fer Shmuel - Samuel. Class 34. Chapter 21 (part 1).

Good morning. So we have a short chapter

but very dramatic one.

The story of Novaim.

The story starts this chapter and it

ends in the next chapter with a big

tragedy. But let's see step by step.

So David in the last chapter became

formally how do you how do you say that

in English fugitive f someone that is

running away fugitive he became a formal

fugitive now everybody everything is

clear formally wants to kill him cannot

protect him anymore and he understands

he must go that how the chapter start

saying Davidid then went his say

where it doesn't say where in in the

first verse in the next verse he's going

to say it's a little bit reminded me the

verse of after eating

the food of Jacob when he sold the

when he sold the the first the right of

the first born it says

that he he ate and drank and get up and

went and got up and went away where he

doesn't say meaning I'm not here anymore

I mean I don't care what's going on

anymore just away so that's it I

finished my story in the palace for now

I must find myself in other place

and Jonathan returned to the town as we

said even though was in the side of the

vid he couldn't abandon his father. We

mentioned uh three main reasons. Maybe

he wanted to protect his father to help

him in this bad situation, mental

situation.

>> Oh, you want to be king after him. Maybe

maybe that's second option which is I

think that it's less

probable because we saw that he was

dedicated but yeah we can say that he

didn't he wasn't so deceive it he wasn't

so he doesn't decide formally to abandon

the aspiration to be king so he stayed

with his father and the third

explanation which also makes sense to me

that he wanted to be as helpful as he

can where he can be helpful so he won't

be helpful with Davidid in the desert

in the in the wilderness. He will be

helpful to Davidid. Maybe he can help in

some way or to moderate his father or in

other ways he can be a little bit more

effective inside the palace. So David

returned to the town. So Davidid went to

the priest aime at no.

Where is Nov today? There is a moshab

called nov in raat golan in the golan

highs but it's not this nov this nov is

apparently in shuafhat north of

Jerusalem

so the house of sha givea the capital

town in this time was like three or four

kilometers from Jerusalem to the north

so north is between Jerusalem and and

and ga so not very far away

What is no what is the what is the

purpose of this place? It says

apparently is a grandson of the grand

grandson of Phil from the beginning of

the book. He was a high high priest in

this time.

Why David is going there? So you say

maybe in the beginning he just left he

didn't know where to go and then he

decided to go to no first of all

apparently there he can achieve some

supply can get some supply. We will see

that later. Also, maybe he is a little

bit more protected in the city of the

Kanim. That at least what you saw

the same as we saw last time. He went to

Shaul in Rama to when he ran away from

Shaul. He went to in

why because like the religious space is

a protected space. We saw a little bit

like that something similar to Shabati.

While everybody had to sell their lands

to the king, the priests of the king of

king of Egypt were protected. They

didn't have to say

>> that was the shy in Iran. Make mistake.

He tried to set the lands of the

religious people in the religious city

and then they start revolution.

>> Okay.

>> You are talking about 79.

>> Yeah. Not now. Yes.

>> Yeah. Okay.

So the religious space is a protected

space. We will we will see that also

later in the beginning that beginning

when someone try to run away from the

king it's there is a term that says

to hold the corners of the why because

when you are holding the corners

you are protected nobody can touch you

and there is verse in the

Torah says don't you think that you go

to the altar and hold the altar and you

will protect it even from the altar you

will take this crime is so severe he

will take the criminal even from the

altar said even if he's a cohen that

doing this the worship in beta mikdash

if he if he required to the death panel

you will take him even from the middle

of his boat but so we the fact that the

mention it show that that was a practice

right people used to go to to the

religious space as a protected space

like going into the shul so the police

will take you from there because they

won't feel comfortable or from inside

the mosque or something like that. So

it's a protected space. So maybe David

went there as a protected space and also

as a place to look for supply or maybe

simply because it was the closest he's

the first station in his way he has to

run for his life. He has to go away from

the place of the power of the king the

strength of the king. So he has to go

and he start walking and this is the

first place that he arrived.

So he arrived to aime the priest he call

because he was a high priest to know

came out in alarm to meet David

and he said to him why are you alone not

a soul in with you?

So why why is the alarm? What does it

mean the alarm? So Davidid is known like

we saw we'll see later is known as one

of the most powerful people in the

kingdom. He is a is responsible on the

army. Second is married to the king is

his wife is a daughter of the king. So

people in this level usually do not go

alone.

They go with some people that escort

them that keeping them guard

headgards etc. uh and Davidid is coming

alone suddenly. Apart from that, we will

see later that apparently it was

Shabbat. So David is arriving in the

middle of Shabbat. Some say it was

Friday, someday say it was Shabbat

afternoon, in the evening would say

Shabbat, it makes more sense say it was

in the middle of Shabbat. So nobody is

walking in the middle of Shabbat. It's

not even allowed. And and the minister

of the war,

the way they are called today, the

minister of defense

>> is going

>> is going alone without anyone escorting

him in the middle of Shabbat, arriving

to the city of the Kanim. What what

what's going on here? Something really

strange. I saw some interpretation that

I don't agree with that the conflict

between Davidid and SH was already

known. So also suspected here what's

going on here? Why I know that there's

something between the king and Davidid.

So what's going on here? I don't think

so because it doesn't look from the

conversation later that knew anything at

all. And it also

I don't think that anybody outside of

the palace knew about it that say that

spoke with the close people with the

cabinet. He didn't made that public in

the newspaper that he's going to kill

David. So I don't think it was known

outside the palace.

So Alime is alarmed is worry. What are

you doing here? Why are you here alone?

So the emphasis on alone. Okay. Our our

person like you going alone. So David

answers the priest. The king is holding

me on a mission.

What is a mission? Go kill yourself.

No secret mission.

>> A secret mission. Yeah. So that's what

he say. He told me in a secret mission.

We will see that I will say and he said

to me absolutely no one must know

anything about the mission on which I am

sending you and for which I have given

you orders. So this is a blunt lie.

Was it allowed to lie?

>> There is lie.

>> Yes. There is a moral question here. By

lying you are also risking aime.

I will also already do you the spoiler

make you the spoiler of the next

chapter. What happened as a result of

that? Sha killed all the city.

was quite cruel. This like I said is a

tragic event and this the consequence of

this event will also continue to

influence in the next chapters in the in

the next books even in the Bible

and after

>> what

is the

>> thing that affects later

>> ah okay yeah in that context yeah so

this this problem. So David decided here

to lie we can understand why he's

running for his life and by lying in by

lying by some way he's also protecting

aime because if after that sh we come to

why did you help Davidid like what's

happened he can say I didn't know

anything why he was well we will see the

conversation between and sha in the next

chapter but by lying is saving him in

some way the same way like was with even

though she decided to lie. She said he

he he threatened me. I I didn't have any

other option. So he also David give him

the the pretext to explain why he is

helping him. So he says to him, the man

the king sent me in the mission and uh

and and gave me orders. Nobody should

know about it. So I have directed so I

have directed my young man to such and

such a place. I'm not even telling you

what place I sent them. So I sent my

people to some way and and I cannot tell

you where. I'm just and I can't tell you

I cannot tell you what is the mission.

It's a secret mission. I must now need

help. Now then what do you what have you

got on your hand? Any loaves of bread?

Let me have them or whatever it is

available. So here's a translation doing

bad bad work. Let me let me try to

translate myself and says now then what

have you got on hand five bread five

piece of breads please give it to me or

whatever you have now it looks strange

why five

do you have five specific bread from

this mark and what do we mean five

>> maybe you that get food specific foods

>> yeah but so yeah that's right that we're

going to See, but why five? So there are

two ways to understand this verse. Maybe

that the Tana doesn't mention who is the

speaker in each case. So I guess it's

like asking what do you have in your

hand? Zavid askked to eat and the coin

is answering I have five bread and then

say give it to me or whatever you can

give me. So according to that the five

bread is the answer of aime and this by

by taking away the names of the speaker

it send you the the sense of urgence

took fast please give me whatever you

what you write without even mentioning

the name to say it was very fast

conversation fast conversation another

explanation

that I saw in the that mikra it says is

so we are going to see even though it's

a discussion we're going to see that we

are talking here about the holy bread

that was served in beta mikdash every

Shabbat that's the reason that I on

every Friday but then I say that

apparently it was on Shabbat we're going

to see that later

so how many bread were there 12

>> but from the 12 five were given to the

co

so David says maybe you give me your

part. What do you have? Do you have your

part of the bread of the holy bread?

Please give it to me. I forgot to

mention before. So no was theim the city

of the kwanim meaning the city of the

bet mikdash of the temple of the mishkan

of the tabernacle. Even though if you

remember the Aon kesh was in other place

in kiryim

it's other place near Jerusalem

>> and and so we have in the tabernacle all

the other stuff which are not the the

main part which is our own so we do have

the table with we do have the and

all those things are in the city of the

and the is in other Anyway, he asked,

"So, what do you have? Any kind of

bread? I need an urgent I need urgently.

I need supply."

So, the coin answer him, "Well, I have,

but I cannot give it to you because it's

holy." So, the priest or at least

he doesn't say, "So, let's see." So, he

says, "The priest answered David, I have

no ordinary bread on hand. There is only

consecrated bread provided the young men

have kept away from women, women." What

does it mean?

So I don't have a a a regular bread. I

have a holy bread and the holy bread

cannot be eaten when a person is impure.

Meaning there are different kind of

impurity but after having a relationship

they you have to go to the mikvah. Today

of course we don't have that but in the

time of in order to be considered pure

to eat these things you have to be after

the mikvah. So he say if if you weren't

with the women so what boys is speaking

here young men. So David told him I need

the the food for the young men that are

waiting to me in such and such place.

Okay. So for them. So he say I cannot

give you the bread unless you are pure.

The question is here of course that even

if you are pure you are not allowed to

eat this bread. Only theim are allowed

to eat this bread. It's the same level

as as which is not allowed. So the

reason that

so but it looks like the said even

though it's not allowed I will give it

to you. Why? because

told him it's apparently that

the interpretations must be that no it's

that told him I I I need it as a pork.

So we can see that picn is one of the

first sources that foresh you can cancel

certain right apart from the three. So

he told the coin say okay it's nephesh

so if it's nephesh even if you are not

pure you are allowed to eat it's nephesh

it's to saving life so the coin say at

least try to make an effort not to eat

that impure and then I will give it to

you there are other explanation to that

the father of the rad and the rabbak say

that this kesh we are not talking about

the leanim the bread that they were

putting on the table every Friday. We

are talking about

what is there is to sacrifice that was

brought as an gratefulness for Hashem in

certain occasions. And with this with

this Qurban, they used to make four 40

breads. From these 40 breads, the Kanim

add their part. I think if I'm not

wrong, 10 10 of the bread and the other

30 were allowed to other people. So

maybe he's speaking about this.

So this bread is allowed for other

people as long as they are pure. So this

is exactly what he said to him. I can

give it to you, but you must be pure in

order to eat. So according to that, it's

not. The problem with this explanation

is the next verses that it looks like

they're talking about the bread of the

cobba. So anyway, it tells him I can

give it to you if you are pure. In reply

to the priest Davidid says I assure you

that women have have been kept from us

as always. What does it mean as always?

Always when we are going to a mission

and know or we are going to a battle or

something like that we are purifying

ourself and we are not being with a

woman for the days before it's between

the lines. It looks like it was a

practice. We did I mean it's information

that we didn't know from other places

and before going to a war the people

used to kept themselves pure which is

the opposite of what usually happened

right

say that is what we our practice we are

not when we are going to a mission for a

military mission we are staying away

from the women we are keeping ourselves

pure whenever I went on a mission even

if the journey was a common one the

vessels of the young men were

consecrated so also the vessel are pure

all the more than may consecrated food

be put into the vessels today.

So the priest gave him consecrated bread

because there was none there except the

bread of display

which had been removed from God's

presence to be replaced by warm bread as

soon as it was it was taken away. So

this is something that it's not

the the translation here is is

explaining it's not exactly the the the

Hebrew what it says here. So they used

to take the bread away on Friday and put

the new one and it's according to the

translation the new one was hot and

fresh and the old one after a week you

know what's happened to a bread after a

week wasn't so fresh and hot. So it says

it looks like today they took away the

bread because they have to eat the bread

in the same day or or the or the next

day. So it should be Friday or Sunday.

So according to that we understand why

is the explanation that it was

you know I Friday or Saturday that's why

we must say that it was on Saturday they

took away the bread yesterday. They must

have eaten it today. So the so we can we

understand it was oh that you arrive on

Friday or that you arrive on Saturday.

So but the the common explanation your

interpretation here which in the Hebrew

it's a little bit more sounds more like

that that the here the Tanakh is

mentioned the miracle that was the

miracle was that they put the bread on

Friday and it's kept fresh and hot

during the whole week and until and so

they took him

it they took him away.

So it's it's it was taken it was as in

the same day that they put is the day

they took it not the day they put it.

Okay. So in the day they were taking the

the bread it was hot as in the day that

it was so it was a miracle. One of the

miracles in the temple

>> in the first temple you're talking even

before the first tabernacle.

>> Okay. So that what he gave him. So the

first of

to is giving him food say not only that

is also

meaning it's some kind of mood that you

you feel you must eat. If you're not

eating you are going to die. Some say

that it's maybe like when the sugar is

suddenly low and then if you're not

eating you are fading or

so he had bulmous he he he needed

urgently to eat

and then there is a verse that is very

important for the continuation. Now one

of Sha officials

were there that day detained before God.

You should explain what does it mean.

His name was D the Edomite Sha chief

herdsman.

Herdsman meaning shepherd, right?

>> Okay. So why is it mentioned here

suddenly? Oh, this is going to be the

cue the the key to the understanding the

next chapter. This person which is

mentioned in other places also is a very

very complicated figure person. Why? For

first of all let's start explaining the

words he is one of the officials of

Shaul. Usually we are talking about the

officials of the king. We don't we not

speaking about the one who was cleaning

the house meaning the minister one of

the closest person of sha and he is

detained before hashem. What does it

mean detained? So there are several

explanation we can say he was walking

and then suddenly Shabbat arrived. So he

just stayed he was stopped detained

there. He want meant to go to the palace

or somewhere and he couldn't continue so

he stayed there. But this is not the

common explanation. The common

explanation is that he was going there

purposely to or to pray to have some

kind of worship. That's the reason

people went to the temple to maybe to

bring sacrifice to worship to elevate

himself or in the say to learn Torah and

this is connect us to

his name first of all do adomi adi it's

translated as edomite so he wasn't Jew

there are many dash that say no so there

are some people in the stories of David

that are mentioned that they come from

other countries amim Movi there are

different places and usually say they

live there they weren't from the nation

so he was a Jew that live in Edom that's

what they call Edomite

some others say that they have midashim

that says no that this is a symbolic

name related to red to blood or to a

>> cause a lot of bloodshed

>> yeah it cause a bloodshed or other way

that I'm going to explain

And then we have the his title the chief

earthsman. So what he was responsible

for the shepherds we can say that as

part of the property of the king he had

also a lot of shepherd a lot of flocks.

So he had many shepherds and there was a

minister of the shepherds of the

minister not it doesn't sound like a

very important job

but again explains that in not in the

simple understand not in the he says

what are the shepherds the shepherds are

of course the teachers the the spiritual

leaders the religion leaders so he was

aim the chief herdsman meaning he was

the head of the Sanhedrin That was what

was said. So according to that he was a

great am and mention in him together

with ael that we will meet in the next

book as one of the wisest people in

history and of course wisest people in

the kingdom of Shaul and the kingdom of

David. So he was the genius of the

generation. He was he know he knew a lot

of Torah. was tamit maybe the biggest in

the generation and he also was corrupted

which is a very very dangerous

combination okay so this this always and

are examples in of wicked

people that know a lot of Torah but it

didn't penetrate to the character and

that this this person uses wisdom for

bad

and that is why it's mentioned here as

we're going to

So um according for example to the word

that I mentioned before that there are

other one of the says that everybody

that was trying to argue with him

related to was blushing from shame. It

was it was it was embarrassing him when

you have a when you have a you know like

the rug fights when you

but no into when you are they were

fighting in having a discussion

everybody was becoming red out of

embarrassment because he was so smart so

wise he could win every argument every

discussion

okay so this is mentioned in here of

course as a sign of warning alarm this

person is there it's going to It's

meaning trouble.

Okay. But now we are leaving him there

and continuing with the conversation

between David and Aime. So David keep

lying. David say to Aime, "Haven't you

got a spare or sword on hand? I didn't

take my sword or any of my weapons with

me because the king's mission was

urgent." So it's a little bit story

specious, right? How long does it take

to take a a sword? So, so maybe but

maybe you're going in the palace, you

are going unarmed because nobody's going

armed in the palace. So, and the the

king sends him apart from the king with

a spear, right? He was dodging.

>> Yeah. So, the king can So, yeah, but it

makes sense that you don't go in with

swords in the palace. And then the the

king saying immediately go away. So, he

didn't even have time to go to his house

to take the swords maybe.

So, he told him, I need a sword.

The priest said there is a sword of

golad theim whom you slew in the valley

of Meah. It is over there wrapped in a

cloth behind the eod. Why the sword of

golat is with a priest and near the

ephod.

So they used to take sometimes objects

symbolic objects to put them as memory

in the tabernacle to remind the miracle.

We know for example there was a jar of

man there was kept there and the stick

of aron like the what

>> snake

>> not this the one that became snake but

it it's when he he had flowers

>> in the discussion with it had flowers so

it was kept there also as a sign of a

miracle so apparently we if you remember

that we learned the story of golad it

says that he took the soul to Jerusalem

>> and we said it's Jerusalem is not in the

in the in the hands of the vid yet. What

does it mean? No, later. So later he

took it to Jerusalem as a symbol also.

So after the war of Gyat, he took her to

the tabernacle as a sign of remembrance

of the but the Kanim again it's a holy

place, a religious place. There's no

swords over there. So the said we don't

have swords. We don't have weapon with

us. It's a synagogue here. It's a

tabernacle here. We have only one soul

which is the memorial soul. The soul

that is a sign of the miracle as a

memory of the of the miracle.

You can take it if you want. So if you

want to take that one, take it for there

is none there here but that one.

So also here it's a little bit strange

but maybe symbolic. Remember when David

went to the battle against Goladat, they

said he was too small to hold the sword

of Shaul and he couldn't take the arms

the the how do you say the armor the

armor of because it was too weak. Now

Goladat was a little bit bigger than

Shaul. It was so we can guess that the

sword of Golat was huge heavy. It wasn't

sword. It was a spare something big. And

now David is taking it. So apparently he

went a lot to the gym. He was much much

stronger after being maybe he grew up.

He was young and then he grew up he was

stronger. But it's also also symbolized

a little bit that David is trusting too

much

human means and not so much as it was

needed to trust God. So he's lying is is

eating a holy bread is taking the sword.

It looks like he's not trusting Hashem

so much. This is at least one reading of

it again that reading that I don't like.

We we don't we don't see that

criticizing Davidid for that. The reason

the criticizing Davidid for lying and

criticizing David for putting in danger

the city of the Kwam and Davidid himself

it looks like he felt guilty. We're

going to see in the next chapter that he

felt guilty for what's happened at least

in the part of taking the sword. didn't

see any criticizing any critics in the

words of Hakam. Anyway, he offer him

this sword and David says this is there

is none like it. Give it to me.

So in that day, Davidid continued on his

flight from Shaul and he came to King

Akish of Gat.

Look like huge mistake. Where are you

going? to the to the Akish is the king

of the pistim. Now who came from God?

Golat.

David killed Golat. David had a fights

against the pleim several times. It says

that Davidid had big victories against

the so. So you are going directly to the

hands of your enemies. Why are you going

there? So maybe he hopes that nobody

will recognize him. We will see that

later. Maybe also sometimes the enemy of

your enemy is your friend. So you're

going I'm not with SH anymore so I will

go to the enemies of SH. And again maybe

the other the the simple answer it was

in his way. So he went from

Ga north to Jerusalem. He went south to

north and then he continues south and

trying to go to the desert. In the

middle there is God. that is in the

middle of the way to the to the

negative. So maybe this is the place

where you can go and hang around a

little bit has some more supply. We

don't know how many days he take or

maybe the same day maybe after

but he arrived directly how do you say

to the mouth of the lion yeah to the

>> so he was recognized

think about the past it was hard to

recognize famous people you may heard

about the king you won't know him

there's no papers there's no television

nobody knows how people looks like

>> but maybe the vig was famous enough and

maybe there were people in the battle of

Davidid and Golad that saw David in the

battle same people from God

in the Midash said like Hashem told

David where are you going the brothers

of Goladat are the headguards you say

head bodyguards bodyguards bodyguards of

the king you are going directly to the

hands of the brothers of golad

so David was recognized the courts of

say to him why

that's Davidid king of the land he

wasn't the king but he was

ruler the power was in his hand that's

the one of whom they sang they sing and

they dance sh is thousands David is tens

of thousands

>> he took the sword they saw the sword

>> he was with the sword

sword of the brother

>> all the evidence

These words worry Davidid.

Well, there's a reason it doesn't say in

Hebrew worry. It says

he puts these words on his heart.

Reflected about them. Again, it looks

it's not the right terms. He was

reflected about the fact that they want

to kill him. What is it was reflecting

put the words in his hearts and again I

saw interpretation that may be right. He

thought about well this is a punishment

for my actions in the former station of

my uh flight.

the fact that he was reflecting about

all what's going on and then he

understood me trusting too much like we

say human wings it wasn't the right way

to deal with it

and he was became very much afraid of

kingish of

we are getting close to the end of the

class there are something I just see his

solution in that was so he considered

let's read until the end and we will

talk a little bit more next time. So he

concealed his good sense from them. He

fade madness for the benefit.

The benefit again we will we will see

about that. He scratched marks on the

doors of the gate and is let his saliva

run down his bread. So what does it

mean? He became crazy made himself as he

became crazy. So crazy people

>> are not harmful.

I would say that it looks like they were

caught him and brought him to the king

and then he became like crazy. Now there

are two two things here. First of all,

he's not harmful if if he's a crazy.

Second, is it really David? As we saw,

we don't know very well the face. Maybe

it looks similar. Maybe you saw that in

the battle 5 years ago. Who say it's the

same person? Also, apparently in the

ancient times, crazy people were

considered a little bit holy. Also it

was a a a thin line between crazy and

prophet

>> and sometime people cross the line from

side to side.

>> What?

>> Sh. Yeah. Like we said about sh crazy

and prophecy and also they consider

there is bad demon inside them. So

there's like angels inside them. So it's

it's it was considered dangerous and

even prohibited to harm crazy people. So

making yourself crazy was sometimes a

way to save yourself. Did

it worked and said to his cries, "You

see the man is raving. Why bring him to

me? Do I like mad men?"

said his wife and his daughter was also

were also mad in this time. Okay, we'll

see about that. Do I like madman that

you have brought his one to the rave for

me? Should he enter my house? And that

how they send him away. So it says the

next chapter in the beginning of the

next chapter. So David went from there

to meet Spain

of Morav meaning crossing the border

crossing the to the other side of the

okay we will see. So we will talk a

little bit about the second episode of

the chapter in the next class.

>> Thank you Rab.

>> Thank you.