HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu is Chief Rabbi of Tzfat.
The Torah commands: “You shall surely appoint over yourself a king whom the Lord your God shall choose. From among your brothers you shall appoint a king over yourself; you may not appoint over yourself a foreigner who is not your brother" (Deuteronomy 17:15).
The Jerusalem Talmud (Sanhedrin 2:6) brings an observation made by a Samaritan to Rabbi Hezekiah: “It is not written ‘I shall appoint,’ but ‘You shall appoint.’ You must appoint him over yourselves." It does not say “I shall appoint," but rather “You shall appoint." You must appoint over yourselves a king whom God has chosen.
“A leader is not appointed over the public unless the public is first consulted."
The Gemara states (Berakhot 55a): “Rabbi Yochanan said: There are three things that the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself announces, and they are famine, abundance, and a good leader."
“Rabbi Yitzchak said: A leader is not appointed over the public unless the public is first consulted, as it is stated (Exodus 35): ‘And Moses said to the Children of Israel: See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel.’
“The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: ‘Moses, is Bezalel suitable in your eyes?’ He replied: ‘Master of the Universe, if he is suitable in Your eyes, is he not all the more so in mine?’ God said to him: ‘Nevertheless, go and tell Israel.’
“He went and said to Israel: ‘Is Bezalel suitable in your eyes?’ They said to him: ‘If he is suitable in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He, and in your eyes, is it not all the more so in ours?’"
Before commanding the appointment of a king, the Torah states: “When you come to the Land that the Lord your God gives you, and you possess it and dwell in it, and you say, ‘I shall appoint a king over myself like all the nations around me’" (Deuteronomy 17:14).
The Netziv explains:
“It appears that this is because the government of a country differs depending on whether it is governed according to the will of a king or according to the will of the people and their representatives. There is a country that cannot tolerate the rule of a king, and there is a country that, without a king, is like a ship without a captain.
“This matter cannot be carried out through the compulsion of a positive commandment, because a matter concerning the government of the public involves danger to human life, which overrides a positive commandment."
“Therefore, it is impossible to command absolutely that a king be appointed as long as the people have not agreed to accept the burden of a king, based on their observation that the countries around them are governed in a more suitable manner."
Therefore, “The Sanhedrin is not commanded to appoint a king until the people say that they want to be governed by a king. For this reason, throughout the three-hundred years that the Tabernacle stood in Shiloh, there was no king, because the people had not agreed to it."
“The Law of the Kingdom Is Law"
A king or ruler has the authority to take a person's property for the benefit of the public.
“If a king cut down trees belonging to private homeowners and made a bridge from them, it is permitted to cross it. Likewise, if he demolished houses and made them into a road or a wall, it is permitted to benefit from it. The same applies to all similar cases, because the law of the king is law."
All of this applies only to a king whom the public accepts.
“When does this apply? To a king whose coinage is in circulation in those lands, for the inhabitants of that land have accepted him and regard him as their master and themselves as his subjects.
“But if his coinage is not in circulation, he is like a violent robber, like a band of armed thieves whose laws have no legal force. Such a king and all his servants are considered robbers in every respect" (Rambam, Laws of Theft and Lost Property 5:17-18).
By Heaven and by the Public
Just as Bezalel was appointed both by Heaven and by the public, so too was Joshua appointed.
God tells Moses: “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lay your hand upon him."
Nevertheless, Moses is commanded to present him before the public and consult them: “And stand him before Eleazar the priest and before the entire congregation, and command him before their eyes" (Numbers 27:19).
The people accept Joshua: “And they answered Joshua, saying: All that you have commanded us we shall do, and wherever you send us we shall go, etc" (Joshua 1).
Saul - Chosen by Heaven and Also by the People
King Saul was chosen by God: “And Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said: Has not the Lord anointed you to be ruler over His inheritance?" (1 Samuel 10:1).
The people initially accepted him: “And Samuel said to all the people: Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted and said: Long live the king!" (ibid., verse 24).
However, he did not yet truly rule: “But certain worthless men said: How can this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no gift. But he remained silent" (ibid., verse 27).
The Radak explains: “Since he saw that he was not accepted and approved by all Israel, he went home and did not yet conduct himself according to the practice of a king" (Radak, 1 Samuel 10:26).
After Saul mobilized the people for war against Nahash the Ammonite and defeated him, the people accepted his kingship.
“And the people said to Samuel: Who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men and we shall put them to death."
Samuel then renewed the kingship: “And Samuel said to the people: Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there."
Rashi explains: “Because at first there were those who objected to the matter, but now everyone agreed" (Rashi on 1 Samuel 11:14).
David - Both by Heaven and by the People
David was anointed by the prophet Samuel at God's command: “And the Lord said: Arise, anoint him, for this is he" (1 Samuel 16).
David did not become king until the tribe of Judah initially accepted him: “And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah" (2 Samuel 2).
After seven years, “All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron," and “They anointed David king over Israel."
“In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah" (2 Samuel 5).
During the six months when Absalom rebelled against him and the people followed Absalom, David was not considered a king.
Thus, the Jerusalem Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 1:1) states that throughout the time David fled from Absalom, he obtained atonement through a female goat, like an ordinary person, even though he had originally been anointed by Divine command.
“And this is also implied by the plain meaning of the verse, ‘From among your brothers you shall appoint over yourself a king,’ for the appointment of the king depends on the people" (Keren Orah; see Mishpat Kohen 164).
Solomon - First by the People and Then by God
When David was old, Adoniyah son of Haggith thought that he himself was worthy of becoming king.
“And Adoniyah son of Haggith exalted himself, saying: I shall be king. And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run before him" (1 Kings 1).
He gathered people to proclaim him king. Bathsheba heard about this and approached David, who initiated Solomon's coronation.
“And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the Tent and anointed Solomon. And they blew the shofar, and all the people said: Long live King Solomon!"
However, not everyone accepted him as king. There were still supporters of Adoniyah who wanted him to be king. Therefore, Solomon was crowned a second time.
“And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great joy, and they made Solomon, son of David, king a second time, and anointed him before the Lord as ruler, and Zadok as priest."
God accepted the people's choice:
“And the Lord greatly exalted Solomon in the eyes of all Israel, and bestowed upon him royal majesty such as had not been upon any king before him in Israel" (1 Chronicles, Chapter 29).
A King Who Is Not from the House of David
The Rambam writes in the Laws of Kings (1:8) that there can be a king who is not descended from the House of David:
“If a prophet appointed a king from among the other tribes of Israel, and that king followed the path of the Torah and the commandments and fought the wars of God, he is considered a king, and all the commandments concerning kingship apply to him, even though the kingship belongs primarily to David, and a king will arise from among his descendants."
Kingship in Our Times
Even in exile, the laws of kingship apply. Thus, the Rambam writes in the Laws of the Sanhedrin (4:13): “The Exilarchs in Babylon stand in the place of a king."
Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook, of blessed memory, wrote in his responsa “Mishpat Kohen" (Laws of Kings, 144) that not only the Exilarchs of Babylon have the status of a king, but this also applies in the Land of Israel.
“All the more so, leaders accepted by the nation, when it is in its own Land and under its own government, at whatever level, who were appointed for the purpose of leading the nation, etc., and not primarily for the purpose of spreading Torah, etc. Rather, those who were originally accepted into their positions for the sake of the nation and its general leadership, including its earthly affairs, such as the kings of the Hasmonean dynasty and their leaders, certainly have no lesser status than the Exilarchs of Babylon."
The Kings of the Hasmonean Dynasty Were Called Kings.
Although a king must be appointed by a prophet, when there is no prophet, the powers of kingship return to the people. Therefore, the kings of the Hasmonean dynasty are considered kings. Rabbi Kook writes:
“Furthermore, it appears that when there is no king, since the laws of kingship also concern the general condition of the nation, these legal rights return to the nation as a whole.
“In particular, it appears that every judge who arises in Israel has the legal status of a king regarding several laws of kingship, especially those concerning the leadership of the public, and even in individual matters."
Elections Are Not Politics
In every election for the government, there are many decisions that concern the lives of the Jewish People:
Will the members of the Knesset vote in favor of giving weapons to our enemies?
Will they give parts of the Land of Israel to our murderers?
Will they appoint a Minister of Internal Security who will allow Arabs to build on state lands, who will allow Arab crime families to run wild, who will allow weapons to be smuggled to criminal organizations, and who will give money to the Palestinian Authority?
There is also the question of who the judges will be:
Will there be a corrupt judicial system that distorts the will of the people and rules against the word of God?
Ultimately, everyone who places a ballot in the voting box influences the appointment of judges, certainly in the coming government, which will have to appoint nine judges to the Supreme Court. Whom will it appoint?
There is also the question of what will be taught in schools:
Will they teach progressive values and gender ideas that contradict the word of God, or will they teach the values of life of the Jewish People - the values of our forefather Abraham, which brought blessing to the entire world?
Therefore, every person is obligated to vote. On Election Day, there is no commandment more important than this.
Persuading Others to Vote
Everyone should make a list of the people they know whom they can influence to go to the polling stations and vote. They should call them - starting today - and help them choose a worthy party. They should remind them on Election Day to go and vote. They should drive them if necessary or look after their children. If possible, they should organize several groups of people, in every place and location, starting now and continuing until Election Day.
A person should not say, “I will go and study Torah on that day," just as one does not study Torah when someone is drowning in the sea. Here, it is not one individual who is threatened, but an entire country that enemies seek to drown in the sea.
Therefore, it is a mitzvah for every person to act and do everything within his ability, not only for himself but also for everyone around him, to fulfill this great religious and civic duty.