Introduction: A King Sitting on the Throne of Judgment
In the verses before us, the Malbim links two verses to one another: the verse describing a king sitting on the throne of judgment, and the verse that follows it, "Who can say I have cleansed my heart." Let us first examine the four conditions that Shlomo HaMelech sets up in order that righteous judgment prevail in the land, and from there we will arrive at the sharp conclusion: when the king himself sits on the throne of judgment, who is there that can say he is entirely clean.
מֶלֶךְ יוֹשֵׁב עַל־כִּסֵּא־דִין מְזָרֶה בְעֵינָיו כָּל־רָע׃ - A king sitting on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his eyes.
Why There Is No Justice in the Land
The wise one said in Kohelet (5:7): "If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of judgment and justice in the province, do not be astonished at the matter, for one high official is protected by a higher one, and there are higher ones over them." The Malbim explains: if you see oppression and robbery and there is no justice in the land, know the reason for this - the supreme judge, the highest one, does not personally oversee the judgment. He handed over the administration of justice to the ministers beneath him, and the ministers handed it to the officials beneath them, and so the oppressed and the robbed have no one before whom to present his claims.
If the king is the one who carries out justice, then "a king by justice establishes the land." But if the king handed the judgment to the ministers, and the ministers to the officials, there chaos reigns: the lesser judges will not necessarily take care to render justice, or they lack the power to do so, or they will lean after profit and accept bribes. With what will you bribe the king? What could you give him, when he is lord over the entire kingdom? But the minor official can be bribed with no great sum. By contrast, when the king himself sits on the throne of judgment, he will surely render justice for the oppressed and establish the truth in its place.
The Power of the King's Judgment
And especially since the king has far greater power than a judge. When David was asked what the law is regarding one who robs the poor man's ewe, he answered: "He shall pay fourfold," and he even said, "The man deserves death." And everyone asks: where have we heard that a robber is liable to death? And where have we heard that he pays fourfold - for fourfold and fivefold are stated regarding a thief who slaughtered and sold? Rather, most of the commentators explain that here we are dealing with a king. The king's judgment is not built upon the proofs and laws upon which the judge's ruling is built; rather, the king can establish the law in its place even in judgments beyond what is due according to strict law. And that is what happened there. When a king sits on the throne of judgment, the options for manipulation diminish, the king establishes the truth in its place, and through this there is righteous and upright judgment in the land.
Four Conditions - "A King," "Sitting," "On the Throne of Judgment," "Scatters All Evil with His Eyes"
In order for this to be realized, Shlomo tells us here, four conditions must be met. The first: a king - that the king carries out the judgment himself, he is the judge.
The second: sitting. Sitting always symbolizes permanence. "And we dwelt in the valley" - settlement (yishuv) is an expression of sitting, that is, permanence in a place. In order for the king's judgment to have force, there must be true "sitting" - a fixed sitting for judgment, and not a one time show trial. Just as Shlomo would sit to judge Israel.
The third: on the throne of judgment (din). The Malbim says, there is a throne of din and there is a throne of mishpat. "Mishpat" is the conclusion, the decision - "a decisive judgment." "Din" is like what we say today, "din u'devarim" (argument), an expression of pleading - the hearing of the litigants' claims. It is not enough that they bring before the king the summary of the parties, and the judges tell him what was claimed there and he decides. The king himself must hear all the pleading and arguments.
The Judgment of Shlomo - a ruling reached from the arguments
The classic example of this is Shlomo. Everyone asks: how did Shlomo rule on the basis of such a strange criterion, that the one who said "Divide it" was not the true mother? On the face of it, this is a wild gamble. Is it really likely that a true mother would say "Divide it"? Moreover, it was foolishness on the woman's part, for by saying "Divide it" she gives Shlomo exactly what he wanted to hear. So how does Shlomo proceed with such a move and rule accordingly?
Rather, says the Malbim: Shlomo had already reached his ruling beforehand, and the whole "Divide it" was only an additional layer so that everyone would accept his verdict. And how did he arrive at the truth? From their words. The one said "My son is the living one and your son is the dead one," and the other said "No, your son is the dead one and my son is the living one." Each one opens with what is primary to her. The one who opened with "My son is the living one" - what is primary to her is her own child, and secondary is that your son is dead. The one who opened with "Your son is the dead one" - what is primary to her is that you should have no child. That is, the second one had no interest in raising a child that was not hers, but rather: I have no child and you will have one? The first, by contrast, is not at all concerned with you; the child is mine, I want it to be mine. Whoever wishes may see the matter at length in the Malbim and in the lessons on Sefer Melachim.
Therefore the verse is precise: "And the king said: This one says my son is the living one and your son is the dead one, and this one says no, your son is the dead one and my son is the living one" - and seemingly why repeat the arguments, for we have already heard them? Chazal learn from here that the judge must repeat the arguments to make sure he has understood correctly. But the Malbim says: the repetition of the arguments comes to express that the ruling had already been decided. Once this one said thus and that one said thus - it is settled. The entire additional exercise was meant only to show everyone that his judgment is true. And this is precisely the importance of hearing the arguments of the litigants: it is not enough for the ruling to be brought before Shlomo, but Shlomo himself must hear what this one says and what that one says, and from their words understand what lies behind the arguments and reach a just judgment.
He scatters all evil with his eyes
The fourth matter: "He scatters all evil with his eyes." It is not enough that the king executes law and justice, but he must walk among the people, watch over the evildoers, cut off those who work iniquity, and not allow evil to raise its head. It turns out that four things are needed: "a king" - who alone renders the judgment; "sitting" - permanently; "upon a throne of judgment" - who himself hears the arguments of the litigants; "he scatters all evil with his eyes" - who walks among the people and sees how to remedy and scatter the evil, so that no evil remains in the world. By applying the law and exacting justice from the doers of wickedness, there will be righteousness and uprightness in the land.
And the Malbim says: all of this is a parable about the great King, about the Master of the World, who sits always upon a throne of judgment, and observes with His eyes all the deeds of mankind. And from here comes the direct continuation to the next verse.
מִי־יֹאמַר זִכִּיתִי לִבִּי טָהַרְתִּי מֵחַטָּאתִי׃ - Who can say, I have purified my heart, I am cleansed of my sin?
If there is such a King, who sits permanently upon a throne of judgment, hears all the arguments and walks among us - who can say: I am wholly innocent, I am righteous, there is in me no iniquity and no sin? When the King Himself examines, checks, tests, and watches over you - are you certain that "I have purified my heart, I am cleansed of my sin"? Who can say such a thing?
The Ibn Ezra: from the iniquity of my youth and the sin of my childhood
The Ibn Ezra explains: who is it that will say I have purified my heart from the iniquity of my youth, I am cleansed from the sin of my childhood? For you will not find a person who walks always in his innocence and does not sin, as it says "For there is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin."
And there are those who see in this a license to sin: "After all, even the righteous stumbled, even King David" - may dust fill their mouths. They wish to justify their wrongs and their lusts, and therefore they search in the Tanach for whoever stumbled and bring him as proof. Would that you were like him: did you blacken your teeth with fasts until the end of your days? A righteous man, even if he stumbled, spends all his subsequent days making amends. Are you also like him, or do you use the righteous man only to fulfill your lusts?
And notice that the Ibn Ezra emphasizes "from the sin of my youth." When a person matures and is righteous, that is not such a great achievement: the desires leave him, and he already understands his role in his world. But let us see how you fared in your youth, in the teenage years. How many are there then who are truly God-fearing, careful of every sin and transgression, meticulous in their deeds and standing firm in tests? Of this it is said: who can say I have purified my heart from the iniquity of my youth, I am cleansed from the sin of my childhood. For even one who is righteous in his adulthood often, in his youth, leaned more after the pleasures of this world and after the desires.
Rabbeinu Yonah: A King of Flesh and Blood and the Searcher of Hearts
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: the wicked are afraid and cower to appear before a king of flesh and blood, for it is dangerous. This king loves justice and law and uprightness, and he will bring the wrongdoer to judgment. And if you fear a king of flesh and blood, how can the created not fear before the Creator, blessed be He, who tests the heart and searches the innermost being? A king of flesh and blood one can still deceive, one can tell him stories. But to the Master of the World, what stories will you tell? Who can say I have purified my heart, who can say I am cleansed from my sin?
And Rabbeinu Yonah adds a terrible thing: even after a person purifies his heart - "purified" being a term of refinement, meaning he no longer commits sins in deed - he still is not cleansed from his sin, for a person is punished for the evil traits of the heart, for Hashem does not desire one with evil traits. A person can reach a level where he commits no transgressions, and yet "within him he sets his ambush" - not necessarily in an extreme negative way, but that his traits are not polished.
"For I Have Rejected Him" - A Trait That Has Not Yet Come to the Fore
There is a terrible expression of this in the prophet. When Shmuel entered the house of Yishai to see which of his sons Hashem had chosen for king, Eliav passed before him first, and the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Do not look at his appearance and at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him." And why did He reject him? When David goes to the ranks of Israel, leaves the flock with a keeper, and his father sends him to bring food to his brothers and to take their pledge, Eliav becomes angry at him: "I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart, for whom did you leave those few sheep? You came down to see the battle." And Eliav's anger burned against David. And of this the Holy One, blessed be He, said "I have rejected him": he was worthy, except that he has in him the trait of anger.
And this seems very puzzling: when was the battle with Golyat - before Shmuel's encounter with Eliav or after it? It is explicit in the verses that it was after. And if so, how does the Holy One, blessed be He, say "I have rejected him" over anger that had not yet come to the fore at all?
Rabbi Elyah Lopian explains with a parable: a person keeps in his home a professional machine for counterfeiting dollars. The police raid him and seize the machine, and he says: gentlemen, take the machine, everything is fine. They tell him: sir, you will be strolling around in prison for many long years. He argues before the judge: the investigators themselves testify that the machine was not used even a single time! The judge answers him: the very possession of a counterfeiting machine in your home is a criminal offense. First, if you have such a machine - that is already a crime. Second, if you have the machine, there is also a chance you will use it; did you simply buy a machine for thousands of dollars just to have it lie around at home?
So too, says Rabbi Elyah Lopian, a person who has an evil trait, even if the trait has not yet come to the fore - the masters of mussar call this a ticking bomb. Do you know when it will explode? When someone moves the detonator. There is a person who appears humble, lowly of spirit, "who am I and what am I," always words of humility and modesty, entering and exiting humbly and taking no credit for himself, his head always down and "pardon me, with all respect." Just try once to wound his honor, to say to him a word that implies something not befitting his lofty stature - suddenly you will see a volcano. It was a bomb that lay inside, and someone touched the detonator.
Judaism Works from Within
It emerges that for the Holy One, blessed be He, the trait is loathsome already in its inner depths. And we have spoken of this more than once, that Judaism is fundamentally different from all other outlooks. The nations of the world too will speak to you about how it is not fitting to become angry, that a person should conduct himself with calmness of spirit and with tolerance and with patience - though in practice that tolerance of theirs is very selective and depends on who is involved, and anyone who follows the expressions that appear in the press toward the chareidi public clearly sees this hypocrisy. But even when they speak of tolerance, it is all external: do not burst out, swallow the frogs, keep it inside.
Judaism, by contrast, speaks of erasing the anger within: that even in your heart there should be no resentment, even in your heart there should be no anger. And this is very far from simple. But if you are humble within, if you are not an angry person within, because you believe that everything is from Him, blessed be He, and this is the will of the Creator - then you will not need to put on acts, because you truly are not angry. At what and at whom would I be angry? The Master of the World wanted it so. "And now, do not be grieved," Yosef said to his brothers, "and you intended evil against me - God intended it for good." So did the Master of the World orchestrate. And when a person changes his traits within, changes his faith and his outlook within - that is what is beloved before Hashem.
Therefore Rabbeinu Yonah says: "Who can say I have purified my heart" - this refers to deeds; who can say he has no corrupt deeds. And the higher level: "I am cleansed of my sin" - that I am pure of every deficiency of the heart, even in thought; that I am so far removed from evil-heartedness, from pride, from anger, and from every corrupt trait. Who can say such a thing?
A Proposal in the Reverse Order
Were it not for Rabbeinu Yonah's words, I would have explained the verse in exactly his manner, except that I would have reversed the order. "I have purified my heart" - who can say his heart is pure and has in it not the slightest stirring of anything evil, even in thought, even deep within the heart; and all the more so "I am cleansed of my sin" - who can say there is no sin in him in deed. This seemingly makes more sense, for "I have purified my heart" speaks of the purity of the heart and not of deeds, while "I am cleansed of my sin" is a cleansing from sin, which is in the category of an actual deed.
Rather, apparently what compelled Rabbeinu Yonah is the language of "purified" as opposed to "cleansed": purification is less than cleansing, and cleansing is a greater level. Therefore he explained that specifically "I am cleansed of my sin" speaks even of what is in the heart.
The Vilna Gaon: Prohibitions, the Heart, and Positive Commandments
Since a person has no grounds to say this, it is fitting for him always to fear before Hashem, and to know that Hashem observes all his deeds and all his thoughts, and he should not say to himself: I have already attained, I am a person of merit, I am purified.
The Vilna Gaon explains that to refrain from transgressing negative commandments - this a person is still capable of. To spare himself from willful sin: not to eat pig, not to eat neveilah and tereifah, not to desecrate Shabbat, not to look at forbidden sights, not to speak lashon hara. From transgression a person can still guard himself. But that which is in the heart, as well as the fulfillment of all the positive commandments - this is already a very high level. To say "I have completed all the mitzvot, I have done everything," and to say "my heart is pure and clear" - these are two things about which it is harder for us to say that we have done them.
And corresponding to these three things it is said: "Who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem, and who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul in vain." "Clean hands" - one who does not transgress negative commandments, who has no violations of prohibitions. "A pure heart" - the purity of the heart, that there are in it no evil musings and no evil traits such as hatred, jealousy, and desire, which are matters of the heart. "And has not lifted up his soul in vain" - that he did not ignore the fact that the days of his life go to waste, and this refers to the neglect of positive commandments: one who does not fulfill the positive commandments, his life goes to waste, for you could have fulfilled another mitzvah and done another good deed.
Levels of Earlier Generations
The righteous gaon Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul, of righteous and holy memory, testified about himself that from the day he reached the age of understanding he never once transgressed a prohibition willfully. And who can say such a thing? To transgress a prohibition willfully means: a person walks down the street, sees a forbidden sight, and looks. A person knows that what he is about to say is lashon hara, and nevertheless he does not restrain himself and says it. Rabbi Ben Zion testified that he never did so. These are levels of earlier generations.
In summary: "A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his eyes" - four conditions for true justice: that the king judges himself, that he sits permanently, that he himself hears all the arguments of the litigants, and that he walks among the people and scatters the evil. And all this is a parable for the King of kings of kings, who always sits on the throne of judgment and observes all the deeds of human beings and all their thoughts. And from here: "Who can say I have purified my heart, I am cleansed of my sin" - there is no person who can say he is clean of the sin of his youth and the transgression of his childhood, and certainly not that he is clean of the evil traits of the heart, which are loathsome before Hashem even before they emerge into action, like the trait of anger on account of which Eliav was rejected. Therefore the task of a Jew is not to subdue the evil within, but to erase it from the heart, and to live always with the knowledge that the King sees, examines, and watches.