בס"ד לעילוי נשמת הרב שרגא טוביה בן רב נתן הלוי זצ"ל
Shoftim 5780- Got Gusto?
In this week’s parsha the Torah commands a Jewish King to have two sifre Torah. As the passuk says "וְהָ יָה כְ ִׁש ְבּתֹו "........ ּתֹורה הַ ז ֹּאת ָ ַ“ – עַ ל כִּ סֵּ א ַמ ְמלַ כְ ּתֹו ְוכ ַָתב לֹו אֶ ת ִׁמ ְשנֵה הAnd when he sits on his royal throne, he should write for himself two of these Sifre Torah….” (Devarim 17:18). Note that the Hebrew for “royal throne” used here is "" כִׁ סֵ א מַ ְמלַ כְ ּתֹו. This is interesting, because we find with Achashverosh it says שּושן ַ "בַ י ִָׁמים הָ הֵ ם כְ ֶשבֶ ת הַ מֶ לֶ ְך אֲ חַ ְשוֵרֹוש עַ ל כִּ סֵּ א ַמ ְלכּותֹו אֲ ֶשר ְב "( הַ ִׁב ָירהEsther, 1:2). What is the difference between these two expressions? Of course, this is a very broad discussion, because both forms are used throughout Tnach, but perhaps we can offer an explanation that would be relevant to the Elul season which begins today. There is a fundamental difference between the two phrases. כסא מלכותוmeans “his kingdom’s throne”, whereas כסא ממלכתוmeans “his coronation’s throne” (to be ממליךmeans to coronate). A king had a throne upon which he sat during his tenure as king, but there was a special throne that was ceremoniously used for his/her coronation. I say this with authority, because in England, Kings and Queens have been coronated since the 13th century on a special chair known as the King Edwards Chair (which sits in Westminster Abbey, London). Lehavdil, so too, Jewish Kings were coronated on a כסא ממלכתו, and then afterwards sat on their כסא מלכותו. Now we can understand why here in the parsha it uses כסא ממלכתו. A Jewish king must understand that his position is one of serving Hashem. And when it comes to dedicating one’s actions to Him, we are told by Chazal " – " בכל יום יהיו בעיניך חדשיםEvery day (when serving Hashem) it should seem to you as if it is brand new” (see Rashi Devarim, 26:16). Human nature is that our level of dedication in any area wanes over time. Not so when it comes to serving Hashem. We should try and consider our tasks as if they have just begun today. This will help us to dive right in, day after day, with spit and polish, vim and vigor, zeal and gusto! The כסא מלכותו was a throne upon which sat a king after the pomp and circumstance of his coronation. It lacked the excitement, the aura and luster of the כסא ממלכתו. That throne was the throne upon which the king felt a crown on his head for first time, where his subjects bowed to him for the first time.
The Torah is guiding the Jewish king to never become complacent in his avodah. Every day he should be enthused and excited by considering himself as if he has just been coronated, and is sitting not on a כסא מלכות, but rather a כסא ממליך. Since, nowadays, we read the parsha of Shoftim at the beginning of the month of Elul, it could be that the Torah uses this expression here by the Jewish King (which it does not do all over) to teach us how we, too, can improve in our Avodas Hashem during Elul The message of כסא ממלכתוis; be fresh, be excited, be thrilled and awed when serving Hashem. Have a great Shabbos,
Rabbi Nosson Greenberg, Rav, Khal Machzikei Torah, Far Rockaway N.Y.
ravgreenbergkmt@gmail.com