Elul: The Secret Mysteries in the Book of Samuel and the Hidden Greatness of King David

Lesson No. 536 | Wednesday, Parashat Shoftim, 1 Elul 5767 - General Lesson

In the month of Elul, there is not a spare moment, and every verse in the Tanakh requires deep contemplation. The article dives into the mysteries in the Book of Samuel: why King Saul did not recognize David and Yishai, how the kiddushin (betrothal) of Merav took place, and what was behind the evil speech (lashon hara) of Doeg the Edomite.

The Riddle of the Kiddushin of David and Merav

The Gemara in Tractate Sanhedrin (19b) asks how David married two sisters, as this is a prohibition carrying the penalty of karet (spiritual excision). According to Rabbi Yossi, Merav passed away, but according to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha, it was a mistaken kiddushin. The Maharit (Choshen Mishpat, Siman 23) elaborates on this matter and raises formidable questions: How did David manage to betroth Merav? Who said what to whom?

In those days, they did not know all the halachot as they are known today. The Maharit raises the possibility that perhaps Merav said to David, "Behold, I am betrothed to you," and therefore the kiddushin did not take effect, since the halachah establishes:

"We require that he gives and he speaks."

The man must say, "Behold, you are betrothed to me," and not the woman. Furthermore, David did not have even a perutah (a small coin) in his pocket, so with what did he betroth her? After all, one must always know if the ring truly belongs to the groom. Rather, we are forced to say that the kiddushin was based on Saul's promise:

"And it shall be that the man who strikes him down, the king will enrich him with great wealth."

Why Didn't Saul Recognize Yishai?

In the Book of Samuel, it is described that King Saul asks about David: "Whose son is this lad?". How is it possible that Saul does not recognize him and his father? After all, Yishai was a very famous man. The Gemara in Tractate Berachot (58a) says regarding the verse:

"And the man in the days of Saul was old, advanced in years among men"

That Yishai, the father of David, would go out with a multitude and come in with a multitude, and was appointed over six hundred thousand men. How does a king not recognize a man who is appointed over an army of six hundred thousand men?

The answer is that people back then did not know the halachah of "An Ammonite man, but not an Ammonite woman; a Moabite man, but not a Moabite woman." Since they did not know the halachot, they did not know if Yishai was even permitted to enter the congregation. It is possible that he could teach and give a lesson, but the question was whether he was fit to judge and sit in the Sanhedrin.

The Evil Speech of Doeg the Edomite and the Secret of "To'ar"

When Saul was looking for a musician to remove the evil spirit from him, "one of the young men" answered him – this was none other than Doeg the Edomite, who was the chief of the herdsmen and the head of the Sanhedrin. Doeg said to Saul:

"Behold, I have seen a son of Yishai the Bethlehemite, who knows how to play, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, a man of good form, and Hashem is with him."

Rav Yehudah says that this entire verse was spoken as lashon hara (evil speech), in order to anger Saul. When he said "and Hashem is with him," he meant that the halachah is in accordance with him everywhere, to the point that Saul collapsed under him out of intense fear that David would inherit his kingdom.

Regarding the words "a man of good form" (ish to'ar), the holy Arizal explains that wherever "to'ar" is written regarding tzaddikim, the meaning is that angels were spiritually impregnated (ibbur) within them. The angels Metatron and Sandalphon were spiritually impregnated within David. In gematria, the names of these angels together equal the numerical value of "Tzitzit" (spelled with two Yuds). If we would wear the tzitzit properly, the King Mashiach would have already come.

The Power of the Melody and the Resurrection of the Dead

David came to Saul, and as it is written:

"And he loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer."

David would play music before him for eighteen hours a day, and for another six hours he would study. All those hours that he played, he would do hitbodedut (personal prayer). David's melodies and songs simply restored Saul's soul to him.

This power exists today as well in the joy of a bride and groom. Whoever merits to be at a true wedding, their soul returns to them. It is written in the 'Degel Machaneh Ephraim' that a wedding is greater than Yom Kippur. Every wedding is an aspect of the Giving of the Torah and the Resurrection of the Dead, because at that moment the spiritual impurity ceases.

The Month of Elul: No Time to Breathe

Despite all of Saul's love for David, suddenly, after David strikes down Goliath, Saul and Avner swear:

"As your soul lives, O king, I do not know."

They swear by Hashem, God, that they do not know this child! How is it possible that after all the successes, no one wants to recognize him?

When a person reads the Book of Samuel, he should jump to the ceiling. Every verse seems to contradict the previous verse; everything should make a person jump. It is impossible to understand a single letter or a single word without deep contemplation.

Now is the month of Elul, there is not a second, there is no time to breathe. A person is destined to give an accounting even for swallowing his saliva, as it is written in Job, "You will not let me alone even until I swallow my saliva." How does a person have free time? We must utilize every moment in this month to learn, to understand, and to delve deeply into the Torah.

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