DEUT905 In addition to the general commandment for every Jew to write a personal Torah, the Torah [Deuteronomy 31:19] commands the Jewish king to write his own Torah. In an unusual departure, the Torah text itself explains why the king must write this "extra" Torah. It says the king should read it always, in order to ensure that he will keep all its laws, despite his natural desire to think of himself as "above the law." This unusual commandment (elaborated upon by the commentators) runs contrary to the laws of government in our century or any century, even in democratic Western democracies. While history has amply demonstrated that kings and leaders of nations have always lived by a set of rules different from that of the people they govern, presidents and heads of democratic governments today still retain special status when it comes to adherence to the laws of the land. In the United States, the concept of executive privilege allows the president to ignore many laws or bypass other statutes. His ability to pardon any criminal and declare emergency powers when he sees the need runs contrary to democratic principles and attests to his special status before the law. In the state of Israel, as in many other countries, members of the Knesset have immunity from prosecution for breaking state laws, and diplomatic immunity for foreign diplomats gives them the right to commit crimes without retribution. These concepts are accepted virtually all over the world. And, yet, contrary to this norm, the Torah stresses that no one, not even the king, can be above the Law. All must conform.