Yerovam's Rebellion/2

Yerovam's Rebellion

Exegetical Approaches

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Religious and Social Rebellion

Yerovam's initial revolt related to certain polices of Shelomo which served to isolate 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.

Sources:R. Yochanan in Bavli SanhedrinSanhedrin 101bAbout the Bavli, RashiMelakhim I 11:26-28About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, R. Yosef KaraMelakhim I 11:26-28About R. Yosef Kara, RadakMelakhim I 11:26-27About R. David Kimchi, RalbagMelakhim I 11:26-28About R. Levi b. Gershom, AbarbanelMelakhim I 11About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

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..."
• 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",‎¹ so that the verse reads "This is the speech [through which] Yerovam rebelled..."²

What is the מלוא? These sources disagree regarding the nature of the Milo:

• .According to the Bavli and Rashi, the word comes from the root "מלא" and refers to the filling in of the holes that David had left in the city walls.
• 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, then, the closing of David's holes was a distinct building project.]

Why had David left holes in the wall?

What was problematic about building the Milo? Most of these sources suggest that the project that was necessary only in order to build a palace for the daughter of Paroh, and led to inconveniences for the rest of 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.

¹ See Ibn Kaspi who explicitly states, but adds that Yerovam mocked Shelomo for not having done anything worthwhile in his reign.

² See E. Samet, "חטאי שלמה ונבואת אחיה השילוני" who understands R. Yochanana in the Bavli to be saying this.