This week, we truly learned the power of Hashem. In the beginning of his reign, Shlomo asks G-d for a gift. He asks for wisdom, and understanding heart, and to know the difference between good and evil. Hashem tells Shlomo that since he didn't ask for anything materialistic, Hashem will give him wisdom and the materialistic things he didn't ask for. Seems like Hashem is proud of Shlomo for not falling into the trap of materialistic goods, doesn't it?
Hashem knew that Shlomo had the potential to be the greatest king ever to live. Hashem would test Shlomo to see if he would live up to the potential. He tells Shlomo that if Shlomo listens to Hashem and follows the laws, he'll get the understanding between good and evil that he initially asked for. If he doesn't listen, he will have the kingdom ripped away from him. Seems more like a test than a reward now, doesn't it?
Shlomo became the wisest person in the whole world. People from other nations and all other countreis were coming to Shlomo for advice. They would bring gifts for Shlomo when they came for advice. Shlomo also became very wealthy. He started to get caught up in his money. He uses his money to buy chariots and horses.
A king has three rules: not to have too many horses or wives, and to not have too much money. Shlomo breaks all the rules. He gets to much money as gifts and uses the money to buy horses. He also falls in love with many foreign women, who end up turning him astray and he builds bamot for them to worship their idols.
Hashem gets angry with Shlomo. He tells Shlomo that he failed the test and that he will have his kingdom ripped away from him and He would give it to his servant in the next generation. Now Hashem's answer to Shlomo's request sounds more like a punishment, doesn't it?
I think what we can learn here is Hashem has all the power in the world. He asks us to follow his laws and He will reward us. If we don't follow his laws, He'll punish us. I think it also shows us there is usually more to a story than we believe. You need to get more in depth to a story before you can draw conclusions. Also, you need to be careful with materialistic goods. You can get caught up in them and forget everything else that is going on in the world.
Racheli,
ReplyDeleteI like how the message that you got out of this story is that Hashem is all-powerful. It's not normal for a person of our era to recognize this. As Torah-observant Jews, we have the distinct advantage of being able to study and understand the classic writings of Judaism. Shlomo obviously didn't understand the role of man versus the role of G-d. Man's role is to spread morality in the world. G-d's role is to run the world. Now we know that bad and backwards things (like a punishment in disguise) can happen when people overstep their boundaries.