Relationship between the King and the Prophet

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1. Curing Na’aman

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   The themes of the story of Naaman are: power and subservience, pride and humility, authority and submission. Ironically it is from the character of the lowest rank, the Israelite maid, that Na’aman's salvation shall emerge. At the outset we are struck by the enormous contrast between the "young girl – na’ara ketana" and Na’aman, the "great man – ish gadol"; the simple powerless slave child shall save the powerful general. This inversion of the power structure, whereby the lowest figure provides the key to salvation for her superior, undercuts the aforementioned hierarchy.  It is not the grand ceremonies and gestures, but the contrite heart that God sees; not opportunistic manipulation, but pure straightforward honesty and humility that stand before God. 

2. Shoftim - Who Needs Them?

   Rabbi Gad Dishi | 49 minutes

   What is the function of the shoftim? This lesson examines the historical and geographical context of the period of the shoftim, and explores the internal and external contradiction of the Navi's view of a king. The theme at the end of the sefer, "ein melech beYisrael" (there is no king in Israel), clearly portrays a monarch as a necessity, yet we can also see throughout the sefer a strong resistance towards kingship as well.