In this episode, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman describes why Shmuel Hanavi was outraged when the Elders asked him to appoint a king.
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Chapter Twenty-six: The End of Utopia
Why was Shmuel outraged when the Elders asked him to appoint a king? A royal system of government had been part of the Jewish destiny from the time of the patriarchs. God had told Abraham, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.”[1] Jacob prophesied on his deathbed about the future roles of his sons, and he said, “The scepter [of kingship] shall not depart from Judah.”[2] What did the Elders do wrong if they were only asking for the fulfillment of their destiny? …
“When you come to the land God your Lord gives you, and you conquer it and settle in it, and then you will say, ‘Let us appoint a king to rule over us just like all the nations around us,’ you shall surely appoint for yourself a king whom God your Lord shall choose, you shall appoint someone who is among your brothers, you may not appoint a stranger who is not your brother.”
First, we come into the land. Second, we conquer it. Third, we settle it. Only then are we commanded to appoint a king. Shouldn’t the order be in the reverse? If we are going to appoint a king, shouldn’t we take advantage of his leadership during the conquest and the settlement of the land?
Clearly, the purpose of the king mandated by the Torah is unconventional. The mission of a conventional king is to organize the government, command the military, supervise the economy and safeguard the institutions of the country. His mission is political, to be the head of the government, and as we have discussed, all governments tend toward decay and corruption.
The ideal mission of a Jewish king, however, is to focus exclusively on the spiritual needs of the people, to command their allegiance by his royal status and lead them to ever higher levels of serving God; he should help the painting recognize the Painter. A Jewish king should be a person of the highest intellectual and moral stature, deeply immersed in Torah study and prayer, devout in his performance of mitzvos, aware of the world, intelligent, fearless, learned, wise, humble and exceedingly kind, with a strong love for God, the Jewish people and the Holy Land.
The closest exemplar for the ideal Jewish king would be a Hasidic rebbe who is the spiritual leader of his community and wields almost unlimited power over their lives, more so than any community rabbi. The rebbe is not the chief executive entrusted with oversight of the social, educational and economic institutions of his community. Those functions are in the hands of others. Although they may seek his advice and guidance when questions and issues arise, the rebbe spends his time studying the Torah, praying and serving God. And when he sees the need to criticize or instruct, his authority is unquestioned. The rebbe commands more than respect. He commands obedience. No one can remain part of that particular Hasidic community if he defies the rebbe.
A Jewish king is meant to be this type of leader on a national scale. The life he leads needs to be pure and spiritual. He should not be sullied by the corrupting influences of government, politicians and lobbyists. Even if he could delegate all government functions to others, being the titular head of a national government would inevitably draw him into its inner workings …
Read full chapter and earlier chapters at www.rabbireinman.com.
[1] Genesis 17:6
[2] Rashi, Genesis 49:10