Melachim I 3 מלכים א ג׳

ויתחתן שלמה. וכל זמן שהיה שמעי רבו קיים, לא נתחתן בו, מכאן אמרו (ברכות ח א): לעולם ידור אדם במקום רבו:

Shlomo became the son-in-law. As long as Shim’i, his teacher, was alive, he did not enter into marriage [with Pharaoh’s daughter]. From here, [our Sages derived and] declared, that a person should always live in the vicinity of his teacher.¹Based on the juxtaposition of Shimi’s death and Shlomo’s marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter. See Maseches Berachos 8a.²In order to remain under his teacher’s guidance and influence.

עד כלותו לבנות וגו'. ואחר כך בנה לה בית:

Until he finished building, etc. And afterwards he built a house for her.³Alternatively, after he finished building the Beis Hamikdosh, Shlomo moved Pharaoh’s daughter out of the City of Dovid which had become sanctified by the presence of the Ark.—Radak

מזבחים בבמות. לשם שמים, כל הרוצה בונה מזבח בראש גגו, או בחצרו:

Sacrificed on improvised altars. For the sake of Heaven, each [person] who so desired would build an altar on top of his roof or in his yard.⁴This was permitted during the period between the destruction of the Mishkan in Shilo and the construction of the Beis Hamikdosh. See Mishnayos Zevachim 14:7.

ויאהב שלמה ללכת בחקות דוד אביו. ארבע שנים, עד שלא התחיל לבנות הבית, אבל משהתחיל לבנות, ויתחתן שלמה את בת פרעה, נמצאת אומר (ירמיהו לב לא): כי על אפי ועל חמתי היתה לי העיר הזאת, למן היום אשר בנו אותה ועד היום הזה, כך שנינו בסדר עולם, למדנו שאין הפרשיות כתובות כסדר:

And Shlomo loved Adonoy, he conformed to the decrees of his father Dovid. [During the first] four years, before beginning to build the Beis [Hamikdosh]. But once he began to build and Shlomo married Pharaoh’s daughter, consequently it states, “for as a provocation of anger and of fury has this city has been to me from the day that they built it until this day.”⁵Yirmiyahu 32:31. Thus we learned in Seder Olam. We learn that the passages are not written in chronological order.

בבמות הוא מזבח. בגנותו דבר הכתוב, ששהה את בנין הבית ארבע שנים:

Upon improvised altars he brought sacrifices. The text discusses his dishonor, [this occurred] because he delayed the construction of the Beis [Hamikdosh] four years.⁶Alternatively, Shlomo desired to attain prophetic revelation by offering sacrifices.—Ralbag

היא הבמה הגדולה. הוא מזבח הנחשת שעשה משה במדבר, והוקבעה בשילה, חרבה שילה בימי עלי ובא לנוב, חרבה נוב בימי שאול, ובאו לגבעון:

For that was the great improvised altar. That was the copper altar which Moshe made in the wilderness,⁷I.e., it was “great” because of its holiness. and it was instituted in Shilo. Shilo was destroyed in Eili’s days, and then it came to Nov. Nov was destroyed in Shaul’s days, and they came to Givon.

יעלה שלמה. כמו מעלה שלמה:

Shlomo offered. Did Shlomo offer.⁸Literally, יעלה means, “will offer.”

על המזבח ההוא. ביום אחד:

Upon that altar. In one day.

ותשמר לו. לשון מאמת את דבריו, כמו (דברים ז יב): ושמר ה' אלהיך לך וגו', ואף כאן ותשמר לו את החסד, האמנת דבריך לקיים לו את החסד, אשר הבטחתו על ידי נתן הנביא:

You preserved for him. An expression of authenticating His words as in, “And Adonoy, your God will keep for you, etc.”⁹Devarim 7:12. Here too You have preserved for him the kindness, You have authenticated Your words to fulfill to him the kindness which You had promised him through Noson the prophet.

נער קטן. בן שתים עשרה שנה היה, וזה לך החשבון, ויקרא שמו ידידיה (שמואל ב יב כה), בו בפרק ענה אמנון את תמר, שנאמר (שם יג ב): ויהי אחרי כן ולאבשלום אחות, מקץ שנתים ימים ויהיו גוזזים לאבשלום (שם פסוק כג), והרג את אמנון, ואבשלום ברח וילך גשורה, ויהי שם שלוש שנים (שם פסוק לח), הרי חמש שנים, ושב אבשלום לירושלים, וישב בירושלים שנתים (שם יד כח), הרי שבע לשלמה, ומרד באביו ונהרג, אחר זאת (שם כא א): ויהי רעב בימי דוד שלש שנים, הרי עשר, באחת עשרה מנה את ישראל, וישוטו בכל הארץ תשעה חדשים (שם כד ח), בשנת מותו תיקן משמרות, שנאמר (דברי הימים א כו לא): בשנת הארבעים למלכות דוד נדרשו, הרי שתים עשרה למלך שלמה:

A small lad. He was twelve years old. And this is how [his age] is calculated: “And he called his name Yedidyah.”¹⁰II Shmuel 12:25. At the same time Amnon raped Tamar, as it is stated, “And it was after this, and Avsholom [the son of Dovid] had a sister.”¹¹Ibid., 13:1. At the end of, “two years, and Avsholom had sheep shearers,”¹²Ibid. v. 23. and he killed Amnon. Avsholom fled and went to Geshur, and he remained there three years,¹³Ibid. v. 38. so we have five years. Avsholom then returned to Yerusholayim, “and [Avsholom] lived in Yerusholayim two years,”¹⁴Ibid. 14:28. so we have seven [years in the life] of Shlomo. And he [Avsholom] rebelled against his father and was killed. After this, [it states], “And there was famine in the days of Dovid [for] three years,”¹⁵Ibid. 21:1. so we have ten [years]. In the eleventh [year] he counted the [Bnei] Yisroel, “and they scattered in all the land,”¹⁶Ibid 24:8. nine months. In the year of his death he instituted divisions as it is stated, “In the fortieth year of Dovid’s reign they were sought,”¹⁷I Divrei Hayomim 26:31. so we have twelve [years in the life] of King Shlomo.¹⁸Other, including Abarbanel, suggest that Shlomo may have been around twenty years old at the time. The fact that he is referred to as a “lad ]=נער]” is not necessarily a reflection of his age, for in Bereishis 44:22, Binyomin is described as a “lad [=נער]”at the age of thirty.

את עמך הכבד. מתוך שהם רבים, יש להם עסקים רבים, ובאים לדין, ואין לי מתון לעיין בדינם דבר אחר: כי מי יוכל לשפוט את עמך הכבד הזה, משפטם כבד מאד, אם יבא דין שני גוים לפני, ואטול מזה ואתן לזה שלא כדין, איני נענש, אבל ישראל הריני נענש עליו עונש נפשות, שנאמר (משלי כב כג): וקבע את קובעיהם נפש:

This great people of Yours. Since they are many, they have many dealings, and they come to litigate and I have no time to deliberate over their arguments. Another interpretation of, “for who is able to judge this great people of Yours,” their legal decisions are very difficult [for me to make]. If a lawsuit comes before me between two non-Jews, and I take from one and give to the other unjustly, I will not be punished. But [if a lawsuit comes before me] between Jews [and I take from one and give to the other unjustly], I will be punished for it with capital punishment,¹⁹That is why Shlomo refers to the Bnei Yisroel as a “weighty [=כבד] nation.” as it is stated, “And He takes the lives of those that steal from them.”²⁰Mishlei 22:23.

ואם תלך בדרכי וגו' והארכתי את ימיך. העושר והכבוד שלא התניתי בתורתי לתת למלך, אתן לך, בין זכאי בין חייב, אבל אורך הימים ומלכות הדורות, כבר התניתי בתורתי (דברים יז כ): לבלתי סור מן המצוה למען יאריך ימים על ממלכתו וגו', ועל אותו תנאי לא אשנה, ואם תלך בדרכי והארכתי וגו', וכן במלכות דורותיו אחריו, אמר לו (לקמן ט ד-ה): ואתה אם תלך לפני וגו' לא יכרת לך איש וגו', כך שנויה בספרי. ורבי חנינא בן גמליאל אומר: הרי הוא אומר גם עושר גם כבוד וגו':

And if you will go in My ways, etc., I will lengthen your days. The wealth and the honor for which I did not impose any conditions in my Torah to give to the king, I will give you whether deserving or not. However, [to attain] longevity and [continuation of] the monarchy for [future] generations, I have already imposed conditions in my Torah, “that he shall not turn aside from the commandment [etc.,] so that he may prolong days over his kingdom, etc.”²¹Devarim 17:20. and that condition I will not alter. So, “if you will go in My ways...I will lengthen, etc.” and likewise concerning [the continuation of] the monarchy to his descendants, He said to him, “As for you, if you walk before Me, etc., no man [descendant] of yours will be cut off, etc.”²²Below, 9:4, 5. Thus is it learned in Sifrei, Rabbi Chanina the son of Gamliel says, “Behold he has said, ‘both wealth and honor, etc.’”²³Above v. 13.

ויקץ שלמה והנה חלום. והנה הבין שחלומו אמת, שומע עוף מצפצף ומבין לשונו, כלב נובח ומבין לשונו (שיר השירים רבה א א):

Shlomo woke up and behold it was a dream. And behold he understood that his dream was true. He heard a bird chirping and understood its language, a dog barking and he understood its language.

ויעש משתה. משמחת לבו, שהבין שחלומו אמת:

And [he] made a feast. Out of his heart’s happiness [he celebrated] because he realized that his dream was true.²⁴Shlomo celebrated his newly acquired wisdom. Rabbi Elazar said that from here we derive the custom of making a festive meal [e.g., siyum] to honor the completion of reading the Torah or studying a Masechta. See Shir Hashirim Rabboh 1:9.

ואתבונן אליו. נתתי לב להסתכל בו:

I scrutinized him. I concentrated to scrutinize him.²⁵And therefore I am certain of not making a mistake.

היא אמו. בת קול הופיעה ואמרה: היא אמו (מכות כג ב):

She is his mother. A Divine voice appeared and said, “She is his mother.”²⁶See Rashi in Maseches Makos 23b.