An Intelligent Joke
TABC alumnus Eli Reichner is fond of joking that it emerges from a close examination of Sefer Melachim that Shlomo HaMelech is a Rasha (evildoer) and that Achav is a Tzaddik (righteous man). Although a joke, there is some truth to this statement. As we will discuss in a later chapter, Achav does indeed perform some good deeds. We learn that one can be classified as a Rasha even though he has accomplished some good.37TABC alumnus Binyamin Jachter (‘17) notes that a core idea of the Tanya is that a person that has any kind of temptation but always acts appropriately is classified as a Beinoni (average person). On the other hand, one who lives in a constant state of doing bad and then good is a Rasha, with different levels existing within that title.
The same is true with regard to Shlomo HaMelech. Shlomo HaMelech is rightfully regarded as a Tzaddik in our tradition. However, even individuals classified as Tzaddikim can sin. Indeed, it is Shlomo himself who teaches that “there is not one righteous man on earth who does what is best and does not err” (Kohelet 7:20).38Binyamin Jachter suggests that assuming, as does the predominant view in Chazal, that Shlomo HaMelech composed Kohelet in his later years, Shlomo HaMelech in this Pasuk may be reflecting upon himself. He is someone who is a Tzaddik, he means well and is totally dedicated to Hashem. Yet despite his intentions and frame of mind, he nevertheless commits some serious errors of which Shlomo HaMelech is implicitly admitting in our Pasuk.
Poor Decisions with Pure Intentions
There is no doubt that Shlomo HaMelech makes some poor decisions that result in catastrophe for Am Yisrael. Indeed, the Gemara (Shabbat 56b) teaches:
When Shlomo HaMelech married Paroh’s daughter, the angel Gavriel descended from heaven and implanted a reed into the sea, and a sandbar grew around it, growing larger each year, and upon it the great city of Rome was built, which became God’s instrument to punish Israel.
However, we must never lose sight of the fact that Shlomo HaMelech’s intentions are pure. His stated goal, which animates all his actions, is (Melachim I 8:60) for all of the nations of the world to recognize Hashem as the true God and that there is none other than He. While Shlomo HaMelech certainly errs in certain matters, his heart is always in the right place. He is the only king who is described as loving Hashem, and indeed, his love for Hashem is unparalleled.
Thus, we should maintain two views of Shlomo HaMelech. One view is of a well-meaning leader who makes some serious errors. A second equally legitimate perspective is a pristine and pure-hearted leader whose actions remain unsullied.
Sefer Melachim vs. Divrei HaYamim
This is precisely why the Tanach presents two very different portrayals of Shlomo HaMelech. On the one hand, we must bear in mind the Sefer Melachim version of Shlomo HaMelech with all of his flaws and faults. At the same time, we must remember the Divrei HaYamim version which presents a flawless Shlomo HaMelech.
As we have noted earlier, the Torah rejected binary thinking millennia before the western world caught up. The Torah teaches that life does not always consist of black or white choices.39An interesting example is the dual nature of the Jewish calendar. Whereas the Western world hews to a purely solar calendar and Moslems follow a purely lunar calendar, we follow a dual calendar that is both lunar and solar. Sometimes, the Torah teaches that multiple perspectives can be true, even if the multiplicity of ideas generates a paradox.
For example, Rambam (Hilchot Teshuvah 5) accepts both the existence of divine foreknowledge and human free will, despite the resultant paradox.40Rav David Nachbar (‘96) of TABC is fond of sharing an apt analogy to resolve this difficulty. An individual who watches a film for a second time, despite knowing how it concludes, does not in any way affect the ending. Likewise, Hashem, who is not bound by time, and has already seen us make our choices, in no way affects our ability to make free-willed decisions. Similarly, in the twentieth century, physicists discovered that both Newtonian mechanics and quantum mechanics were both equally true, despite the resultant paradox.
Likewise, the Torah presents two views of Shlomo HaMelech, and they are both true. On the one hand, we dare not ignore the pure-hearted and crystal clean Shlomo HaMelech that shines forth in Divrei HaYamim. On the other hand, the implicit and explicit criticisms of Shlomo HaMelech in Sefer Melachim must not be ignored. Both versions of Shlomo HaMelech are true and we must draw conclusions from both of them. We must hold Shlomo HaMelech in great esteem, while simultaneously not forgetting about (and learning from) his shortcomings.
Conclusion
Shlomo HaMelech is a Tzaddik who makes some well-intentioned mistakes. Achav, on the other hand, is a Rasha who occasionally acts in harmony with Torah values, as we will detail in a later chapter. Despite his well-meaning intentions, Shlomo HaMelech’s mistakes cause the splitting of his kingdom, and the subsequent proliferation of Avodah Zarah throughout the land.