Daily Tanach Wednesday 12th Adar Sefer Melachim 2 Chapter 14 Part 1: Chapter 14: The reign of Amatziah king of Judea

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Chapter 14: The reigns of Amatziah, Yoash, and the civil war between Yehuda and Israel

 

  1. The reign of Amatziah:
  • The year of his reign: Amatziah, the son of Yoash, the king of Yehuda, became king in the second year of reign of Yoash the son of Yehoachaz, the king of Israel.
  • His age at the time of his reign: Amatziah was twenty-five years old when he became king.
  • The years of his reign: Amatziah reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years.
  • The name of his mother: His mother’s name was Yehoadan of Jerusalem.
  • His deeds: Amatziah was righteous in the eyes of Hashem, but not as righteous as his father Dovid. He was similar to his father Yoash in his deeds and actions. [Like his father,] he did not remove the Bamos from the land and allowed people to continue offering sacrifices and burning incense on the Bamos even though it was outside of the temple.
  • Amatziah takes vengeance against his father’s assassins: After his kingdom became well established in the hand, he slew his servants who had assassinated his father. However, he did not kill the sons of the assassins, as it is written in the book of the Moses, that “Fathers shall not be put to death for the sins of their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for the sins of their fathers.”
  • Amatziah kills Edom: Amatziah killed ten thousand Edomites in the valley of salt, and he seized the fortress during the battle, and he called it Yaksiel.

(LY) 27th Teves

  1. Only Tzadikim merit to change their lusts and desires, hate evil, and love G-d with Taanug:
  • A Beinoni cannot abhor evil: The above is in contrast to matters of emotion that is seated within the heart. A Beinoni does not have control over the emotions that are within his heart and hence he is not able to achieve a real hate and abhorrence for evil within his heart whether in a complete manner or even in an incomplete manner.
  • Must experience love of pleasure of World to Come, to abhor evil: This hatred and abhorrence for evil can only be truthfully achieved through experiencing a great intense and powerful love for G-d on the level of Ahava Betaanugim. This love is a love of pleasure in which one actually experiences the pleasure of being with G-d and is similar to the experience of the world to come. It is regarding this type of love that our sages state that one experiences a glimmer of the reward of the next world while still alive in this world.
  • This love is given only to Tzadikim: However, not every person merits to receive a glimmer of his reward in this world and to experience this form of love, as Scripture states that this type of love is given by G-d only as a present [and is not given indiscriminately to all individuals]. It is for this reason that Iyov stated that G-d created Tzadikim [as G-d must give the individual this love of pleasure as a present in order for him to become a Tzadik].
  • The different types of souls: Likewise, it states in the Zohar that there are many different levels and types of souls within the souls of Israel. For example, there exists souls which are defined as Chassidim, Giborim who are defined as warriors who overcome their inclination, Mareiy Torah [which are souls that are giants in Torah study], prophets, and Tzadikim.

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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