Difference between revisions of "Yerovam's Rebellion/2"
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<point><b>What was problematic about Shelomo's building projects?</b> Most of these sources suggest that building the Milo was necessary only in order to construct a palace for the daughter of Paroh,<fn>They point to <a href="MelakhimI9-24" data-aht="source">Melakhim I 9:24</a> where the building of the Milo is juxtaposed to the building of her house, concluding that one was needed for the other.</fn> and led to inconveniences for the rest of the nation:<br/> | <point><b>What was problematic about Shelomo's building projects?</b> Most of these sources suggest that building the Milo was necessary only in order to construct a palace for the daughter of Paroh,<fn>They point to <a href="MelakhimI9-24" data-aht="source">Melakhim I 9:24</a> where the building of the Milo is juxtaposed to the building of her house, concluding that one was needed for the other.</fn> and led to inconveniences for the rest of the nation:<br/> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
| − | <li>According to the Bavli, Rashi, and R"Y Kara, David had intentionally left entry points to ease the way of pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the holidays and enable them to seek out God. | + | <li>According to the Bavli, Rashi, and R"Y Kara, David had intentionally left entry points to ease the way of pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the holidays and enable them to seek out God. With Shelomo's building of the Milo these were no longer accessible.<fn>Ralbag and Abarbanel explain similarly but suggest that in building the Milo for Bat Paroh, the area which had previously been used for gathering of Pilgrims was removed.</fn>  </li> |
| − | <li>Ralbag and Abarbanel | + | <li>Ralbag and Abarbanel add that David had left entry points for the people to visit the king whenever they had a grievance or a matter for him to judge.  By closing the openings, Shelomo sent a message of inaccessibility and that he was no longer interested in giving hearings to the nation.<fn>He and Radak also bring the possibility that the original breaches were left as an escape route in case the king was attacked.  Yerovam mocked Shelomo's overconfidence in thinking that he could close them and need not fear rebellion. He pointed this out to the people as a sign of Shelomo's arrogance.</fn></li> |
</ul> | </ul> | ||
From these sources it is unclear if the people were most upset about Shelomo's misplaced priorities in placing the daughter of Paroh above their needs, the inconveniences themselves, or the king's distancing of himself from the people..</point> | From these sources it is unclear if the people were most upset about Shelomo's misplaced priorities in placing the daughter of Paroh above their needs, the inconveniences themselves, or the king's distancing of himself from the people..</point> | ||
| − | <point><b>Marriage to Bat Paroh</b> – | + | <point><b>Marriage to Bat Paroh</b> – When the verses speak of Shelomo's many wives, they single out the daughter of Paroh, suggesting that she more than the others might have swayed his beliefs.<fn>Their marriage is mentioned repeatedly in the chapters covering Shelomo's reign, further suggesting that it was more significant than the others.</fn> This position builds off this negative evaluation of the marriage, suggesting that it impacted not only personal beliefs but also policy decisions regarding entry to the Mikdash and palace.<fn></fn></point> |
<point><b>Context</b> – The chapter opens by telling of Hashem's anger at Shelomo's marriages to his foreign wives, introducing the various "foes" sent as punishment. While one might opine that the marriages were a source of dissatisfaction only to Hashem, and that on the earthly plane there were other factors that led to the revolt, this position suggests that, in fact, both God and man found them problematic.</point> | <point><b>Context</b> – The chapter opens by telling of Hashem's anger at Shelomo's marriages to his foreign wives, introducing the various "foes" sent as punishment. While one might opine that the marriages were a source of dissatisfaction only to Hashem, and that on the earthly plane there were other factors that led to the revolt, this position suggests that, in fact, both God and man found them problematic.</point> | ||
<point><b>Appointment of Yerovam</b></point> | <point><b>Appointment of Yerovam</b></point> | ||
Version as of 10:27, 26 November 2017
Yerovam's Rebellion
Exegetical Approaches
Religious and Social Rebellion
Yerovam's initial revolt came in reaction to several of Shelomo's building projects which demonstrated that he cared more for the daughter of Paroh than for the people's religious and social welfare.
"וְזֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר הֵרִים יָד בַּמֶּלֶךְ"
- According to Rashi and R"Y Kara, the verse does not mean to introduce how Yerovam rebelled but rather the reason behind the attempted coup. In English the verse would read, "this is the matter about which Yerovam rebelled: Shelomo had built the Milo...."1
- The others apparently understand the verses to mean "And this is the manner in which Yerovam rebelled. [He said] 'And Shelomo built....'". Alternatively, they understand the word "הַדָּבָר" to mean "הדיבור",2 so that the verse reads "This is the speech [through which] Yerovam rebelled...".3 Either way, the verse introduces the actual rebellion: Yerovam's public rebuke of Shelomo's actions.
What is the מלוא? These sources disagree regarding the nature of the Milo:
- Closed breaches – According to the Bavli, Rashi, and R"Y Kara the word comes from the root "מלא" and refers to the filling in of the holes that David had left in the city walls. Thus, the two building projects mentioned in the verse are really one and the same.
- Gathering place – Radak, instead, suggests that it refers to some sort of square in which the people would gather, as in the verse "קָרְאוּ אַחֲרֶיךָ מָלֵא" in Yirmeyahu 12. [According to him, the closing of David's holes was a distinct building project.]
What was problematic about Shelomo's building projects? Most of these sources suggest that building the Milo was necessary only in order to construct a palace for the daughter of Paroh,4 and led to inconveniences for the rest of the nation:
- According to the Bavli, Rashi, and R"Y Kara, David had intentionally left entry points to ease the way of pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the holidays and enable them to seek out God. With Shelomo's building of the Milo these were no longer accessible.5
- Ralbag and Abarbanel add that David had left entry points for the people to visit the king whenever they had a grievance or a matter for him to judge. By closing the openings, Shelomo sent a message of inaccessibility and that he was no longer interested in giving hearings to the nation.6
Marriage to Bat Paroh – When the verses speak of Shelomo's many wives, they single out the daughter of Paroh, suggesting that she more than the others might have swayed his beliefs.7 This position builds off this negative evaluation of the marriage, suggesting that it impacted not only personal beliefs but also policy decisions regarding entry to the Mikdash and palace.8
Context – The chapter opens by telling of Hashem's anger at Shelomo's marriages to his foreign wives, introducing the various "foes" sent as punishment. While one might opine that the marriages were a source of dissatisfaction only to Hashem, and that on the earthly plane there were other factors that led to the revolt, this position suggests that, in fact, both God and man found them problematic.
Appointment of Yerovam
Achiyah's prophecy
Evaluation of Yerovam
Why Yerovam?
Economic Issues
Yerovam rebelled due to Shelomo's overly harsh and inequitable taxation policies.
Tribal Rivalry
Sources:Yerovam's rebellion was rooted in the age old tribal rivalry between Yehuda and Yosef.
