Yirmiyahu chapter 41. And it came to pass in the seventh month that Yishmael ben Netanyah ben Elishama, of the royal seed and of the officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah ben Achikam at Mitzpah, and they ate bread together there in Mitzpah.
Here he enumerates for us several reasons that brought Yishmael ben Netanyah to commit this abominable murder. So the first thing it says is that Yishmael came from the royal seed. Yishmael ben Netanyah was of the royal seed. Take this as a general principle: a person who once tasted the flavor of authority will never want to detach himself from it. He will always sense and feel that authority is coming to him, I am of the royal seed, why do I sit still and keep quiet? Surely the authority is mine. And so on in this manner, he will always have thoughts and plans to return to his kingdom.
And for this reason, there was a well known custom in ancient times: when a new king rose to reign, he would perform a cleaning of the stables. That is, he would kill all the descendants of the previous king. Today too they do this in government offices, only they fire them, they do not kill them. If they could, they would kill them. But in their time, what they would do was simply ensure that no rebel would arise.
With David, who was a pious king, we saw exactly the opposite. Not only did he not go to kill the descendants of Shaul, but moreover, the one who killed Mefiboshet, King David was angry with him and had him killed. As we recall, as we learned. And beyond that, he even took care to find out whether any seed remained to Yehonatan, whether there was still anyone with whom he could do kindness. He took care to do good to them again and again, and not only did he not harm them, but he even devised all kinds of thoughts, thought all kinds of plans about how he could benefit and help those people who were from the royal dynasty of the house of Shaul.
So the first thing, Yishmael ben Netanyah was of the royal seed, and this brought him to be jealous of the reign of Gedaliah ben Achikam. Why in the world did they appoint him? I am the one who should have received the appointment here. Another matter: "and of the officers of the king." The officers of the king, says Rashi, were jealous of him because he had taken greatness. And therefore the officers of the king also conspire together with Yishmael ben Netanyah, for in their eyes too the greatness of Gedaliah ben Achikam did not find favor.
The one who elevated him was Nevuchadnetzar, king of Bavel. He is the one who gave him the appointment. He knew that this was a man who would not rebel against him. And Yishmael ben Netanyah arose, and the ten men who were with him, and they struck Gedaliah ben Achikam ben Shafan with the sword and killed him, whom the king of Bavel had appointed over the land. They conspire against him and kill him with the sword. Here he writes a second reason why they killed him: "whom the king of Bavel had appointed over the land." You want the king of Bavel to turn the Land of Israel into yet another of your subject territories? Absolutely not. This is another reason why he killed him.
And especially since Yishmael ben Netanyah was the emissary of Baalis, king of the Ammonites, who was an enemy of the king of Bavel. So from his perspective it was a thorn in his eyes, that here right beside me, in my back yard, the king of Bavel should seize some measure of control. And therefore he sends Yishmael ben Netanyah: go kill Gedaliah ben Achikam, who is the representative of the king of Bavel. I do not want Bavel to have control here in my region. And therefore they killed him.
And all the Jews who were with him, with Gedaliah at Mitzpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war, Yishmael struck. "All the Jews who were with him" means those who were there to help and assist Gedaliah ben Achikam, the men of war, all those who were with him, all of them he killed. What does this mean? The Jews who lived there, those he did not kill. Only those who assisted him. That is why it is written "all the Jews who were with him." What does "et" mean? "With," right? Those who were with Gedaliah, those he killed. But the Jews who lived there, he did not kill.
And also the Chaldeans, since he hated the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, through whom the king of Bavel wanted to seize a foothold here, all of them he killed. And this is what he explains: "the men of war, Yishmael struck." What are the men of war? That the Chaldeans were all men of war. In contrast, among the Jews there were some who were the poorest of the people, and there were those who were men of war. Only the men of war did he strike, and not the simple Jews, the vinedressers and the farmers.
And it came to pass on the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, and no one knew. Yishmael acted with cunning and concealed the death of Gedaliah ben Achikam. No one knew. Why? He wanted to find a scheme, how do I frame Gedaliah ben Achikam so that through this framing I will have justification in the eyes of the people for his murder. And therefore he does not yet publicize it. Until I have some ostensibly justified reason why I murdered him, only then will I publicize the matter and then I will also receive backing from the people for the deed I did. And behold, here he has an ostensible justification, a moral justification in the eyes of the people, for why he killed Gedaliah ben Achikam, as we will see in the coming verses.
And men came from Shechem, from Shiloh and from Shomron, eighty men, with beards shaven and clothes torn and gashing themselves, with a meal offering and frankincense in their hand to bring to the House of Hashem. They traveled from their home in order to bring a meal offering, to bring frankincense to the House of Hashem. But on the way the bitter news was conveyed to them that the Beit HaMikdash had been destroyed. And therefore they began to shave their beards, tear their clothes, gash themselves. A kind of drawing of blood, scratching that they do to themselves. And this was a sign of mourning and grief that we had not now merited to come and offer in the Beit HaMikdash, for behold, now the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed.
Now what is he actually trying to gain here? The Malbim explains, Yishmael ben Netanyah wanted... perhaps let us read another verse or two and then we will give the explanation. And Yishmael ben Netanyah went out to meet them from Mitzpah, weeping as he went. And it came to pass, as he met them, that he said to them: Come to Gedaliah ben Achikam. And it came to pass, as they came into the midst of the city, that Yishmael ben Netanyah slaughtered them into the midst of the pit, he and the men who were with him.
What actually happened here? He created for himself a cover story for the killing of Gedaliah ben Achikam. He wanted it to be publicized that Gedaliah had commanded that these men be killed. Why? Because these men were mourning over the burning of the Beit HaMikdash. What did he want to gain by this? He wanted everyone who hears this story to understand that Nevuchadnetzar had commanded Gedaliah to kill anyone mourning over the destruction of Yerushalayim. The reason for this: if you mourn over the destruction of Yerushalayim, you are essentially opposing me, Nevuchadnetzar. You are essentially saying that what I did was wrong. For that you deserve death.
And therefore Gedaliah ben Achikam killed them. Why? Because he is after all an appointee of Nevuchadnetzar, and it pained him when he saw people mourning over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, this is an affront to his boss, to Nevuchadnetzar, and therefore Gedaliah ben Achikam went and killed them. This was the cover story that Yishmael ben Netanyah wanted to invent, and through it he would be able to give justification for his deed, why he killed Gedaliah ben Achikam. Because Gedaliah ben Achikam killed eighty innocent men, only because they mourned over Yerushalayim.
And therefore when they draw near, Yishmael goes out to meet them weeping as he goes. Over what is he weeping as he goes? Ostensibly he laments and weeps: what a terrible order Gedaliah ben Achikam gave me, to kill these poor men. Ostensibly I am weeping over this order, I do not want it, but what can I do, for Gedaliah ben Achikam sent me to kill them, because they mourn over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, and this does not suit his boss Nevuchadnetzar. And he said to them: Come to Gedaliah. What is the meaning here? He wanted them to think that they were being killed by order of Gedaliah. And when they enter into the city, there he would kill them, ostensibly according to Gedaliah's instruction.
And ten men were found among them, and they said to Yishmael: Do not kill us, for we have hidden treasures in the field, wheat and barley and oil and honey. And he refrained and did not kill them among their brothers. There were ten men there, who thought that Gedaliah had truly commanded to kill them for going to the Beit HaMikdash, and they said to him: do not kill us, for we have hidden treasures in the field. That is, we have the ability to bribe Gedaliah ben Achikam, to give him from the treasures we have in the field. Now, he actually wanted through this to cast fear over the people who remained here, that they should think: behold, you see, Gedaliah ben Achikam kills all who mourn over Yerushalayim. And then everyone would rejoice that he killed Gedaliah ben Achikam.
And the pit into which Yishmael cast all the corpses of the men whom he had struck by the hand of Gedaliah, it was the one that King Asa had made because of Baasha king of Israel, that one Yishmael ben Netanyah filled with slain. It is written here "the pit into which Yishmael cast all the corpses of the men whom he had struck by the hand of Gedaliah." What is the meaning of "whom he had struck by the hand of Gedaliah"? He told them, I am striking you as an emissary of Gedaliah. That is what he told them. Therefore it is called "whom he had struck by the hand of Gedaliah."
Chazal expound: since Gedaliah ben Achikam should have heeded the counsel of Yochanan ben Kareach, who warned him, Yishmael ben Netanyah seeks your life, and he did not listen, Scripture regards it as if he himself killed them. If you had listened to him, and carried out a targeted assassination, and killed Yishmael, these eighty men would have lived. You, Gedaliah, would have lived. All the people dwelling in Zion would have continued to dwell there. Because of all... because of what did this whole story happen? Because you were not willing to listen and heed, and moreover you accused him of fabricating lies.
So he tells you: it was the one that King Asa had made because of Baasha king of Israel, that one Yishmael ben Netanyah filled with slain. He comes and tells you, come see what sin causes. We see that it is written about Baasha that he built the Ramah, so as not to allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa king of Yehudah. That is, so that through this people would not go up on pilgrimage. And the main way of the pilgrimage was through Mitzpah, as it is written "for you have been a snare at Mitzpah." And there stood the armies of Asa, to protect those going up on pilgrimage, and to save them from the troops of Baasha, for Baasha opposed the pilgrimage.
What did he do then at that time? He made a large pit, in which he prepared water. This water was intended for his army. They needed a pit for the concentration and collection of water. Asa. And this pit was made to help those who go to the House of Hashem. And now come see that this pit became a burial place for the slain who were going to the House of Hashem. This was a place that was meant to give life, and behold, come see what Yishmael ben Netanyah did with this pit, to bring death, for there he buried all those going to the House of Hashem.
And Yishmael took captive all the remnant of the people who were in Mitzpah, the king's daughters and all the people who remained in Mitzpah, whom Nevuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah ben Achikam, and Yishmael ben Netanyah took them captive and went off to cross over to the Ammonites. "And he took captive all the remnant of the people who were in Mitzpah," these are those who had returned to the Land of Israel. "And all the people who remained," these are those who from the outset were in the Land of Israel, yes? All of them he takes captive and brings under his yoke.
And Yochanan ben Kareach and all the officers of the armies who were with him heard all the evil that Yishmael ben Netanyah had done. And they took all the men and went to fight with Yishmael ben Netanyah, and they found him by the great waters that are in Givon. By a pool of great waters that was in Givon.
And it came to pass, when all the people who were with Yishmael saw Yochanan ben Kareach and all the officers of the armies who were with him, that they rejoiced. And all the people whom Yishmael had taken captive from Mitzpah turned around, and they returned and went to Yochanan ben Kareach. The people whom Yishmael took captive see Yochanan ben Kareach, for Yochanan ben Kareach was one of their own people. They see him approaching, they rejoice: oh, here comes the savior, the redeemer. They run to him. And through this he now wants to pursue Yishmael ben Netanyah.
But Yishmael ben Netanyah remained with an elite group of eight men, and they gallop and flee and return to the king of the Ammonites. Yishmael ben Netanyah's coup attempt, the coup attempt failed. Partially, indeed, because he killed Gedaliah ben Achikam, but he did not succeed in seizing the kingship. And Yishmael ben Netanyah escaped with eight men from before Yochanan and went to the Ammonites.
And Yochanan ben Kareach and all the officers of the armies who were with him took all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Yishmael ben Netanyah from Mitzpah, after he had struck Gedaliah ben Achikam, the mighty men of war and women and children and eunuchs whom he had brought back from Givon. And they went and dwelt at Gerut Kimham which is near Beit Lechem, to go to enter Egypt. Yochanan ben Kareach takes the officers of the armies who were with him, the remnant of the people, all of them he takes together with him, and they go and dwell at Gerut Kimham.
The meaning is the place that David gave to Kimham. Do you remember who Kimham was? Very good. The son of Barzillai the Gileadite, his name was Kimham. When David wanted to do good to Barzillai the Gileadite, for having come to assist him in his flight from before his son Avshalom, Barzillai the Gileadite said to him: I have grown old and gray, I can no longer hear the voice of male and female singers, I cannot taste what I eat, old age had leaped upon him, say Chazal. And therefore he said to him, I will not benefit from anything you bring me. Here is my son Kimham, if you want to do good, do good to him. And so it indeed was, so he indeed agreed. This place where Kimham lived, this is called Gerut Kimham. And there he settled them, that is, that they should go and dwell in that same place near Beit Lechem, to go to enter Egypt. That is, a place from which it would be easy to flee to Egypt.
Because of the Chaldeans, for they were afraid of them, because Yishmael ben Netanyah had struck Gedaliah ben Achikam whom the king of Bavel had appointed over the land. This was a place from which it was easy to flee to Egypt. Why flee to Egypt? Because the sword of the Chaldeans hovers over our heads. When the Chaldeans discover that they killed the king whom Nevuchadnetzar placed here on their behalf, they will come here with a great army, and then we will get into serious trouble with them. And therefore because of the Chaldeans, they were told: go dwell there near Beit Lechem, so that if there is some problem, you will be able to go to enter Egypt.