Beit HaMikdash and Beit Shelomo/2

Beit HaMikdash and Beit Shelomo

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Overview

The juxtaposition of the descriptions of Shelomo's building of the Beit HaMikdash and the construction of his own palace complex naturally leads to a comparison of the two, yet commentators differ regarding what conclusions should be drawn from such a comparison.  Does it casts Shelomo in a positive or negative light?  While many medieval sources laud Shelomo's building practices, claiming that they demonstrate that he cared far more about Hashem's honor than his own, several modern scholars suggest the exact opposite, maintaining that Shelomo's actions betrayed his hubris. 

In Praise of Shelomo

A comparison of the building of the Beit HaMikdash and Beit Shelomo casts Shelomo in a positive light, highlighting how much he invested in Hashem's house compared to his own.

Sources:Pesikta Rabbati6About Pesikta Rabbati, RashiMelakhim I 7:1-2About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, R. Yosef KaraMelakhim I 7:1About R. Yosef Kara, RadakMelakhim I 6:2Melakhim I 7:1-2About R. David Kimchi, RalbagMelakhim I Toalot 6:38About R. Levi b. Gershom, Abarbanel, MetzudotMetzudat David Melakhim I 7:1-2About R. David Altschuler

Time spent on the building – Though all these sources agree that Shelomo recognized that building the Mikdash was more important than erecting his palace, they differ in how they explain why he built his house "שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה," while finishing the Mikdash in just seven years:

• Lax in building the palace – According to most of these sources, the relatively short time that it took Shelomo to build the Mikdash betrayed his zeal to honor Hashem.  While he was lax about building his own palace complex, allowing the work to stretch out over years, he was eager to finish Hashem's House, and worked continuously to ensure that it was completed as quickly as possible.
• Invested less time on the palace – Radak brings an opinion that Shelomo only spent two years building his palace, understanding the phrase, "וְאֶת בֵּיתוֹ בָּנָה שְׁלֹמֹה שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה" to mean "and Shelomo built his house in the thirteenth year [of his reign]"¹ rather than "over thirteen years".²  If so, Shelomo invested significantly more time on the Mikdash than his own home, demonstrating that it was of paramount importance.

Order of the building – The fact that Shelomo built Hashem's house before starting his own further exemplifies his correctly placed priorities.³

Dimensions – Though Shelomo's complex covered a significantly larger area than the Mikdash, Shelomo ensured that the Mikdash loomed much taller,⁴ signifying its superior position. In addition, the larger dimensions of the palace likely stemmed from purely practical considerations. While only a few priests needed to serve inside the Mikdash at any given point, many varied activities took place in the palace and large audiences often faced the king.

Beit Ya'ar HaLevanon – According to these sources, this structure was a summer house. Radak suggests that it was built in a forest known as "Ya'ar HaLevanon" and was meant to provide shade and cool off the king during the heat of summer.  If so, it was not part of the main palace compound, and it is possible that the king's houses which were in the vicinity of the Mikdash (Shelomo's own home, the hall of pillars, hall of justice and house of Bat Paroh) were actually not significantly bigger than the Mikdash, and thus would not have taken away from its glory at all.⁵

Materials – More expensive materials were used to build the Mikdash than the king's complex, as befits its higher status. Though both Beit Ya'ar HaLevanon and the Mikdash were made of cedar trees, only in the Mikdash were these covered in gold.

Interpolation: placement of the description of the palace – This position might explain the seemingly odd placement of the description of the palace complex right in the midst of the description of the Mikdash in one of two ways:

• One complex – R" Y Levi⁶ suggests that the verses are expressing that really the Mikdash and palace were meant to be one compound. The palace is supposed to be an extension of the Mikdash, for the king is meant to rule as an extension of Hashem, via His Torah and mitzvot.⁷
• Thematic order – Alternatively, it is possible that the ordering of the verses is simply thematic in nature and contains no significance. First, all the structures built by Shelomo (both sacred and secular) are listed, and then the various vessels that filled them are described.

Location of the palace – When building the two houses, Shelomo ensured that the Mikdash was positioned higher up than the palace complex, so all would recognize its superior stature. At the same time, the proximity of the two might have reflected the partnership that was supposed to exist between human and Divine king.

Dedication of the Mikdash

• This approach might suggest that the dedication of the Mikdash took place only after the palace was completed because the two buildings were meant to be viewed as parts of one whole. As mentioned above, this reflected the idea that the human king and his palace are meant to represent Hashem on earth, and he was to lead as a human messenger of Hashem.
• Alternatively, these sources could suggest that actually Shelomo did not wait to dedicate the Beit HaMikdash, and did so as soon as possible after its completion.  Shelomo recognized both that the Mikdash deserved a unique dedication,⁸ and that it would not be respectful to have the Mikdash sit unused for years. According to this reading, the dedication is only mentioned later in the verses so as not to break up the description of Shelomo's building projects.

Similarity in form

• As the human king is supposed to mirror Hashem, the palace, too, mirrored the Mikdash, sharing several of its unique features. The similarity served to remind Shelomo of his connection to Hashem and to emulate Him in all his actions.
• Alternatively, it is possible that Shelomo simply followed the architectural and aesthetic norms of his era, leading to the use of similar materials and features in both houses.  If so, the similarity between the two buildings held no ulterior motive.

Later downfall – This position views Shelomo's later downfall, (his foreign marriages and idolatry) as a distinct stage in his life, which one could not foresee from his attitude while constructing his house and Beit Hashem.  At this stage, the earlier description: "וַיֶּאֱהַב שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת י"י" (Melakhim I 3:3) still rang true.

In Condemnation of Shelomo

Comparing the two building projects leads to a negative portrait of Shelomo and betrays both his misplaced priorities and the self-glorification which led to his eventual downfall.

Time spent on the building – The fact that Shelomo spent more time building his palace than Hashem's house suggests that he cared more about his own honor than that of Hashem.

Beit Ya'ar HaLevanon – This position understands this structure to be part of Shelomo's main palace compound.  N. Reuveni⁹ suggests that it contained not just pillars made of cedar wood, but actual cut cedars, replete with their branches (וּכְרֻתוֹת אֲרָזִים עַל הָעַמּוּדִים), to give the room the feel of a real forest.  To enhance the effect, Shelomo placed mirrors on each end (וּמֶחֱזָה אֶל מֶחֱזָה),¹⁰ giving the impression that the trees extended in both directions. The building was further filled with hundreds of gold shields, meant not for use in war, but purely to impress visiting delegations.  The edifice as a whole, then, was constructed in such a way so as to symbolize and show off the power and wealth of the king.

Dimensions – Though the hall of the Mikdash was taller than any of Shelomo's personal buildings, the palace complex sprawled over a much larger expanse, serving to draw attention to it, while eclipsing the much smaller Mikdash.

Form and location of the palace – The fact that Shelomo built his palace in the vicinity of the Mikdash, using similar materials and structures, announced to all that he viewed the human and Divine kings as being on similar planes. See also Yechezkel 43:7-8 where Hashem complains about the proximity of the two buildings, alluding to the hubris in building a house which has but a wall between it and the Beit HaMikdash.¹¹

Dedication of the Mikdash – Shelomo waited to dedicate the Mikdash until he completed his own house¹² because he viewed them as equal in importance, as if the Mikdash was not complete until his own house was finished.

Interpolation: placement of the description of the palace – The verses might intentionally place the description of Shelomo's palace in the midst of the description of the Mikdash to hint to the reader that something was amiss in Shelomo's actions.  He had begun to blur the lines between the two houses (and, thus, between the human and Divine kings), so the text does the same.

Hashem's warning – Hashem's warning to Shelomo that the continued existence of the Beit Mikdash is contingent on keeping the Torah also appears out of place, coming in the middle of the description of the building. This interpolation, too, might relate to Shelomo's tendency to self-aggrandizement.  Even before he acts, Hashem reminds and warns him that Torah observance must always come first.

Shelomo's prayer at the dedication – Though the vast majority of Shelmo's words appear to be a sincere request that Hashem listen to the nation's prayers and forgive them, this position might see in Shelomo's introductory remarks a hint of ego-centrism. Shelomo begins his speech by speaking of the fact that he merited to build the Mikdash, and requesting that Hashem keep His promise that the Davidic dynasty continue.  It is questionable whether such comments belong in a national prayer.

Later downfall – This position views the construction of Shelomo's house as the beginning of Shelomo's downfall.  Though Sefer Melakhim attributes Shelomo's ultimate turning away from Hashem to the influence of his foreign wives, it hints that the "רום לב" cautioned against in Devarim 17 began much earlier.

¹ As Shelomo finished building the Temple in the eleventh year of his reign (Melakhim I 6:37-38) this leaves only two years for him to build his palace.

² This reading encounters difficulty in face of the later verse, "וַיְהִי מִקְצֵה עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת שְׁנֵי הַבָּתִּים אֶת בֵּית י"י וְאֶת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ" (Melakhim I 9:10), which suggests that it took a total of 20 years to build both houses.  Radak suggests that perhaps this verse, too, refers to years of Shelomo's reign, and that the event described (giving Chiram cities in return for his aid in the building projects) did not take place immediately upon completion of the houses, but a few years later.

³ Pesikta Rabbati contrasts Shelomo with David who only thought of building the Mikdash after he was sitting in his own palace. [See David's words, "רְאֵה נָא אָנֹכִי יוֹשֵׁב בְּבֵית אֲרָזִים וַאֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים יֹשֵׁב בְּתוֹךְ הַיְרִיעָה" (Shemuel II 7:1).]  The Midrash points out that it was for this reason that David was not given the honor of building it, while Shelomo was.

⁴ See Divrei HaYamim II 3:4 that the height of the "אוּלָם" was 120 cubits. Beit Ya'ar HaLevanon, in contrast, was only 30 cubits high.

⁵ One might argue that if Beit Ya'ar HaLevanon, which was only a summer house, was so large, then the main palace would have been even bigger.  On the other hand, had the king's house been more impressive, one would have expected Sefer Melakhim to share as much.

⁶ See his article, "מלכות שלמה בירושלים (ד) - בית ה' ובית המלך". R. Levi, however, conlcudes that Shelomo did not internalize the message. Viewing Beit Hashem and Beit Shelomo as one compound had both great potential (that a king feel connected to Hashem and live up to the responsibility of being His representative on earth) and great risks (that he confuse the roles, and begin to view himself as equal to the Divine).  Unfortunately, Shelomo erred and forgot his proper place.

⁷ R. Levi, however, does not think that Shelomo internalized this message, and reads the chapters as painting a negative portrait of Shelomo.

⁸ The fact that Shelomo's prayer at the dedication only mentions the Mikdash and does not even allude to the palace might support this possibility.

⁹ See N. Reuveni, "בית יער הלבנון", Beit MIkra 7:3 (1963): 42-45

¹⁰ N. Reuveni suggests that the word "מֶחֱזָה", which appears only in these verses, comes from the root "חזה" meaning "to see", leading to the possibility that they were mirrors.

¹¹ The context is the abominations performed so close to the Mikdash, but the prophet hints to the disrespect of building a house next door to the Mikdash.

¹² The verses do not specify in what year the Mikdash was dedicated, but see the discussion in the introduction, that the verses imply that it took place only after both houses were built.