Rabbi Kook

What is a “city of gold” (an ornament that it is forbidden to wear on Shabbat)? It is a golden ornament representing Yerushalayim, like the one Rabbi Akiva made for his wife.

R. Yonatan said: Whoever says that Yoshiyahu sinned is making a mistake, as the pasuk says: “He did that which was straight in the eyes of Hashem, and he went in all the ways of his father David” (Melachim II, 22:2). So how do we explain: “There was no one like him before him, a king who returned to Hashem” (ibid. 23:25), [which implies that he previously sinned]? It means that every ruling he made from the time he was 8 until he was 18 he returned [to the litigant who lost]. Maybe he took from one and gave to the other? It says that he did it “b’chol me’odo,” which implies that he gave his own.

At the time that Shlomo married the daughter of Paroh, Gavriel came down and set a stick in the sea, and a sandbank developed, upon which the great city of Rome was built.

When Shlomo married the daughter of Paroh, she brought with her 1,000 musical pieces and told him: “This is what they do for this idol, and this is what they do for that idol,” and he did not criticize her.

What Beracha does one make [on Chanuka candles]? One says “… Who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to light the candle of Chanuka.”

[If Shlomo did not sin, then] what does it mean that “It was when Shlomo grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods” (Melachim I, 11:3)? It is as Rav Natan said, as he brought a contradiction between the above and “His heart was not like that of his father David” (ibid.), which implies that he did not actually sin. The explanation is that they turned his heart toward following other gods, but he did not follow.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: When David said to Mefiboshet, “You and Tziva [who spoke false lashon hara about Mefiboshet, alleging lack of loyalty to David] will divide the field,” a heavenly voice emerged, saying: “Rechavam and Yeravam will divide the kingdom.”

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: Whoever says that Shlomo sinned is mistaken, as it says: “His heart was not complete with Hashem, his God, like the heart of his father, David” (Melachim I, 11:4) – his heart was not like his father David’s, but he did not sin either.

Rav said: David accepted lashon hara. [The Gemara then surveys the P’sukim about David originally seeking out Yonatan’s son Mefiboshet with the help of Shaul’s servant Tziva and drawing him close. Later, David believed Tziva when he claimed that during Avshalom’s revolt, Mefiboshet was awaiting David’s overthrow. As a result, David gave half of Mefiboshet’s property to Tziva.]