3 Take with you ten loaves, some wafers, and a jug of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
ג וְלָקַחַתְּ בְּיָדֵךְ עֲשָׂרָה לֶחֶם וְנִקֻּדִים וּבַקְבֻּק דְּבַשׁ וּבָאת אֵלָיו הוּא יַגִּיד לָךְ מַה־יִּהְיֶה לַנָּעַר׃
5 but Hashem had said to Achiya, “Yerovam‘s wife is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, who is sick. Speak to her thus and thus. When she arrives, she will be in disguise.”
ה וַיהֹוָה אָמַר אֶל־אֲחִיָּהוּ הִנֵּה אֵשֶׁת יָרָבְעָם בָּאָה לִדְרֹשׁ דָּבָר מֵעִמְּךָ אֶל־בְּנָהּ כִּי־חֹלֶה הוּא כָּזֹה וְכָזֶה תְּדַבֵּר אֵלֶיהָ וִיהִי כְבֹאָהּ וְהִיא מִתְנַכֵּרָה׃
6 Achiya heard the sound of her feet as she came through the door, and he said, “Come in, wife of Yerovam. Why are you disguised? I have a harsh message for you.
ו וַיְהִי כִשְׁמֹעַ אֲחִיָּהוּ אֶת־קוֹל רַגְלֶיהָ בָּאָה בַפֶּתַח וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּאִי אֵשֶׁת יָרָבְעָם לָמָּה זֶּה אַתְּ מִתְנַכֵּרָה וְאָנֹכִי שָׁלוּחַ אֵלַיִךְ קָשָׁה׃
7 Go tell Yerovam: Thus said Hashem, the God of Yisrael: I raised you up from among the people and made you a ruler over My people Yisrael;
ז לְכִי אִמְרִי לְיָרָבְעָם כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יַעַן אֲשֶׁר הֲרִימֹתִיךָ מִתּוֹךְ הָעָם וָאֶתֶּנְךָ נָגִיד עַל עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
8 I tore away the kingdom from the House of David and gave it to you. But you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My sight.
ח וָאֶקְרַע אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה מִבֵּית דָּוִד וָאֶתְּנֶהָ לָךְ וְלֹא־הָיִיתָ כְּעַבְדִּי דָוִד אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַר מִצְוׂתַי וַאֲשֶׁר־הָלַךְ אַחֲרַי בְּכָל־לְבָבוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת רַק הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָי׃
9 You have acted worse than all those who preceded you; you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to vex Me; and Me you have cast behind your back.
ט וַתָּרַע לַעֲשׂוֹת מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־הָיוּ לְפָנֶיךָ וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתַּעֲשֶׂה־לְּךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וּמַסֵּכוֹת לְהַכְעִיסֵנִי וְאֹתִי הִשְׁלַכְתָּ אַחֲרֵי גַוֶּךָ׃
10 Therefore I will bring disaster upon the House of Yerovam and will cut off from Yerovam every male, bond and free, in Yisrael. I will sweep away the House of Yerovam utterly, as dung is swept away.
י לָכֵן הִנְנִי מֵבִיא רָעָה אֶל־בֵּית יָרָבְעָם וְהִכְרַתִּי לְיָרָבְעָם מַשְׁתִּין בְּקִיר עָצוּר וְעָזוּב בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִעַרְתִּי אַחֲרֵי בֵית־יָרָבְעָם כַּאֲשֶׁר יְבַעֵר הַגָּלָל עַד־תֻּמּוֹ׃
11 Anyone belonging to Yerovam who dies in the town shall be devoured by dogs; and anyone who dies in the open country shall be eaten by the birds of the air; for Hashem has spoken.
יא הַמֵּת לְיָרָבְעָם בָּעִיר יֹאכְלוּ הַכְּלָבִים וְהַמֵּת בַּשָּׂדֶה יֹאכְלוּ עוֹף הַשָּׁמָיִם כִּי יְהֹוָה דִּבֵּר׃
12 As for you, go back home; as soon as you set foot in the town, the child will die.
יב וְאַתְּ קוּמִי לְכִי לְבֵיתֵךְ בְּבֹאָה רַגְלַיִךְ הָעִירָה וּמֵת הַיָּלֶד׃
13 And all Yisrael shall lament over him and bury him; he alone of Yerovam‘s family shall be brought to burial, for in him alone of the House of Yerovam has some devotion been found to Hashem, the God of Yisrael.
v’-sa-f’-du LO khol yis-ra-AYL v’-ka-v’-RU o-TO kee ZEH l’-va-DO ya-VO l’-ya-rov-AM el KA-ver YA-an nim-tza VO da-VAR TOV el a-do-NAI e-lo-HAY yis-ra-AYL b’-VAYT ya-rov-AM
יג וְסָפְדוּ־לוֹ כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְקָבְרוּ אֹתוֹ כִּי־זֶה לְבַדּוֹ יָבֹא לְיָרָבְעָם אֶל־קָבֶר יַעַן נִמְצָא־בוֹ דָּבָר טוֹב אֶל־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבֵית יָרָבְעָם׃
14 Moreover, Hashem will raise up a king over Yisrael who will destroy the House of Yerovam, this day and even now.
יד וְהֵקִים יְהֹוָה לוֹ מֶלֶךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יַכְרִית אֶת־בֵּית יָרָבְעָם זֶה הַיּוֹם וּמֶה גַּם־עָתָּה׃
15 “Hashem will strike Yisrael until it sways like a reed in water. He will uproot Yisrael from this good land that He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have provoked Hashem by the sacred posts that they have made for themselves.
טו וְהִכָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּאֲשֶׁר יָנוּד הַקָּנֶה בַּמַּיִם וְנָתַשׁ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעַל הָאֲדָמָה הַטּוֹבָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לַאֲבוֹתֵיהֶם וְזֵרָם מֵעֵבֶר לַנָּהָר יַעַן אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶת־אֲשֵׁרֵיהֶם מַכְעִיסִים אֶת־יְהֹוָה׃
טז וְיִתֵּן אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּגְלַל חַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם אֲשֶׁר חָטָא וַאֲשֶׁר הֶחֱטִיא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
17 Yerovam‘s wife got up and left, and she went to Tirtza. As soon as she stepped over the threshold of her house, the child died.
יז וַתָּקָם אֵשֶׁת יָרָבְעָם וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתָּבֹא תִרְצָתָה הִיא בָּאָה בְסַף־הַבַּיִת וְהַנַּעַר מֵת׃
18 They buried him and all Yisrael lamented over him, in accordance with the word that Hashem had spoken through His servant the Navi Achiya.
יח וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־לוֹ כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּדְבַר יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד־עַבְדּוֹ אֲחִיָּהוּ הַנָּבִיא׃
19 The other events of Yerovam‘s reign, how he fought and how he ruled, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Yisrael.
יט וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי יָרָבְעָם אֲשֶׁר נִלְחַם וַאֲשֶׁר מָלָךְ הִנָּם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
22 Yehuda did what was displeasing to Hashem, and angered Him more than their fathers had done by the sins that they committed.
כב וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוּדָה הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה וַיְקַנְאוּ אֹתוֹ מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֲבֹתָם בְּחַטֹּאתָם אֲשֶׁר חָטָאוּ׃
23 They too built for themselves shrines, pillars, and sacred posts on every high hill and under every leafy tree;
24 there were also male prostitutes in the land. [Yehuda] imitated all the abhorrent practices of the nations that Hashem had dispossessed before the Israelites.
כד וְגַם־קָדֵשׁ הָיָה בָאָרֶץ עָשׂוּ כְּכֹל הַתּוֹעֲבֹת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ יְהֹוָה מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
25 In the fifth year of King Rechovam, King Shishak of Egypt marched against Yerushalayim
26 and carried off the treasures of the House of Hashem and the treasures of the royal palace. He carried off everything; he even carried off all the golden shields that Shlomo had made.
כו וַיִּקַּח אֶת־אֹצְרוֹת בֵּית־יְהֹוָה וְאֶת־אוֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת־הַכֹּל לָקָח וַיִּקַּח אֶת־כָּל־מָגִנֵּי הַזָּהָב אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה שְׁלֹמֹה׃
27 King Rechovam had bronze shields made instead, and he entrusted them to the officers of the guard who guarded the entrance to the royal palace.
כז וַיַּעַשׂ הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם תַּחְתָּם מָגִנֵּי נְחֹשֶׁת וְהִפְקִיד עַל־יַד שָׂרֵי הָרָצִים הַשֹּׁמְרִים פֶּתַח בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ׃
28 Whenever the king went into the House of Hashem, the guards would carry them and then bring them back to the armory of the guards.
כח וַיְהִי מִדֵּי־בֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ בֵּית יְהֹוָה יִשָּׂאוּם הָרָצִים וֶהֱשִׁיבוּם אֶל־תָּא הָרָצִים׃
King Yerovam’s wife is told that Yerovam and his house have been so evil that not only will their son Aviya die, but the entire family line will be destroyed. However, Aviya will be granted a proper burial as he had “some devotion” towards Hashem. Rashi says that the good deed referenced here occurred when his father placed Aviya as a guard to prevent the people of the kingdom from making pilgrimages to Yerushalayim. Aviya not only abandoned his post so that they would be able to go, but he went on a pilgrimage to the holy city himself. This demonstrates both the gravity of the sin of attempting to sever the people’s tie to Yerushalayim, and also the merit that one can acquire by strengthening this eternal bond.Comment