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Shabbat Parashat Chayei Sarah| 5771Parashat Hashavuah: Where’s the Beef?Harav Yosef CarmelThis week’s haftara deals with David’s son, Adoniya’s, failed attempt to seize the throne during his father’s last days and Bat Sheva’s successful bid to secure the kingship for her son, Shlomo, to whom it was promised. While there is much to explore behind the scenes of this struggle, we want to highlight one apparently small but actually important point. The Torah (Devarim 12:21) does use the word zevicha in reference to the simple halachic slaughter of animals in a manner that makes them fit for normal consumption. If this is the intention, then the people were simply taking part in a festive celebratory meal in honor of Adoniya’s ascension to the throne. However, this is difficult because the term is predominantly used in reference to the slaughter of animals as sacrifices. It is also difficult because then what is the significance of their slaughter that it should be stressed, as opposed to just saying that they were eaten. Is it a surprise that David’s son kept kosher? We will therefore suggest that the decision of whether to slaughter sacrifices was at the heart of the issues behind the “political” struggle. When David declared Yerushalayim as the place of the future By publicly bringing sacrifices on a bama, Adoniya was trying to “ride a wave” of support by his convenient stand on the above grassroots issue. It was as if to say: “Under my rule, sacrificing will be a matter of personal choice.” Of course, David, as the promulgator of the centralized only policy, arranged a coronation for Shlomo without zevicha. It is ironic that after taking power, Shlomo himself was apparently influenced by the nation’s desire and, while serving Hashem, did offer sacrifices on bamot (before the May we merit the rebuilding of the House of David, which was and will be built on the basis of justice. Top of page
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Hemdat Yamim is dedicated in loving memory of This week’s Hemdat Yamim is dedicated This edition of Gershon ben and
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