Daily Tanach Thursday 6th Adar Sefer Melachim 2 Chapter 12 Part 3: The threat of Chazael against Jerusalem and the evil ways of Yehoash

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  1. Chazael attempts to destroy Jerusalem and is paid a tribute to not do so:
  • Chazael wages war against Gath and sets his eyes on Jerusalem: At that time [when Yehoyada the priest passed away and Yehoash proclaimed himself a deity[1]] Chazael the king of Aram went up and fought with Gath and captured it, and Chazael then set his eyes to ascend against Jerusalem [and capture it in battle].
  • Yehoash gives Chazael all the temple treasury to ward him off: Yehoash, the king of Yehuda, took all the sanctified objects that Yehoshafat, Yoram, and Achaziyahu, his ancestors, the kings of Yehuda, had sanctified and his own sanctified things, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the temple and the royal palace, and sent it to Chazael the king of Aram as a tribute for him to abstain from going up against Jerusalem. Indeed, Chazael turned back from marching onto Jerusalem after he received these monies.

 

  1. The legacy of Yehoash:
  • The acts and deeds of Yehoash and all that he did and accomplished are written in the book of chronicles of the kings of Yehuda. [Although he started off righteous, he ended his life a very evil person, as aside for turning himself into a deity, he also had Zechariah, the son of Yehoyada the priest, killed.[2]]
  • The revolt against him and his assassination: The servants of Yehoash rose up and revolted against him. They struck and killed Yehoash at Beis Millo, which is an area that leads down to Silla. Yozavad the son of Shimas [an Amonite] and Yehozavad the son of Shomer [a Moavite], his servants, are the ones who struck him and killed him. [This was done by G-d as retribution for Yehoash killing Zechariah the priest.[3]]
  • His place of burial: They buried Yehoash with his forefathers in the city of Dovid. [However, he was not buried together with all the other kings, as he was very evil having made himself a deity and having murdered Zechariah, and hence the Jewish people wanted to shame him and not bury him together with the other kings of Yehuda.[4]]
  • His successor: Amatziah, the son of Yehoash, reigned in his stead.

[1] Rashi 12:18

[2] See Radak 12:19 and Rashi 12:22

[3] Rashi 12:22

[4] Rashi 12:22

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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