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty two years in Yerushalayim, and his mother's name was Yecholyahu of Yerushalayim.
He began to reign at the age of sixteen, and of those years fifteen he reigned during his father's lifetime. For as we noted in the previous chapter, his father Amatzyahu fled from Yerushalayim to Beit Shemesh and to Lachish, and as a result his son took hold of the kingship while his father was still alive.
וַיַּעַשׂ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה אֲמַצְיָהוּ אָבִיו׃ רַק הַבָּמוֹת לֹא־סָרוּ עוֹד הָעָם מְזַבְּחִים וּמְקַטְּרִים בַּבָּמוֹת׃ - And he did what was right in the eyes of Hashem, according to all that Amatzyahu his father had done. Only the high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
The high places were very hard to uproot, because the people would sacrifice and burn incense on them for the sake of Hashem. To sacrifice on a high place means to offer vows and freewill offerings in one's courtyard, near one's house. By contrast, whoever refrained from the high place was required to bring his vows and freewill offerings all the way to the Mishkan in Nov and Shiloh, and in the period after the building of the Beit HaMikdash, to go up all the way to Yerushalayim. This is a great and difficult undertaking, and in order to spare themselves the trouble they continued to sacrifice and burn incense on the high places, even though this carried a prohibition of karet.
And Hashem Struck the King: What Is Omitted Here and Spelled Out in Divrei HaYamim
וַיְנַגַּע יְהֹוָה אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיְהִי מְצֹרָע עַד־יוֹם מֹתוֹ וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּבֵית הַחָפְשִׁית וְיוֹתָם בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־הַבַּיִת שֹׁפֵט אֶת־עַם הָאָרֶץ׃ - And Hashem struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death, and he dwelt in a separate house, and Yotam the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land.
The verse does not reveal why Hashem struck Uziyahu, especially since he was seemingly a righteous king for whom there is no reason to be struck. But as we have said, there are matters that come here briefly and are spelled out at length in Divrei HaYamim. In Divrei HaYamim B chapter 26 it is told that all the people of Yehudah took Uziyahu, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amatzyahu, and he built Eilot and restored it to Yehudah after the king slept with his fathers, that is, after his father's passing he returned Eilot to Yehudah even though it had been conquered in the past.
It is further stated there: "וַיְהִי לִדְרֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים בִּימֵי זְכַרְיָהוּ הַמֵּבִין בִּרְאֹת הָאֱלֹהִים, וּבִימֵי דָּרְשׁוֹ אֶת ה' הִצְלִיחוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים" - "And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the vision of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper." Uzziah sought God, something that was not at all simple in that period or among those kings, and as long as he sought the Lord he saw blessing and success in his deeds.
The Greatness of Uzziah
Uzziah went out and warred against the Philistines, breaking down the wall of Gath, the wall of Yavneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities in Ashdod and among the Philistines. Gath and Ashdod were quintessentially Philistine cities, and even so he managed to break through their walls and build cities for Israel within their districts. "וַיַּעְזְרֵהוּ הָאֱלֹהִים עַל פְּלִשְׁתִּים וְעַל הָעַרְבִים הַיּוֹשְׁבִים בְּגוּר בָּעַל וְהַמְּעוּנִים" - "And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs who dwelt in Gur Baal, and the Meunim." The Ammonites gave him tribute, since he already held sway over the surrounding nations. "וַיֵּלֶךְ שְׁמוֹ עַד לְבוֹא מִצְרַיִם כִּי הֶחֱזִיק עַד לְמָעְלָה" - "And his name spread as far as the approach to Egypt, for he grew exceedingly strong," until Egypt felt the influence of this great kingdom.
Uzziah also built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the Angle, and he fortified them. These were gates in the wall of Jerusalem, and "miktzoa" means a corner, an angle, and he strengthened the city's walls. He likewise built towers in the wilderness and hewed out many cisterns for his abundant cattle, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, "כִּי אֹהֵב אֲדָמָה הָיָה" - "for he loved the soil." Our Sages say: two men loved the soil and it did not turn out well for them, one was Uzziah and the other was Cain, who was a man of the soil.
It is further stated there that Uzziah had an army that made war, going out to battle in companies, according to the number of their muster by the hand of Yeiel the scribe and Maaseiahu the officer, under the direction of Chananyahu, one of the king's captains. The number of the heads of fathers' houses, the mighty men of valor, was 2,600, and these were company commanders alone, and under their command was an army force of 307,500 who made war with mighty power to help the king against the enemy. And Uzziah prepared for the entire army shields and spears and helmets and coats of mail and bows and slingstones.
"וַיַּעַשׂ בִּירוּשָׁלִַם חִשְּׁבֹנוֹת מַחֲשֶׁבֶת חוֹשֵׁב לִהְיוֹת עַל הַמִּגְדָּלִים וְעַל הַפִּנּוֹת לִירוֹא בַּחִצִּים וּבָאֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת" - "And he made in Jerusalem devices, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and on the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones." The Malbim explains that he invented a technology innovative for its time: devices for shooting ballista stones from atop the towers, a kind of special cannon that would fire at those coming to conquer the wall. This is the meaning of "devices, invented by skillful men," the craft of a special mechanics to build shooting devices with which to bombard the enemies coming against Jerusalem. "וַיֵּצֵא שְׁמוֹ עַד לְמֵרָחוֹק כִּי הִפְלִיא לְהֵעָזֵר עַד כִּי חָזָק" - "And his name spread far abroad, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong." He achieved wondrous things and was marvelously helped through stratagems, until the nations feared to fight him, seeing how much wisdom and stratagems he possessed beyond the other nations and kingdoms.
But When He Grew Strong His Heart Was Lifted Up: The Point of the Downfall
From here the downfall begins: "וּכְחֶזְקָתוֹ גָּבַהּ לִבּוֹ עַד לְהַשְׁחִית וַיִּמְעַל בַּה' אֱלֹהָיו וַיָּבֹא אֶל הֵיכַל ה' לְהַקְטִיר עַל מִזְבַּח הַקְּטֹרֶת" - "But when he grew strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, and he trespassed against the Lord his God, and he entered the Temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense." Because he felt himself so strong, his heart was lifted up, and from that pride of heart came a terrible corruption, until he entered the Sanctuary to burn incense as though he were a priest.
And what brought him to this? The political leadership was in the king's hands, but the religious leadership was in the hands of the priests and of the High Priest in particular, for "the lips of a priest guard knowledge, and they seek Torah from his mouth," the priests were the ones appointed to transmit the Torah. The king did not want to be subordinate to the priests; he cannot determine what is to be done in the religious leadership, but must ask the priest, "and you shall arise and go up to the place that the Lord will choose," and the Sanhedrin sits in the courtyard. Therefore he sought to perform an act by which he would seize authority over the priesthood as well, in order to be the sole arbiter in both politics and religion. And this is "his heart was lifted up to his destruction."
"וַיָּבֹא אַחֲרָיו עֲזַרְיָהוּ הַכֹּהֵן וְעִמּוֹ כֹּהֲנִים לַה' שְׁמוֹנִים בְּנֵי חָיִל. וַיַּעַמְדוּ עַל עֻזִּיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ: לֹא לְךָ עֻזִּיָּהוּ לְהַקְטִיר לַה' כִּי לַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַמְקֻדָּשִׁים לְהַקְטִיר, צֵא מִן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ כִּי מָעַלְתָּ וְלֹא לְךָ לְכָבוֹד מֵה' אֱלֹהִים" - "And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, men of valor. And they stood against Uzziah the king and said to him: It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the Sanctuary, for you have trespassed, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God." The Holy One, blessed be He, gave this honor to the priests, who are the sons of Aaron and who are consecrated, while you are a lay Israelite.
And what does "it will bring you no honor" mean? When a person enters a place where he is not meant to be, not only does he gain no honor from it, but it is an actual disgrace. Imagine a lowly man going to sit in the east, in the place where the great men of the generation sit, setting up a chair for himself and sitting there. As Solomon put it: better that they tell you "come up" than that they tell you "go down." When a person is in an inappropriate place, everyone looks and wonders what he is doing there, and he becomes confused, and this is a disgrace to him. And this is what they said to him: the Lord did not honor you with this honor, and you will gain no honor by performing an act that the Lord did not grant you.
The Leprosy Broke Out on His Forehead
"וַיִּזְעַף עֻזִּיָּהוּ וּבְיָדוֹ מִקְטֶרֶת לְהַקְטִיר, וּבְזַעְפּוֹ עִם הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַצָּרַעַת זָרְחָה בְמִצְחוֹ לִפְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּבֵית ה' מֵעַל לְמִזְבַּח הַקְּטֹרֶת". The moment he came to offer the incense, the tzaraat broke out on his forehead and shone before everyone, so that it would be clear to all that Heaven had ruled what Uziyahu's proper place was.
"וַיִּפֶן אֵלָיו עֲזַרְיָהוּ כֹהֵן הָרֹאשׁ וְכָל הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהִנֵּה הוּא מְצֹרָע בְּמִצְחוֹ וַיַּבְהִלוּהוּ מִשָּׁם וְגַם הוּא נִדְחַף לָצֵאת כִּי נִגְּעוֹ ה'". A metzora conveys impurity merely by entering, and he is forbidden to come into the Mikdash, so they rushed him out from there. And even though no kohen had yet examined the affliction or declared him impure, nonetheless once there are signs of tzaraat he is immediately rushed and taken outside. He too rushed to leave, that is, he understood that his situation was very grave.
"וַיְהִי עֻזִּיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ מְצֹרָע עַד יוֹם מוֹתוֹ וַיֵּשֶׁב בֵּית הַחָפְשִׁית מְצֹרָע כִּי נִגְזַר מִבֵּית ה', וְיוֹתָם בְּנוֹ עַל בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ שׁוֹפֵט אֶת עַם הָאָרֶץ". What is "beit hachofshit"? Chazal say that he went to the cemetery and built himself a house there and dwelt there. For a metzora is sent outside all three camps, and it was impossible to leave him either in his palace or in Yerushalayim at all, so he went to the cemetery and built himself a house there, alluding to "among the dead, free" (bametim chofshi). And "nigzar mibeit Hashem" is from the language of cutting and severing, that his kingship was cut off from the moment he entered the House of Hashem.
And it is further stated there: "וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי עֻזִּיָּהוּ הָרִאשֹׁנִים וְהָאַחֲרֹנִים כָּתַב יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן אָמוֹץ הַנָּבִיא. וַיִּשְׁכַּב עֻזִּיָּהוּ עִם אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ עִם אֲבֹתָיו בִּשְׂדֵה הַקְּבוּרָה אֲשֶׁר לַמְּלָכִים כִּי אָמְרוּ מְצוֹרָע הוּא, וַיִּמְלֹךְ יוֹתָם בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו". They buried him in the burial field belonging to the kings but not in the tombs of the kings themselves, because they said he was a metzora.
The Arizal: Uziyahu is the reincarnation of Uzza
The Arizal says: Uziyahu the king is the reincarnation of Uzza. We all remember from the haftarah of Parashat Shemini, that when David HaMelech brought up the Aron, Uzza saw that the Aron was tilting to fall, and so he rose and steadied it, and Hashem broke out against him and struck him dead there "al hashal," a term denoting error, for he stretched out his hand to the Aron. And notice, says the Arizal, that the letters of Uzza and Uziyahu are almost identical. Uzza was reincarnated in order to repair what he had damaged, and just as then he drew near to a place that was not his and that he had no permission to approach, so now he came and damaged in that very same way once again.
The holy Ari adds: Uzza was a kohen. This explains what led Uziyahu to feel that he had a right to enter the Mikdash and offer incense, for that is the work of the kohanim. Rather, "even though he himself did not see, his mazal saw": his mazal saw and knew that in his origin he is a kohen, and therefore he felt a connection to offering the incense, except that he himself did not know. And on the contrary, precisely for this reason he should have been sevenfold careful, for then, when he was a kohen, he had touched the Aron, something forbidden even to a kohen. For the Aron carries its bearers, and what room is there to prop up Aharon if Aharon props up the one who lifts him. He should have been careful not to enter a place that was not his and not to reach the place of holiness to which he had no permission, and here he came and damaged there once again.
And this is a great principle: one sin drags along another, and often, when a person returns in a reincarnation, the way to know in what he failed in his previous reincarnation is by those matters that are difficult for him in the present reincarnation, those sins to which he is now drawn. And let him know that they have come to him in order to repair the previous reincarnation.
וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי עֲזַרְיָהוּ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה׃ וַיִּשְׁכַּב עֲזַרְיָה עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ עִם־אֲבֹתָיו בְּעִיר דָּוִד וַיִּמְלֹךְ יוֹתָם בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃ - And the rest of the deeds of Azaryahu, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yehudah? And Azaryah lay with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and Yotam his son reigned in his place.
Zecharyahu son of Yeravam: the fulfillment of the promise to Yehu
בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁמֹנֶה שָׁנָה לַעֲזַרְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מָלַךְ זְכַרְיָהוּ בֶן־יָרָבְעָם עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן שִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים׃ - In the thirty eighth year of Azaryahu king of Yehudah, Zecharyahu son of Yeravam reigned over Israel in Shomron for six months.
The verse moves from one to the other: after Yotam son of Azaryah, it moves to see what is happening in the kingdom of Israel, and there Zecharyahu son of Yeravam reigns for only six months, a brief reign. "וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֲבֹתָיו, לֹא סָר מֵחַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱטִיא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל".
וַיִּקְשֹׁר עָלָיו שַׁלֻּם בֶּן־יָבֵשׁ וַיַּכֵּהוּ קָבָל־עָם וַיְמִיתֵהוּ וַיִּמְלֹךְ תַּחְתָּיו׃ - Shalum son of Yavesh conspired against him and struck him down before the people and killed him, and he reigned in his place.
"Kaval am" means before the people, in front of the people. That is, he had no fear of him at all, and rose up and murdered him in front of everyone.
הוּא דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֶל־יֵהוּא לֵאמֹר בְּנֵי רְבִיעִים יֵשְׁבוּ לְךָ עַל־כִּסֵּא יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְהִי־כֵן׃ - This was the word of Hashem that He spoke to Yehu, saying: Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit for you upon the throne of Yisrael, and so it was.
The Holy One, blessed be He, promised Yehu, because he uprooted idolatry at the beginning of his reign, that his descendants to the fourth generation would sit for him on the throne of Yisrael, that he would merit to see four generations of kings descending from him. But since he later became wicked, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not retract a good promise, yet He is not obligated to grant the promise with the cherry and the whipped cream on top. Therefore the promise was fulfilled to the minimal degree: behold, both the grandson and the great grandson reigned, but what is a reign of six months worth? The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: When I promised you were righteous, and afterward you became wicked, and since you became wicked you are not worthy to receive it wholeheartedly, but only to fulfill the obligation of the promise, for from a good matter Hashem never retracts.
Shalum son of Yavesh: as you have done, so shall be done to you
שַׁלּוּם בֶּן־יָבֵישׁ מָלַךְ בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וָתֵשַׁע שָׁנָה לְעֻזִּיָּה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וַיִּמְלֹךְ יֶרַח־יָמִים בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן׃ וַיַּעַל מְנַחֵם בֶּן־גָּדִי מִתִּרְצָה וַיָּבֹא שֹׁמְרוֹן וַיַּךְ אֶת־שַׁלּוּם בֶּן־יָבֵישׁ בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן וַיְמִיתֵהוּ וַיִּמְלֹךְ תַּחְתָּיו׃ - Shalum son of Yavesh reigned in the thirty ninth year of Uziyah king of Yehudah, and he reigned a month of days in Shomron. And Menachem son of Gadi went up from Tirtzah and came to Shomron and struck Shalum son of Yavesh in Shomron and killed him, and he reigned in his place.
Shalum, who killed Zecharyah, reigned for a very brief period, only a month of days. "As you have drowned, so were you drowned, and in the end those who drowned you will be drowned." You rose up and murdered a king in order to reign, and after a month they did exactly the same thing to you.
The blow to Tifsach: three explanations
אָז יַכֶּה־מְנַחֵם אֶת־תִּפְסַח וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּהּ וְאֶת־גְּבוּלֶיהָ מִתִּרְצָה כִּי לֹא פָתַח וַיַּךְ אֵת כָּל־הֶהָרוֹתֶיהָ בִּקֵּעַ׃ - Then Menachem struck Tifsach and all that was in it and its borders from Tirtzah, because it did not open, and he struck it, and all its pregnant women he ripped open.
The verse is difficult to understand: who did not open and what did not open, and who are "its pregnant ones" and why did he rip them open. The first explanation is that of Rashi, and so too explain the Radak and the Ralbag: Tifsach was not in the land of Yisrael but across the river, in Aram. Thus it is written of Shlomo that he ruled over all the region across the river from Tifsach to Azah. It was on the border of the land of Yisrael, opposite Tirtzah: our Tirtzah and their Tifsach. Menachem came to fight against it and called out to it for peace, for if they would accept his reign they would pay him tribute, and he would not need to fight and kill and expend soldiers. But "it did not open": the inhabitants of Tifsach did not agree to open their gates, to accept him upon themselves as king and pay him tribute, and they opposed his terms.
Therefore he struck them all, and in a manner of vengeance and humiliation: when you make an offer and they refuse you and force you to act by force, a person comes with great anger, and when one comes in anger he does not necessarily act according to the Geneva Convention. And this is "and all its pregnant women he ripped open," that he even ripped open the bellies of the pregnant women, may Hashem have mercy, for this is a manner of vengeance and humiliation. The Ralbag follows the same line, except that he explains, and we have already seen such an expression, that "its pregnant ones" does not refer to the pregnant women but to the strong towers built in the mountains. They would build fortresses in the mountains, and these are the great fortresses that symbolize the might of the kingdom, and these too he split open.
The Malbim, as is his way, is original and explains differently. We have a halachah that when besieging a city one does not surround it from all four directions but leaves one opening open, so that those who wish to flee may flee. And the reason, says the Rambam, is that people who have nowhere to flee fight with desperate self sacrifice, and then even the weak can overcome nations stronger than themselves, for they have nothing to lose: I am going to die anyway, I will fight to my last breath. Therefore the Torah says that one who besieges a city besieges it from three directions and leaves the fourth direction open. For the goal is not to kill its inhabitants, this is not Amalek, but to conquer the city, and from the moment they flee the city is conquered, so why kill them all.
Menachem did not act this way. "For he did not open it" refers to him: he did not leave one side open so that they could flee, but rather besieged it like a leech from all sides, and therefore struck all its inhabitants. And not only that, but the verse reveals that in another matter as well he did not act according to the Torah's command: "and all its pregnant women he ripped open," for he split open the pregnant women. The Torah says that one may not kill women and children in battle, but only one who comes to fight against you, and if they do not come to fight but rather to be servants, they are taken as servants. There is no permission to come and kill nations for no reason, for a person is precious, having been created in the image of God, unless they are Amalekites, or those known to have caused much trouble, or for the sake of deterrence, or those who came to cause Israel to sin like the daughters of Midian and the like. But in ordinary situations there is no permission to kill women. And indeed the Torah says that one may not even destroy a tree, "for is the tree of the field a man that it should come before you in the siege" - is the tree of the field a man that you should fight against trees? All the more so one may not fight against women and children. And here, because the king was wicked, he did not act according to the Torah: he struck Tifsach without giving them the possibility to flee, and he also struck the women.
Menachem son of Gadi and the tribute of silver to Pul king of Ashur
בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וָתֵשַׁע שָׁנָה לַעֲזַרְיָה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מָלַךְ מְנַחֵם בֶּן־גָּדִי עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן׃ וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה לֹא סָר מֵעַל חַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט אֲשֶׁר־הֶחֱטִיא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל־יָמָיו׃ - In the thirty-ninth year of Azaryah king of Yehudah, Menachem son of Gadi reigned over Israel for ten years in Shomron. And he did what was evil in the eyes of Hashem; he did not turn away from the sins of Yeravam son of Nevat, who caused Israel to sin, all his days.
בָּא פוּל מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיִּתֵּן מְנַחֵם לְפוּל אֶלֶף כִּכַּר־כָּסֶף לִהְיוֹת יָדָיו אִתּוֹ לְהַחֲזִיק הַמַּמְלָכָה בְּיָדוֹ׃ - Pul king of Ashur came against the land, and Menachem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver so that his hands would be with him to strengthen the kingdom in his hand.
In his time, since he greatly increased his wickedness, the moment had already arrived when the Holy One, blessed be He, began to exact payment from the people of Israel. Pul king of Ashur comes against the land, and Menachem gives him a thousand talents of silver so that he would help him hold onto the kingdom, that is, to stand against those rebelling against him and against those threatening him.
וַיֹּצֵא מְנַחֵם אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל כָּל־גִּבּוֹרֵי הַחַיִל לָתֵת לְמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר חֲמִשִּׁים שְׁקָלִים כֶּסֶף לְאִישׁ אֶחָד וַיָּשָׁב מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וְלֹא־עָמַד שָׁם בָּאָרֶץ׃ - Menachem exacted the silver from Israel, from all the mighty men of valor, to give to the king of Ashur fifty shekels of silver for each man; and the king of Ashur turned back and did not remain there in the land.
Menachem saw to it that the silver was brought and given to the king of Ashur, fifty shekels of silver per man. And the verse reveals that the king of Ashur did not deliver the goods: "and the king of Ashur turned back and did not remain there in the land." For the payment was both so that he would not harm him and so that he would protect him, but instead of leaving an army to guard him, he took the silver and left. He apparently understood that what was brought was only a ransom for one's life, only to save yourself, but as for guarding you? For protection one pays more. Therefore he took the silver and left.
And upon whom was the tax imposed? Upon all the mighty men of valor. Each of Menachem's mighty men of valor was required to bring out fifty shekels of silver from his own money to give to the king of Ashur. And here we see that history repeats itself: there is economic difficulty, so another tax is imposed on the people. There was a problem, so the people will pay. And why specifically upon the men of valor? It seems very likely that he relied on them to know how to extract the money from the people, since they are men of valor.
וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי מְנַחֵם וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הֲלוֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ וַיִּשְׁכַּב מְנַחֵם עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּמְלֹךְ פְּקַחְיָה בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃ - And the rest of the acts of Menachem and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Menachem lay with his fathers, and Pekachyah his son reigned in his place.
Pekachyah son of Menachem and Pekach son of Remalyahu
בִּשְׁנַת חֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה לַעֲזַרְיָה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מָלַךְ פְּקַחְיָה בֶן־מְנַחֵם עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן שְׁנָתָיִם׃ וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה לֹא סָר מֵחַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱטִיא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - In the fiftieth year of Azaryah king of Yehudah, Pekachyah son of Menachem reigned over Israel in Shomron for two years. And he did what was evil in the eyes of Hashem; he did not turn away from the sins of Yeravam son of Nevat, who caused Israel to sin.
Notice, Azaryah reigned fifty-two years, and here we are already in the fiftieth year of his reign. And regarding Pekachyah son of Menachem, there was one who thought he was more clever (more "pikeach"), and that was Pekach son of Remalyahu.
וַיִּקְשֹׁר עָלָיו פֶּקַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ שָׁלִישׁוֹ וַיַּכֵּהוּ בְשֹׁמְרוֹן בְּאַרְמוֹן בֵּית־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־אַרְגֹּב וְאֶת־הָאַרְיֵה וְעִמּוֹ חֲמִשִּׁים אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי גִלְעָדִים וַיְמִתֵהוּ וַיִּמְלֹךְ תַּחְתָּיו׃ - And Pekach son of Remalyahu, his captain, conspired against him and struck him down in Shomron, in the palace of the king's house, together with Argov and the Aryeh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites, and he killed him and reigned in his place.
This pasuk too is unclear: what is Argov, who is the Aryeh, and "with him fifty men" - with whom, with the ones who struck or with the ones who were struck? Rashi explains: Pekach son of Remalyahu was his captain, that is, one of his warriors. "Et Argov": "et" here means "with," beside. Argov is a palatin, a splendid and important palace. That is, he struck him down in the hall beside the important palace. And "et the Aryeh": there was a golden lion standing in that place, and the verse marks the signs of the location for you: beside the palace, beside the golden lion, there he struck him down.
The Radak explains differently: there were two warriors who were with him, one called Argov and the second Aryeh, and the second was presumably given that name for his valor, being like a lion. Those two warriors also fell at the hands of Pekach son of Remalyahu, who struck down both Pekachyah and the two of them. The Ralbag explains that Argov was the name of the official appointed over the whole region of Argov, for the region of Argov appears in the Torah, and the other was called Aryeh for his valor, being like a lion. And according to the Ralbag, Pekach conspired together with the two of them against Pekachyahu son of Menachem, that is, they were partners in the rebellion and they went and struck. And this emerges according to the Radak as well, that these two warriors joined with Pekach son of Remalyahu to rebel and were among those who struck down Pekachyah son of Menachem.
The Malbim explains that Argov was the name of a warrior who stood in the king's palace, while "the Aryeh" is to be taken literally: an actual lion, which was there to frighten anyone who wished to enter without permission. And Pekach succeeded in striking them all down: the fifty Gileadites who were with Argov, the guard Argov himself, and the lion that was trained to tear apart anyone who entered. And the Malbim brings another explanation, that the fifty men were with Pekachyah son of Menachem and those he struck down. That is, there are two possibilities, either they were among those who struck or among those who were struck, for the pasuk gives no indication of this, and as we saw in the commentators one can explain it this way or that way.
Pekach son of Remalyahu: the beginning of the exile
בִּשְׁנַת חֲמִשִּׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה לַעֲזַרְיָה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מָלַךְ פֶּקַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה׃ וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה לֹא סָר מִן־חַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱטִיא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - In the fifty-second year of Azaryah king of Yehudah, Pekach son of Remalyahu became king over Israel in Shomron for twenty years. And he did what was evil in the eyes of Hashem; he did not depart from the sins of Yaravam son of Nevat, who caused Israel to sin.
Azaryah king of Yehudah, who is Uziyah, reigns in Yerushalayim, and at the same time Pekach son of Remalyahu reigns in Israel.
בִּימֵי פֶּקַח מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּא תִּגְלַת פִּלְאֶסֶר מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וַיִּקַּח אֶת־עִיּוֹן וְאֶת־אָבֵל בֵּית־מַעֲכָה וְאֶת־יָנוֹחַ וְאֶת־קֶדֶשׁ וְאֶת־חָצוֹר וְאֶת־הַגִּלְעָד וְאֶת־הַגָּלִילָה כֹּל אֶרֶץ נַפְתָּלִי וַיַּגְלֵם אַשּׁוּרָה׃ - In the days of Pekach king of Israel, Tiglat Pileser king of Ashur came and took Iyon, and Avel Beit Maachah, and Yanoach, and Kedesh, and Chatzor, and the Gilead, and the Galil, all the land of Naftali, and he exiled them to Ashur.
Here we are exposed for the first time to exile. He takes all these places, and as appears in Divrei HaYamim, Tiglat Pileser king of Ashur first exiled the Reuveni and the Gadi and the half tribe of Menashe, and as is known they were exiled before those dwelling within the Land of Israel. Those he brought to Chalach and Chavor and the river Gozan, and all these provinces are called Ashur, and therefore it says "and he exiled them to Ashur."
וַיִּקְשָׁר־קֶשֶׁר הוֹשֵׁעַ בֶּן־אֵלָה עַל־פֶּקַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ וַיַּכֵּהוּ וַיְמִיתֵהוּ וַיִּמְלֹךְ תַּחְתָּיו בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים לְיוֹתָם בֶּן־עֻזִּיָּה׃ - And Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekach son of Remalyahu, and struck him down and killed him, and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Yotam son of Uziyah.
Yotam son of Uziyahu, king of Yehudah
בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְפֶקַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל מָלַךְ יוֹתָם בֶּן־עֻזִּיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה׃ בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה הָיָה בְמָלְכוֹ וְשֵׁשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ יְרוּשָׁא בַּת־צָדוֹק׃ וַיַּעַשׂ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה עֻזִּיָּהוּ אָבִיו עָשָׂה׃ - In the second year of Pekach son of Remalyahu king of Israel, Yotam son of Uziyahu, king of Yehudah, became king. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Yerushalayim, and his mother's name was Yerusha daughter of Tzadok. And he did what was right in the eyes of Hashem; according to all that Uziyahu his father had done, he did.
רַק הַבָּמוֹת לֹא סָרוּ עוֹד הָעָם מְזַבְּחִים וּמְקַטְּרִים בַּבָּמוֹת הוּא בָּנָה אֶת־שַׁעַר בֵּית־יְהֹוָה הָעֶלְיוֹן׃ - Only the high places were not removed, the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the upper gate of the House of Hashem.
As we have explained several times, the high places were used for the service of Hashem, and therefore it was very difficult for the kings to abolish them, so they were not removed. And what is the "upper gate of the House of Hashem"? A gate that led from the king's house to the House of Hashem. The commentators say that Shlomo had already built it, only that Yotam strengthened it, made towers in it and built great structures there, and therefore it is said of him that he built the upper gate of the House of Hashem, even though he did not construct it from scratch.
וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי יוֹתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה׃ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם הֵחֵל יְהֹוָה לְהַשְׁלִיחַ בִּיהוּדָה רְצִין מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם וְאֵת פֶּקַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ׃ - And the rest of the deeds of Yotam that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yehudah? In those days Hashem began to send against Yehudah Retzin king of Aram, and Pekach son of Remalyahu.
At the end of Yotam's days Hashem began to "send" against Yehudah, that is, to incite against Yehudah Retzin king of Aram, as we will see further on, and Pekach son of Remalyahu, king of Yisrael. The two joined together to strike at Yehudah, and this was mainly after Yotam's death.
וַיִּשְׁכַּב יוֹתָם עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקָּבֵר עִם־אֲבֹתָיו בְּעִיר דָּוִד אָבִיו וַיִּמְלֹךְ אָחָז בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃ - And Yotam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Achaz his son reigned in his place.
In summary:
The chapter spreads before us two parallel pictures. In the kingdom of Yehudah: Uziyahu, a great and successful king who sought Hashem and prospered, defeated the Pelishtim, fortified Yerushalayim and invented innovative weapons of war, and precisely at the point of his strength "his heart grew haughty to his own ruin," he sought to take for himself also the religious leadership, entered to burn incense and was stricken with tzaraat until the day of his death and dwelt in the house of quarantine. And according to the Arizal he is the reincarnation of Uza the Kohen who touched the Ark, who came to repair the sin of entering a place that was not his, and failed in it again. After him reigned Yotam his son, who did what was right in the eyes of Hashem and built the upper gate of the House of Hashem, and in his days Hashem began to incite against Yehudah Retzin and Pekach. In the kingdom of Yisrael: a chain of conspiracies and murders, Zecharyahu who reigned six months and thereby fulfilled the promise of four generations to Yehu to a minimal degree, Shalum who murdered and was murdered a month later - "because you drowned others, they drowned you" (al de'ateft atfuch), Menachem who struck Tifsach not according to the law of the Torah and paid a heavy tribute to Pul king of Ashur at the expense of the people, Pekachyah and Pekach, and finally the first exile at the hands of Tiglat Pileser. The two paths, the one in Yehudah and the one in Yisrael, teach how much a person's success depends on the question of whether he knows how to remain in his place and seek Hashem.