THE ROLE OF MONARCHY IN JUDAISM

Rabbi Dunner examines the intriguing requirement to appoint a monarch over the Jewish nation.

What exactly is a ‘king’ in Torah terms, and why would the Jewish nation ever need one?

The verses that deal with this mitzva are more than a little ambiguous, leading to a Talmudic dispute as to whether the appointment of a king is mandatory, or voluntary.

Rabbi Dunner looks at the Gemara in Sanhedrin that records the dispute, and then looks at interpretations presented by two titans of Torah commentary – Abarbanel and Ohr Hachaim.

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