[I Kings, 3:15–4:1]
“Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream” [3:15]. Solomon woke up from his sleep and understood the dream that he had dreamed. He was happy and went to the city of Jerusalem and brought burnt offerings and peace offerings. He rejoiced with his servants and he made a great banquet for them. Our sages say that he awoke from his dream in which God had promised him in the dream that he will give him great wisdom. When he woke up from the dream, he heard a bird singing, and he understood what the bird was saying. Solomon saw that the Holy One had given him the wisdom to understand the language of the bird.1Ecclesiastes Rabbah, 1.1.
“Later, two women who were prostitutes came to the king” [3:16]. When Solomon was in Jerusalem, two prostitutes came before him for a judgment from him. One of the women said: my gracious lord, this woman and I live in one house and I gave birth to a child, with her in the house. On the third day after the birth of my child, this woman also gave birth to a child. We were alone in the house and no one else was there.
“This woman’s son died, etc.” [3:19]. Her son died in the night when she lay on him and crushed him to death. If her child had been sick, the women would have known which child died. Therefore, she said that she lay on him during the night.2Radak, I Kings, 3:19.
“She got up in the middle of the night and took my son, etc.” [3:20]. The woman woke up during the night and took my child, and she, and I, your servant, slept put the child in her bosom and she put the dead child in my bosom.
“When I awoke in the morning to nurse my son, etc.” [3:21]. When I woke up in the morning, I saw and understood from his face that this is not my son to whom I had given birth.
“The other woman said, no, etc.” [3:22]. The other woman said: the live one is my son and the dead son is hers. They spoke thusly before King Solomon.
“The king said: One says, this is my son that is alive, etc.” [3:23]. The king repeated what the two women said. That is to say, it is customary that when a judge wants to give a ruling that he repeats what they said. He wants to show that he understood what they said and wants to judge properly, according to their statements. From here we learn that every judge should repeat the arguments that each party had argued.3Radak, I Kings, 3:23.
“So the king said: bring me a sword, etc.” [3:24]. The king ordered that a sword be brought and he said: cut the live child into two halves and give each of them half.
“The woman whose son was the live one said to the king, etc.” [3:26]. The woman whose son was the live one said: I ask you, my lord king, give her the live son and do not kill the child. She had compassion that her son should not be killed. The other woman said: let us not follow her, but cut the child apart. Here one asks a question. Why did the woman not take the live child when the other woman said, give her the live child? She had taken the child at night so that she should have a live child. The explanation is that she thought that the king would not give her the child. The other one said that the child should not be killed, out of compassion, and when it will grow up, it will return to its rightful mother.
“The king responded: give her the live child, etc.” [3:27]. The king said: give her the live child and the child should not be killed, since this is his mother. The Midrash writes that a Heavenly voice went forth and said: this is his mother. That is to say, that Solomon had judged correctly.4Genesis Rabbah, 85.12.
“All of Israel heard the decision, etc.” [3:28]. When all of Israel heard the judgment of Solomon; they were in awe of Solomon, that he had judged so justly, with great wisdom. They were afraid to do anything wrong. They thought that he would learn of it with his great wisdom even in hidden places, as had happened with the two women.5Radak, I Kings, 3:28.
“Solomon was king over all of Israel” [4:1]. Now Solomon was the proper king over all of Israel, through the judgment. The Holy One had given him great wisdom and he was able to converse with the birds and knew seventy languages. He ruled over demons and over the whole world. It is no surprise, since the Holy One had given him more wisdom than other people.6Yalkut Shimoni, I Kings, Remez, 178.
We find even among our Talmudic sages those who ruled over demons, as the Talmud write in [tractate] Hullin, chapter eight: Abbaye said: I thought that one should not walk under or sit under a drainpipe where water drains from the roof. This is because unclean water runs off the roof and it is disgusting. However, I was told later that this was because demons have their dwellings under there. Therefore, it is dangerous to walk under it. A story happened that two men were carrying a barrel of wine. These two men rested with the barrel under a drainpipe where water used to run down from the roof. The demon broke the barrel with the wine. The two men came before Mar, the son of Rav Ashi and told him the story how the barrel was broken under the drainpipe. Mar, the son of Rav Ashi took a shofar, blew it and excommunicated that demon. That is to say, in past times, the shofar was blown when someone was excommunicated. The demon came to Mar and said: why have you excommunicated me? Mar said to the demon: why should you cause damage and break a barrel of wine? The demon responded: what should I have done? They placed the barrel on my ear while I was sleeping. Mar responded: What are you doing in a public place where people normally pass? Therefore, you are guilty and must pay damages. The demon responded: give me some time to pay, since I don’t have any money right now. Mar gave him some time. The time came and the demon did not bring the money. Later, the demon brought the money to pay. He asked him: why were you late with regard to the time you were given? The demon responded: we do not have the power or the permission to take something from a person that is sealed or measured with a measure or something that is bound. Therefore, I had to wait until I found something to take that was not sealed or measured and I have paid you with that. The Talmud further states that Rav Papa had a demon that was his servant. Once he went to fetch water for his master, Rav Papa, and the demon tarried with the water for a long time. When he returned with the water, Rav Papa asked him: why did you tarry so long? The demon responded: When I came to the river, I saw that the other demons were drinking water from the river, and I waited until the evil waters from which the demons drank, poured off and went away. Then I took the water. As they were speaking, Rav Papa poured off some water from the jug of water that he had brought, before they drank it. The demon said: if I had known that you are used to pouring of some water from the jug on the earth before you drink, I would not have had to tarry because the demons were drinking from the river.7B. Hullin, 105b-106a. The remedy is that one should pour off water that one brings from a well or a river.
The Tosafists ask a question. If the demon had known that the remedy is that one should pour off water before one drinks from it, then why did the demon tarry with the water? He should have poured off water from the jug and when he saw that the demons were drinking from it, it would not have hurt the people if he had poured off the water. The Tosafists give an answer. The remedy is none other than pouring off the water, but the person who wants to drink water must pour off the water by himself or herself. Therefore, the demon was not able to pour off the water himself. The Tosafists ask another question. Why did the demon not take the water immediately, while the other demons were still drinking? He could have told the people: don’t drink from it, first pour off some water yourself. Then he would not have had to tarry. The Tosafists give an answer. The demon was afraid of the other demons to teach a remedy. They would have been angry with him angry with him that he taught them a remedy.8B. Hullin, 106a, Tosafot, s.v., “He saw them pouring.” From here we learn that in the past the scholars had dominion and power over the demons, just like King Solomon.
From the haftorah we learn that women are frivolous. The woman said that the child should be chopped in half. Concerning this, King Solomon said: “but a woman among all these I have never found” [Ecclesiastes, 7:28]. A good woman is never found in the world.
Midrash Shohar Tov writes: Rabbi Samuel the son of Nahmani said in the name of Rabbi Nehorai. The mouth of King Solomon said wise things. He said that the Holy One knew very well that a judgment would come with two women and two children. Therefore, the Holy One created two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two hands and two feet. That is why King Solomon said to chop the child in half, so that each woman could be given an even half.9Midrash Shohar Tov (Tehillim), 72.14; Yalkut Shimoni, I Kings, Remez, 175.