One of the reasons we read Rus on Shavuos is because Rus is the great...grandmother of David, who was born and died on Shavuos. The gemara (Yevamos 76-77) writes that the question of David's lineage came before Shaul. Doeg opined that David was pasul because a Moavis is not permitted to marry into Klal Yisrael. Just as the Chachamim were on the verge of being swayed to agree with his position, Amasa stepped forward and said he had a kabbalah from the Beis Din of Shmuel that a Moavis was OK:
מִיַּד ״וַעֲמָשָׂא בֶן אִישׁ וּשְׁמוֹ יִתְרָא הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי אֲשֶׁר בָּא אֶל אֲבִיגַל בַּת נָחָשׁ״, וּכְתִיב, ״יֶתֶר הַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִי״, אָמַר רָבָא: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁחָגַר חַרְבּוֹ כְּיִשְׁמָעֵאל, וְאָמַר: כׇּל מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ שׁוֹמֵעַ הֲלָכָה זוֹ — יִדָּקֵר בַּחֶרֶב. כָּךְ מְקוּבְּלַנִי מִבֵּית דִּינוֹ שֶׁל שְׁמוּאֵל הָרָמָתִי: ״עַמּוֹנִי״, וְלֹא עַמּוֹנִית. ״מוֹאָבִי״, וְלֹא מוֹאָבִית.
Apologies if this is obvious, but for some reason I never took note of it until this year. Amasa's mother was Avigael, the daugher of "Nachash." Rashi on Shmuel II 17:25 quotes the gemara that Nachash here refers to Yishei, David's father:
בת נחש – הוא ישי אבי דוד. רבותינו אמרו: שמת בלא עון, בעטיו של נחש
If so, Amasa himself had a vested interest in the kabbalah that he was testifying about. If a Moavis was unacceptable, then his own lineage, not just David's would be tainted!
The gemara challenges Amasa's report because it came only after the fact, after the question of David's lineage was before the court:
וּמִי מְהֵימַן? וְהָאָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר רַב: כׇּל תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁמּוֹרֶה הֲלָכָה וּבָא, אִם קוֹדֶם מַעֲשֶׂה אֲמָרָהּ — שׁוֹמְעִין לוֹ, וְאִם לָאו — אֵין שׁוֹמְעִין לוֹ! שָׁאנֵי הָכָא, דְּהָא שְׁמוּאֵל וּבֵית דִּינוֹ קַיָּים.
But the gemara does not seem to have any problem with Amasa being noge'a b'davar to this whole issue.
Parenthetically, that same pasuk in Shmuel tells us that Avigail was אֲח֥וֹת צְרוּיָ֖ה אֵ֥ם יוֹאָֽב׃. That would make Yoav ben Tzuru'ya, who was David's general, also his cousin.
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