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A THOUGHT ABOUT PARSHAT SHOFTIM 5785

Kingship, Desire, and the Journey Forward

Parashat Shoftim opens with a delicate yet powerful theme: the people’s desire for a king. The Torah states:

15 thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the L-RD thy G-d shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother.	טו שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ, אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ד’ אֱלֹקיךָ בּוֹ: מִקֶּרֶב אַחֶיךָ, תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ–לֹא תוּכַל לָתֵת עָלֶיךָ אִישׁ נָכְרִי, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-אָחִיךָ הוּא.
16 Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses; forasmuch as the L-RD hath said unto you: ‘Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.’	טז רַק, לֹא-יַרְבֶּה-לּוֹ סוּסִים, וְלֹא-יָשִׁיב אֶת-הָעָם מִצְרַיְמָה, לְמַעַן הַרְבּוֹת סוּס; וַד’, אָמַר לָכֶם, לֹא תֹסִפוּן לָשׁוּב בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה, עוֹד.

At first glance, this seems like a clear mitzvah: the people of Israel must appoint a king. However, later in 1 Samuel 8, we find a striking shift. When the people ask the prophet Samuel for a king “like all the nations,” Samuel is deeply upset. And G-d responds:

1 Samuel 8

5 And they said unto him: ‘Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’	ה וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו, הִנֵּה אַתָּה זָקַנְתָּ, וּבָנֶיךָ, לֹא הָלְכוּ בִּדְרָכֶיךָ; עַתָּה, שִׂימָה-לָּנוּ מֶלֶךְ לְשָׁפְטֵנוּ–כְּכָל-הַגּוֹיִם.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said: ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ And Samuel prayed unto the L-RD.	ו וַיֵּרַע הַדָּבָר, בְּעֵינֵי שְׁמוּאֵל, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ, תְּנָה-לָּנוּ מֶלֶךְ לְשָׁפְטֵנוּ; וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל שְׁמוּאֵל, אֶל-ד’
7 And the L-RD said unto Samuel: ‘Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be king over them.	ז וַיֹּאמֶר ד’, אֶל-שְׁמוּאֵל, שְׁמַע בְּקוֹל הָעָם, לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר-יֹאמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ: כִּי לֹא אֹתְךָ מָאָסוּ, כִּי-אֹתִי מָאֲסוּ מִמְּלֹךְ עֲלֵיהֶם

Is appointing a king a command or a concession?

The classic commentators — Rabbeinu Bahya, Ramban, and Maimonides (Rambam) — present a nuanced view. Yes, the Torah permits and even commands appointing a king (Sanhedrin 20b; Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 1:1), but not without conditions. It is a concession to the people’s longing for structure and national leadership — modeled after surrounding nations.

Yet G-d makes it clear: if you take that route, it must be on My terms. No foreign rulers. No self-glorifying power. And above all:

“He shall not cause the people to return to Egypt… for the L-rd has said to you: You shall not return that way again.”
(Deuteronomy 17:16)

Egypt as a metaphor

Why such a strong warning? Egypt is not merely a physical place. It symbolizes spiritual confinement, dependence, materialism, and disconnection from G-d. The king — and more broadly, any “ruling force” in our lives — must not lead us back to that place.

Rabbeinu Bahya explains:

“The Torah outlines the difference between Israelite and gentile kings. A Jewish king’s focus must not be on wealth, military might, or status — but on Torah. That’s why he must write a Torah scroll and read from it daily — to instill the fear of G-d and keep him humble.”
(Rabbeinu Bahya on Deuteronomy 17:16:1)

He adds that returning to Egypt represents a regression into spiritual corruption:

“The path to Egypt is the path to moral and spiritual decline. The king must protect the people from that.”
(Rabbeinu Bahya on Deuteronomy 17:16:2)

This is not only symbolic — it is also halachically one of the 613 mitzvot: the prohibition against returning to Egypt. This mitzvah applies under all circumstances, including the king’s obligation never to lead the nation back there physically, economically, or politically.

What does this mean for us today?

We may not appoint kings anymore. But we do appoint rulers over our inner world. Our choices, emotions, memories, ambitions — they often “sit on the throne” of our lives.

Sometimes past events — traumas, formative experiences, old desires — continue to govern us. These experiences can be valuable if they serve as a springboard for growth. But they must not bring us back to Egypt — to patterns or spiritual places where we no longer belong.

As the Rebbe Lubavitcher teaches:

“The surest recipe for success in life and for spiritual self-fulfillment is to eliminate activities, pursuits, or objects that do not further our spiritual growth or the fulfillment of our Divine mission. When we avoid squandering our G-d-given gifts and abilities on unproductive matters, we can focus our energy and talents more fully on productive, purposeful pursuits.”
(Daily Wisdom, Inspiring insights on the Torah portion from the Lubavitscher Rebbe, Volume 3, p 389)

Although there is no explicit Torah commandment for Gentile nations to appoint a king, the general Noahide obligation — included in the sixth law — is to establish a just society. This means Noahides should also strive to appoint a righteous ruler, whether a king, president, prime minister, or other leader, who will uphold justice.

Furthermore, Rabbi Yonatan Shteif (Mitzvot Hashem, p. 453) rules that the prohibition against cursing a leader (a Nasi) applies to Noahides as well. This respect, however, is due only if the leader himself observes the Seven Noahide Commandments.

Rulership in our lives

Each day presents a choice: who or what governs us? Our higher self, guided by Divine will? Or the echoes of Egypt — fear, ego, and worldly desire?

The Torah allows for a king — a structure, a vision, a plan — but only if it serves G-d’s will and not the lower instincts of the people. Leadership, both personal and collective, must point upward.

Final Thought: The King as Elixir

Rabbeinu Bahya offers a profound insight into the phrase “שום תשים עליך מלך” (“you shall surely appoint a king”):

“The word שום (som) is linked to the word סם (sam), meaning ‘elixir.’ A king is like a medicine: when appointed with pure intention to serve G-d, he becomes the elixir of life. But if chosen for worldly or selfish reasons, he becomes a poison — the elixir of death.”
(Rabbeinu Bahya on Deuteronomy 17:15:3)

Our past must inform us, but not rule us. Let us not turn around and march back into Egypt. Instead, we use our experiences — even painful ones — as tools for ascent. Not a chain, but a ladder. Not a king of flesh, but the sovereignty of spirit.

Di Angelique Sijbolts
With thanks to Rabbi Moshe Bernstein for the feedback

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