The House of David

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  1. Natan's Vision: The Everlasting Kingdom of the House of David

    Chapter 7 (II)

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

    God rejects David's request to build the Temple, but promises him an eternal monarchy over the nation of Israel. Is there a relationship between the two issues? Is eternal monarchy conditional? How did David respond to Nathan's vision?

  2. Shlomo's Punishment

    Rabbi Alex Israel

    Are Shlomo's three adversaries a threat only at the end of his reign after he has sinned, or  are they not so much existential threats in Shlomo's era, as the product of current dissent which becomes the seeds of future destruction?

    Shlomo's punishment is mitigated because of David. Why is Shlomo's fate different than Shaul's? What merit does David have that makes God swear to him that his sons after him can be punished but cannot lose the kingdom? 

  3. The Wicked Queen and the Boy King - Atalya and Yoash

    Rabbi Alex Israel

    Despite the fact that the House of Ahav is in ruins after Yehu's rebellion, Atalya, driven like her mother Izevel by power, seizes the opportunity of her son Ahazyahu's death, killing her children and grandchildren and seizes the throne. Her rule marks the first break in the Davidic dynasty and is only overturned by a conspiracy in the highest circles of the kingdom. Yoash, her grandson, becomes the king at the age of seven and his heavily influenced by the Kohanim and the Beit HaMikdash. When he grows into a man he demands that the Kohanim raise money to repair the Beit HaMikdash. The initial method for raising funds - private initiatives by the Kohanim - fails and is not accountable. Only when a public and accountable system is initiated are the necessary funds raised.

  4. Regarding the Kings of the Davidic Dynasty

    Rabbi David Sabato

    These chapters contain a collection of prophecies that Yirmiyahu delivered to the last kings of Yehuda. The institutions of the Beit HaMikdash and the Davidic dynasty are perceived by the people as stable, absolute, and unassailable. Both rely on a Divine promise regarding their eternity, and the two promises are intertwined. However, the biological continuity of the descendants of David does not in itself entitle them to the kingdom, but only when coupled with its moral continuity. Only then can they truly sit on the throne of David. In contrast, the non-realization of the moral purpose will lead to the destruction of the house of David, just as it will lead to the destruction of the house of God.

    In contrast to the ideal description of the monarch at the beginning of the chapter, Yirmiyahu traces the debased moral situation in the days of Yehoyakim. This rebuke revolves around the building of Yehoyakim's magnificent royal palace, which involved the breach of the most fundamental principles of morality and justice.

    The future of Yehoyakhin’s seed is described in bleak terms by Yirmiyahu, but that is contradicted by his descendant Zerubavel who takes a leadership role in the Return to Zion. In contrast, Tzidkiyahu is described by Yirmiyahu as a potential Mashiah, a role that his poor decisions do not allow him to realize.

  5. The Shepherds of Israel, in the Past and in the Future

    Dr. Tova Ganzel

    Yehezkel records a harsh prophecy directed against the kings of Israel, the nation’s leaders, whom he compares to shepherds who do not tend to their flocks. In the future, the leadership will be taken from these shepherds who failed in the past to properly lead the nation. God Himself will gather up the flock, rehabilitate it and hand it over to a different shepherd who will fulfill his role faithfully.

    The new shepherd will be a descendant of David.  However, the present model of leadership will come to an end. It will not be a mere technical replacement of personnel, but rather a fundamental change in the essence of the role. Therefore in speaking of David’s future status he is not referred to as “king” but as a “Nasi” – prince.

    Since the institution of kingship has failed, an alternative form of leadership must replace it. One of the roles of the king of Israel is to bring about a situation that will facilitate the Divine Presence coming to rest amongst the nation. The kings of Israel, as depicted in Sefer Yehezkel, brought about the opposite situation: defilement and the distancing of the Divine Presence. Now it is too late; there is no repair for the corrupt kingship, and therefore it is replaced by the station of the “Nasi.”

  6. The Davidic Kingdom - Absolute or Conditional?

    Rabbi David Sabato

  7. “May the Merciful One Rebuild for Us the Fallen Sukka of David”

    Rabbi Yehuda Amital

  8. Sefer Shemuel II: Archaeology

    Nachliel Selavan | 25 minutes

    Sefer Shemuel II is about consolidating the rule of David haMelekh - the eponymous ruler of the Kingdom of Judah, hence “The House of David” in royal mentions by mesopotamian superpowers.

    Shemuel II covers the territorial expanse and military campaigns of King David, and his internal and foreign affairs. From an archaeological standpoint, while there is little physical proof of his kingdom per se, there is a lot of archaeology which contextualizes his environment, the kingdoms he deals with, the names of their kings, the languages they spoke and the gods they worshiped. There are fortified cities from his time, and there are constantly new discoveries shedding light on this very important period.

    This episode focuses on the period from when King David moved from Ziklag to Hebron to Jerusalem; The skirmish around the pool of Giv’on which almost led to civil war; capturing Jerusalem, and the building of the royal palace, and more.

     

    Archaeology Snapshot is a discussion on the location, timeline, main characters and highlights from history and archaeology, for each Sefer in Tanach.