בס”ד
By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
This parsha discusses the laws of the king of Israel. This painting portrays this king sitting before those who blow the shofar. This matter seems t reflect the Jewish notion that the shofar is associated with kingship, as our Sages learn from various verses such as “sound [the shofar] before the King Hashem.” Our Sages learned from this that on Rosh Hashana when we are Biblically obligated to hear the shofar, we are also obligated to mention Hashem’s Kingship in our prayers.
The scene here is at the front of the Beit Hamikdash.
The fact that the king is sitting at the entrance here may hint to the law that all people are forbidden to sit in the courtyard/ Azara of the Beit Hamikdash, except for the king who is allowed. This law may hint to an integral connection between the Kingship of Hashem, associated Kabbalistically with the sefira of Malchut, literally meaning kingship, as well as the Shechina/Holy Presence with the human king. The place of the Beit Hamikdash is the resting place of the Shechina, and therefore the resting/sitting of the human king may also reflect this idea.
The significance of the two large palm trees seen here may be that the palm is the seventh species of the seven special species of the Holy Land, associated to the seven lower sefirot, of which the last is the palm, associated with the seventh sefira, here again – Malchut –kingship. Indeed the number seven, the special Jewish number, is seen here in various ways. We see seven birds, around the king we six figures with the king being the seventh figure, six Hasidim blowing shofars with a seventh Hasid dancing at the top of the wall. It seems that this dancing reflects the seventh sefira which “receives” from the upper six sefirot. Similarly the shofar is the musical instrument that cause the dancing Hasid who “receives” this music and dances accordingly.
About Hebron it says that it was “built seven years before Zoan of Egypt.” Zoan’s verb root can also mean to walk/exit. In this way, this verse may hint to the Exodus that Hebron has some precedence or preparation before the concept of the Exodus, which also stands for the main redemption. Indeed, King David ruled in Hebron for seven years before beginning his, and all the Davidic line’s rule, in the main seat of kingship in Jerusalem. In this way we may also see the building of Hebron today as a type of preparation towards the coming of King Mashiach, may he come speedily, amen.