Chapter 16
Melachim ב (Kings II (A Teachers' Guide
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Chapter 16
Verses 1-4:
בשנת שבע עשרה שנה
לפקח... מלך אחז בן יותם מלך יהודה
בן עשרים שנה אחז
במלכו ושש עשרה שנה מלך בירושלים ולא עשה הישר בעיני ה' אלוקיו כדוד אביו
וילך בדרך מלכי ישראל
וגם את בנו העביר באש כתועבות הגויים... ויזבח ויקטר בבמות ועל הגבעות ותחת כל עץ
רענן
העביר באש
1. This was the idol worship of the Molech, involving passing a child between two fires. (Metzudat David)
2.* In Divrei Hayamim II 28:3 it says that Ahaz actually burned his sons. Hizkiyahu was the son of Ahaz, and it says in Sanhedrin 63b that indeed, he was passed through the flames, but his mother took the precaution of protecting him with a special salve (see Rashi on Sanhedrin 63b), and so he did not catch fire and was saved from death. (Malbim)
Verse 5:
אז יעלה רצין מלך ארם
ופקח בן רמליהו מלך ישראל ירושלים למלחמה ויצורו על אחז ולא יכלו להלחם
ולא יכלו להלחם
Despite the fact that this war came as a punishment for Ahaz (See Divrei Hayamim II 28:6), the attackers could not win, because Hashem was protecting Yehudah, not wanting it to be destroyed. (Abarbanel)
Verse 6:
בעת ההיא השיב רצין
מלך ארם את אילת לארם וינשל את היהודים מאילות וארומים (כתיב) / ואדומים (קרי) באו
אילת וישבו שם עד היום הזה
השיב רצין מלך ארם את
אילת לארם... וינשל את היהודים מאילות
Eilot and Eilat are identical - and it is the same city which Azaryah/Uziyah built up. The Jews were evicted from the city.
וארומים (כתיב) /
ואדומים (קרי) באו אילת וישבו שם
The Aramites allowed the previous occupants of Eilat - the Edomites - to return to the city and to settle there. (Abarbanel)
Verses 7-9:
וישלח אחז מלאכים אל
תגלת פלסר מלך אשור לאמור עבדך ובנך אני עלה והושיעני מכף מלך ארם ומכף מלך ישראל
הקומים עלי
ויקח אחז את הכסף ואת
הזהב הנמצא בית ה' ובאוצרות בית המלך וישלח למלך אשור שוחד
וישמע אליו מלך אשור
ויעל מלך אשור אל דמשק ויתפשה ויגלה קירה ואת רצין המית
וישלח אחז מלאכים אל
תגלת פלסר.. ויקח אחז את הכסף ואת הזהב וישלח למלך אשור שוחד
Ahaz, in his desperation, turned to the king of Assyria, and asked him to help him against Aram and Israel. Tiglat Pileser, having been bribed by Ahaz, did as he was requested, killed Retzin, the king of Aram and exiled the people of Damascus. (Abarbanel)
וישלח למלך אשור שוחד
* Yalkut Shimoni on Melachim I, section 204, describes a flow of the riches of the world from nation to nation, back and forth between Israel and the other nations. These riches were first gathered by Yosef in Egypt (see Bereishit 47). The Children of Israel then took these riches when they left Egypt. Rehavam gave them to Shishak, the king of Egypt (Melachim I 14:25-26). Shishak, in turn, gave them to Zerah, the king of Kush. Zerah gave them to Asa, king of Yehudah, and so on, until the Greeks gave them to the Romans, where they reside to this day.
* The teacher can offer the students the chance to discuss the meaning of this midrash, in terms of the possible spiritual meaning of "riches", and/or in terms of of the meaning of the kings' giving over such wealth, and whether it was right of the kings of Yehudah to part with it, under the circumstances of the times.
Verses 10-11:
וילך המלך אחז לקראת
תגלת פלאסר מלך אשור דומשק וירא את המזבח אשר בדמשק וישלח המלך אחז אל אוריה הכהן
את דמות המזבח ואת תבניתו לכל מעשהו
ויבן אוריה הכהן את
המזבח ככל אשר שלח המלך אחז מדמשק כן עשה אוריה הכהן עד בוא המלך אחז מדמשק
לכל מעשהו
The altar that Ahaz had built in the Temple in Jerusalem was
an exact copy of the one in Damascus, down to the details of the ornaments. (Metzudat
David)
עד בוא המלך אחז
מדמשק
The king sent ahead the drawings for the new altar which he wanted to built, and by the time he returned from Damascus, Uriah the priest had already built it, and it was ready for immediate use. (Ralbag, Metzudat David)
Verses 12-13:
ויבוא המלך מדמשק וירא
המלך את המזבח ויִקרַב המלך על המזבח ויעל עליו
ויקטר את עולתו ואת
מנחתו ויסך את נסכו ויזרוק את דם השלמים אשר לו על המזבח
ויקרב המלך על המזבח
ויעל עליו
1. The king brought sacrifices on the new altar. (Abarbanel, Radak)
2. The king approached the new altar. (Abarbanel, Radak)
The problem in the verse is the use of Vayikrav - which generally means "he came close", as opposed to the expected Vayakrev - "he offered sacrifices".
The students can note that in verse 13 it does say specifically
that he brought sacrifices, and discuss whether that strengthens the first
interpretation or the second one.
Verse 14:
ואת המזבח הנחושת אשר
לפני ה' ויקרב מאת פני הבית מבין המזבח ומבין בית ה' ויתן אותו על ירך המזבח צפונה
ואת המזבח הנחושת...
ויקרב מאת פני הבית ויתן אותו על ירך המזבח צפונה
The question to be addressed here is what was done with the
existing altar, and what exactly was the existing altar - the one Shlomo
Hamelech built, or the original one made by Moshe Rabbeinu.
1. The new altar, built by Uriah, was placed next to the "copper" altar. The "copper" altar was actually the stone one built by Shlomo Hamelech, in place of the copper-plated one constructed by Moshe Rabbeinu for the Mishkan (See Shemot 27:1-9).
The proper place for the altar was next to the Heichal - the Temple itself, with nothing between it and the Temple. Ahaz "moved" the new altar from the proper place of the main altar, and instead of putting it between the old altar and the Heichal, he put it to the north of the old altar, so that part of the old altar came between the new one and the Heichal. (Metzudat David)
2.* It is not possible that the existing altar was the one moved - since it was made of stone, and could not be moved without destroying it. The copper altar had long since been put away. Therefore, this verse is not dealing with the altar at all, but with the accessories for the altar: these were moved from their proper place, so that nothing would come between the new altar and the Heichal. (Rashi)
3.* The new altar was placed between the old one and the Heichal, but slightly to the north, for the customs of the idolators of the time were to worship the heavenly bodies, and the northern ones were considered stronger than the southern ones. (Abarbanel)
The students can try to fit both commentaries into the words of the verse: To what does ויקרב refer to? To which altar does the word מזבח refer to in each case?
Verse 15:
ויצווהו המלך אחז את
אוריה הכהן לאמור על המזבח הגדול הקטר את עולת הבוקר ואת מנחת הערב ואת עולת המלך
ואת מנחתו ואת עולת כל עם הארץ ומנחתם ונסכיהם וכל דם עולה וכל דם זבח עליו תזרוק
ומזבח הנחושת יהיה לי לבקר
על המזבח הגדול
The new altar was bigger than the old one. It was on this new one that Ahaz wanted all the sacrifices to be brought from now on. (Metzudat David)
הקטר את עולת
הבוקר... ומזבח הנחושת יהיה לי לבַקֵר
Not only did Ahaz build this idolatrous altar in the Temple, but he also, in his wickedness, commanded that all the offerings were to be brought on it - the daily public ones, the personal offerings of single individuals etc. The old "copper" altar was to be "visited", meaning used only occasionally. (Malbim)
Verses 16-17:
ויעש אוריה הכהן ככל
אשר צוה המלך אחז
ויקצץ המלך אחז את
המסגרות המכונות ויסר מעליהם ואת הכיור ואת הים הוריד מעל הבקר הנחושת אשר תחתיה
ויתן אותו על מרצפת אבנים
ויקצץ המלך אחז את
המסגרות המכונות... ויתן אותו על מרצפת אבנים
1. The king continued to make changes in the Temple - his idea being that Shlomo Hamelech had built all these additions on his own initiative, and not out of divine inspiration. He therefore removed the frames upon which the water-fountains rested, and took the water reservoir down from its special frame constructed in the shape of oxen, and set it on the stone floor. (Abarbanel)
2. All these changes were done out of spitefulness and in order to debase the Temple as it was. In Divrei Hayamim 28:24 it says even more - that he closed the doors of the Temple, and didn't allow anyone in. (Radak)
Verse 18:
ואת מוסך השבת אשר בנו בבית ואת מבוא המלך החיצונה
הסב
בית ה' מפני מלך אשור
ואת מוסך השבת
Ahaz removed the special Sabbath shelter which was used by the priests who had finished their week of duty. They would stay in the Temple until the afternoon, sitting in the shade, and only then go to their homes. (Metzudat David)
ואת מבוא המלך
החיצונה הסב בית ה' מפני מלך אשור
1. The entrance to the palace was changed so that one would enter the palace through the Temple. He did this so that the king of Assyria would not be able to surprise him. (Metzudat David)
2. The passageway between the palace and the Temple was changed so that it would not be too noticeable - this was done in order to protect the treasures that still remained, and in case the king would have to escape through it. (Rashi)
Verses 19-20
ויתר דברי אחז... הלא
הם כתובים על ספר דברי הימים... וישכב אחז עם אבותיו ויקבר עם אבותיו בעיר דוד
וימלוך חזקיהו בנו תחתיו
הלא הם כתובים על ספר
דברי הימים
* See Divrei Hayamim chapter 28 for further details about Ahaz's reign. Melachim tends to keep the text as short as possible. (Abarbanel)
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Project of 613.org - Largest Archive to Date of Jewish Sound and Video on the Internet!