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Rashi on I Kings Chapter 4

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מֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. מִשֶּׁרָאוּ בְּחָכְמָתוֹ, שָׂמְחוּ כֻּלָּם בְּמַלְכוּתוֹ.

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King over all of Yisroel. When they observed his wisdom they all rejoiced in his kingship.¹

footnotes: ¹ And no one opposed him.—Radak

סֹפְרִים. לִכְתֹּב דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים.

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Scribes. To write the [king’s] chronicles.

הַמַּזְכִּיר. אֵיזֶה מִשְׁפָּט בָּא לְפָנָיו רִאשׁוֹן, שֶׁיִּפְסְקֶנּוּ רִאשׁוֹן, כָּךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי.

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The secretary. [To record] which legal case came before him first that he might rule on it first.² Thus have I heard.

footnotes: ² I.e., he was a court administrator.

עַל הַנִּצָּבִים. שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר נְצִיבִים הָיוּ, לְכַלְכֵּל אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת בֵּיתוֹ.

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Over the officers. He had twelve officers to provide sustenance for the king and his household.

עַל הַמַּס. שֶׁהֶעֱלָה עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַּעַל הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מַס.

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The tax commissioner. Which he [Shlomo] had raised on [Bnei] Yisroel, as it is stated, “And Shlomo haMelech raised a tax.”³

footnotes: ³ Below 5:27.

וְכִלְכְּלוּ אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ. כָּל סְעוּדָתוֹ, וּמַאֲכַל הַסּוּסִים, וְכָל צָרְכֵי הוֹצָאָה.

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And they provided sustenance for the king. All his meals, and food of the horses and all expenditures for his necessities.⁴

footnotes: ⁴ See I Shmuel 8:11-18. There it describes that the king had a right to demand all these things. Shmuel had told the people the king’s rights before he anointed Shaul.

נָפַת דֹּאר. (תַּרְגּוּם:) פַּלְכֵי דֹאר.

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Nofas-dor. [Targum Yonoson rendered,] the district [פלך] of Dor.

חֶבֶל אַרְגֹּב. מְמֻנֶּה הָיָה עֲלֵיהֶם לִגְבּוֹת מַס הַמֶּלֶךְ, כִּי מִשְׁפַּט הַמֶּלֶךְ יֵשׁ לִגְבּוֹת יְצִיאוֹתָיו מִן הָעָם, כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּמִשְׁפַּט הַמְּלוּכָה בְּסֵפֶר שְׁמוּאֵל.

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The Argov region. He [Gever’s son] was appointed over them to collect the king’s tax, because the rules pertaining to the monarchy allow for his expenditures to be collected from the people, as it is stated in the rules pertaining to the monarchy, in the book of Shmuel.⁵

footnotes: ⁵ See Ibid.

וּנְצִיב אֶחָד אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ. רַב וּשְׁמוּאֵל פְּלִיגֵי, חַד אָמַר: אֶחָד מְמֻנֶּה עַל כֻּלָּם, הוּא עֲזַרְיָה בֶּן נָתָן הָאָמוּר לְמַעְלָה, וְחַד אָמַר: כְּנֶגֶד חֹדֶשׁ הָעִבּוּר.

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And one officer over the land. Rav and Shmuel have differing opinions, one says, one was appointed over all of them, and this was Azaryoh[u] the son of Noson, who was mentioned previously,⁶ and one says he was [appointed] for the thirteenth month.⁷

footnotes: ⁶ Above v. 5. ⁷ I.e., the purpose of appointing a thirteenth officer was to take care of the king for the thirteenth month of a leap year. See Maseches Sanhedrin 12a.

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