Fear From Earthly Kingship

בפסוק אשימה עלי מלך כו' שום תשים כו'

On the pasuk, "I will set a king over me" (Devarim 17:14), and "You shall surely place" (Devarim 17:15).

The Sfas Emes opens with the Torah's command to appoint a king and the doubled language of "placing."

ובמד' אין דנין את המלך מלפניך משפטי יצא שאין ברי' דן את המלך אמר הקב"ה אני חשבתי שלא יהי' עליכם אימת מלכות כו'

And in the Midrash: "One does not pass judgment on the king before you, for My judgment has already gone forth" — meaning that no creature judges the king. The Holy One, Blessed is He, said: I had intended that there should be no dread of monarchy upon you.

The Midrash teaches that the king is beyond human judgment, and Hashem expresses that He had originally not wanted Bnei Yisrael to be under the dread of a human monarchy at all.

דהנה מינוי המלך הוא בעבור שאלמלא מוראה איש את רעהו חיים בלעו

For the appointment of a king is because, were it not for the fear of him, one man would swallow his fellow alive.

A king is needed only as a practical deterrent, since without fear of authority people would destroy one another.

אבל אם היו יראים את ה' לא היו צריכין מלך

But if they feared Hashem, they would have no need of a king.

Had Bnei Yisrael possessed genuine fear of Hashem, no human king would be necessary.

וה' אלקיכם מלככם

And "Hashem your God is your King."

Ideally, Hashem Himself is meant to be their King.

אבל כשחסר יראת ה' צריכין מלך כמ"ש יהי מורא שמים עליכם כמורא ב"ו

But when yiras Shamayim is lacking, they need a king, as Chazal said: "May the fear of Heaven be upon you like the fear of flesh and blood."

The need for a flesh-and-blood king arises only as a substitute when yiras Shamayim is missing, with the king's fear serving as a stand-in.

עלובין בני אדם שצריכין ללמוד יראת ה' מיראת ב"ו

Pitiful are people, that they must learn yiras Shamayim from the fear of flesh and blood.

It is a pitiful state that a person must arrive at fear of Hashem only by way of fearing a mortal ruler.

וע"ז כתי' ותהי יראתם אותי מצות אנשים מלומדה מה שצריכין ללמוד יראת ה' מיראת אנשים

And concerning this it is written, "And their fear of Me has become a commandment of men learned by rote" (Yeshayahu 29:13) — that they must learn the fear of Hashem from the fear of mortal men.

The pasuk in Yeshayahu rebukes a fear of Hashem that is merely rote, learned secondhand through fear of men rather than felt directly.

ולכן המלך קיבל יראת ה' רק מן התורה כמ"ש וקרא בו כו' למען ילמד ליראה את ה'

Therefore the king was to receive yiras Shamayim only from the Torah, as it is written, "And he shall read in it... so that he may learn to fear Hashem" (Devarim 17:19).

The king himself was supposed to draw his yiras Shamayim straight from the Torah, not from any external dread.

וכן היו מוכנים כל בנ"י להיות יראת ה' על פניהם מתוך התורה

And likewise all Bnei Yisrael were meant to have the fear of Hashem upon their faces through the Torah.

And in the same way, all Bnei Yisrael were meant to absorb the fear of Hashem directly from the Torah.

ולכן העמדת המלך הוא מצוה ומ"מ הוכיחם שמואל הנביא ע"ה במה שביקשו מלך כי אם הי' יראת ה' בלבם לא היו צריכין מלך

Therefore the appointment of a king is a mitzvah, yet nonetheless Shmuel the Navi, peace be upon him, rebuked them for requesting a king — for had the fear of Hashem been in their hearts, they would have had no need of a king.

Although appointing a king is technically a mitzvah, Shmuel rebuked the people because their request exposed that genuine fear of Hashem was absent from their hearts.

רק אם רואים שחסר להם היראה ואמרת אשימה עלי מלך

Only when they see that the fear is lacking in them, and "you shall say, I will set a king over me" (Devarim 17:14),

The mitzvah applies specifically when a person honestly recognizes that he lacks the fear and therefore asks for a king.

אז היא מצוה כדי לקבל יראת ה' מתוך יראת המלך

then it is a mitzvah, in order to receive yiras Shamayim through the fear of the king.

In that case the king becomes a legitimate vehicle for acquiring yiras Shamayim through the fear he inspires.

כי באמת מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים

For in truth, "Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds" (Tehillim 145:13).

The truth underlying all kingship is that Hashem's reign is the only real and eternal one.

וכל שם מלך הוא בעבור שמתוך יראתו באין ליראת ה'

And the entire concept of "king" is because, through the fear of him, one comes to the fear of Hashem.

Any human title of "king" exists only because the fear it generates is meant to lead a person up to the fear of Hashem.

ואיתא בגמ' לעולם ירוץ אדם לקראת מלך ואפי' מלכי האומות שאם יזכה יבחין כו'

And it is brought in the Gemara: A person should always run toward a king, even toward the kings of the nations, so that if he merits, he will discern the difference.

The Gemara urges running even toward gentile kings, because the encounter lets a worthy person grasp the contrast and reach toward the true King.

פי' שמכל יראת מלך באים ליראת ה' אבל אין כל הסיבות שוין כי ע"י מלכי אומות באים ליראת העונש

The meaning is that from every fear of a king one comes to the fear of Hashem — but not all the causes are equal, for through the kings of the nations one comes to the fear of punishment.

Every experience of a king's fear can lead to fear of Hashem, but the kings of the nations only produce the lower fear of punishment.

אבל ע"י מלכי ישראל באין ליראת הרוממות מצד כי בחר בו ה' הי' נופל אימת המלך על האדם ומזה בא ליראת הרוממות של הקב"ה וב"ש

But through the kings of Yisrael one comes to the fear of His exaltedness: since Hashem chose him, the dread of the king would fall upon a person, and from this he comes to the fear of the exaltedness of the Holy One, Blessed is He, and may His Name be blessed.

The kings of Yisrael, chosen by Hashem, awaken a higher fear — the fear of Hashem's exalted greatness rather than mere dread of consequences.

וכמה ירדנו עשר ירידות לא זו שצריכין מלך ב"ו עוד משתעבדין למלכי אומות ואפי' לעבדי המלך ב"ו

And how far we have fallen — ten descents! Not only do we need a king of flesh and blood, but we are further enslaved to the kings of the nations, and even to the servants of a king of flesh and blood.

In galus we have sunk through ten descents: needing a human king at all, then being subjugated to foreign kings, and even to their mere servants.

וכולי האי ואולי נזכה להיות מורא שמים עלינו כמורא ב"ו

And with all this effort, perhaps we will merit that the fear of Heaven be upon us like the fear of flesh and blood.

Despite all this lowliness, with great striving we may yet merit that the fear of Heaven rest upon us as powerfully as the fear of a mortal king.

והנה באמת בנ"י נק' בני מלכים

And behold, in truth, Bnei Yisrael are called "children of kings."

Bnei Yisrael are in essence "children of kings," carrying royal stature within.

כי כל איש ישראל צריך להיות עליו יראת הרוממות עד שממנו יפול יראת ה' גם על אחרים כמ"ש וראו כל ע"ה כי שם ה' נק' עליך ויראו ממך

For every Jew must have upon him the fear of His exaltedness, until from him the fear of Hashem falls upon others as well, as it is written, "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall fear you" (Devarim 28:10).

Each Jew should bear the fear of Hashem's exaltedness so strongly that it radiates outward, causing others to recognize Hashem's Name upon him and to fear him.

וכ"כ ירא את ה' בני ומלך דרשו חז"ל על אברהם אבינו ע"ה שירא אותי ועשיתיו מלך ובו נתקיים הדבר בשלימות שהקריא שמו של הקב"ה בפי כל ברי' כמ"ש בעבור אברהם שקראך אדון בעולם לכן נק' מלך כי זה שמקבלין ע"י מלכות שמים הוא נקרא מלך:

And likewise it is written, "Fear Hashem, my son, and the king" (Mishlei 24:21), which Chazal expounded regarding Avraham Avinu, peace be upon him: that he feared Me, and I made him a king. And through him the matter was fulfilled completely, for he proclaimed the Name of the Holy One, Blessed is He, in the mouth of every creature, as Chazal said, "For the sake of Avraham who called You Master in the world" — therefore he is called a king, for that which is received through the kingship of Heaven, this is called "king."

The pasuk pairing fear of Hashem with fear of the king is applied to Avraham Avinu, whom Hashem made a king; through him the ideal was fully realized, as he caused all creatures to call Hashem Master — showing that true kingship is simply the channel through which one receives the kingship of Heaven.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explores why a human king is needed at all, given that Hashem alone is the true King of Bnei Yisrael. Ideally, were yiras Shamayim present in their hearts and drawn directly from the Torah, no flesh-and-blood king would be necessary; the appointment of a king is a concession for when that direct fear is lacking, so that the fear of the king can lead a person upward to the fear of Hashem. He distinguishes between the kings of the nations, who only awaken the lower fear of punishment, and the kings of Yisrael, chosen by Hashem, through whom one ascends to the fear of His exaltedness. In galus we have descended ten levels — needing a king, then subjugated to foreign kings and even their servants — yet with great striving we may still merit that yiras Shamayim rest upon us. Ultimately Bnei Yisrael are "children of kings," as exemplified by Avraham Avinu, who so feared Hashem that he was made a king and caused all creatures to proclaim Hashem as Master, teaching that true kingship is nothing other than the vessel for receiving the kingship of Heaven.