David Sits in Rabbinic Judgment

b. Berakhot 4a

220–600

About This Entry

In this passage on David’s piety, the rabbis offer a portrait of the biblical king fashioned after their own image, imagining him in the role of a rabbinic sage.

[A prayer] of David [ . . . ] Keep my soul, for I am pious (Psalm 86:1–2). Levi [ben Sisi] and R. Isaac [debated the meaning of this verse].

One said: So said David before the Holy One: “Master of the universe, am I not pious? As all of the kings of the East and the West sleep until the third hour [of the day], but [although I am a king like them,] at midnight I rise to give thanks” (Psalm 119:62).

And the other [said]: David said the following before the Holy One: “Master of the universe, am I not pious? For all of the kings of the East and the West sit in groups [befitting] their honored [status, but] my hands become soiled with [menstrual] blood, and [with] a fetus that miscarried, and [with] placenta in order to render a woman ritually pure [and consequently permitted] to her husband.¹ And not only [that], but I consult my teacher, Mephibosheth,² [with regard to] everything that I do. I say to him, “Mephibosheth, my teacher, did I decide properly? Did I convict properly? Did I acquit properly? Did I rule [ritually] pure properly? Did I rule [ritually] impure properly?³ And I was not embarrassed.”

R. Joshua, son of R. Idi, said: What verse [alludes to this]? And I speak Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed (Psalm 119:46).

It was taught: His name was not Mephibosheth, but rather Ishbosheth was his name. Why was [Ishbosheth] referred to as Mephibosheth? Because he would embarrass David in matters of halakhah.⁴ Because [David was not embarrassed to admit his errors,] he merited that Chileab would descend from him.⁵

Translation adapted from the Noé Edition of the Koren Talmud Bavli.

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Notes

Words in brackets appear in the original translation.

[Leviticus 15:19–24 and 12:1–8 discuss the ritual impurity resulting from menstruation and childbirth, respectively. David here assumes the rabbinic role of examining women’s discharge to determine whether it renders them impure.—Ed.]

[The son of King Saul’s son Jonathan (2 Samuel 4:4).—Ed.]

[I.e., Was I correct in my ruling on the ritual purity of this person or object?—Ed.]

[This text derives the name Ishbosheth from the expression boshet panim, “embarrassment.”—Ed.]

[According to rabbinic tradition, David’s son Chileab was very wise.—Ed.]

Credits

From Koren Talmud Bavli, Noé Edition, trans. Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz (Jerusalem: Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2019). Accessed via the William Davidson digital edition, sefaria.org. Adapted with permission of Koren Publishers Ltd.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.