Community Magazine May 2012

warrior or scholar? The sections in Tanach dealing with King David’s life describe him mainly as a warrior and monarch who secured the nation’s borders after decades of unrest and instability. However, the sages of the Talmud recount that David was also a towering Torah scholar unparalleled in his passionate commitment to learning. The Gemara (Berachot 3b) relates that King David devoted the majority of his night to Torah learning, and slept no more than “sixty horse breaths” every night. David’s harp was kept near the window of his palace bedroom, and at midnight, the wind would blow through the strings of the harp, whereupon David would arise and immerse himself in Torah study until morning. Later (ibid. 4a), the Gemara cites David as exclaiming before Gd, “Master of the World! Am I not pious? For all the kings of the east and west sit in groups in great honor, while my hands are soiled from blood…” Whereas other kings spent their days indulging in physical delights and advancing their own honor and prestige, David spent his time in the seemingly unglamorous task of examining blood to decipher the Jewish laws of family purity. Ordinary monarchs are decadent and pretentious, but David was an accomplished scholar who was regularly called upon to delve into and resolve intricate halachic questions. David’s love for learning was so strong that he was instinctively drawn to the study halls: “David said: Master of the World! Each and every day, I would calculate and say, ‘I will go to such-and- such place’ or ‘to such-and-such residence,’ but my legs would then bring me to the synagogues and study halls” ( Midrash Rabba , Parashat Behukotai). Even when David made a cognitive decision to engage in other activities, his legs carried him to the halls of prayer and learning, testifying to the depth of his commitment and passion for Torah. This passionate devotion continued until King David’s very last moments of life. The Gemara (Shabbat 30a) tells that David was prophetically informed that he would die on Shabbat. David understood that as long as he immersed himself in Torah learning, the Angel of Death could not overpower him. He therefore spent the entire Shabbat, from beginning to end, each week, engrossed in uninterrupted study. The Angel of Death made numerous attempts to disrupt David’s learning so it could fulfill its mission and seize the king’s soul, but to no avail. Finally, the angel rustled the trees outside the palace, arousing David’s curiosity. David headed toward the garden to see the source of the mysterious noise, concentrating intently on his studies even as he walked. On his way down the stairs, however, he tripped, momentarily distracting him from his Torah thoughts. The Angel of Death seized the opportunity and snatched the great king’s soul during that brief moment of distraction. David thus provides an inspiring model of dedication and diligence, borne out of a keen sense of the value and importance of learning. Once we recognize just how significant and powerful our Torah learning is, we will naturally approach it with the seriousness and intensity it deserves. king of israel MORRIS M. MIZRAHI The Israelite tribe of Yehuda, from which King David originates, is compared by Yaakov Avinu to a young lion (Bereshit 49:9) tradition teaches that king david, founder of the great monarchical dynasty from which mashiah will descend, passed away on the holiday of shavuot. as we prepare for this festival later this month, it is most appropriate to reinforce our appreciation of this legendary spiritual hero, one of the greatest figures in our nation’s history, and learn from his personal example of faithfulness and commitment to gd. 46 Community magazine