10
votes
Source for how Agag had a child after being captured
Amalekites and magic:
The Amalekites' ability to change into animals is brought by Rashi on Shmuel 1:15:3 and the Rid on the same verse, and mentioned as a midrash in the Kitzur Ba'al Haturim's ...
- 24.8k
9
votes
Accepted
Why does David refuse to kill Shimi b. Gera, but then later tell Shlomo to kill him?
Both Targums on Esther 2:5 identify The Shimei in Mordecai's lineage with Shimei Ben Gera. They state that David saw through a prophetic experience that Mordecai (and Esther according to the first ...
- 8,210
9
votes
Accepted
Do Rome and Persia's kingdoms still exist?
Many meforshim understand that when the Gemara refers to Rome it is referring to the Christian nations. See here for example in the Ramban in Sefer HaGeulah - start from last word on the sixth line. ...
- 1,459
8
votes
Who can become king of the Jews?
See Rambam Hilchot Melachim Chapter 1.
Any Jew can be appointed king as long as he is not a convert nor descended exclusively from converts (Law 4), a woman (Law 5) nor currently or previously ...
- 41.7k
7
votes
Accepted
What tribe was Jehu from?
From Menashe. See Pesikta Rabbati 3
ובמלכים ירבעם בן נבט משל אפרים ואחרי כן יהוא בן (מנשה) [נמשי] משבט
מנשה
- 6,864
7
votes
Accepted
What happens if a Jewish king marries a 19th wife?
Rambam, Hilchos Melachim 3:2:
ואם הוסיף אחת ובעלה לוקה
If he adds an extra wife and has relations with her, he gets lashed.
So that answers question #3. As for the others:
On the face of it, ...
- 7,781
7
votes
Accepted
Are a convert's children considered to be of Jewish lineage?
Rambam in Hilchot Melachim 1:4 writes:
A convert may not be appointed king, even after many generations, until one has a Jewish mother.
Kesef Mishneh (ad loc.) writes that the same is true if he has ...
- 41.7k
7
votes
Why did the tribe of Yehuda merit to have the king descending from it?
When Yaakov is about to die and calls in his sons to bless them, he says to Yehuda (Bereishis 49:8-9):
יְהוּדָ֗ה אַתָּה֙ יוֹד֣וּךָ אַחֶ֔יךָ יָדְךָ֖ בְּעֹ֣רֶף אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ יִשְׁתַּחֲוּ֥וּ לְךָ֖ בְּנֵ֥י ...
- 29.9k
6
votes
Accepted
Hakhel: Source for leader of generation replacing king
Minchas Chinuch suggests it:
והנה מבואר בש"ס דהמלך הי' קורא וא"י אם הל"מ כ"ה דדוקא מלך ואם אין מלך בישראל אין מצוה כלל א"כ עד שאול המלך עליו השלום לא נתקיימה מצוה זו ואפשר דל&...
- 1,687
6
votes
Accepted
Why is Yehoshafat called the King of Yisrael in Divrei Hayamim?
R. Hayyim Joseph David Azulai raises this question in his commentary to that verse and notes that he hasn't seen anyone discuss it:
לא ראיתי מי שדיבר למה נקרא מלך ישראל מאחר שהוא ממלכי יהודה ועיין ...
- 49k
6
votes
Why couldn't the Jewish people return to live in Egypt? Till when was this valid? At some point later in history Jewish people did live there
The prohibition of living in Egypt has never changed. The question is to who did it apply to in the first place?
There are various opinions among the Rishonim Among them are that it only applies to
(...
- 4,688
5
votes
How Could Jezebel, the Worshipper of Baal, be the Mother of Two Kings of Israel?
This is a complicated issue. You should read these two articles 1 2.
Some Rishonim say explicitly that Jezebel did not convert, and that was part of Ahab's sin in marrying her (see, for instance, ...
- 97.2k
5
votes
Can Jews elect a non-Jewish king?
In terms of permissibility according to Jewish law, the answer is found in the Mishnah Torah, Laws of Kings and their Wars, Chapter 1:4
A convert may not be appointed king, even after many ...
- 14.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Was Achashveirosh feeling unwell in beginning of chapter six?
In the days of absolute monarchy, the king would start his day whenever he felt like. Those who wanted to get something from him would come as early as they could in order to be available whenever he ...
- 42.9k
5
votes
Can someone with a blemish be king?
The Rambam in Hilchot Melachim (chapter 1) lists a number of conditions to be a king (not to be a convert, a woman, a butcher, barber, bath-attendant or a tanner). Having no blemish is not such a ...
- 47.6k
5
votes
History of Chabad Moshiach flag
The History:
According to Chabapedia (in Hebrew), the flag was first printed in the Hebrew year 5755 (1994-1995) by Yaakov Ben Ari of Tzfat, Israel.
The general design of the flag seems to have ...
- 24.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Is a Jewish Queen allowable?
It's unclear. We don't initially appoint woman to be the queen. The Sifrei says on the mitzvah of appointing a king says מֶלֶךְ וְלֹא מַלְכָּה. The mitzvah is to appoint a king and not a queen. ...
- 4,688
4
votes
Accepted
Can a Davidic King rule while his father is still alive?
Exactly. It is explicit in the beginning of Melachim Aleph (1:30) that King David ordered for Solomon to reign in his lifetime, which answers your question.
כִּ֡י כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי לָ֜ךְ ...
- 84
4
votes
Why didn't the Jews appoint a king before rebuilding the temple?
Some commentators say that Zerubbabel was supposed to be king (such as Ibn Ezra, see e.g. his commentary to 4:14). Zerubbabel is never explicitly called a king, but he was from the royal family (1 ...
- 24k
4
votes
What is the official title for the wife of a Jewish king?
I’m aware of two terms used in Tanach: either calling her מלכה anyway, as in אסתר המלכה (Esther 5:2-3, 7:1-3, etc.), or the more crass term שגל, “royal consort” (Tehillim 45:10 and Nechemiah 2:6, as ...
- 34.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Was Assir a son of Jeconiah or an attribute of him?
Like @Harel13 notes there are differing opinions:
The Malbim spells out the differing viewpoints:
There are those who say that "Assir" is descriptive of Yechonya since he was incarcerated ...
- 29.9k
3
votes
Name of Pharaoh that we were enslaved to in Mitzrayim
According to this article by Mitchell First, if one accepts the chronology presented by I Kings (6:1), then combining that with other historical sources would lead to the conclusion that the Pharaoh ...
- 35.4k
3
votes
Pharaoh or King of Egypt?
excerpted from here
The Zohar (Shemot 17a; 19b) explains that in most of the opening story of the Book of Exodus, the Bible mentions Melech Mitzrayim. This refers to the angelic minister who ...
- 13.6k
3
votes
Was Bar Kochba a King?
Rabbi Mordechai Hakohen in his book "אישים ותקופות" (People and Eras), pg. 105-108, discusses this issue and concludes, based on various midrashim and aggadatot on Bar Kochva, together with ...
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3
votes
Secret Ops, The President, and The Blessing On a King
Since not everyone agrees with this other answer here's a different view, from R Shlomo Aviner's book On the air p. 45
The king must have the ability to administer capital punishment (Shut ...
- 47.6k
3
votes
Which kings stay in bed to the third hour of the day?
I searched the Bar Ilan database, and found no sources that specify that our Gemara refers to Jewish kings in particular. One could in fact infer the opposite from the Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer (Parsha 7 ...
- 35.4k
3
votes
Did Samuel annoint David in Publicly?
Samuel wasn't just some guy claiming to be a prophet, he was the very prophet who annointed Saul (see I Sam. 9-10), and who explicitly told Saul that because of his failing his kingship would be ...
- 6,392
3
votes
Why Yehoshua was not anointed as a king?
Update:
I just saw a Gemara at the very end of chapter 7 of meseches Yoma. See the last three lines of that chapter and the second to last Rashi! Explicit proof.
Great intriguing question. I just read ...
- 131
3
votes
Accepted
Why would becoming king or kohein gadol exempt one from atoning for past sins?
The Yerushalmi to this Mishnah brings two explanations for R’ Shimon’s opinion:
חברייא אמרין טעמא דר"ש משם שהגדולה מכפרת אמר ר' יוסי שאין חטאו וידיעתו שוין
The Chaveirim say: The reason for R’ ...
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