Tanach In Depth isaacson

The Book of Samuel: chapter 25 part 2

Whither Malchut

Welcome to our twenty-eighth in a continuing series on the book of Shmuel or Samuel and the founding of Jewish monarchy.

Episode 28: Avigail, Changes the course of Jewish History

After a brief recap we continue our exploration of chapter 25 by peeling away the layers to arrive at the heart of the story. We explain the rationale for Naval, David and Avigail as well as pointing out the embedded references in the text to other stories from Tanach including Esav’s meeting with Yaakov and Ruth’s encounter with Boaz. Finally, we discuss the concept of David’s heart as being the reason for his chosenness (and the root of why God chooses anyone starting with Avraham) and we notice how with the encounter with Naval David’s heart is on the precipice of being corrupt, only by Avigail’s restoration of God consciousness is David saved, and by extension the entirety of Jewish kingship is set aright.

All this and more.

Thank you for joining us, I hope you enjoy this podcast and will consider sharing it with others.


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Whither Malchut

Welcome to our twenty-seventh in a continuing series on the book of Shmuel or Samuel and the founding of Jewish monarchy.

Episode 27: Avigail, Kingmaker

Chapter 25 is pivotal in the course of the life of David. We try to read past the surface and detect both a Naval whose actions appear justified and a David who seems to be on the verge of turning into Shaul. Avigail's message to David is nuanced and layered, she delicately points out the error in David's ways by, for example, alluding to David's victory with a slingshot, as a reminder that it was David who rejected the need for a sword in the first place.



All this and more.



Thank you for joining us, I hope you enjoy this podcast and will consider sharing it with others.


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Whither Malchut

Welcome to our twenty-sixth in a continuing series on the book of Shmuel or Samuel and the founding of Jewish monarchy.

Episode 26: The Tables have Turned

This is the first of 3 chapters where David’s enemies fall into his hands and he refrains from killing them. Chapter 24 finds David conflicted on how to deal with Shaul, whom he finds in a precarious position. David must both act in accordance with what he believes is the will of God, but also in a way that will spare him and his men continued suffering. We discuss whether or not David has a halachic obligation to kill Shaul and the poignancy of Shaul’s temporary reprieve from his divine madness is powerfully felt.

All this and more.

Thank you for joining us, I hope you enjoy this podcast and will consider sharing it with others.


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Whither Malchut

Welcome to our twenty-fifth in a continuing series on the book of Shmuel or Samuel and the founding of Jewish monarchy.

Episode 25 The King in Waiting



The information provided by the Urim v'Tummim is unusual. In this chapter we find multiple queries and uncertainties in just how people know what they know. If David is told by the urim v'tummim that Saul will come down, and therefore David flees and Saul doesn't end up coming down, what does that mean for the veracity of the urim v'tummim? Is the urim v'tummim providing a sci-fi potential alternate reality? We discuss, spoiler alert, the fact that an angel potentially saves David from Saul's attack and see an echo of the Akeida story. We also contrast David and Doeg wondering why a frum Esav is contrasted with a krum Yaakov. 



All this and more.



Thank you for joining us, I hope you enjoy this podcast and will consider sharing it with others.


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Whither Malchut

Welcome to our twenty-fourth in a continuing series on the book of Shmuel or Samuel and the founding of Jewish monarchy.

Episode 24 Wherever I May Roam

In chapters 21 & 22 David goes on the lam. We follow the “refuge who would be king” to Nov and then the Plishti city of Gath wondering why David would choose this, the
worst possible location for which to flee. Luckily the king of the Plishtim has a good sense of humor about the situation. However, when Doeg, here in the role of Haman, informs Shaul of David’s access to a divine message, something which plays upon the king’s paranoid insecurities, a Churban of Nov ensues.



All this and more.



Thank you for joining us, I hope you enjoy this podcast and will consider sharing it with others.

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Map of David’s movements (courtesy of R’ Weinberg) https://www.thelivingtree.org/?downloadMedia=true&requestUrl=http://media.thelivingtree.org/audio/nach/03-shemuel_i/21-david%27smovements.pdf


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Episode 23 Fomenting Rebellion?

Welcome to our twenty-third in a continuing series on the book of Shmuel or Samuel and the founding of Jewish monarchy.


Whither Malchut

Chapter 20 brings collective amnesia as we pretend that Shaul didn’t just try to kill David. Instead David concocts an elaborate ruse to force his dear friend Yehonatan to see the truth of his father’s madness. We note parallels between the rosh chodesh meal of Shaul and the feast of Esther and offer an explanation for why Yehonatan needed to be bothered with shooting arrows when he was able to simply speak to David directly in the end.

Lastly, I offer an extended musing on the concept of Mored b’Malchut as applied to David and Yonatan and find a surprising explanation in the story of Uzziah which has many similarities to the current situation in Israel.

All this and more.

Thank you for joining us, I hope you enjoy this podcast and will consider sharing it with others.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/isaacson/support