הלכות מלכים ומלחמות ב׳Kings and Wars 2

Chapter 2 of 12 in Kings and Wars — 6 halachot

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Halacha 1א׳

כָּבוֹד גָּדוֹל נוֹהֲגִין בַּמֶּלֶךְ. וּמְשִׂימִין לוֹ אֵימָה וְיִרְאָה בְּלֵב כָּל אָדָם. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יז טו) "שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים" שֶׁתְּהֵא אֵימָתוֹ עָלֶיךָ. אֵין רוֹכְבִין עַל סוּסוֹ. וְאֵין יוֹשְׁבִין עַל כִּסְאוֹ. וְאֵין מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁין בְּשַׁרְבִיטוֹ. וְלֹא בְּכִתְרוֹ. וְלֹא בְּאֶחָד מִכָּל כְּלֵי תַּשְׁמִישָׁיו. וּכְשֶׁהוּא מֵת כֻּלָּן נִשְׂרָפִין לְפָנָיו. וְכֵן לֹא יִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בַּעֲבָדָיו וְשִׁפְחוֹתָיו וְשַׁמָּשָׁיו אֶלָּא מֶלֶךְ אַחֵר. לְפִיכָךְ אֲבִישַׁג הָיְתָה מֻתֶּרֶת לִשְׁלֹמֹה וַאֲסוּרָה לַאֲדוֹנִיָּה:

They behave towards the king with great respect. And they place for him great fear and awe in the heart of every person. As it says, "you shall surely place," i.e., that his fear be on you. They do not ride on his horse. And they do not sit on his throne. And they do not use his scepter, his crown, or any of his instruments. And when he dies, all of them are burnt before him. And similarly one may not use his slaves or slave-women and servants, unless one is another king. Thus Avishag was permitted to Solomon and forbidden to Adonijah.

Halacha 2ב׳

אֲבָל אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ אֵינָהּ נִבְעֶלֶת לְאַחֵר לְעוֹלָם. אֲפִלּוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵינוֹ נוֹשֵׂא אַלְמָנָתוֹ אוֹ גְּרוּשָׁתוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ אַחֵר:

But no one may ever have sexual intercourse with the wife of the king. Even the king may not marry the widow or divorcee of another king.

Halacha 3ג׳

וְאָסוּר לִרְאוֹתוֹ כְּשֶׁהוּא עֵרוֹם וְלֹא כְּשֶׁהוּא מִסְתַּפֵּר. וְלֹא כְּשֶׁהוּא בְּבֵית הַמֶּרְחָץ. וְלֹא כְּשֶׁהוּא מִסְתַּפֵּג. וְאֵינוֹ חוֹלֵץ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כה ט) "וְיָרְקָה בְּפָנָיו" וְזֶה בִּזָּיוֹן. וַאֲפִלּוּ רָצָה אֵין שׁוֹמְעִין לוֹ. שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁמָּחַל עַל כְּבוֹדוֹ אֵין כְּבוֹדוֹ מָחוּל. וְהוֹאִיל וְאֵינוֹ חוֹלֵץ אֵינוֹ מְיַבֵּם. וְכֵן [אִם מֵת הוּא] כֵּיוָן שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְיַבֵּם אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ כָּךְ אֵין חוֹלְצִין לָהּ אֶלָּא תֵּשֵׁב לְעוֹלָם בְּזִקָּתָהּ:

And it is forbidden to see him when he is naked, or when his hair is being cut, or when he is in the bath-house, or when he is drying himself. And he does not perform chalitzah, the drawing off of the shoe, since it is said (Deuteronomy 25:9), "and she shall spit before his face" — and this is a degradation. And even if he wishes to, he is not heeded, for a king who waives the honor due him, his honor is not waived. And since he does not perform chalitzah, he does not perform levirate marriage either. And likewise, if he himself dies, then just as it is impossible to take his wife in levirate marriage, so too they do not perform chalitzah for her; rather she remains for ever in her levirate bond.

Halacha 4ד׳

מֵת לוֹ מֵת אֵינוֹ יוֹצֵא מִפֶּתַח פַּלְטֵרִין שֶׁלּוֹ. וּכְשֶׁמַּבְרִין אוֹתוֹ כָּל הָעָם מְסֻבִּין עַל הָאָרֶץ וְהוּא מֵסֵב עַל הַדַּרְגָּשׁ. וְאִם נִכְנַס לָעֲזָרָה וְהָיָה מִזֶּרַע דָּוִד יֵשֵׁב. שֶׁאֵין יְשִׁיבָה בָּעֲזָרָה אֶלָּא לְמַלְכֵי בֵּית דָּוִד בִּלְבַד. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל ב ז יח) "וַיָּבֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד וַיֵּשֶׁב לִפְנֵי ה'":

If one of his dead died, he does not go out from the doorway of his palace. And when they bring him the meal of consolation, all the people recline upon the ground and he reclines upon a couch. And if he entered the Temple courtyard and was of the seed of David, he may sit, for there is no sitting in the Temple courtyard except for the kings of the house of David alone, as it is said (II Samuel 7:18), "And King David came and sat before the Lord."

Halacha 5ה׳

הַמֶּלֶךְ מִסְתַּפֵּר בְּכָל יוֹם. וּמְתַקֵּן עַצְמוֹ וּמִתְנָאֶה בְּמַלְבּוּשִׁין נָאִים וּמְפֹאָרִים. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה לג יז) "מֶלֶךְ בְּיָפְיוֹ תֶּחֱזֶינָה עֵינֶיךָ". וְיוֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסֵּא מַלְכוּתוֹ בַּפַּלְטֵרִין שֶׁלּוֹ. וּמֵשִׂים כֶּתֶר בְּרֹאשׁוֹ. וְכָל הָעָם בָּאִין אֵלָיו בְּעֵת שֶׁיִּרְצֶה. וְעוֹמְדִין לְפָנָיו וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים אַרְצָה. אֲפִלּוּ נָבִיא עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ מִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אַרְצָה. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים א א כג) "הִנֵּה נָתָן הַנָּבִיא וַיָּבֹא לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לַמֶּלֶךְ". אֲבָל כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל אֵינוֹ בָּא לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶלָּא אִם רָצָה. וְאֵינוֹ עוֹמֵד לְפָנָיו אֶלָּא הַמֶּלֶךְ עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר כז כא) "וְלִפְנֵי אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן יַעֲמֹד". אַף עַל פִּי כֵן מִצְוָה עַל כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל לְכַבֵּד אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ וּלְהוֹשִׁיבוֹ וְלַעֲמֹד מִפָּנָיו כְּשֶׁיָּבוֹא לוֹ. וְלֹא יַעֲמֹד הַמֶּלֶךְ לְפָנָיו אֶלָּא כְּשֶׁיִּשְׁאַל לוֹ בְּמִשְׁפַּט הָאוּרִים. וְכֵן מִצְוָה עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ לְכַבֵּד לוֹמְדֵי הַתּוֹרָה. וּכְשֶׁיִּכָּנְסוּ לְפָנָיו סַנְהֶדְרִין וְחַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵיהֶם וְיוֹשִׁיבֵם בְּצִדּוֹ. וְכֵן הָיָה יְהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה עוֹשֶׂה אֲפִלּוּ לְתַלְמִיד חָכָם הָיָה עוֹמֵד מִכִּסְאוֹ וּמְנַשְּׁקוֹ וְקוֹרֵא לוֹ רַבִּי וּמוֹרִי. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים בִּזְמַן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּבֵיתוֹ לְבַדּוֹ הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו יַעֲשֶׂה זֶה בְּצִנְעָה. אֲבָל בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא בִּפְנֵי הָעָם לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה. וְלֹא יַעֲמֹד מִפְּנֵי אָדָם. וְלֹא יְדַבֵּר רַכּוֹת. וְלֹא יִקְרָא לְאָדָם אֶלָּא בִּשְׁמוֹ כְּדֵי שֶׁתְּהֵא יִרְאָתוֹ בְּלֵב הַכּל:

The king has his hair cut every day, and he grooms himself and adorns himself in fine and splendid garments, as it is said (Isaiah 33:17), "Your eyes shall behold the king in his beauty." And he sits upon the throne of his kingdom in his palace and sets a crown upon his head, and all the people come to him at the time that he wishes, and they stand before him and bow to the ground. Even a prophet standing before the king bows to the ground, as it is said (I Kings 1:23), "Behold Nathan the prophet; and he came before the king and bowed down to the king." But the High Priest does not come before the king unless he wishes to, and he does not stand before him; rather the king stands before the High Priest, as it is said (Numbers 27:21), "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest." Even so, it is a commandment upon the High Priest to honor the king, and to seat him, and to rise before him when he comes to him. And the king shall not stand before him except when he inquires of him by the judgment of the Urim. And likewise it is a commandment upon the king to honor those who study the Torah; and when the Sanhedrin and the sages of Israel come in before him, he shall rise before them and seat them at his side. And so Jehoshaphat king of Judah used to do: even for a Torah scholar he would rise from his throne and kiss him and call him "my master and my teacher." When do these words apply? At a time when the king is in his house alone, he and his servants — he shall do this in private. But in public, before the people, he shall not do so; and he shall not rise before any man, nor speak softly, nor call any man except by his name, so that the fear of him may be in the heart of all.

…and 1 more halacha in this chapter.

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Mishneh Torah, Torat Emet 363 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: Sefaria Community Translation — CC0

English: rendered from the Hebrew for this app — our own, not a borrowed translation