Daily Tanach Thursday 13th Adar Sefer Melachim 2 Chapter 14 Part 2: The war between the kingdom of Yehuda and the kingdom of Israel

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  1. The war between the kingdom of Yehuda and the kingdom of Israel:
  • Amatziah confronts the kingdom of Israel to war: Amatziah sent messengers to Yoash, the son of Yehoachaz, the son of Yeihu the king of Israel, confronting him to come fight a war against him. [The cause for the confrontation was as follows: Amatziah had hired 100,000 warriors from the land of Israel to help him in the war against Edom. The prophet however told Amatziah that they should not join them in the war and should rather return to their lands. The warriors were angered by this and ended up plundering the cities of Yehuda, killing 3000 people and taking spoils from the city. When Amatziah saw this, he confronted the king of Israel to war.[1]]
  • Kingdom of Israel responds that if he goes to war he will be destroyed: Yoash the king of Israel sent to Amatziah the king of Yehuda, the following metaphoric answer, “The thorn that was in Lebanon [i.e. Shechem the son of Chamor[2]] sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon [i.e. Yaakov[3]] that he desires his daughter to be given to his son as a wife, and after this request a wild beast that was in Lebanon [i.e. the children of Yaakov[4]] came and trampled the thorn. You have defeated the Edomites and have now become arrogant, thinking that you can also wage war against the kingdom of Israel and be victorious. Retain your honor and stay home otherwise you will be utterly defeated by us. Now, why should you provoke evil and cause you and all of the nation of Yehuda to fall?”
  • Amatziah pays no attention and goes to war anyways: Amatziah did not pay attention to the warning of Yoash, and thus Yoash the king of Israel went up to wage war against the kingdom of Yehuda and they confronted each other, he and Amatziah the king of Yehuda, in Beit-Shemesh, which belongs to Yehuda.
  • Yoash is victorious and conquers the land of Yehuda: The people of Yehuda were beaten by the people of Israel in the battle, and they fled back to their homes.
  • Amatziah is captured by Yoash: Yoash the king of Israel seized Amatziah the king of Yehuda, the son of Yehoash the son of Achaziyahu, in Beit-Shemesh.
  • The walls of Jerusalem are breached: Yoash came to Jerusalem and breached the walls of the city from the gate of Ephraim until the corner gate, for a total length of four hundred cubits.
  • Yoash takes the treasures from the temple and takes children hostages: Yoash plundered all the gold and silver and vessels of the temple and that were in the treasuries of the king’s palace. He also took all the hostage children with him and returned with them, and with all the plunder, to the city of Shomron. [The hostage children were children of aristocrats of Yehuda who were held captive by the king so their fathers do not rebel against the king.[5]]

[1] Radak 14:8

[2] Rashi 14:9

[3] Rashi 14:9

[4] Rashi 14:9

[5] Rashi 14:14

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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