לקוטי שיחות חלק י״ט - שופטים א

In our parsha it states: “You shall surely appoint a king over yourself.”

Now, regarding a king we also find the description of “head,” as stated in the responsa of the Rashba: “The head of the generation is equivalent to the entire generation.” Yet the Rambam describes the king as “the heart of all Israel.”

This requires explanation. Since the king is the leader of the people, why is he described as the heart rather than the head?

The explanation is as follows:

In the Written Torah, a king is also referred to as a Nasi. In the terminology of our Sages, however, the title king refers primarily to leadership in material and worldly matters, whereas Nasi refers to spiritual leadership, for the Nasi is the head of the Sanhedrin.

Now, we find that the king has the right to take from the people whatever he requires.

On the one hand, this expresses the power and authority of the king. On the other hand, however, the opposite is also true: it reflects a certain weakness of the king, for everything he possesses must be received from the people.

This is similar to what we observe regarding the heart. The heart itself is relatively weak, even though it gives life to all the other limbs of the body. The reason is that the heart does not exist for itself; its entire function is for the sake of the body.

This is why the king is called the heart. His entire purpose and existence are for the sake of the people.

The Nasi, by contrast, is called the head because of his spiritual leadership—the instruction and guidance of Torah. Intellect must remain elevated and separate from the body, so that it is not emotionally affected or biased by the body’s desires and interests.

In Moshe Rabbeinu both of these qualities were present. He provided the Jewish people with all of their material needs, and at the same time he transmitted and taught them the Torah.