Daily Tanach Tuesday Sefer Melachim 1 – Chapter 1: Avishag Hashunamis

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* The article below is an excerpt from the above Sefer
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1.      Avishag the Shunamis, the body warmer of Dovid:

  • Dovid is old and weak, unable to be warmed up: The king was old and ripe in day [i.e. 70 years old, after having reigned for 40 years from the age of 30[1]], and they covered him with clothing [as he became bedridden due to his weakness[2]], but it did not suffice to warm him up. [Dovid was stricken with cold blood after seeing the angel of death is discussed in the end of Shmuel Beis. Alternatively, he was punished that his clothing not be enough to warm him up being that he belittled them when he tore the garment of Shaul.[3]]
  • The king is advised to have a girl become his body warmer: His servants said to him, “Let the king search for a young girl who is a Na’arah and a virgin, and let her stand before the king, and be a source of warmth for him [as a girl’s virginity warm up her body[4]]. She shall rest in your bosom, and warm up my master the king.”
  • Avishag Hashunamis receives the position: So they went out in search for a beautiful young girl throughout all the borders of Israel and they found Avishag Shunamis. The girl was extremely beautiful, and she became the official body warmer of the king and served him, although the king was not intimate with her [as he wanted to retain her warmth capabilities which are greater when she is a virgin. Likewise, he already had 18 wives and was prohibited from having more.[5]]

[1] Radak 1:1

[2] Radak 1:1

[3] Rashi 1:1

[4] Rashi 1:1

[5] Rashi 1:4; Sanhedrin 22a

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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