מלכים ב י״ב

כל ימיו אשר הורהו יהוידע. אבל משמת יהוידע, אז באו שרי יהודה להשתחות למלך, ועשאוהו אלוה, אמרו לו: הנכנס לבית קדש הקדשים שעה אחת מסוכן למות, ואתה נחבאת בו שש שנים, כדאי אתה להיות אלוה, אז שמע המלך אליהם (בדברי הימים ב כד יז, שמות רבה ח ב):

All his days, as Yehoyoda the kohein instructed him. But after Yehoyoda died, the officers of Yehudah came to prostrate themselves before the king, and they deified him. They said to him, “One who enters the Holy of Holies for only a moment is in danger of dying, yet were hidden there for six years, so you are fit to be a deity.” Then the king listened to them.¹Shemos Rabboh 8:2.²Accordingly, the meaning of the verse is “all his days as Yehoyada the kohein instructed him,” i.e., as long as Yehoyada was alive.—Radak Or, “all his days” refers to Yehoyada’s days. After Yehoyada died, Yoash began to worship asheirohs and other idols. When Zecharyoh prophesied against him, Yoash had him killed, and the following year Arom attacked Yerusholayim.

כסף עובר איש כסף נפשות ערכו. שני כספים יש כאן, כסף עובר, הוא כסף השקלים שבכל שנה, הנאמר בו (שמות ל יג): כל העובר על הפקודים, ואיש שיתנדב ערכת נפשו, האומר ערכי עלי:

The half-shekel [given by every male over twenty,] and donations representing the value of one’s age. Two types of money are mentioned here. “Everyone who passes the numbering,”³Shemos 30:13-14. [The first type is] the money of anyone who passes the numbering, i.e., the money of the annual shekalim, about which it is stated, and [the second type is] anyone who volunteers his own value, i.e., one who says, “My value shall be incumbent upon me [to donate].”⁴See Vayikra 27:1-8.

כל כסף אשר יעלה וגו'. כגון האומר הרי עלי מנה לבדק הבית:

All monies that [a person’s heart] inspires him, etc. E.g., one who says, “I obligate myself to donate a maneh for making repairs to the Beis [Hamikdosh],

יקחו להס הכהנים. יהיה שלהם, והם יקבלו עליהם לחזק את בדק הבית משלהם:

Let take [the money] for themselves—the kohanim. [I.e.,] it will be theirs, and [in return] they will obligate themselves to make the [necessary] repairs to the Beis [Hamikdosh] from their own [funds] .

מאת מכרו. מאת מכירו הרגיל אצלו:

From his friend. From his acquaintance who frequently visits him.

בדק. בקיעה וסדק החומה:

Restoration. Split[s] and crack[s] in the wall.⁵בֶּדֶק means “examination.” One must examine splits and cracks to determine their method of repair.—Radak

ועתה אל תקחו כסף. עוד, ואל תחזקו הבית משלכם:

And now do not take the money. Anymore, and do not repair the Beis [Hamikdosh] with your money.⁶Although the Beis Hamikdosh was only 155 years old at the time, it was in need of extensive repair because Atalyoh and her sons made breaches in its wall. See II Divrei Hayomim 24:7.—Radak

כי לבדק הבית תתנוהו. אם יפחות יפחות, ואם יותיר יותיר:

But for the restoration of the Beis [Hamikdosh]—you should give it over Whether it will be less [than needed], let it be less, and if it will be more [than needed], let it be left over.

אצל המזבח. בעזרה:

Near the altar. In the [Temple] Court.

מימין בבוא איש. מימין ביאת האנשים:

To the right, as a person enters. On the right [side] where the people come in.

שומרי הסף. ספי העזרה, הממונים על מפתחות העזרה, שהרי תרגמו יונתן: אמרכליא. והאמרכלים שבעה היו, לשבעה שערי העזרה, בתוספתא דשקלים (ב טו):

The guards of the threshold. The thresholds of the [Temple] Court, [i.e.,] those in charge of the keys of the [Temple] Court,⁷Alternatively, these were the custodians of the Temple’s vessels.—Ralbag for [Targum] Yonoson rendered it as, “אֲמַרְכְּלַיָּא [=custodian of the keys],” and there were seven אֲמַרְכָּלִים, for the seven gates of the [Temple] Court. [This is stated in] Tosefta of [Maseches] Shekalim.⁸2:15.

ויהי. מיום אל יום (תמיד): כראותם כי רב הכסף בארון ויעל סופר המלך וגו':

Whenever. A daily occurrence (constantly).⁹I.e., when they saw that the boxes were full they would “bag and count the money.”—Radak They saw that there was much money in the box, and they would go up—the king’s scribe [and the Kohein Gadol] etc.

ונתנו את הכסף המתכן. היו נותנין אותו הכסף המנוי, לאחר שהוציא מן הארון ושקלוהו ומנאוהו, היו נותנין אותו על ידי הגזברין הממונים על עושי המלאכה:

They gave the counted money. They would give the counted money, i.e., after it was taken out of the chest and weighed¹⁰Alternatively, the money was “minted and counted,” i.e., the coins without a stamp were minted so that they could be spent.—Metzudas Dovid and counted, they would give it into the hands of the treasurers who were in charge of the workers.

המתכן. לשון מנין, כמו (שמות ה יח): ותוכן לבנים תתנו:

The counted. [מְתֻכָּן is] an expression of a number, as in, “and the number [=וְתוֹכֵן] of bricks you shall give.”¹¹Shemos 5:18.

המפקדים. הממונים:

Who were [thus] appointed. Who were appointed.

ויוציאהו. לשון הוצאה, לשכור חרשי העץ:

They paid. [וַיּוֹצִיאֻהוּ is] an expression of spending, for the purpose of hiring carpenters.

ולבונים. הם הארדכלין חרשי האבן, שחבריהם עושים על פיהם ראשי האומנות:

And the builders. They are the architects, the stone smiths, whose colleagues worked under their orders, [i.e., בּוֹנִים were] the supervisors of the craftsmen.

ולגדרים. לבוני החומה, תלמידי ארדכלין:

And the masons. The builders of the wall, the architects’ apprentices.

ולחצבי האבן. מן ההר:

And for the stone cutters. From the mountain.

ספות כסף מזמרות. והם כלי שיר:

Silver pitchers, musical instruments. They are musical instruments.¹²Although Scripture in II Divrei Hayomim 24:14 indicates that they used this money for making ministering vessels, the Gemara in Maseches Kesubos 106b explains that the primary purpose of this money was for repairs. However, if there was money left over, it could be used for making utensils, instruments, etc. for the Temple.—Radak¹³Rashi maintains that סִפּוֹת are musical instruments in accordance with his view in I Melochim 7:50. Alternatively, they are vessels used to receive blood of sacrifices or wine of libations.—Ralbag

ולא יחשבו את האנשים. לא היו האמרכלין באין לחשבון עם האנשים הגזברין, אשר יתנו האמרכלין את הכסף תמיד על ידם לתתו לעושי המלאכה, לפי שלא היו חשודים בעיניהם, כי באמונה הם עושים:

They did not demand and accounting from the men. The supervisors would not make an accounting with the treasurers that the supervisors would give the money—continually—into whose hand to give it to the workers, because they were not suspect in their eyes, for they worked with integrity.

כסף אשם וכסף חטאות. המפריש מעות לחטאתו ולאשמו, ולקח את הבהמה ונותר מן המעות:

Money for guilt-offerings and money for sin-offerings. If one sets aside money for his sin-offering or for his guilt-offering, and purchased the animal, and there was money left over.

לא יובא בית ה'. לבדק הבית:

Was not brought to the Beis [Hamikdosh] of Adonoy. For repairing the damage of the Beis [Hamikdosh].

לכהנים יהיו. והם לוקחים מהם עולות קיץ למזבח, הבשר לעולה, והעורות שלהם, כך שנינו בתמורה (כג ב): זה מדרש דרש יהוידע הכהן, כל הבא ממותר חטאת וממותר אשם, ילקח בהן עולות:

It was for the kohanim. And they would [use the funds to] buy burnt-offerings, “fruit” for the altar; the flesh was for a burnt-offering and the hides were theirs [the kohanim’s]. Thus we learned in [Maseches] Temurah.¹⁴23b. Yehoyoda the kohein expounded on this as follows: Everything that comes from the remainder of a sin-offering and of a guilt-offering should be used to purchase burnt-offerings.¹⁵See Maseches Zevachim 103a.

אז יעלה חזאל. אחר מות יהוידע, ועשה יואש את עצמו אלוה:

Then Chazoeil [the king of Arom] went up. After the death of Yehoyoda, Yoash made himself for a god.

בית מלא. באותו מקום:

At Beis Millo. In that place.

מלא. שם מקום:

Millo. The name of a place.

סלא. שם מקום:

Selo. The name of a place.¹⁶Scripture describes the location of Beis Millo, “that leads down to Selo” which was near Yerusholayim, because there was another Beis Millo near Shechem mentioned in Shoftim 9:6, 20.—Malbim

ויוזכר בן שמעת ויהוזבד בן שמר. כתוב בדברי הימים (ב כד כו) - שמעת העמונית ויהוזבד בן שמרית המואבית, ולמה פירשו הכתוב, ללמד שנפרע ממנו הקב"ה על ידי אנשים כיוצא בו, יבאו עמונים ומואבים כפויי טובה, שכפו בטובתו של אברהם אבינו שעשה ללוט שנלחם עם המלכים להצילו, והם שכרו את בלעם לקלל את בניו, ויפרע מיואש, שכפה בטובתו של יהוידע, והרג את זכריהו בנו, כמו שמפרש בדברי הימים (שם פסוק כא) ומדרש זה בספרי:

Yozochor the son of Shimos, and Yehozovod the son of Shomeir. In Divrei Hayomim it is written, “[Zovod, son of] Shimos the Amonite and Yehozovod, son of Shimris the Moavite.”¹⁷II Divrei Hayomim 24:26. These men are listed as the ones who rebelled against Yehoash. Why did Scripture specify? To teach us that the Holy One, Blessed Is He, requited him through people with traits similar to his. Let the ungrateful Amonites and Moavites, who ignored our father Avrohom’s favor, which he did for Lot, (that he fought with the kings to rescue him, yet they hired Bilaam to curse his descendants), and he will requite Yoash who ignored the favor of Yehoyoda, and killed Zecharyohu his son, as it is explained [in Scripture].¹⁸Ibid. v. 21-22. This Midrash is in Sifrei.