Chapter 8 of Shmuel A is the chapter in which kingship is born in Israel: Shmuel grew old, appointed his sons as judges, and his sons did not follow in his ways and perverted justice; from here the elders of Israel come and request a king. We studied this chapter at length with the Malbim, and Mari Abarbanel likewise expanded on the great debate surrounding it. This time we will study the chapter through the explanation of the Kli Yakar on Parshat Shoftim, which illuminates the entire matter with one sharp and precise insight.
The Great Question: If Hashem Commanded to Appoint a King, Why Was He Angry?
In the Torah, in Parshat Shoftim, it says: "When you come to the land which Hashem your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations around me' - you shall surely set over yourself a king whom Hashem your God will choose, from among your brethren you shall set a king over yourself, you may not place over yourself a foreign man who is not your brother." And the Torah warns the king: he shall not amass horses, and shall not return the people to Egypt in order to amass horses, nor shall he amass wives, and silver and gold he shall not amass excessively.
The Kli Yakar says: in the verse "you shall surely set a king over yourself" lies a sufficient resolution to the great question that falls upon this mitzvah. If Hashem's will is that a king should reign over them when they desire it, and if Israel is truly worthy of a king when they request it - why did Shmuel the prophet, and Hashem with him, become angry with them when they asked for a king? For it is implied from the chapter that the matter was despised in Hashem's eyes and also in Shmuel's eyes. We asked for what is written in the Torah - so why were they upset with us?
Some say that the resentment was over what they said, "to judge us like all the nations" - that he should judge them by the customs of the nations, that is, according to the laws of the gentiles, and here lay the problem. And some say that this passage is not a command at all but a foretelling of events: the Holy One, blessed be He, declares the end from the beginning, that Israel would in the future request this, and He permitted it to them. Notice how it begins: "and you say, 'I will set a king over me'" - the request rises from below, from the people, and only then "you shall surely set over yourself a king whom Hashem will choose"; but in and of itself it would have been better had you not requested it.
The View of the Kli Yakar: The Fear of Government Is an Essential Need
The Kli Yakar says: I will state my view briefly - the divine will was that rightfully a king should reign over them, in order to impose his fear upon everyone. Kingship is something needed, as our Sages of blessed memory said: pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for its fear, a person would swallow his fellow alive. And even when the king is not a proper person, the fear of government is essential. Look at what is happening in Syria since the revolution, and what is happening in Iraq - every day cars explode, fifty dead, a hundred dead. It is not that we begrudge them, but learn from this: when there is no king there is chaos and pandemonium. There was a crazy, insane king there, call him what you will, and yet there was quiet, there was order. The fear of government is an essential thing, and therefore when the Holy One, blessed be He, says "set a king" - this is something called for.
And the king is not needed for the sake of judgments, for there were established courts in every city. One does not need the king in order to have a judge, even though this is part of his role - for the two women came before Shlomo in the famous judgment of Shlomo, and likewise people would come to David the king for judgment. Rather, his main purpose is for the gathering and ordering of the realms, and in a manner that the awe of kingship would be upon them, for this is what Hashem desired. "Ordering of the realms" means that the state should be orderly and managed in an organized fashion: not that each person looks out for himself, but that there is a king, and the king cares for the whole equally. This is essential in order to run the nation properly.
And so the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Yehoshua, "for you shall bring the children of Israel." Moshe had said "you shall come" - come together with them, in modesty and humility; and Hashem said to him: no, "you shall bring"! And what is "you shall bring"? Our Sages said: take a staff and strike upon their heads. You must display kingship, you must display power. You cannot say, "I am one of you, let us run the nation together" - what is this, democracy? You must be a king, you must rule.
Therefore it says "when you come to the land" - after inheritance and settlement, Yeshurun grows fat and kicks, and each man does what is right in his own eyes when there is no king in Israel. And then, certainly, in the spirit of the remnant whom Hashem calls, it is a time to act and to request a king - "and you say, 'I will set a king over me.'" For all that lawlessness stems from there being no restrainer among the people. The heir to the throne is called an "otzer" (restrainer), and the king is called an "otzer," because he restrains the people: he blocks them from doing whatever they want, he manages them. And this is the point of emphasis: "I will set a king over me" - that his fear be upon me, that he be above me and rule and govern me with a strong hand. "Like all the nations around me" - to do as the well-ordered among them, who do not kick against their kings and accept their authority upon themselves, and the reality of our time proves it: there is a king, and the king restrains the people, and through this the government is ordered and the leadership is ordered. Concerning this it says "you shall surely set over yourself a king," and concerning this there is legitimacy and even a mitzvah - for this request is proper, when there is a king over you, that is, his awe upon you, as is understood from the word "over you": he is above me and I am subordinate to him. This is a king who runs the kingdom as it should be run.
The Error in the Days of Shmuel: "For Us" and Not "Over Us"
וַיִּתְקַבְּצוּ כֹּל זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵל הָרָמָתָה׃ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו הִנֵּה אַתָּה זָקַנְתָּ וּבָנֶיךָ לֹא הָלְכוּ בִּדְרָכֶיךָ עַתָּה שִׂימָה־לָּנוּ מֶלֶךְ לְשָׁפְטֵנוּ כְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִם׃ - And all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Shmuel at Ramah. And they said to him: Behold, you have grown old and your sons have not walked in your ways; now set for us a king to judge us like all the nations.
Now, in light of what we have understood, let us see where the mistake lay in the days of Shmuel. The Kli Yakar says: in the days of Shmuel they did not speak correctly, for they said "give us a king" - and they did not say "a king over us" but "for us," because they did not want to accept his authority or that his awe be upon them. Why should I bring in someone who will sit over my head? That is not what I want. "Give us" - rather, it will be in our hands to install kings and to remove kings: in our hands will be the power to appoint the king and to depose the king. If the king causes problems, we will remove him; if he suits us, we will keep him.
As we see afterward, when Yeravam came to take the kingship, they went and killed the tax collector, the king's treasury official. Why? My friend, you may be king here, but we are the ones who decide. That is democratic rule: we crown a king, and if you do not suit us and do not do what we want, we replace you. But a true king does not do what the people ask, but rather what the people need. And this is true everywhere: it could be a work manager, and it could be a father in the home. It is very possible that the children want completely different things, and if there were a democracy there, they would have fired the father long ago. But it is good that there is someone with sense who runs the home and gives the child what he needs, not what he wants. That is a king. A king leads the people according to what the people need, and not someone who is constantly sniffing out polls and acting according to the will of the people. In such a manner one certainly cannot do what the people truly need. But this is exactly what they wanted: that it be in our hands to install kings and to remove kings, and the result of this is that he will be forced to flatter us. He will have no choice but to flatter, because he wants another term; he wants us to keep choosing him.
The essence of flattery is in judgment
Therefore they said "to judge us like all the nations," for the main need for flattery is in matters of judgment. And as the custom of these lands, says the Kli Yakar, that they take on some rabbi for a known period of time, so that his awe not be upon them, but on the contrary, their awe be upon the rabbi, and therefore he is forced to flatter them so that they not cast him out. Listen to this scheme that was accepted in Europe: they take on a rabbi, and do not appoint him as rabbi permanently. The Ben Ish Chai, did they renew his appointment every two years? He was the rabbi of all the people of the exile permanently. But in Europe they said: we appoint a rabbi for five years, and we will see if he falls in line with the community. If not, my friend, look for another community; you are extreme, you give harsh rebukes, we tried to speak with you and you are like a head against a wall, "this is the halacha." It does not suit us. And from the outset they set out to appoint a flexible rabbi, a nice rabbi, user friendly. But what is this person actually saying? When you do not suit me, I will fire you. And is that placing a rabbi over yourself, or ruling over the rabbi?
They tell of a community that appointed a rabbi for themselves, and one of the great sages of the generation spoke at the installation ceremony. He said to them: know that a rabbi is like a clock. It once was customary that in city centers stood a large clock, like Big Ben, and every person would set his watch by it. And why do they place it so high? There are people who do not see well, perhaps it could be lowered? Rather, know why: because if the clock were low, a person would come and see that the clock was running four minutes fast, and he would move the hand back; another would come, his watch running slow, and move it forward; and the third the opposite, oh woe. The rabbi must be like the clock: high, that no one touch it. You set your watch by the central clock, and you do not go set the central clock by your watch. And this is what happens in our time and in our place, that the whole essence is flattery: so that his awe not be upon them but their awe upon him, therefore he is forced to flatter them, that they appoint him for another term.
"And the matter was displeasing in the eyes of Shmuel" - where exactly?
וַיֵּרַע הַדָּבָר בְּעֵינֵי שְׁמוּאֵל כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ תְּנָה־לָּנוּ מֶלֶךְ לְשָׁפְטֵנוּ וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־ה'׃ - And the matter was displeasing in the eyes of Shmuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us," and Shmuel prayed to Hashem.
Note the precision: the verse does not stop at "and the matter was displeasing in the eyes of Shmuel," but continues and explains - "when they said give us a king," and they did not say "over us." This is what disturbed him and this is what was displeasing in his eyes. For the main indictment is in the words "for us to judge us": if the king is "for us" and not "over us," how will he judge us? They want someone who will judge them and take them into account, who will regard them and not only the truth before his eyes.
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵל שְׁמַע בְּקוֹל הָעָם לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יֹאמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ כִּי לֹא אֹתְךָ מָאָסוּ כִּי־אֹתִי מָאֲסוּ מִמְּלֹךְ עֲלֵיהֶם׃ - And Hashem said to Shmuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you that they have rejected, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them."
"For it is not you that they have rejected" - on the contrary, this is your praise! You are held by them to be one who does not flatter them. Know, Shmuel, that their request to replace you is the greatest certificate of prestige you have received. For what did they actually say? Shmuel does not suit us, he is straight as a plumb line, there is no flattery with him. We want someone who knows how to be flexible with us. Therefore they requested in your place a king who will necessarily flatter them, and in this they rejected Me. And they did not ask according to the Torah, for all their desire was that the king nullify My will in favor of their will. For if you desire the rulings of the Torah, Shmuel suits perfectly, for he acts according to the Torah; and if the rulings of the Torah disturb you, then it is not him you have rejected but Me. And this is what "from reigning over them" means: in this they rejected Me, for they did not want a king to reign over them. They do not reject the kingship, they reject the "over them"; they want a king "for us" and not "over us."
וְעַתָּה שְׁמַע בְּקוֹלָם אַךְ כִּי־הָעֵד תָּעִיד בָּהֶם וְהִגַּדְתָּ לָהֶם מִשְׁפַּט הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יִמְלֹךְ עֲלֵיהֶם׃ - And now, listen to their voice, but you shall solemnly warn them, and you shall tell them the manner of the king who will reign over them.
The verse is precise: "the manner of the king who will reign over them" - specifically "over them" and not "for them," for this is what I desire, says Hashem. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: you want a king who will reign "for us"? Know that this is what I wrote in My Torah - "you shall surely set a king over yourself." I do not give you a king who will reign for you, I appoint a king who will reign over you. Therefore tell them the manner of the king who will reign over them, for this is what I desired.
וַיֹּאמֶר זֶה יִהְיֶה מִשְׁפַּט הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יִמְלֹךְ עֲלֵיכֶם אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶם יִקָּח וְשָׂם לוֹ בְּמֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ וּבְפָרָשָׁיו וְרָצוּ לִפְנֵי מֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ׃ - And he said: This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots and for his horsemen, and they will run before his chariot.
"Who will reign over you": for even if you choose only "for yourselves," in the end he will reign over you with poured out wrath. From the outset you took him to reign for you, but in the end he will reign over you. From here on comes a full description of how much he will oppress them: "to appoint for himself captains of thousands and captains of fifties, and to plow his plowing and to reap his harvest," "and he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers," "and he will take your fields and your vineyards and your best olive groves and give them to his servants," "and he will tithe your seed and your vineyards," "and he will take your servants and your maidservants and your best young men and your donkeys," "he will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will be his servants." And all this is your punishment for not having asked properly.
"And you will cry out on that day": a cry of confession
וּזְעַקְתֶּם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא מִלִּפְנֵי מַלְכְּכֶם אֲשֶׁר בְּחַרְתֶּם לָכֶם וְלֹא־יַעֲנֶה ה' אֶתְכֶם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא׃ - And you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and Hashem will not answer you on that day.
Note again the precise wording: "whom you have chosen for yourselves": "for yourselves," like "for us," and not "over you." The Keli Yakar explains "and you will cry out on that day" as a cry of confession: you will cry out before Hashem and say, by way of confession, that you ended up with the opposite of what you requested. You will admit: how greatly we erred when we chose "for us," when we should have chosen "over us." Thus the cry itself is a process of repentance and regret.
וַיְמָאֲנוּ הָעָם לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל שְׁמוּאֵל וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹּא כִּי אִם־מֶלֶךְ יִהְיֶה עָלֵינוּ׃ - And the people refused to listen to the voice of Shmuel, and they said: No, but a king shall be over us.
And here is something wonderful. On the simple understanding it seems that the people are stubborn and standing their ground: no, we do not accept your words, there will be a king over us. But according to the Keli Yakar's explanation, this is already a process of complete repentance. Once they understood that they had erred in their request, they said "no": and by saying "no," they were in fact saying "yes" by way of confession. "No": meaning I no longer want a king in the way we first asked, saying "give us a king"; you are right, we erred, we no longer request as we requested before, "but a king shall be over us," as it is written in the Torah, "you shall surely set a king over you," as Hashem spoke. "And we too shall be like all the nations, and our king will judge us and go out before us and fight our battles": like the most upright among them, who accept authority.
And so it is stated afterward, after Shmuel prayed and rain fell in summer and the people understood that they had erred: "for we have added to our sins by asking for a king for ourselves." Note that they return to mention their earlier mistake in the very same words, "asking for a king for ourselves." They meant to say: at first, before we heard the punishment, we erred and asked for a king "for us." This explanation is precious, and through it the change of wording between "over us" and "for us" is understood, in line with the precision of our Sages of blessed memory who said "that his awe shall be upon you": for the essence of the mitzvah depends on this, and this is precisely what they wanted to flee from: someone who would impose awe upon them.
"And appoint them a king": two sides to the mitzvah
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵל שְׁמַע בְּקוֹלָם וְהִמְלַכְתָּ לָהֶם מֶלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְכוּ אִישׁ לְעִירוֹ׃ - And Hashem said to Shmuel: Listen to their voice and appoint them a king. And Shmuel said to the men of Israel: Go, each man to his city.
This verse poses a difficulty for the whole explanation, for according to this approach Hashem should have said "and appoint over them a king," not "for them." The Keli Yakar resolves this: the acceptance of awe depends on those who receive it, and it was not Hashem who effected it; what He did effect was to give them a king who would be equal to them, "that his heart not be lifted above his brothers," and therefore at the moment of action He said "for them." But in any case, it was not fitting for Israel to speak this way, but rather as Hashem's word which said "and you will say, I will set over me a king": that is how they should have spoken.
That is, there is a difference between the side of the Holy One, blessed be He, and our side. The side of the Holy One, blessed be He, is the command to the king: you shall be equal to them, that your heart not be lifted above your brothers, do not conduct yourself with them in poured out wrath and with too great a force, and this is "for them." In contrast, the command upon us, as the people, is to request a king who will reign over me, who will rule over me. And even though it was said to Yehoshua, "take a staff and strike upon their heads," that the king indeed must hold the kingship with a firm hand, the one who must request "a king over me" is the people. Therefore it is specifically from the mouth of the people that the wording "over me" comes, and not in the speech with which Hashem speaks to Shmuel.
In summary:
Kingship in itself is the will of Hashem and an essential need - "were it not for the fear of it, people would swallow one another alive" - and not for the sake of judgments, for there were courts of law in every city, but rather for the ordering of the state and for instilling the awe of the monarchy. Yet the Torah was precise: "you shall surely set a king over you" - over you, so that his awe would be upon you; but Israel in the days of Shmuel said "give us a king," a king who would be handed over to them to appoint and to depose, and therefore he would be compelled to flatter them and to nullify the will of Hashem before their own will. Therefore the matter was evil in the eyes of Shmuel, and therefore Hashem said "they have rejected Me from reigning over them," and He commanded to tell them the manner of the king "who will reign over them" - that in the end he will reign over them with outpoured wrath. From here comes the punishment, from here the outcry that is a confession, and from here their response: "No, but rather a king shall be over us." And the message for the generations: a true leader, whether a king, a rabbi, or a father in his home, does what the people need and not what the people want - and he must be like the tall town clock, to which everyone sets themselves, and no person moves its hands according to his own private watch.