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politicians should not abide by normal be more different from Machiavelli’s between his tribe of Judah and the
standards of morality and ethics. For ideal prince. While David was a war- other tribes of Israel who appointed
successful politicians, the desired end rior who fiercely fought the enemies of Saul and Ish-boshet as their kings. His
always justifies the means, no matter Israel, he was extraordinarily forgiving lifelong goal was to heal the fractures
how brutal or unethical. Rulers who and consistently tolerant towards his of national society and forge a unified
hope to maintain their hold on power political adversaries, a compassion- commonwealth.
must know no moral limits. They must ate attitude his own senior military Maimonides explains that the role of
lie and deceive as needed, and should brass and tribal leadership struggled
torment, torture and murder political to understand. Jewish kings and political leaders is
ּונ ֵגי ִה ְנַי ְו ּונ ֵת ָּ מ ֻא ץ ֵב ַק ְל, “to unite our nation
ּ
enemies with impunity if they wish to
secure and sustain their leadership. and to lead it” (Sefer HaMitzvot #173). In
this passage, Maimonides is describing
Most famously, he notes that for a
ruler, “it is much safer to be feared a time in which all the tribes of Israel
than loved”. are dwelling in the Land of Israel,
and so the Hebrew word ץ ֵּ ב ַק ְל does
In the decades after it was published, So extraordinary was his leadership not mean “to gather the exiles” but
The Prince gained a fiendish reputation. that the longed-for, future leader rather “to gather together and unite
By the end of the century, Shakespeare the tribes of Israel”.
was using the term “Machiavel” to of Israel, the Messiah himself, must
denote amoral opportunists, leading be a direct descendant of David. The king of Israel plays a critical role
directly to our popular use of “Machi- in the mitzvah of Hakhel – the momen-
avellian” as a synonym for scheming tous unity gathering of the nation
villainy. Throughout the book, Machi- On several occasions, King Saul that took place every seven years in
avelli appears entirely unconcerned attempted to kill his loyal servant Jerusalem. On the first day of Chol
with morality, except insofar as it is David, yet David twice refrained from Hamoed Sukkot, immediately follow-
helpful or harmful to maintaining harming him, even though his own ing a Shemitta year (such as this year!),
power. life was in danger and he had every the king would preside and read from
right to kill King Saul in self-defense. the Torah before the entire nation. Rav
But not everyone has condemned Soloveitchik explains that the implica-
The Prince. Some consider it to be a David also showed remarkable for- tion of this mitzvah is clear: the king’s
straightforward description of the bearance and forgiveness to Avner role is to unify the nation!
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evil means used by tyrannical and ben Ner and Amasa ben Yeter, chiefs of
power-hungry rulers, while others see staff of the armies that fought against The book of Shmuel, which in many
it as unsavory yet pragmatic realism David on behalf of Saul’s kingdom and ways is the book of David, stands out
with Machiavelli wishing to shatter Avshalom’s rebel forces respectively. as the blueprint for Jewish political
popular delusions about what power When Yoav surreptitiously murdered leadership. It was David who bent
really entails for those who wish to these men, David rebuked Yoav for over backwards to ignore prior insults,
wield it. Either way, Machiavelli’s polit- his actions and publicly mourned grievances and wars and to forgive
ical philosophy of realpolitik connotes them. When the Amalakite youth and others for the sake of unity, overcom-
deceit and deviousness, tyranny and brothers Ba’ana and Reichav joyously ing the tribalism that had plagued the
treachery, where any means justify a informed David that they had killed people of Israel for generations. And so
political end. his political enemies – King Saul and it was David who laid the foundations
Ish-boshet – David had them killed for the Temple in Jerusalem, where
for daring to harm an elected king of Hashem’s presence could only reside
Davidian politics Israel. among a people united as one.
Diametrically opposed to Machiavel- In both Israel and around the world,
lian politics is the political leadership The national unifier we are today in desperate need of the
of King David – what we shall call Davidian mode of Jewish leadership.
“Davidian politics”. During David’s What drove King David to show May Hashem grant us such leaders
40-year rule, he modeled a form of such unusual mercy to his political who will unite our people and rebuild
leadership so transformative that he adversaries? the Temple, speedily in our days!
has become known to posterity as David understood that the main role
ְ
ך ֶל ֶּ מ ַה ד ִו ָ ּ ד, King David, ‘the’ king par of the king of Israel is to unite the
excellence. So extraordinary was his people. David knew that killing Saul 1. Sefer Birkat Yitzchak by Rabbi Menachem
leadership that the longed-for, future or taking vengeance against political Genack, Parashat Shoftim; with thanks to Rabbi
leader of Israel, the Messiah himself, enemies could lead to an irrevocable Josh Kahn for making me aware of this source.
must be a direct descendant of David. split amongst the already divided
David’s respect for his political adver- tribes of Israel. He desperately sought Rabbi Doron Perez is the Executive Chairman
saries is remarkable, and could not to overcome painful internal divisions of World Mizrachi.

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