Et il emmène (l'armée) à une "guerre autorisée" [une guerre avec des peuples autres qu'Amalek, et avec (des nations autres que) les sept nations], par autorisation d'un beth-din de soixante et onze. Et il franchit [la clôture des autres] pour faire place à lui-même [pour aller à sa vigne ou à son champ], et il ne peut pas être retenu (de le faire). Le chemin du roi n'a pas de limites. Tout le monde prend le butin et le place devant lui, et il prend la part principale. [Il choisit en premier et prend la moitié de tout le butin.] Il ne peut pas prendre plus de dix-huit femmes. [Car David avait six femmes, et le prophète (Nathan) lui dit (II Samuel 12: 8): "Et si ces (six femmes) étaient trop peu nombreuses pour vous, j'aurais pu vous ajouter comme celles-ci et comme celles-ci" : "comme ceux-ci"—six; "et comme ceux-ci"—six, soit un total de dix-huit.] R. Yehudah dit: Il peut en prendre plus [que dix-huit], tant qu'ils ne détournent pas son cœur. R. Shimon dit: Il ne peut pas épouser même une personne qui détourne son cœur.] Si oui, pourquoi est-il écrit (Deutéronome 17 "7):" Et il ne se multipliera pas pour ses épouses "? Même comme Avigayil. sont trois points de vue différents sur la question: Le premier tanna soutient qu'il peut épouser dix-huit, même s'ils sont impudiques, et pas plus de dix-huit, même s'ils sont modestes, ceci étant le décret scripturaire. R. Yehudah soutient qu'il peut se marier dix-huit, même s'ils sont impudiques, mais pas plus de dix-huit d'entre eux; et il peut en épouser autant de modestes et vertueux qu'il le souhaite. Il diffère avec le poing tanna sur un point. R. Shimon soutient qu'il ne peut même pas se marier un impudique, et pas plus de dix-huit modestes, vertueux. Il diffère du premier tanna sur un point, et de R. Yehudah sur les deux points. La halakha est conforme au premier tanna.] (Ibid. 16): «Il ne multipliera pas pour lui-même des chevaux», mais (peut en prendre) seulement autant qu'il en a besoin pour son char. [Ce ne sont que des chevaux «oisifs» (tha il ne peut pas se multiplier), se vanter et s'agrandir avec une abondance de chevaux; mais pour son char et pour ses cavaliers la guerre contre ses ennemis, il est permis.] (Ibid. 17): "Et l'argent et l'or il ne se multipliera pas trop pour lui-même," mais seulement autant qu'il est nécessaire pour aspania [le salaire de ces troupes qui entrent et sortent avec lui toute l'année.] Et il écrit un rouleau de la Torah pour lui-même, [à part le rouleau de la Torah que tout homme juif doit avoir, et qu'il garde dans son trésor. Le rouleau de la Torah qu'il écrit pour lui-même quand il est roi entre et sort avec lui constamment.] Quand il part en guerre, il l'emporte avec lui. Quand il revient, il revient avec lui. Quand il siège en jugement, c'est avec lui. Quand il s'assoit (pour manger), c'est à côté de lui, à savoir. (Ibid. 19): "Et il sera avec lui, et il y lira tous les jours de sa vie."
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
למלחמת הרשות – The wars of the rest of the nations, except for the war vs. Amalek and the War of the seven [Canaanite] nations.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
Introduction
Mishnah four deals the rights and responsibilities of a king.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
ופורץ – the fence of others
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
He may send forth the people to a battle waged of free choice by the decision of the court of seventy one. The king has a right to take his people out to war, but he first must receive permission from the Sanhedrin. This is probably seen to be a check to make sure a king does not take his people out to dangerous and frivolous wars.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
לעשות לו דרך – to go to his vineyard and to his field
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
He may break through [the private domain of any man] to make himself a road and none may protest him. The king’s road has no limit. The king has a right to expropriate anyone’s property if he should need the property to make a path. Furthermore, this path has no limits to its size. There are some commentators who say that this section of the mishnah is applicable only if the king is going out to war.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
אין ממחין בידו – we don’t prevent him
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
Whatsoever the people take in plunder they must place before him, and he may take first. When the people plunder conquered cities after a victorious war, the king may have his first pick at the plunder.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
חלק בראש – he chooses the best portion first and takes one half of all the spoil.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
“And he shall not have many wives” (Deut. 17:17) eighteen only. Rabbi Judah says: “He may take many wives provided they don’t turn his heart away [from worshipping God]. Rabbi Shimon says: “Even one that might turn his heart away, he should not marry. Why then does it say, “He shall not have many wives”, even if they are like Avigayil. The remainder of the mishnah is a midrash (exegesis) on Deuteronomy 16-19. The first midrash discusses the limitation on the number of wives a king may take. According to the first opinion he may only (!) have 18 wives. Rabbi Judah emphasizes the continuation of verse 17 which says, “lest his heart go astray.” According to Rabbi Judah the verse does not prohibit a certain number of wives, rather it prohibits the king from taking any wife who will lead his heart astray. The Bible itself relates that this is exactly what happened with Solomon in his old age (See I Kings 11). Rabbi Eliezer responds to Rabbi Judah and says that if the verse had only meant to say that he may not marry women who will lead his heart astray then why did it state a specific number. Therefore, Rabbi Eliezer says that he may not marry many wives even if they were like Avigayil, David’s wife, who is the prototypical example of a smart and good wife (see I Samuel 25:3).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
אלא שמונה עשרה – for David had had six wives as the prophet [Nathan] said to him (2 Samuel 12:8): “[I gave you your master’s house and possession of your master’s wives; and I gave you the House of Israel and Judah] and if that were not enough, I would give you twice as much more.” The first mention of כהנה – is six and the latter [mention of] כהנה – is [another] six, that makes eighteen [wives].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
“He shall not keep many horses” (Deut. 17:16) enough for his chariot only. When the Torah states that the king may not have many horses, it means to limit him to those which he needs for his chariot only.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
מרבה הוא לו – More than eighteen. And there three disputations in this matter. The first Tanna/teacher holds that he marries eighteen, and even if they are loose in moral conduct, but more than eighteen he should not marry even if they are valid, for that is the decree of the Biblical verse. Rabbi Yehuda holds that he marries eighteen and even if they are loose in moral conduct, but more than eighteen who are loose in moral conduct, he should not marry, but if they are valid and worthy, he may marry as many as he wishes. And he disagrees with the first Tanna in one matter. Rabbi Shimon states that even one [wife] who is loose in moral conduct, he should not marry, but valid and worthy [wives], he cannot marry more than eighteen. And he disagrees with the first Tanna in one matter and with Rabbi Yehuda in two matters. And the Halakha is according to the first Tanna.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
“Nor shall he amass silver and gold to excess” (Deut. 17:17) enough to pay his soldier’s wages. The king may only have enough gold to pay his soldiers.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
אלא כדי מרכבתו – and specifically idle horses to give him comfort and to increase the mass of horses, is prohibited. But, in order that his chariots and horsemen can fight his enemies, it is permitted.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
He must write a Torah scroll for himself; when he goes forth to battle he shall take it with him, and when he returns he shall bring it back with him; when he sits in judgement it shall be with him, and when he sits to eat it shall be with him, as it says, “Let it remain with him and let him read it all his life” (Deut. 17:19) The Torah states that the king should have a Torah scroll and learn it all the days of his life. The mishnah emphasizes that this Torah scroll must always be with him, even when he goes out to war! The king is to always be reminded that he serves a higher King, God. Keeping the Torah with him at all times reminds him that his authority is secondary to the ultimate authority of God, as revealed in the Torah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
אספניא – the salary of the soldiers who come in and go out with him throughout the year.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
Questions for Further Thought: • Section four: What is the difference in opinion between the first opinion (the king may take 18 wives) and Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
וכותב לו ס"ת לשמו – besides the Torah scroll that every Jewish person is required to have with him, and it is placed in his storehouse. And the Torah scroll that he writes for himself when he is King always enters and goes out with him.
