‘In that day, the weakest among them will be like David, and the House of David like heavenly powers, like the angel of Hashem before them.’
– Zechariah 12:8
As the State of Israel and the Jewish people continue to grapple with the challenges of war with Hamas and rising anti-semitism around the world, this promise of Hashem through the prophet Zechariah should encourage and inspire us.
In the context of the passage, it is clear that being like David is in reference to the battles that he fought, in which he prevailed, and for which purpose he was appointed by Hashem (1 Samuel 8:20). But what does it really mean to be like David?
Why was he successful, and how can even the weakest among us become like him?
Following are a few fundamental spiritual qualities that made King David great, and from which all true and lasting greatness flows, b’ezras Hashem.
This piece was sponsored by the Diaspora Yeshiva on Mount Zion, Jerusalem, the original yeshiva for ba'alei teshuva, with the Tomb of King David at the center of its campus. To learn more about current programs for ba'alei teshuva and to apply, please visit DiasporaYeshiva.net.
Internal Greatness: A Heart for Hashem
It’s brought down in the Book of Samuel that when Israel asked for a king, to judge us and to fight our battles (1 Samuel 8:19-20), Hashem changed Saul into another man, with a new heart (1 Samuel 10:6,9). As King Solomon would later write, a king’s heart is channels of water in Hashem’s hand, and about all that He desires, He turns it every way (Proverbs 21:1).
Yet this is no guarantee of fidelity to Hashem on the part of a king, since, in spite of having been previously given this new heart, Hashem later rejected King Saul because Saul rejected the Word of Hashem (1 Samuel 15:23), failing to fulfill the purpose for which Hashem had appointed him.
With King David, however, things were different. Although King Saul was a man of great physical stature (1 Samuel 9:2), when Hashem sent the prophet Samuel to anoint a king from among the sons of Jesse, thinking one of David’s older brothers surely to have been the one, Hashem told him not to look at the appearance and physical stature of the man, because Hashem looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
King David is introduced to us as a man for Hashem, “after” His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). More literally, the Hebrew says as His heart, which indicates David’s heart was like Hashem’s heart, so to speak. In other words, David was a man who imitated the character of Hashem (cf. Sotah 14a), and performed His will like his own will (cf. Pirkei Avos 2:3), and this he continued to do throughout his life.
It was fundamentally this wholeheartedness of the shepherd towards Hashem that made him fit for kingship, and for Hashem to show Himself strong with him.
‘For the eyes of Hashem go about in all the Earth, to show Himself strong with those whose heart is complete towards Him.’
– 2 Chronicles 16:9
The question, then, is what moves a person’s heart to be complete towards Hashem, so that a person will imitate Hashem’s ways and perform His will like his own.
The Root of Wholeheartedness: Confidence in Hashem
As King David would later say, Hashem dealt with him according to his righteousness (2 Samuel 22:21). Evidently, there is a connection between the state of a person’s heart and his righteousness. And yet clearly it was not David’s righteousness that gave him a heart that was complete towards Hashem, but his heart, complete towards Hashem, that made him righteous.
We find the concept of righteousness introduced in the Torah with the related concept of emunah, what people call “faith.”
As the Torah says of our father Abraham,
‘He had complete confidence [Hb. he’emin] in Hashem, and He considered it righteousness [Hb. tzedakah] for him.’
– Genesis 15:6
The Hebrew verb he’emin is a form of aman, which is related to the Hebrew noun emunah.
As Rashi explains, Abraham was so sure that what Hashem told him was true, and would be fulfilled, that he did not ask Hashem for a sign, and Hashem considered that righteousness for him.
Many people speak of the importance of having faith, and this is what it really means. We see from here that having complete confidence in Hashem, with certainty in Hashem’s faithfulness to do what He says is the essence of righteousness—the thing that moves a person to trust Hashem and therefore to respond with faithfulness towards Him, which is righteousness.
Hence, the Book of Psalms, which were largely written by King David, almost always speaks of the emunah of Hashem, of his certainty or faithfulness—seven times in Psalm 89 alone.
King David was utterly convinced of the faithfulness of Hashem to do what He says, and this is certainly what led to him having a heart that was complete towards Him, to imitate Hashem’s ways and to do His will like his own will.
The True Test of Humility
Being utterly convinced of Hashem’s faithfulness and thereby trusting in Him leads to faithfulness to Hashem, which is fidelity to the Truth — Hashem’s Truth, i.e., Torah (Psalms 119:142) — as received through Hashem’s servants the Prophets.
And this fidelity to the Truth leads to humility, a quality which enables a person to be honest about who they are in relation to the Truth, and even ready to confess their wrongdoing. Such humility is so essential to the rectification of mankind and the Redemption that it’s what led to kingship being given to David and to his descendants forever.
As we read in Parashas Vayeishev about Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38:25), when Judah was confronted with the evidence that he was wrong, although Tamar was unwilling to embarrass him in public (Rashi, Bava Metzia 58a and Tosafos there), Judah nevertheless confessed.
‘Judah recognized, and he said, ‘She is right; it is from me, inasmuch as I did not giver her to Shelah my son.’’
– Genesis 38:26
This is extremely significant, since from the beginning, as it is also today, people are much more prone to try to preserve their own honor by “passing the buck,” as they say, putting the blame on others, than humbly accepting responsibility for their actions.
Judah is the first figure in the Torah to confess that he was wrong, taking responsibility for his wrongdoing, and vindicating the innocent.
As Jonathan interprets,
‘[He] said in his heart, ‘It is better for me to be ashamed in this world that passes away, than to be ashamed in the faces of my righteous fathers in the World to Come. It is better that I burn in this world by a fire that is extinguished than burn in the World to Come with fire devouring fire; for measure is set against measure. This happened according to what I said to Jacob my father, ‘Know now the robe of your son;’ so am I now constrained to hear at the place of judgment, ‘Whose are this seal and mantle and staff?’’ And Judah acknowledged and said, ‘Tamar is innocent; she is with child by me.’ And the bat kol fell from Heaven, and said, ‘From before Me was this thing done, and let both be delivered from judgment.’’
– Targum Jonathan on Genesis 38:5-6
According to Onkelos and Jonathan on Genesis 49:8-11, it was primarily for this confession, and in relation Judah’s role in what had been done to Joseph, that Hashem blessed Judah through our father Jacob with kingship in Israel and dominion over his enemies, so that no kingdom will be able to make him tremble, and so that the King Messiah will come through him, who will bring peace on Earth.
According to the Tosefta on Berachos 4:16, Judah’s humble confession was one of three reasons Judah received the kingship, and with it all these things.
As they say, like father, like son. This remarkable quality of greatness in Judah was also a quality of King David, his descendant. Even as King, after he did wrong in the matter of Bathsheba and Uriah, he humbly confessed his wrongdoing, and notwithstanding the consequences of his actions, was restored by Hashem.
As David prayed to Hashem, for example,
'Be gracious unto me, O G-d, according to Your loving-kindness; according to the multitude of Your mercies, wipe away my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and purify me from my sin. . . . Create in me a pure heart, O G-d, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.'
– Psalms 51:3-4,12
King David’s willingness to wholeheartedly confess his sin to Hashem, the Truth being more important to him than his own honor, was a fundamental quality that made him fit for everlasting greatness. He forever stands as a shining example of true humility, and assurance from Hashem that, in spite of our failings, even the weakest of us can become like David.
When we follow David’s example, and return wholeheartedly to Hashem, He will accept our repentance, and will yet fulfill the promises that He made to our fathers. Among others, He will cause our enemies that rise up against us to be struck down before us; they may come out against us one way, but flee before us seven ways (Deuteronomy 28:7).
Therefore,
'Let us examine our ways and return to Hashem!’
– Lamentations 3:40
May we all merit to live and see the rebuilding of the Temple and the coming of King Messiah, and peace upon Israel, soon and in our days.
Chanukah Sameach and Good Shabbos!
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This piece was sponsored by the Diaspora Yeshiva on Mount Zion, Jerusalem — the original yeshiva for ba'alei teshuva — which for over 50 years has been embracing Jewish men from all over the world seeking to return to their Jewish roots in accordance with the teachings of the Sages of Israel.
With the Tomb of King David (also King Solomon and King Hezekiah) at the center of its campus, the students of the Diaspora Yeshiva are privileged to live in an environment in which they are continually reminded and inspired by the greatness of King David. All are encouraged to come and visit, to recite the Psalms of David, and pray at the Tomb of King David.
Moreover, there is room for young Jewish men seeking to return to Hashem with all of their hearts, and ready to get serious about learning Torah, to live and learn with the Yeshiva. As the Rebbe, Harav Mordechai Goldstein, Z"l, used to always say, Torah is for everyone, so, "Come learn Torah!"
To learn about current programs and to apply, please visit DiasporaYeshiva.net, and stay tuned for a new section on the website dedicated to the memory of King David, coming soon b’ezras Hashem.