DEUT893 See [[NUM431]] Numbers 35:34 defile OXFORD 476

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DEUT894 Do not take up permanent residence in the land of Egypt. The Egyptian people are evil and sinful. In His great kindness, Hashem redeemed us from their lands, in order to give us the privilege of following the path of truth. Because He wants only our good, He does not want us to return there and sully ourselves by contact with them. He does not want to learn their evil ways or be influenced by any of their sinful practices or heretical ideas.

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DEUT895 The King of Israel shall not possess a multitude of horses. The King of Israel shall not possess even one more horse than is necessary for his royal chariot or for the chariots of his horsemen. That is, when he travels, not one horse shall prance freely before him to honor him, as is done for the kings of other nations. Key concepts: So that the king will not send even part of our nation back to Egypt to settle there and raise horses for him. Also, the mitzvah serves to guard against the king becoming haughty, which is likely to happen if he has many horses and accumulates large amounts of silver and gold.

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DEUT896 See [[LEV184]] Numbers 15:39 heart SINAI1 274

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DEUT897 The King of Israel shall not accumulate great quantities of silver and gold. The King of Israel shall not accumulate a fortune of wealth. He may own all that is necessary for the upkeep of his residence, servants and household. The king violates his prohibition if he accumulates wealth for personal purposes, without intent to use it for the sake of the people. His punishment is very great, for the nation depends upon him., and his thoughts and efforts must be for the sake of the nation. He cannot be concerned with self-glorification and gratification of his lusts. Key concept is as the verse says, “so that His heart does not become raised above his brethren, and so that he does not turn aside from the commandment either to the right or to the left.” The mitzvah helps to prevent him from becoming haughty and oppressive of his underlings, from deviating from Torah or Rabbinic law [or a minor mitzvah of a Prophet: Rashi].

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DEUT898 Excessiveness [in things permitted] is where one crosses the limit of the necessary into the superfluous, what man has no need for, such as overindulgence in food and drink-- the Wise Man has already warned us of this, saying, “Be not among those who drink wine to excess, or among gluttonous eaters of meat” (Mishlei 23:20 ); also, extravagant adornment in dress; overly large homes; excessive talk, in which one cannot be sure that one will not stumble, as the Wise Man said, “When there is too much talk, mistakes are not lacking” (ibid.10:19). He also said of sexual immoderation, “He who keeps the company of harlots loses wealth” (ibid. 29:3); “Do not give your strength to women” (ibid. 31:3); and [Scripture] says of the King, “He should not have many wives” (Devarim 17:17). [Further examples of excessiveness are] striving to multiply possessions and to accumulate money. Of this it is said, “Do not toil to get wealth; of your own understanding, desist” (Mishlei 23:4); and [Scripture] says of the king, [nor shall he greatly multiply for himself silver and gold” [Devarim 17:17]. Whatever we have mentioned above as conducive to the body's well-being and pleasure is, in the end, contemptible, for it brings a man to that which the Creator has warned him against and forbidden him.

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DEUT900 Because it is so easy for powerful people to become greedy, God tried to ensure that the most powerful person in Jewish society, the king, would not succumb to this natural inclination. Therefore, He forbade the king from taking too many wives (physical desire) or having too many horses (material desire). God also commanded the Jewish king to write an "extra" Torah scroll, to bring it with him wherever he went, and also to study it carefully. In this way, the king will be reminded that he must obey the Torah and not grow haughty, which will lead to greediness [this verse, Deuteronomy 17:15-20]. Unfortunately, as is the case with today's most powerful people, i.e., the CEOs of major companies who earn hundreds of millions of dollars yearly while, at the same time reducing the wages or benefits of their workers, all these safeguards did not prevent most Jewish kings in the past from succumbing to their greedy desires.

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DEUT901 The King of Israel shall not have too many wives. Wives can sway the hearts of their husbands. That is, they possess the power to influence their husbands to do things that are improper or that he might not normally do.

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DEUT899 (Continued from [[LEV108]] Leviticus 11:29 unclean 809-11). The permitted. There are also three ways of [partaking of] the permitted things left to our discretion. The first [way] is partaking [only] of food that is not consumed for pleasure, [food] without which one could not live or continue to exist. The second [way] is partaking of permitted food in a [more] liberal fashion, aiming for moderation in pleasure without extravagance or profligacy-- for example, by meeting [basic] needs with good bread and finely prepared dishes, by drinking good wine in moderation. The same applies to dress, living accommodations, and other needs. The third [way] is overindulging in permitted pleasures purely for the sake of luxury. This leads one to forbidden pleasures and keeps him from performing the duties he owes God, as it says: “Lest he quaff and forget that which is decreed” (Mishlei 31:5). You should practice abstinence from the permitted pleasures, my brother, to the best of your ability, so that you come to regard them as in the same class with the pleasures that are forbidden to you. Otherwise, you may forsake the Torah and neglect your duty. You know what the Creator, may He be exalted, commanded the king when He said: “He should not have many wives” (Devarim 17:17); “Only he should not have many horses” (ibid. 17:16); and as it says (Nechemyah 13:26): “Did not Shelomo, King of Israel, sin on account of these?... The foreign women caused even him to sin”-- this despite his powerful intellect, vast knowledge, and great stature.

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DEUT902 The King of Israel shall write a sefer Torah in addition to the one that every Jew has a mitzvah to write. The King is the most independent and powerful person in the land. No one can tell him what to do. With one word he can decree death on whomever he wishes, so it is important that he be restrained and in control of himself at all times. He must keep a tight rein on his evil inclination, and be reminded to incline his heart to his Maker at all times. Therefore, a sefer Torah must be with him at all times, and it should never be out of his sight.

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