Malchus Hashem
The following ideas were
given over by Rebbi, though the presentation is my own.
We refer to Hashem as “Melech”
or “King.” This idea of Hashem as King is so essential that a berachah
is not halachically defined as a berachah unless it contains a mention
Hashem’s “Malchus” (“Kingship” - a notion we will soon have to
refine). We refer to the mitzvah of Krias Shema as the “kabbalas
ole malchus shamayim” or “the acceptance of the yoke of the Kingship of
Heaven.”
The theme of Malchus Hashem rises to prominence during the Aseres
Ymei Teshuvah - the period of ten days between Rosh ha’Shanah and Yom
ha’Kippurim. Malchus Hashem is one of the three themes of Rosh
ha’Shanah: Malchiyos, Zichronos, and Shofros. Throughout
these ten days we change the conclusion of the third berachah of the Shmoneh
Esreh from ha’El ha’Kadosh (“the
Holy God”) to ha’Melech ha’Kadosh (“the
Holy King”), and the conclusion of the eleventh berachah to ha’Melech
ha’Mishpat (“the King of Justice” or “the King, the Justice,” according to
some Rishonim).
It would seem, then, that a person cannot adequately serve Hashem without
understanding the idea of Malchus Hashem. Most people understand the
analogy of “Malchus Hashem” to mean “Hashem’s Kingship.” Hashem is our
King, we are His subjects, and the universe is His kingdom, as we say, “Baruch
atoh Hashem, Elokeinu, Melech ha’Olam.”
However, there are several problems with this understanding, as we shall see.
For the sake of brevity, I am only going to mention two of them.
The first problem is raised by the lyrics of a well-known song. Of course, we
can’t always bring a proof for a fundamental idea about Judaism from a song. In
this case, however, the song was written by a great chacham (Rabbeinu
Shlomo ibn Gabirol) and was approved of by the chachamim of our Mesora.
The title of the song is Adon Olam. The first three stanzas read:
Adon Olam asher malach
b’terem kol y’tzir nivra,
L’eis na’asoh b’cheftzo kol,
azai Melech Shemo nikra,
V’acharei ki’chlos ha’kol,
levado yimloch Nora
The Lord of the universe who was King
before any form was created,
At the time when His will brought all into being -
then as “King” was His Name proclaimed,
And after all has ceased to be,
He, the Awesome One, will be King alone.
Adon Olam poses a major
problem to our understanding of Malchus Hashem: How can we say
that Hashem was “Melech” before the
universe was created and after it ceases to exist? If the
universe is His “kingdom,” then we are faced with the following dilemma: Just
as it is impossible to be a father without a son, or to be a master without a
slave, so too, it is impossible to be a king without subjects. If so,
how can R’ Shlomo ibn Gabirol say that Hashem was King before anything was
created and after everything ceases to be?
The second problem can be found in the Mussaf of Rosh ha’Shanah. This tefilah
is unique in several ways. One of its unique features is the requirement to say
ten pesukim in each of the three berachos of Malchiyos,
Zichronos, and Shofros. Each of these pesukim must
correspond to the theme of its respective berachah. Thus, the pesukim
of Malchiyos must be about Malchus, the pesukim about
Zichronos must be about Zikaron, and the pesukim
about Shofros must be about Shofar.
All of the pesukim in the section of Malchiyos explicitly
mention the words “melech,” “malchus,” or “meluchah” . . .
except for the last pasuk. The last pasuk of Malchiyos
is perhaps the most well known pasuk in the entire Torah: “Shema
Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad,” “Understand, O Israel, Hashem is our
God, Hashem is One” (Devarim 6:4).
The problem is: Where is Malchus Hashem
in the Shema? The pasuk
doesn’t use the word melech, and the theme seems to be Yichud
Hashem (the Oneness of Hashem), not Malchus Hashem.
Sometimes the answer is contained in the question. In this case, the answer to
both questions is right under our noses, namely, Yichud Hashem is
Malchus Hashem. This idea was stated very clearly by the Rambam in the
Sefer ha’Mitzvos:
“The Second Mitzvah is the commandment in which we are commanded regarding knowledge of the Oneness [of God], namely, that we should know that the Creator of Existence and its Primary Cause is One, as He stated, “Understand, O Israel, Hashem is our God, Hashem is One” (Devarim 6:4). In many midrashim you will find the Sages saying, “Al menas le’yached es Shemi” (“for the purpose of unifying My Name”) and “Al menas le’yachdeini” (literally, “for the purpose of unifying Me” - obviously, we cannot take this literally), and the like. Their intent in this statement is that the only reason He took us out of slavery and acted kindly and benevolently with us was in order that we should be a state of knowledge of [His] Oneness, for we are obligated in this. In many places this mitzvah is referred to as “the mitzvah of Oneness.” This mitzvah is also called “Malchus,” as the Sages say, “To accept upon oneself the yoke of the Malchus Shamayim,” which means recognition and knowledge of [His] Oneness.”
Thus, we see that according to
Chazal, the idea of “Malchus Hashem” is the same as the idea of “Yichud
Hashem.” With this idea, Adon Olam makes sense. To say that
Hashem was Melech before any form was created is to say that He was
One before He created the universe. Likewise, to say that Hashem will be Melech
after everything ceases to exist is to say that His Oneness will not be
affected in any way when the universe ends. Lastly, we can understand the tenth
pasuk of malchiyos. Even though the Shema doesn’t
mention any form of the word “Melech,” it is nevertheless the perfect
expression of Malchus Hashem, for explicitly states that Hashem is
One.
There is one more question we must answer: How is Malchus
a metaphor for Oneness? The Rambam may have supported his statement
from the words of Chazal, but what were Chazal thinking when they decided to
refer to the idea of Yichud Hashem by the analogy of Malchus?
Before we answer this question, let us briefly review the idea of Hashem’s
Existence and Hashem’s Oneness. The Rambam writes (Commentary on Sanhedrin,
Chapter 10):
“The First Fundamental
Principle is the Existence of the Creator, praised is He. Namely, that there
Exists an Existence which is perfect in all manners of existence, and this
Existence is the cause of the existence of all other existences, and through
Him their existence is established, and their existence stems from Him. And if
one could entertain the thought of the removal of His Existence, the existence
of every other existence would be nullified and they would not remain in
existence. And if one could entertain the thought of the removal of all
existence besides Him, then His Existence, may He be exalted, would not be
nullified, and would not lack, for He, may He be exalted, does not need the
existence of any other . . . all of them are dependent on His Existence. And
this first fundamental principle is that which is indicated by the statement,
“I am Hashem your God.”
Hashem refers to Himself as “Eheyeh Asher Eheyeh” - the Existing Being Who Is the Existing Being, or the Inherently Existent Being. In other words, our existence is a contingent and accidental existence; at one point in time, we did not exist, and sooner or later, we shall cease to exist; we do not have to exist, but rather, we exist because Hashem wills it. Hashem’s Existence, on the other hand, is Independent and Essential; He Always Existed, Exists Now, and Will Always Exist; unlike us, Hashem Must Exist. To suggest that Hashem could cease to exist is as absurd as the notion that water could cease to be wet. It is the nature of water to be wet, and it is the Nature of Hashem to Exist, as it were.
“The Second Fundamental
Principle is His Oneness, may He be exalted. Namely, that this Cause of
everything is One, not like the oneness of a species and not like the oneness
of a class, and not like one unified composite, which can be divided into many
unities, and not one like a simple body, which is one in number but is subject
to division and subdivision ad infinitum, but He, may He be exalted, is One – a
Oneness unlike any other oneness in any way.”
Hashem is One, and Only One. If
our conception of God’s Oneness contains any plurality whatsoever, then it must
be incorrect. If our conception of God’s Oneness is comparable in any way
whatsoever to the oneness of anything else, it must be incorrect. God’s Oneness
is Absolute, unshared by and incomparable to any other oneness.
“King” is a metaphor for the unique, superlative member of a class. For
instance, the ”King Cobra” is the uniquely superlative species of
snake; the lion is the “king of the jungle,” since it is uniquely superlative
among the other jungle animals; Elvis Presley is the “king of rock and
roll,” since he is the uniquely superlative rock and roll
innovator. Likewise, Hashem is Uniquely Superlative
among Beings. He is the Supreme Being, whose Existence is
Absolutely Unique and Absolutely Superior. Thus, Malchus
Hashem is not a metaphor for Hashem’s rulership over His
creations. Rather, it is a metaphor for His Absolute Uniqueness - Oneness which
is unlike any other. To say that Hashem is Melech is to say
that Hashem’s Existence and Oneness are completely superior and utterly
different than the Existence and Oneness of any of His subjects.
Rebbi formulated the idea in an eloquent, easy-to-remember expression: Malchus
does not refer to Hashem’s KingSHIP, but Hashem’s KingNESS.
It is not a metaphor for His rulership over His creations, for Hashem was King
before the universe existed. Rather, Malchus is a metaphor for His
Uniqueness, Distinctness, and Utter Superiority of Existence to all other
beings.