ספר דברים - פרשת שופטים - יז:יד-כ - שני

The verse says: When you come to the land that Hashem your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over myself like all the nations that are around me.' The Torah is telling us that after the Jewish people enter Eretz Yisroel, settle there, and feel established, they may desire to appoint a king, just as the other nations have rulers. The verse is setting up the scenario for the mitzvah of appointing a king, making it clear that this is something that will come up once the people are settled in the land.

The next verse commands: 'You shall surely set a king over yourself, whom Hashem your God will choose. From among your brothers you shall set a king over yourself; you may not place over yourself a foreign man who is not your brother.' The Torah is very specific about the requirements for the king. First, it is a mitzvah to appoint a king, but it must be someone whom Hashem chooses. The king must be from among the Jewish people, not a foreigner. You cannot appoint someone who is not your brother, meaning not from Bnei Yisroel, as king over the Jewish people. The Torah repeats the phrase 'set a king over yourself' to emphasize that this is a positive commandment and to stress the importance of choosing the right person, as defined by Hashem's criteria.

The Torah continues: 'Only he may not acquire many horses for himself, and he shall not return the people to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, for Hashem has said to you, you shall not return that way anymore.' Here, the Torah places a restriction on the king: he is not allowed to accumulate many horses. The reason given is that this could lead to the people being brought back to Egypt, since horses were primarily imported from there. Hashem has already commanded that the Jewish people should not return to Egypt, so the king must not create a situation where this would happen, even for the sake of acquiring horses for his army or chariots.

On the words Lo Yarbeh Lo Susim—he shall not acquire many horses—Rashi explains that the king is only allowed to have as many horses as he needs for his chariot. The reason is so that he does not cause the people to return to Egypt to buy more horses, since horses come from there. Rashi brings a proof from the story of Shlomo HaMelech, where it says, 'A chariot went up and left Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150.' This shows that the source of horses was Egypt, and the Torah is warning against creating a dependence on Egypt for this purpose.

The next verse says: 'And he shall not take many wives for himself, so that his heart does not turn away, and he shall not acquire much silver and gold for himself.' The Torah gives two more restrictions for the king. First, he is not allowed to have too many wives, because this could lead his heart astray, meaning it could cause him to be influenced away from Hashem or from proper conduct. Second, he is not allowed to accumulate excessive silver and gold for himself. The Torah is concerned that too much wealth or too many wives could corrupt the king or distract him from his responsibilities.

On the words Velo Yarbeh Lo Nashim—he shall not take many wives—Rashi explains that the limit is eighteen wives. We find that Dovid HaMelech had six wives, and the Navi told him, 'And if that was too few, I would add for you like these and like these,' meaning he could have had more, up to the limit. The Torah sets a specific number to prevent the king from having so many wives that it would lead him astray.

On the words V'Kesef V'Zahav Lo Yarbeh Lo Meod—he shall not acquire much silver and gold for himself—Rashi explains that the king is only allowed to have enough wealth to provide for his troops, meaning what is necessary for the needs of his army. He is not allowed to accumulate excessive personal wealth beyond what is required for his responsibilities as king.

The verse says: 'And it shall be when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah in a scroll, from before the Kohanim, the Leviim.' The Torah commands that when the king is established on his throne, he must write for himself a Sefer Torah. The teacher explains that the king is required to have two Torah scrolls: one that is placed in his treasury, and another, a small scroll, that he carries with him at all times. The Talmud derives the word Mishneh from the word for 'two,' indicating two scrolls, and also interprets it as 'repeating' or 'studying,' meaning the king must constantly review and utter the words of Torah. The king would have a scribe write the Torah while reciting the words aloud. This mitzvah is to ensure that the king always has the Torah with him and is constantly learning from it, guiding his actions by its teachings.

Rashi explains on the words "VeHaya k'shivto" that if the king does as he is supposed to—meaning, if he follows all of these commandments and instructions—then he is worthy that his kingdom should be established and endure. In other words, the continuation and stability of his reign is a reward for fulfilling these requirements.

The verse discusses the commandment of the king to have a Mishneh HaTorah. This means he must have two Torah scrolls: one that is kept in his treasury, and another that goes in and out with him wherever he goes. The teacher explains that the king would carry a small scroll with him at all times. Rashi also brings the Targum Onkelos, who translates Mishneh as "Pashgan," which means a copy or a duplicate. Rashi further explains that the word Mishneh can also be understood as related to the word for repeating or uttering, indicating that the king would have a Torah scroll written by a scribe who would say the words aloud before writing them, connecting it to the idea of shinun, which means studying or reviewing by repetition.

The verse says that the Torah scroll shall be with the king, and he shall read from it all the days of his life. The purpose is so that he will learn to fear Hashem his God and to keep all the words of this Torah and these statutes, to perform them. The teacher explains that this is to be understood according to its simple meaning: it is a commandment written in the Torah for the king to always have the Torah with him and to read from it constantly, so that he will internalize its teachings and be careful to fulfill all its commandments.

Rashi comments on the phrase "divrei haTorah" that it should be understood simply, according to its plain meaning: the words of the Torah refer to the commandments and teachings written in the Torah, which the king is commanded to observe and study.

This verse teaches that the king must not become haughty over his brothers, and he must not turn aside from the commandment, neither to the right nor to the left. The purpose is so that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his sons among Israel. The teacher explains that this means the king is warned not to let his heart become arrogant over the rest of the people, and not to deviate from the commandments in any way. If he fulfills these requirements, his reign and the reign of his descendants will be prolonged in Israel.

Rashi comments that "not to turn aside from the commandment" means even a minor commandment of a prophet. The teacher elaborates that even if the king neglects a seemingly small or minor instruction given by a prophet, it is considered a serious matter, and he is warned not to deviate even in such cases.

Rashi explains on the words "lema'an ya'arich yamim"—so that he may prolong his days—that from the positive statement, we can infer the negative: if the king does not fulfill the commandments, his kingdom will not endure. The teacher brings the example of Shaul (Saul), where Shmuel (Samuel) told him, "Seven days shall you wait until I come to you to offer up burnt offerings." It is written that Shaul waited seven days, but he did not keep the promise to wait the entire last day. He had not quite finished sacrificing the burnt offering when Shmuel arrived and said to him, "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of Hashem your God, which He commanded you. Now your kingdom will not continue." Thus, we learn that for transgressing even a minor commandment of a prophet, Shaul was punished and lost his kingdom.

The verse says "he and his sons among Israel." Rashi explains that this teaches us that if the king's son is worthy of becoming king, he is given preference over any other person. In other words, the kingship is inherited by the son if he is fit for the position, rather than passing to someone else.