By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO — King Louis XIV (at least the Mel Brooks version) famously said, “It’s good to be the king.” He uttered this line whenever he wanted to justify his boorish behavior. The implication was that a king can do whatever he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it, without limitation or restriction.
The Torah couldn’t disagree more. An Israelite king did not have absolute power. The king’s rule and decrees were subject to review and approval by the “King of Kings.” In fact, Israelite kings were commanded to keep a copy of the Torah by their side and commanded to consult it regularly.
“When he is seated on his royal throne, he shall have a copy of his Teaching written for him on a scroll by the levitical priests. Let it remain with him and let him read in it all his life, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God, to observe faithfully every word of this Teaching as well as these laws. Thus he will not act haughtily toward his fellows or deviate from the Instruction to the right or to the left, to the end that he and his descendants may reign long in the midst of Israel.” (Deut. 17:18-20)
The Hebrew word for copy, mishne, also means “two.” From this alternate reading, the sages of the Talmud concluded that an Israelite King was supposed to keep not one but two copies of the Torah: one that he carried in public and one for his private use.
The Ksav Sofer (Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer, 1815-1871) suggested why the king needed two copies. The king used his personal copy in order to make sure that he followed the law carefully, exactingly, and scrupulously. The king’s public copy was to remind him to deal with his subjects kindly, morally, and ethically.
Yalkut Gershoni (Rabbi Gershon Stern) expands the Ksav Sofer’s words. Normally a person’s outer life is supposed to reflect his inner life. This is not so with a king. A king is supposed to treat his subjects with kindness and benevolence. This is reflected in the Torah which he carries publicly. However, when the king sits in his home he is supposed to act humbly and modestly in acknowledgment that all of his power and glory are gifts from God. This is reflected in the private Torah that is always by his side.
Most Kings considered themselves above the law and their self-interest came before their subjects. Not so an Israelite King (at least in theory!). An Israelite King placed his subject’s needs ahead of his own, dedicated his life to serving them and to serving God.
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Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue. He may be contacted via leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com
It is curious and no doubt highly significant that King David, Israel’s most famous king, apparently did not have a copy or two of the torah at his side or else did not consult it (them). And yet, Hashem and all Israelites love him above all.