Haftarah of Miketz

I Kings 3:15 - 4:1

Parshat Miketz almost always comes out on Chanukah. On the rare years that we read its own Haftarah, it is the story of Mishpat Shlomo - the famous "Judgment of Solomon."

It takes place at the very beginning of the reign of King Shlomo. Shlomo had gone to Giv'on, where the main altar was at the time, and received a prophetic dream, in which he asked for wisdom to lead the Jewish People. G-d promised to grant him more wisdom than any other man, as well as wealth, honor, and long life (as always, on the condition that he follows the Torah.)

The Haftarah begins with Shlomo realizing that he had experienced a prophetic dream, and thanking G-d for the message that he received.

15) Shlomo woke up, and it had been a dream. He came to Yerushalayim, and stood before the Ark of Hashem's Covenant; he brought sacrifices and made offerings; he made a feast for all his servants.

(טו) וַיִּקַץ שְׁלֹמֹה וְהִנֵּה חֲלוֹם וַיָּבוֹא יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיַּעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי אֲרוֹן בְּרִית ה' וַיַּעַל עֹלוֹת וַיַּעַשׂ שְׁלָמִים וַיַּעַשׂ מִשְׁתֶּה לְכָל עֲבָדָיו:

The young king gets a chance to prove his wisdom when two people come to him to court, and present a case where one must be lying, but it is impossible to tell which one. (In order for that to be true, one must give weight to the possibility that the woman telling the story is the one lying, that she may have invented the entire thing in order to make the other woman give up her baby.)

16) Then came two women, who were prostitutes, to the king, and stood before him.	(טז) אָז תָּבֹאנָה שְׁתַּיִם נָשִׁים זֹנוֹת אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ וַתַּעֲמֹדְנָה לְפָנָיו:
17) One of the women said, 'Oh my lord! This woman and I live in one house; I gave birth with her in the house.	(יז) וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה הָאַחַת בִּי אֲדֹנִי אֲנִי וְהָאִשָּׁה הַזֹּאת יֹשְׁבֹת בְּבַיִת אֶחָד וָאֵלֵד עִמָּהּ בַּבָּיִת:
18) On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We are together, and there is no stranger with us in the house, other than the two of us in the house.	(יח) וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי לְלִדְתִּי וַתֵּלֶד גַּם הָאִשָּׁה הַזֹּאת וַאֲנַחְנוּ יַחְדָּו אֵין זָר אִתָּנוּ בַּבַּיִת זוּלָתִי שְׁתַּיִם אֲנַחְנוּ בַּבָּיִת:
19) The son of this woman died at night, because she lay on him.	(יט) וַיָּמָת בֶּן הָאִשָּׁה הַזֹּאת לָיְלָה אֲשֶׁר שָׁכְבָה עָלָיו:
20) She got up in the night, and took my son from me, while your servant was sleeping. She laid it in her arms, and her dead son she laid in my arms.	(כ) וַתָּקָם בְּתוֹךְ הַלַּיְלָה וַתִּקַּח אֶת בְּנִי מֵאֶצְלִי וַאֲמָתְךָ יְשֵׁנָה וַתַּשְׁכִּיבֵהוּ בְּחֵיקָהּ וְאֶת בְּנָהּ הַמֵּת הִשְׁכִּיבָה בְחֵיקִי:
21) I got up in the morning to nurse my son, and he was dead! I looked at him closer in the morning, and it was not my son that I gave birth to!"	(כא) וָאָקֻם בַּבֹּקֶר לְהֵינִיק אֶת בְּנִי וְהִנֵּה מֵת וָאֶתְבּוֹנֵן אֵלָיו בַּבֹּקֶר וְהִנֵּה לֹא הָיָה בְנִי אֲשֶׁר יָלָדְתִּי:
22) The other woman said, "Not so! My son is alive and your son is the dead one!" And this one says, "Not so! Your son is the dead one and my son is alive!" They argued before the king.	(כב) וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה הָאַחֶרֶת לֹא כִי בְּנִי הַחַי וּבְנֵךְ הַמֵּת וְזֹאת אֹמֶרֶת לֹא כִי בְּנֵךְ הַמֵּת וּבְנִי הֶחָי וַתְּדַבֵּרְנָה לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ:
23) The king said, "This one says, This is my son who is alive, and your son is the dead one, And this one says, 'Not so, your son is the dead one and my son is alive.' "	(כג) וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ זֹאת אֹמֶרֶת זֶה בְּנִי הַחַי וּבְנֵךְ הַמֵּת וְזֹאת אֹמֶרֶת לֹא כִי בְּנֵךְ הַמֵּת וּבְנִי הֶחָי: פ

After the king repeats the crux of the matter, there is a pause in the text, giving us the opportunity to imagine the tension in the court as it awaits the king's judgment.

24) The king said, "Give me a sword." They brought the sword before the king.	(כד) וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ קְחוּ לִי חָרֶב וַיָּבִאוּ הַחֶרֶב לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ:
25) The king said, "Cut the live child in two, and give a half to one, and a half to the other."	(כה) וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ גִּזְרוּ אֶת הַיֶּלֶד הַחַי לִשְׁנָיִם וּתְנוּ אֶת הַחֲצִי לְאַחַת וְאֶת הַחֲצִי לְאֶחָת:

Even though we know that Shlomo would never had killed the baby, the people present do not know that. He is a brand new king - maybe the power has gone to his head? Maybe he thinks he can be as cruel and despotic as the kings of the neighboring nations? The threat was perceived as being very real, or it would not have worked.

26) The woman whose son was alive said to the king, for her mercy was aroused for her son, she said, "Oh, my lord! Give her the live child, but do not kill him!" And this one says, "Neither I nor you will have him; cut!"	(כו) וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר בְּנָהּ הַחַי אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי נִכְמְרוּ רַחֲמֶיהָ עַל בְּנָהּ וַתֹּאמֶר בִּי אֲדֹנִי תְּנוּ לָהּ אֶת הַיָּלוּד הַחַי וְהָמֵת אַל תְּמִיתֻהוּ וְזֹאת אֹמֶרֶת גַּם לִי גַם לָךְ לֹא יִהְיֶה גְּזֹרוּ:
27) The king proclaimed, he said, "Give her the live child, and do not kill it. She is his mother."	(כז) וַיַּעַן הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר תְּנוּ לָהּ אֶת הַיָּלוּד הַחַי וְהָמֵת לֹא תְמִיתֻהוּ הִיא אִמּוֹ:

Shlomo's wisdom became legendary, and cemented his rule over the united kingdom of Yisrael.

28) All of Yisrael heard the judgment that the king judged; they were in awe of the king, for they saw, that the wisdom of G-d is within him to do justice.	(כח) וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַמִּשְׁפָּט אֲשֶׁר שָׁפַט הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּרְאוּ מִפְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי רָאוּ כִּי חָכְמַת אֱ-לֹהִים בְּקִרְבּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט: ס
4:1) King Shlomo became king over all of Yisrael.	(א) וַיְהִי הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל: ס

Copyright © Kira Sirote

In memory of my parents, Peter & Nella Rozenberg, z"l

לעילוי נשמת אבי מורי פנחס בן נתן נטע ואמי מורתי חנה בת זעליג ז''ל