Chapter 14 in Shmuel A is one of the most dramatic chapters in the book: two men alone, Yonatan son of Shaul and his armor bearer, ascend to the Philistine garrison and bring about a complete turnabout in the battle. The chapter opens with heroism born of a moment of inspiration, continues with Shaul's oath upon the people, with Yonatan's tasting of the honey, with the breaking off of contact with Divine providence, and with the lot that falls upon Yonatan. We will proceed according to the order of the pesukim, based on the commentary of the Malbim and other Rishonim.
וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹנָתָן בֶּן־שָׁאוּל אֶל־הַנַּעַר נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו לְכָה וְנַעְבְּרָה אֶל־מַצַּב פְּלִשְׁתִּים אֲשֶׁר מֵעֵבֶר הַלָּז וּלְאָבִיו לֹא הִגִּיד׃ - And it came to pass one day that Yonatan son of Shaul said to the lad who bore his armor: Come, let us cross over to the Philistine garrison that is on the other side over there. But he did not tell his father.
The Philistines are already arranging their forces, and Yonatan says to his armor bearer: Come, let us cross over to the Philistine garrison. The prophet emphasizes throughout that Yonatan had no intention of performing a heroic act. He wanted to cross over, to see what was happening there, to gather information, to become wiser. This is also the reason that "he did not tell his father": had he intended any sort of action, he would have informed his father so that he would know, so that he would not search for him and not worry about him.
"וְשָׁאוּל יוֹשֵׁב בִּקְצֵה הַגִּבְעָה תַּחַת הָרִמּוֹן אֲשֶׁר בְּמִגְרוֹן וְהָעָם אֲשֶׁר עִמּוֹ כְּשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת אִישׁ" - Shaul was sitting at the edge of the hill, because with so few men he was afraid of being exposed before the Philistines; it would take only for the Philistines to rise up against him and all who were with him would scatter in every direction. Therefore he made himself inconspicuous and sat at the edge. The verse also informs us of something else: those six hundred who were in the previous chapter are the very same six hundred who remained now as well; not a single man was added to them.
וַאֲחִיָּה בֶן־אֲחִטוּב אֲחִי אִיכָבוֹד בֶּן־פִּינְחָס בֶּן־עֵלִי כֹּהֵן יְהֹוָה בְּשִׁלוֹ נֹשֵׂא אֵפוֹד וְהָעָם לֹא יָדַע כִּי הָלַךְ יוֹנָתָן׃ - And Achiya son of Achituv, brother of Ichavod son of Pinchas son of Eli, priest of Hashem in Shilo, was wearing the efod. And the people did not know that Yonatan had gone.
The verse is puzzling: what does Achiya son of Achituv, who wore the efod, have to do with this, and how does the end of the verse, "and the people did not know that Yonatan had gone," connect to him? The Malbim explains that the author of the book continues to prove to us that Yonatan had no intention whatsoever of performing an act of heroism. First proof: he did not tell his father. Second proof: the Urim VeTumim were there, and if a person sets out to perform a great deed he first inquires of the Urim VeTumim; so why did he not inquire? Third proof: the people also did not know. For such an act of heroism requires that the people come and complete the task; Yonatan begins, and the people continue. Had he intended this, he would have informed them: I am going to perform an act there, and when you see such and such a sign, rise up at once. From the fact that he did not inform anyone, it is proven that he had no such plan, but rather in a single moment he received Divine assistance and inspiration to do what he did.
וּבֵין הַמַּעְבְּרוֹת אֲשֶׁר בִּקֵּשׁ יוֹנָתָן לַעֲבֹר עַל־מַצַּב פְּלִשְׁתִּים שֵׁן־הַסֶּלַע מֵהָעֵבֶר מִזֶּה וְשֵׁן־הַסֶּלַע מֵהָעֵבֶר מִזֶּה וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד בּוֹצֵץ וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד סֶנֶּה׃ - And between the passes through which Yonatan sought to cross over to the Philistine garrison there was a rocky crag on one side and a rocky crag on the other side; the name of the one was Botzetz and the name of the other was Seneh.
In order to reach the Philistine garrison there were two very high crags, and they even had special names. Ordinarily two ordinary hills are not given a name, but a high and distinctive mountain is called by a name. "הַשֵּׁן הָאֶחָד מָצוּק מִצָּפוֹן מוּל מִכְמָשׂ וְהָאֶחָד מִנֶּגֶב מוּל גָּבַע" - one crag stood as a pillar on the north opposite Michmas, and the other on the south opposite Geva. The verse comes to tell us how difficult it was to reach the Philistine camp: the Philistines sat above and could see anyone approaching them.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹנָתָן אֶל־הַנַּעַר נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו לְכָה וְנַעְבְּרָה אֶל־מַצַּב הָעֲרֵלִים הָאֵלֶּה אוּלַי יַעֲשֶׂה יְהֹוָה לָנוּ כִּי אֵין לַיהֹוָה מַעְצוֹר לְהוֹשִׁיעַ בְּרַב אוֹ בִמְעָט׃ - And Yehonatan said to the lad who bore his armor: Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones; perhaps Hashem will act on our behalf, for there is no restraint upon Hashem to bring salvation whether by many or by few.
Here a spirit of valor already awakened within him. Why did he call them "the uncircumcised" rather than "the Philistines"? Chazal explain: Yonatan said, even if we have no merit other than the very fact that we are circumcised and they are uncircumcised, that alone is enough for us to defeat them. Therefore he uses a term of contempt: these are uncircumcised, while we are the children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, we are holy, and we will surely be able to prevail.
And with that same expression he continues: "אוּלַי יַעֲשֶׂה יְהֹוָה לָנוּ" - for by natural means we have no chance whatsoever. If we wait until the Philistines come, there is no chance we will succeed, and therefore we need Hashem to act for us. And if you ask: after all, you are one man or two, and facing you are thousands and myriads, thirty thousand chariots of iron, and besides that a people as numerous as the sand on the seashore, what is the chance? The answer: this entire calculation is true in a physical war. In a physical war one examines the balance of forces, the order of battle: how many you have and how many we have, which tanks and which planes. But "there is nothing to restrain Hashem from saving by many or by few" - in a spiritual war there is no difference between many and few; the moment Hashem wills it, one can prevail.
וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו עֲשֵׂה כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר בִּלְבָבֶךָ נְטֵה לָךְ הִנְנִי עִמְּךָ כִּלְבָבֶךָ׃ - And his armor bearer said to him: Do all that is in your heart, turn where you will, behold I am with you according to your heart.
The armor bearer understood that it could not be that a person would go to perform such an act, one that runs contrary to the way of nature, entering with his own body into the lion's mouth in immense danger, unless there is a divine power moving him and strengthening his heart. For naturally, when a person sees such an array of forces, he flees for his life. Therefore he said to him: "Do all that is in your heart."
And here a great principle is embedded. There is an expression in Chazal: "he does not see, but his mazal sees." Many times a person has feelings, and he does not know where they come from. A person whose relative was in danger felt at that very moment a bad feeling. Where did this come from? The nefesh is within the person, the neshamah is above in the upper worlds, and the ruach is the intermediary, the medium between them. The neshamah sees everything, it has no limitation whatsoever, and therefore it also could not enter fully into the body; it is a lofty spiritual reality connected to its supernal root. And when the neshamah sees something that is going to happen, it transmits impressions through the ruach to the nefesh, and the nefesh does not know how to translate this. The neshamah sees a disaster approaching, and the nefesh feels a vague fear that accompanies it without knowing its source. The neshamah is called "mazlei," because it descends and cascades and flows down from the upper worlds to the lower ones.
From here come all those stories about a young man of twenty who one day sat down to write a will, and they asked him why all of a sudden, and he answered that a person does not know his time, and after three days he was killed in a car accident. How did he know? He does not see, but his mazal sees. And this is also the matter of "that which I feared has come upon me": many times what a person is afraid of comes to him, because the fear itself signals what is going to be.
According to this, the matter of dreams is also understood. When a person dreams a dream and great fear accompanies it, they say one should be wary of the dream; the very fact that you are so frightened teaches that in your innermost self you sense that the message is true, that the mazal is transmitting the matters to you and therefore the nefesh takes it hard. Had it not been a true thing, the nefesh would not have been so stirred. Therefore the measure is "וְנַפְשׁוֹ עֲגוּמָה" - how grieved the dreamer's soul is over it; this is the true gauge of whether the dream is true or whether "the dreams speak falsehood." Regarding Pharaoh it says "and his spirit was agitated," and regarding Nevuchadnetzar "and his spirit was agitated" (and there Rashi explains the change in wording); in any case the agitation teaches that the dream left its imprint, that there is a message in it.
So too here: "Do all that is in your heart." The armor bearer said to him: I do not have your feelings, but you have feelings that the heart transmits to you from above, and if the heart directs you to act, let us go and do it.
וְאִם־כֹּה יֹאמְרוּ עֲלוּ עָלֵינוּ וְעָלִינוּ כִּי־נְתָנָם יְהֹוָה בְּיָדֵנוּ וְזֶה־לָּנוּ הָאוֹת׃ - And if they say thus: Come up to us, then we will go up, for Hashem has given them into our hand, and this shall be the sign for us.
Yonatan says: we want to test whether divine providence will cling to us, whether we will have heavenly assistance, and therefore we will set a condition. We will go and expose ourselves: they are above and we are below and must ascend. If they say "Wait until we reach you" - stay in your place and we are coming down to you - then the word of Hashem is in their mouths: wait, do not come up, you have no chance, nothing will come of this. But if they say "Come up to us" - notice the wording: not only that we will go up to them but "upon us," that we will dominate them and overpower them - this is a sign that their mouth caused their downfall, and indeed we will go up over them.
וַיִּגָּלוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם אֶל־מַצַּב פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיֹּאמְרוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים הִנֵּה עִבְרִים יֹצְאִים מִן־הַחֹרִים אֲשֶׁר הִתְחַבְּאוּ־שָׁם׃ - The two of them revealed themselves to the Philistine garrison, and the Philistines said: Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they had hidden themselves.
Notice the contempt: "Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes" - like mice coming out of their holes. For a moment they did not imagine that this was an army coming to fight, that here was someone with aggressive intentions. They immediately understood that these were faint hearted Jews who had come out to look for food, wretches ready to join us as long as they do not have to see battle. And out of that complete confidence that there was nothing to fear from these two Hebrews, "וַיַּעֲנוּ אַנְשֵׁי הַמַּצָּבָה" - the men of the garrison - "עֲלוּ אֵלֵינוּ וְנוֹדִיעָה אֶתְכֶם דָּבָר", "come up to us and we will tell you something." The emphasis is on "come up": the question was a single one - would they say that we should go up, or that they would come down to us. Once they said "come up," and did not say "stay silent" and remain below, Yonatan knew there would be success here, and he said to his lad: "עֲלֵה אַחֲרַי כִּי־נְתָנָם יְהֹוָה בְּיַד יִשְׂרָאֵל", "come up after me, for Hashem has delivered them into the hand of Israel."
וַיַּעַל יוֹנָתָן עַל־יָדָיו וְעַל־רַגְלָיו וְנֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו אַחֲרָיו וַיִּפְּלוּ לִפְנֵי יוֹנָתָן וְנֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו מְמוֹתֵת אַחֲרָיו׃ - Yonatan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer after him; and they fell before Yonatan, and his armor bearer was killing them after him.
"On his hands and feet" - Yonatan ran with all his strength, and since this was an ascent and a climb, a person goes up on all fours, with hands and feet, in order to reach the top. "And they fell before Yonatan" - this teaches that the whole thing was miraculous: he strikes with the sword, and they fall before him up above beyond the natural order. He delivers the first blow, and his armor bearer finishes the work and kills them after him. The Philistines did not expect this at all; they thought two wretched Jews, fleeing and hungry, were coming to them, and suddenly they received a complete surprise.
"וַתְּהִי הַמַּכָּה הָרִאשֹׁנָה אֲשֶׁר הִכָּה יוֹנָתָן וְנֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו כְּעֶשְׂרִים אִישׁ כְּבַחֲצִי מַעֲנָה צֶמֶד שָׂדֶה", "And the first blow that Yonatan and his armor bearer struck was about twenty men, within about half a furrow of a yoke of field" - in the first blow he killed twenty men. Imagine what fear and dread this instills: in a single moment they see a commotion and no one understands what is happening.
וַתְּהִי חֲרָדָה בַמַּחֲנֶה בַשָּׂדֶה וּבְכׇל־הָעָם הַמַּצָּב וְהַמַּשְׁחִית חָרְדוּ גַּם־הֵמָּה וַתִּרְגַּז הָאָרֶץ וַתְּהִי לְחֶרְדַּת אֱלֹהִים׃ - There was a dread in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison and the raiders, they too trembled, and the earth quaked, and it became a dread of God.
The dread spreads in stages: first in the camp, then in the field, then among all the people, and finally the garrison and the raiders too - both those who were in the camp and those who sat in the outposts - all of them trembled. This dread, in its plain sense, was not a natural dread but a supernatural one, yet it also had an understandable cause. After all, there are no telephones and no communication; all contact is by line of sight or by messengers. When you stand a kilometer or two from the outpost and suddenly you see a great tumult there and people scattering, you imagine to yourself who knows what disaster happened there, and fear immediately falls upon you and you too begin to flee. And on top of all this the verse adds: know that there was also a dread there that was not natural.
וַיִּרְאוּ הַצֹּפִים לְשָׁאוּל בְּגִבְעַת בִּנְיָמִן וְהִנֵּה הֶהָמוֹן נָמוֹג וַיֵּלֶךְ וַהֲלֹם׃ - Shaul's watchmen in Givat Binyamin looked, and behold, the multitude was melting away, going here and there.
Just as from the Philistine camp they saw what was happening at the outpost, so too in the camp of Israel there sat watchmen whose task was to look and see. "And behold, the multitude" - hamon comes from a word meaning noise and clamor, as in "הִנֵּה הַקִּרְיָה הוֹמִיָּה", "behold, the city is in tumult," and as in "קוֹל הָמוֹן כְּקוֹל שַׁדַּי", "a sound of a multitude like the sound of Shakkai." They see a commotion beginning there, a sound of clamor. "Melting away" - from a word meaning melting, as in "נָמֹגוּ כֹּל יֹשְׁבֵי פְלָשֶׁת", "all the inhabitants of Philistia melted," and "כִּי נָמֹגוּ מִפְּנֵיכֶם", "for they melted before you," meaning fear. "Going here and there" - some of them draw closer to here and some move farther away, there is no uniform action of them all.
"וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ פִּקְדוּ־נָא וּרְאוּ מִי הָלַךְ מֵעִמָּנוּ" - check who is missing here, for apparently someone of ours has gone over there. They check, and behold, Yonatan and his arms bearer are not there.
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לַאֲחִיָּה הַגִּישָׁה אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי־הָיָה אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And Shaul said to Achiyah, Bring near the Ark of God, for the Ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.
The Ark of God was with them, and Shaul wishes to inquire through the Urim VeTumim. The Metzudat David explains that he asked whether to go up against them and fight them or not. The Malbim explains that the question was about the commotion, that was what he wanted to clarify, what the meaning of the tumult there was. The nations need satellites, communication and spies; we have the Ark of God, the Tablets, and we inquire through the Urim VeTumim.
But operating it takes time: "וַיְהִי עַד דִּבֶּר שָׁאוּל אֶל־הַכֹּהֵן וְהֶהָמוֹן אֲשֶׁר בְּמַחֲנֵה פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיֵּלֶךְ הָלוֹךְ וָרָב וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל־הַכֹּהֵן אֱסֹף יָדֶךָ". While Shaul was still speaking to the Kohen, and while the Kohen was setting the whole system into operation, he heard that the tumult, the noise, the commotion, was growing louder and louder. He said to him: we have no time. For the letters would light up, and afterward the Divine spirit was needed to arrange them in the correct order, and all this would take several minutes, and by the time we finish inquiring we will no longer be here. Therefore "אסוף ידך", withdraw your hand, there is no time to inquire.
"וַיִּזָּעֵק שָׁאוּל וְכׇל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־הַמִּלְחָמָה וְהִנֵּה הָיְתָה חֶרֶב אִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ מְהוּמָה גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד" - while Shaul gathers the people and they come to the battle, the Pelishtim are already "working" on themselves and killing one another.
וְהָעִבְרִים הָיוּ לַפְּלִשְׁתִּים כְּאֶתְמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם אֲשֶׁר עָלוּ עִמָּם בַּמַּחֲנֶה סָבִיב וְגַם־הֵמָּה לִהְיוֹת עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עִם־שָׁאוּל וְיוֹנָתָן׃ - And the Hebrews who had been with the Pelishtim as before, who had gone up with them into the camp round about, they too turned to be with the Israelites who were with Shaul and Yonatan.
There were Hebrews over whom the Pelishtim ruled and whom they had conscripted into their army to fight shoulder to shoulder against us. The moment they saw that the tide was turning, a fifth column was created for the Pelishtim: those very Hebrews who had been brought to fight against us began to strike the Pelishtim from within. "וְכֹל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמִּתְחַבְּאִים בְּהַר־אֶפְרַיִם שָׁמְעוּ כִּי נָסוּ פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּדְבְּקוּ גַם־הֵמָּה אַחֲרֵיהֶם בַּמִּלְחָמָה" - even the frightened ones, who had said we will not go to the battlefield to die there, waited and saw that the situation was improving, and then they came out of the holes and came to help Israel.
"וַיּוֹשַׁע יְהֹוָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַמִּלְחָמָה עָבְרָה אֶת־בֵּית אָוֶן" - when they reached Beit Aven the battle had already passed, that is, it had ceased. From here on the Pelishtim only flee, they stopped fighting, and Israel pursues them.
וְאִישׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵל נִגַּשׂ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיֹּאֶל שָׁאוּל אֶת־הָעָם לֵאמֹר אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יֹאכַל לֶחֶם עַד־הָעֶרֶב וְנִקַּמְתִּי מֵאֹיְבַי וְלֹא־טָעַם כׇּל־הָעָם לָחֶם׃ - And the men of Israel were distressed that day, and Shaul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man who eats bread until evening, that I may be avenged on my enemies. So none of the people tasted bread.
"And the men of Israel pressed on" - the word carries the sense of a taskmaster, like the Egyptian taskmasters who forced the people to their labor. The people saw that the Philistines had ceased fighting, and from that point on they continued the pursuit not willingly but like someone driven by a taskmaster. They said: enough, we have quiet, there is no need to keep chasing. But Shaul knew that if we let them go now, the Philistines would regroup in their regions, gather again and strike a heavy blow. They would say: what, six hundred men chased us? What fools we were! - and once more all the tens of thousands would go out to battle. Therefore Shaul said: we must strike while the iron is hot. Whoever is now planning to sit down, set the table and have a barbecue - right now no one eats a thing.
"Vayoel" is an expression of imposing an oath, from the word alah, an oath, as in "and he hears the voice of an oath" (v'sham'ah kol alah). "And I have avenged myself on my enemies" - we must finish the whole matter with them, and only afterward sit and rest, for otherwise they will flee to their cities, regroup and go out again.
And "cursed be the man who eats bread" can be understood in two ways. One could say the prohibition is on bread specifically, that is, on a set meal - to sit, bring out meat, hold a feast - while cooked grain dishes and fruits are permitted. And one could understand that bread is only a figure of speech, and the intent is to taste nothing at all. The people, who could not clarify the matter precisely, took the stricter view: "and none of the people tasted bread" - Shaul said "eats," and the people did not taste at all, like a fast day. And indeed this was the accepted practice in their time, that when they went out to war they decreed a fast. This is also the meaning of the Fast of Esther: it is not about the fast that Esther and her maidens fasted, but about the fact that on the day they went out to kill their enemies they would fast. The Jewish army does not march on its stomach, but on its Heavenly assistance.
וַיָּבֹא הָעָם אֶל־הַיַּעַר וְהִנֵּה הֵלֶךְ דְּבָשׁ וְאֵין־מַשִּׂיג יָדוֹ אֶל־פִּיו כִּי־יָרֵא הָעָם אֶת־הַשְּׁבֻעָה׃ - And the people came to the forest, and behold, the honey was flowing, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
"And all the land came to the forest, and there was honey on the surface of the field" - during the pursuit they reached the forest and saw honey on the surface of the field. Rashi explains that this was cane honey, meaning sugar cane. The Ralbag explains that there were many bees there that produced honey in enormous quantities, and the honey was already dripping from the hives due to the sheer amount, and this is "honey on the surface of the field." "And behold, the honey was flowing" - there was no need to stop in order to harvest the honey; while walking they could take from it, since the honey was already dripping. And even so, "no one put his hand to his mouth," because they were unsure whether this too was included in the oath not to eat bread.
וְיוֹנָתָן לֹא־שָׁמַע בְּהַשְׁבִּיעַ אָבִיו אֶת־הָעָם וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת־קְצֵה הַמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ וַיִּטְבֹּל אוֹתָהּ בְּיַעְרַת הַדְּבָשׁ וַיָּשֶׁב יָדוֹ אֶל־פִּיו וַתָּאֹרְנָה עֵינָיו׃ - But Yonatan had not heard when his father made the people swear, and he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and he brought his hand back to his mouth, and his eyes lit up.
The verse gives us several points in Yonatan's favor for having transgressed the oath. First, "but Yonatan had not heard when his father made the people swear" - he acted unintentionally. Second, "and he put out the tip of the staff... and dipped" - this was not eating but merely a taste. Third, the Sages said that he was seized by a ravenous hunger (bulmus), and therefore "his eyes lit up"; and one who is seized by such hunger is fed even on Yom Kippur, and through the eating his eyes lit up, and had he not eaten he might have died. So we have three reasons to be lenient with him.
"And one of the people answered... your father strictly made the people swear... and the people were faint" - they told him: your father imposed the oath, and surely his intent was a complete affliction, not to eat, not to drink, and not to taste anything at all, and if so even a taste is forbidden. And as a result of this the people grew weary.
וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹנָתָן עָכַר אָבִי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ רְאוּ־נָא כִּי־אֹרוּ עֵינַי כִּי טָעַמְתִּי מְעַט דְּבַשׁ הַזֶּה׃ - And Yonatan said: My father has troubled the land; see now that my eyes have lit up because I tasted a little of this honey.
Yonatan responds with two things: first, the very decree itself, of which I knew nothing until now, is not a good decree, "my father has troubled the land." And second, he argues in his own favor: I had a ravenous hunger, and you can see that through the eating my eyes lit up.
אַף כִּי לוּא אָכֹל אָכַל הַיּוֹם הָעָם מִשְּׁלַל אֹיְבָיו אֲשֶׁר מָצָא כִּי עַתָּה לֹא־רָבְתָה מַכָּה בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים׃ - How much more, had the people eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found; for now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.
He also argues that the prohibition gained nothing, for had the people eaten, they would have pursued their enemies far more effectively and struck them far harder. And what does "from the spoil of his enemies" mean, is what the enemies eat permissible? The Rambam writes that in war a person is permitted to eat even "kadlei dachaziri," that is, even the meat of a pig, because this is a situation of danger, and in a situation of danger a person must eat whatever is available. Should we tell him to wait and fast for several days? There is no choice, he is permitted to eat even a forbidden food. This is Yonatan's claim: had we not sat organizing meals but rather eaten from the spoil of our enemies, would the situation not have been better?
וַיַּעַט הָעָם אֶל־הַשָּׁלָל וַיִּקְחוּ צֹאן וּבָקָר וּבְנֵי בָקָר וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ־אָרְצָה וַיֹּאכַל הָעָם עַל־הַדָּם׃ - And the people rushed upon the spoil, and took sheep and oxen and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground, and the people ate over the blood.
"וַיַּכּוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים מִמִּכְמָשׂ אַיָּלֹנָה וַיָּעַף הָעָם מְאֹד" - they continued and pursued them as far as Ayalon, and because they had eaten nothing all that day, the people grew very weary. At the end of the day, once the pursuit was over and it was already permitted to eat, the people rushed upon the spoil. What is "and the people ate over the blood"? Chazal say that they consecrated everything as shelamim and ate before the sprinkling of the blood. In that period it was permitted to offer sacrifices outside, outside the Mishkan, on bamot, and vows and freewill offerings could be offered on a bamah, and a shelamim offering has the status of a vow and freewill offering and may be offered on a bamah. But when offering on a bamah one must first sprinkle the blood upon the altar, and only afterward is the meat permitted for eating, and they ate "over the blood," while the blood still existed, without it having been sprinkled on the altar. And some wished to say that they did not wait to clean the meat of its blood but ate it immediately with its blood.
"וַיַּגִּידוּ לְשָׁאוּל... הִנֵּה הָעָם חֹטִאים לַיהֹוָה לֶאֱכֹל עַל־הַדָּם וַיֹּאמֶר בְּגַדְתֶּם גֹּלּוּ־אֵלַי הַיּוֹם אֶבֶן גְּדוֹלָה" - "you have betrayed" with regard to the sacred offerings, for the sacred offerings are eaten only after the sprinkling of their blood. And the great stone that he brought, he set it up as an altar. Then he commanded: "פֻּצוּ בָעָם וַאֲמַרְתֶּם לָהֶם הַגִּישׁוּ אֵלַי אִישׁ שׁוֹרוֹ וְאִישׁ שְׂיֵהוּ וּשְׁחַטְתֶּם בָּזֶה וַאֲכַלְתֶּם וְלֹא־תֶחֶטְאוּ לַיהֹוָה" - disperse among the people, and let each one bring to me, to the place of the bamah, his ox and his sheep, and let them slaughter here and not each one in his own place, and thus you will not sin by eating before the sprinkling of the blood. And so they did.
"וַיִּבֶן שָׁאוּל מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהֹוָה אֹתוֹ הֵחֵל לִבְנוֹת מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהֹוָה" - from that same stone which he had set up as an opening and a beginning, Shaul ultimately, after the war, built a complete altar to Hashem.
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל נֵרְדָה אַחֲרֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים לַיְלָה וְנָבֹזָה בָהֶם עַד־אוֹר הַבֹּקֶר וְלֹא־נַשְׁאֵר בָּהֶם אִישׁ וַיֹּאמְרוּ כׇּל־הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֶיךָ עֲשֵׂה וַיֹּאמֶר הַכֹּהֵן נִקְרְבָה הֲלֹם אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים׃ - And Shaul said, Let us go down after the Pelishtim by night, and plunder them until the light of morning, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatever is good in your eyes. Then the kohen said, Let us draw near here to God.
Shaul thought that we had already won a complete victory and all that remained was to plunder the spoil. But the kohen was not so certain, and said: "let us draw near here to God." His argument: you think we are going only to gather spoil, but perhaps they are already regrouping there to deal us a crushing blow; therefore let us inquire of Hashem whether it is fitting to go down. "וַיִּשְׁאַל שָׁאוּל בֵּאלֹהִים הַאֵרֵד אַחֲרֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים הֲתִתְּנֵם בְּיַד יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא עָנָהוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא" - Shaul inquires, and there is no response.
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל גֹּשׁוּ הֲלֹם כֹּל פִּנּוֹת הָעָם וּדְעוּ וּרְאוּ בַּמָּה הָיְתָה הַחַטָּאת הַזֹּאת הַיּוֹם׃ - And Shaul said, Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see how this sin came about today.
Shaul understands that there is an obstruction here, that they are not succeeding in establishing contact with Divine providence, a sign that there is iniquity among us. "All the chiefs of the people" refers to the officers of the people. "Pinah" (corner) is always an expression of the important ones, as in "פִּנּוֹת צְבָאוֹת" and "רוֹזְנֵי שָׂדַי," and as in "אֶבֶן מָאֲסוּ הַבּוֹנִים הָיְתָה לְרֹאשׁ פִּנָּה" - the important stone of the building. And why did he attribute it specifically to "this sin today," and did not suspect an earlier iniquity? The Malbim explains: it is impossible that there had been an earlier iniquity among them, for that very day a great miracle had been done for them, and only now is there a failure; therefore it is clear that something happened now, on account of which we are not being answered.
"כִּי חַי־יְהֹוָה הַמּוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי אִם־יֶשְׁנוֹ בְּיוֹנָתָן בְּנִי כִּי מוֹת יָמוּת וְאֵין עֹנֵהוּ מִכׇּל־הָעָם" - I swear that even if the iniquity is in Yonatan my son, even though he brought about the salvation and the entire miracle was in his merit, he too shall surely die; if there is sin in someone, we want to clarify it. And no one responds.
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָבָה תָמִים וַיִּלָּכֵד יוֹנָתָן וְשָׁאוּל וְהָעָם יָצָאוּ׃ - And Shaul said to Hashem, the God of Israel, "Give a perfect lot," and Yonatan and Shaul were taken, but the people went free.
Shaul proposes to cast lots: "You shall be on one side, and I and Yonatan my son shall be on the other side," for he wanted to check whether the problem lay with himself as king or perhaps with Yonatan. "Give a perfect lot" means give a lot of truth, from the word shalem, complete. The lot falls on their side, and afterward, "Cast lots between me and Yonatan my son, and Yonatan was taken."
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל־יוֹנָתָן הַגִּידָה לִּי מֶה עָשִׂיתָה וַיַּגֶּד־לוֹ יוֹנָתָן וַיֹּאמֶר טָעֹם טָעַמְתִּי בִּקְצֵה הַמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר־בְּיָדִי מְעַט דְּבַשׁ הִנְנִי אָמוּת׃ - And Shaul said to Yonatan, "Tell me what you have done." And Yonatan told him and said, "I did indeed taste a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I will die."
See what self sacrifice this is: if we were not answered through the Urim veTumim because of this transgression, then I am ready this very moment to give up my life, "Here I am, I will die." "And Shaul said, 'So may God do and more, for you shall surely die, Yonatan'" - once I have made a promise, I will fulfill it; if this is how I swore, you too will have to die. And what is the meaning of "So may God do and more"? When a person wants to say that something bad should happen to him if he does not act in a certain way, he does not want to spell out the evil upon himself, for a covenant is made with the lips and a person must be careful not to say anything bad about himself; therefore he speaks in distant and vague language: "So may He do" - such and such, without spelling out what.
וַיֹּאמֶר הָעָם אֶל־שָׁאוּל הֲיוֹנָתָן יָמוּת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הַיְשׁוּעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה הַזֹּאת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל חָלִילָה חַי־יְהֹוָה אִם־יִפֹּל מִשַּׂעֲרַת רֹאשׁוֹ אַרְצָה כִּי־עִם־אֱלֹהִים עָשָׂה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וַיִּפְדּוּ הָעָם אֶת־יוֹנָתָן וְלֹא־מֵת׃ - And the people said to Shaul, "Shall Yonatan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far be it! As Hashem lives, not a hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day." So the people redeemed Yonatan, and he did not die.
The people swear in the name of Hashem that not a hair of his head shall fall to the ground, "for he has worked with God this day" - his miracle is not a private miracle but a miracle wrought with God; one sees that there was here a special siyata diShmaya through his merit.
But why, in truth, was he not put to death? Here there is a paradox: they were not answered through the Urim veTumim because of Yonatan, Shaul swore to kill whoever had sinned, and in the end the sinner was revealed and he does not kill him - so the problem was not corrected. Rav Saadia Gaon says that the whole aim from the outset was to prove to the people that Yonatan was innocent. The people had begun to say that Yonatan violated Shaul's oath and nothing happened to him, that there was favoritism here, a double standard, that Yonatan was not innocent and yet received no punishment. Therefore it was necessary from Heaven to show that he was innocent - and how? Through their not being answered by the Urim veTumim because of him, so that all the circumstances were exposed: that he acted unwittingly, that he had not heard the oath, that he was seized by faintness, and that he had only tasted. And once all the mitigating circumstances became known to the people, Hashem's will was fulfilled, for it was His blessed will that all the people should know that Yonatan was innocent.
The Ben Ish Chai writes a similar explanation in the Ben Yehoyada. The Gemara in Sanhedrin relates that the Sages sought to count Shlomo among the kings who have no share in the World to Come, and a stormwind came out and scattered all those sitting in the beit midrash, so they could not establish it. Again they sought to establish it, and a heavenly voice came out and said, "Is it with you that He should requite it?" - is it any concern of yours whether Shlomo receives the World to Come, that you gather to decree that he has none? They wanted to decree so because it is written that his wives turned away his heart. And seemingly this is difficult: why should it concern the Sages? Leave it to the Creator of the world; He knows whether it is fitting for him or not. But the answer is that if the Sages had decreed - "it is not in Heaven" - and they would have removed him from Gan Eden and brought him down to Gehinnom. The Ben Yehoyada explains: the Sages feared that in the eyes of the common people it would appear as though Shlomo had favoritism, that the Sages were clearing him and smoothing matters over for him and finding points of merit for him, that only his wives turned his heart, since he was "one of the group," having composed Mishlei and Shir HaShirim; whereas about Menashe, Yeravam, and Achav they write harsh things. Therefore the Sages requested that from Heaven it be proven that Shlomo was different, that he was righteous, and how? Let us decree that he has no share in the World to Come, and whoever prevents us - the Holy One, blessed be He - and then it will be revealed to all from Him, blessed be He, that Shlomo is different from all of them. And the harsh expressions said about him are precisely on account of the greatness of his level and merit, and in truth, from the expressions themselves one can understand that the matter is not as severe as it appears: it is said about him, "Only not like David his father," and about someone who is a complete wicked man and an idolater one does not say "only not like David his father," but rather says that he is a transgressor and wicked; this implies that it was a subtle transgression.
And what is the meaning of "they redeemed"? The Gemara brings three explanations. Rabbi Eliezer says: they gave his weight in gold and redeemed him, that is, an actual redemption. Rabbi Yochanan says: did he eat bread? He ate honey. And Reish Lakish says: did he even eat? He merely tasted a taste. And Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Zeira: a mere tasting requires no blessing, and it is not considered eating and not drinking, and it does not break a fast and requires no blessing. So this was the finest of the fine, a mere trace of a trace.
The Malbim explains that the people answered Shaul with two arguments. The first: "Shall Yonatan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel" - even if you say he sinned, we will give up our lives so that he shall not die, just as he gave up his life for us. And the second: "Far be it! As Hashem lives, not a hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day" - the supreme providence was attached to him today, the divine providence was clinging to him until he wrought a miracle and a wonder, and how could it be that such a man would sin and be guilty of willful wrongdoing? And presumably they defended him and spoke words of advocacy on his behalf: that he acted unwittingly, and that he did not eat bread but only tasted the honey, and this is not counted as a sin for him. However, according to his level, that he worked with God this day - he merited such a great salvation, a sign that his level was great and that he is righteous - and the Holy One, blessed be He, is exacting with the righteous to a hair's breadth and reckons their unwitting acts as willful ones. Therefore they judged him from Heaven with severity, but in truth he is not liable to death for this and he is not to be judged as one who transgressed willfully.
The Malbim asks: if so, why was Shaul not answered? He brings the explanation of the Abarbanel, that the essence of the lack of a response was not connected to Yonatan at all, but to Shaul's own personal sin, for he transgressed the word of Hashem at Gilgal, rushed to offer the burnt offering and did not wait for Shmuel to arrive, and Shmuel said to him "you have acted foolishly." This is the reason Hashem did not want to answer Shaul. This salvation came in the merit of Yehonatan and not in the merit of Shaul, for it is as if Shaul had no merit for the salvation to come about through him. Therefore Hashem did not answer him when he asked whether to go down after the Philistines, for He wanted to show him: I have no desire in you nor in your pursuit, you acted foolishly in that you did not heed the command of Hashem. But Shaul erred and thought that the obstacle was because of Yehonatan's eating from the honeycomb, and he asked about the matter of the eating, and to this he was indeed answered, as if to show him that in your personal matters I do not answer, and I answer only in other matters, in matters concerning Yehonatan.
But the Malbim finds it difficult to accept this explanation and says that it is a manifest forced reading, for from the plain meaning of the verses it is implied that the sin was in Yehonatan himself, and we see that they cast lots, and by the lot Yehonatan was caught. Therefore the Malbim explains: the reason Shaul was not answered is because for a tzaddik like Yehonatan, through whom such a great salvation was accomplished, an unintentional act is considered as a deliberate one, for they judge his unintentional acts as deliberate ones. For after it was revealed to him that he had transgressed the ban, he should have gone to Shaul and said to him: father, be released from your vow, be released from the ban and annul the vow retroactively, and consequently there would be no sin in me for what I ate. And especially since Yehonatan himself said "my father has brought trouble upon the land," meaning there is a vow here for which there are more than enough reasons why it was not proper, and one could easily regret it. If so, go to your father and tell him to be released from his vow and to regret it from the outset, and thereby the sin would be removed. And it is very possible, says the Malbim, that this itself is the meaning of "and the people ransomed Yehonatan," that they endeavored to have Shaul dissolve the vow. And he also had an opening for regret in that the people said "shall Yehonatan die," for when the people give themselves over so much for Yehonatan, there is room for Shaul to regret his vow. And so indeed Rashi explains: "and the people ransomed" means they dissolved Shaul's oath.
The Malbim adds that his explanation fits very well with the Midrash: "and the people ransomed" means they gave his weight in gold and ransomed him; Rabbi Yochanan said, and did he eat bread, was it not honey that he ate; Reish Lakish said, and did he eat at all, was it not merely a taste that he tasted. These are the two reasons we mentioned, that the people argued there was a defense here: first, that he did not eat bread but honey; and second, that he ate only a taste. And if so there is no reason to punish him, and all the wrath and the withholding of a response from Heaven are only because of the greatness of Yonatan's righteousness, for regarding him they judge unintentional acts as deliberate ones.
"וַיַּעַל שָׁאוּל מֵאַחֲרֵי פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּפְלִשְׁתִּים הָלְכוּ לִמְקוֹמָם" - the Radak explains that Shaul ceased pursuing because Hashem did not answer him through the Urim and Tumim, and he did not want to pursue without approval and sanction from Hashem; and although he thought that Yehonatan had a just claim to be saved, nevertheless there was a sin between us in the very matter of the oath. And the Radak further says that after they had spent the entire night dealing with the matter of the oath the momentum was already lost; the opportunity to pursue the Philistines that night had passed, and in the meantime the Philistines returned to their place, and there was no longer any way to carry out the pursuit.
וְשָׁאוּל לָכַד הַמְּלוּכָה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּלָּחֶם סָבִיב בְּכׇל־אֹיְבָיו בְּמוֹאָב וּבִבְנֵי־עַמּוֹן וּבֶאֱדוֹם וּבְמַלְכֵי צוֹבָה וּבַפְּלִשְׁתִּים וּבְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יִפְנֶה יַרְשִׁיעַ׃ - And Shaul seized the kingship over Israel, and he fought all around against all his enemies, against Moav and against the children of Ammon and against Edom and against the kings of Tzovah and against the Philistines, and wherever he turned he inflicted punishment.
"seized the kingship" - until now the Philistines had ruled over Israel and the kingship was not firm in his hand, and now he succeeded in removing the Philistine rule over Israel, and consequently his kingship was established. "and wherever he turned he inflicted punishment" - the Malbim explains: in every place where there was someone who wanted to act wickedly and to harm Israel, Shaul would turn there, fight against him and defeat him.
וַיַּעַשׂ חַיִל וַיַּךְ אֶת־עֲמָלֵק וַיַּצֵּל אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד שֹׁסֵהוּ׃ - And he mustered a force and struck Amalek, and he saved Israel from the hand of the one who plundered it.
Since it enumerates here Shaul's wars, it also mentions the war of Amalek. "and he mustered a force" - he gathered and assembled a great and numerous force from Israel to fight against Amalek. But at the end of the verse, says the Malbim, Shaul's sin is hinted at: his entire intention was only "and he saved Israel from the hand of the one who plundered it," to save Israel in the present, and he had no aim to blot out the name of Amalek on account of the past, for what it had done to Israel on the way when they went out of Egypt. He did not act according to the command of Hashem, and because of this he also lost the kingship: he only saved Israel from the hand of the one who plundered it, and did not go to fight in order to take Hashem's vengeance against Amalek.
"וַיִּהְיוּ בְּנֵי שָׁאוּל יוֹנָתָן וְיִשְׁוִי וּמַלְכִּישׁוּעַ וְשֵׁם שְׁתֵּי בְנֹתָיו שֵׁם הַבְּכִירָה מֵרַב וְשֵׁם הַקְּטַנָּה מִיכַל. וְשֵׁם אֵשֶׁת שָׁאוּל אֲחִינֹעַם בַּת־אֲחִימָעַץ וְשֵׁם שַׂר־צְבָאוֹ אֲבִינֵר בֶּן־נֵר דּוֹד שָׁאוּל". "Avner son of Ner, the uncle of Shaul" - it was Ner who was the uncle of Shaul, and not Avner. And why is he called here "Aviner"? This makes no difference, just as we find "Aminon" in place of Amnon, so too one may read Aviner even though his name is Avner.
And an interesting matter: when it enumerates Shaul's sons it lists Yonatan, Yishvi and Malkishua, and two are missing, Ish Boshet and Avinadav. In the view of the Radak, Yishvi is Avinadav, for Yishvi is not mentioned in Divrei HaYamim, and Avinadav is mentioned explicitly in Divrei HaYamim and he is the one who died in the war of Amalek, and it turns out that he had two names. And Ish Boshet is indeed not mentioned here, and even in Divrei HaYamim he is not mentioned by the name Ish Boshet but by the name Eshbaal, and he is Ish Boshet. And why is he not mentioned here? Because here it enumerated Shaul's wars, and therefore it mentioned all those who would go out with him to war: Yonatan, Yishvi who is Avinadav, and Malkishua; whereas Ish Boshet did not go out to his wars and therefore was not counted. The Metzudat David, by contrast, holds that Yishvi is Ish Boshet, he is the Eshbaal of Divrei HaYamim, and to the question of why Avinadav was not mentioned he answers that apparently he was born at a later period and therefore was not counted here. The Malbim too explains that Yishvi is the Avinadav mentioned in Divrei HaYamim, and explains why Ish Boshet was not mentioned: because Ish Boshet, as we will see further on, became king and his name became known and famous, and therefore it did not see a need to mention him, and so the Malbim explains in the name of the Abarbanel.
"וְקִישׁ אֲבִי־שָׁאוּל וְנֵר אֲבִי־אַבְנֵר בֶּן־אֲבִיאֵל" - here the verse explains to us how Ner was Shaul's uncle: Kish and Ner were both sons of Aviel, brothers from the same father. "Ben Aviel" refers to Kish as well, as if it said: Kish the father of Shaul and Ner the father of Avner, both of them sons of Aviel. It emerges that Avner was Shaul's first cousin.
"וַתְּהִי הַמִּלְחָמָה חֲזָקָה עַל־פְּלִשְׁתִּים כֹּל יְמֵי שָׁאוּל וְרָאָה שָׁאוּל כׇּל אִישׁ גִּבּוֹר וְכׇל בֶּן־חַיִל וַיַּאַסְפֵהוּ אֵלָיו" - do not think there were lulls; the war was fierce all his days. And whenever he saw a mighty man or a man of valor, one who knew the tactics of war, he would gather him to himself into his army, and through this he succeeded in all his wars.
The chapter teaches us the principle that "nothing prevents Hashem from saving, whether by many or by few": two men, with no plan and no preparation, through the power of inspiration that the heart transmits from above, overturn an entire battle line. Yonatan went out with no intent of heroism, he did not tell his father, did not inquire of the Urim VeTumim, and did not inform the people, and precisely for that reason it is emphasized that the victory was Divine assistance. In contrast, Shaul's oath, meant to exploit the momentum, brought about the people's exhaustion, eating over the blood, and a crisis in which they received no answer from the Urim VeTumim. In the end it becomes clear that Yonatan acted inadvertently, it was merely a taste, and a ravenous hunger had seized him, and only because the Holy One, blessed be He, is exacting with the righteous to a hair's breadth was his inadvertent act reckoned to him as deliberate. The people redeemed him, released Shaul from his oath, and we learned that just as there is exacting judgment for the great, so too there is power in the people's love and in finding merit to save a soul in Israel.