Difference between revisions of "Yerovam's Rebellion/2"
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<li>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.]</li> | <li>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.]</li> | ||
</ul></point> | </ul></point> | ||
| − | + | <point><b>What was problematic about building the Milo?</b> Most of these sources suggest that the projects were necessary only in order to build a palace for the daughter of Paroh, and led to inconveniences for the rest of the nation:<br/> | |
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| − | <point><b>What was problematic about building the Milo?</b> Most of these sources suggest that the | ||
<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.  With the building of the Milo these were no longer accessible.</li> | + | <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 the building of the Milo these were no longer accessible.</li> |
| − | <li> | + | <li>Ralbag suggests instead that David had left entry points for the people to access 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.</li> |
| − | </ul></point> | + | </ul> |
| + | The sources suggest that the people might have been as (or more) upset about Shelomo's misplaced priorities in placing the daughter of Paroh above the needs of the people as about the inconveniences themselves.</point> | ||
<point><b>Evaluation of Yerovam</b></point> | <point><b>Evaluation of Yerovam</b></point> | ||
<point><b>Foreign wives</b></point> | <point><b>Foreign wives</b></point> | ||
Version as of 11:44, 25 November 2017
Yerovam's Rebellion
Exegetical Approaches
Religious and Social Rebellion
Yerovam's initial revolt related to several of Shelomo's building projects which isolated the people from both the king and Mikdash. Shelomo's actions 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 are somewhat ambiguous but seem to understand the verses to mean "And this is the manner in which Yerovam rebelled. [He said] 'And Shelomo built....'". It is also possible that 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.
What is the מלוא? These sources disagree regarding the nature of the Milo:
- .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.
- 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 building the Milo? Most of these sources suggest that the projects were necessary only in order to build a palace for the daughter of Paroh, 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 the building of the Milo these were no longer accessible.
- Ralbag suggests instead that David had left entry points for the people to access 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.
Evaluation of Yerovam
Foreign wives
Why Yerovam?
Context
Achiyah's prophecy
Appointment of 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.
