The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 19

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter nineteen

Episode 46: The Return of the King

Previously on the book of Shmuel part bet - We saw what was referred to in Shir HaShirim 7:6 as מֶלֶךְ אָסוּר בָּרְהָטִים the king held captive in the hairlocks. David’s army, and the battle location was too much for Avshalom’s troops. Yoav callously put an end to Avshalom and then in the beginning of chapter 19 we saw a broken king mourning the death of yet another child.

The rest of the chapter will remind you, if you are a Tolkein fan, and if you are not we need to speak to remedy that, of the Gray Heavens, or in Joseph Campbell language, the concluding return of the Hero’s journey, where he meets upon his return the same cast of characters he met on his way out.

But first we take a brief excursus to note the many thematic and textual parallels between Saul's son Jonathan, and David's son Absalom.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 18

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter eighteen

Episode 45: One Tin Soldier

Previously on the book of Shmuel part bet - David was able to successfully flee Jerusalem thanks in no small part to the spy network he put in place and the chicanery of Chushai. Achitofel, seeing the writing on the wall, kills himself as Avshalom pursues David in the transjordan region.

In this chapter the battle will be met in earnest, and a tragedy, perhaps avoidable, will ensue. The first half of our story is the battle, the second is the aftermath. None of it is good. We continue to live in a world post the sin with Batsheva and as David continues to receive his comeuppance the question that continues to dangle over our heads is, why exactly is he still king.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapters 16 & 17

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapters sixteen and seventeen

Episode 44: Ramble On

Previously we saw the beginning of Avshalom’s rebellion which happened in stages, all while David sat on his hands. Then we saw David’s reaction, which was to neither confirm nor deny the new king, but rather to leave the scene. In his travels he meets a number of supporters and establishes his network of spies. This will come in handy in the upcoming chapters as those men go to work disrupting Avshalom’s counselors and informing David of what is to come.

In these chapters we meet 2 additional people who met David on his way, who were from Binyamin, Ziba who is clearly on David’s side but perhaps with dubious motives, while Shimi is clearly against David, though perhaps for purer motives, especially given that David had several other members of Shaul’s family killed (we kinda foreshadowed this previously, don’t worry, we’ll see more about that at the end of the book). In the meantime there is descension in the ranks of Avshalom as Achitofel’s first suggestion was accepted but his latter was foiled by Hushai. This leads to Achitofel’s demise by his own hand, and David’s successful escape with the help of his spy network.

The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 15

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter fifteen

Episode 43: Rebel Rebel

This week Avshalom rebels in a not so subtle manner - this reminds us a lot of Shmuel Alef where sons did not continue the positive legacy of their fathers. Avshalom is methodical in probing and breaking down the various symbolic components of David's kingship.

David immediately accepts the coup d'état as a fait accompli. In his retreat, he meets 3 groups of loyalists sending at least 2 sets back to Jerusalem to be his eyes and ears, and to report back. He refuses to let the Aron be misused again and shows particular concern for his old advisor, Achitofel.

We noted parallels in structure between the beginning and end of the chapter and how Ittai is both a recasting of David (in his time at Gath) and Ruth (when she showed fealty to Naomi).

Next time we will see David’s additional encounters, we will learn what happens when Hushai goes up against Achitofel and we will see Avshalom publicize his rebellion in earnest.Thanks for joining us. If you enjoy this content please consider giving us a 5 star rating and a brief review. Even better, share this with your friends and help our torah reach more learners.

The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 14

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter fourteen

Episode 42: We Won't Get Fooled Again

David is once again duped into adjudicating against his own behavior. Yoav seeks to return Avshalom and uses a wise woman from Tekoa to fabricate a tale of one brother who kills another accidentally in the field and is being pursued by the blood avenger.

Eventually David uncovers the message and agrees to his son's return in a limited fashion, absent the permission to see the king directly.

Avshalom, ever the schemer, waits 2 more years sequestered away before demanding a familial reunion, only to be rebuffed by, of all people Yoav, his interlocutor. Avshalom's strongarm tactics bear fruit and Yoav eventually reunites father and son who kiss and make up.

We wonder if there is more lurking under the surface, to Yoav's behavior, what the wisdom of the wise woman really is and why David continues to be passive in all that occurs.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 13

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter thirteen

Episode 41: Polyphonic Catastrophe

In chapter 13 there is a cacophony of intertextuality. References to other stories from Tanach abound, from the story of the rape of Dinah to the tragedy of Pilegesh b'Giveah, with references to the stories of Yosef and his brothers, Sodom and more. What all these incidents have in common with our story is that they are tales of how someone powerless is taken advantage of by those in a position of power. A fitting punishment for David after the incident with Batsheva and Uriah.

In our story Amnon uses deception to seclude himself with his half-sister Tamar whom he rapes. Afterwards the response of two men are wildly divergent. David, her father, may be seething with anger, but takes no action. Avshalom, her brother, on the other hand, bides his time for 2 years before exacting revenge and killing his naval of a brother. Avshalom, like his father before him, flees to his royal non-Jewish relatives in Geshur and we are left to ponder questions such as how much of these events were driven by the Machievellian guidance of Yonadav? Is Avshalom a hero, villain or both? Why does David not act? All this and more.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 12

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter twelve

Episode 41: The Aftermath

In this chapter we see the aftermath of David's sins with Batsheva and Uriah. We compare Natan's parable to the Bedouin law ofAdeyiah, and continue to drop hints at the comparison between David and Shaul. We discuss the meaning of the parable and consider who theIsh in question truly is. The question which looms largest is why David is able to retain his kingship when Shaul was not. We will try to look past facile explanations about the speed of David's confession of sin. All this and more

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Episode 40: Excursus: The David and Batsheva story

Welcome to our excursus on the David and Batsheva story. As I tried to point out in the shiur, we are tackling a unique and uniquely challenging topic. David is perhaps from the most beloved figures in Tanakh, and I believe we are rightfully apprehensive about discussing his sins, especially when they appear to be so egregious.

However, to fail to do so in a mature and exhaustive way shirks the responsibility entrusted to us by Hashem when he dictated that this story be included in Tanakh.

Furthermore, though we will cite sources from Chazal which seek to minimize if not essentially eliminate David’s transgressions, we will choose to follow Rishonim who, I believe rightly, see this as doing violence to the text. Such readings have a valid place as derash, but our goal is to hew as close to the text as possible. If the pesukim, the Navi and David all say he sinned, then we must contend with the actual events, not watered down apologetics.

In the end perhaps part of the reason David is so eternally and broadly loved in spite of his failings is because of how he chose to respond when he was forced to take a long hard look in the mirror.

Substantively, besides reviewing the statements of Chazal we look at the whole incident as an inversion of the Yosef-Eshet Potiphar story, we then look for a framework in the Torah which can give us a better psychological understanding of David, and find it in the parsha of Yefat Torah.

We then seek to expand the theological underpinnings by tracing the root of this sin throughout Tanach and back to Gan Eden.

Finally, we contrast what took place with the correct alternative model, that of shepherding. While leaving in abeyance the question of how a king who is supposed to be the paradigm of alignment with the will of God can recover from such a failure, and why David is even given that chance while Shaul was not