Midrashic Literalism

Real questions, submitted by actual OU Torah followers, with their real answers. NOTE: For questions of practical halacha, please consult your own rabbi for guidance.

Q: Today’s Daf (Yevamot 77a) has the following paragraph (from the Koren edition):

Rava further taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Many things have You done, O Lord my God, Your wonders and Your thoughts are upon us” (Psalms 40:6)? Upon me is not stated, but rather “upon us,” which teaches that Rehoboam, son of Solomon and grandson of David, was sitting on the lap of David, who said to him: These two verses were stated about me and about you, as Rehoboam’s mother was Na’ama the Ammonite.

Questions: Did David see Rehoboam? Wasn’t Solomon about 12 years old when he became king and it was after David died? Was Solomon married (prior to age 12) and had a child, Rehoboam, while David was alive?

A. Thanks for your question. Generally speaking, I am not a midrashic literalist. Midrash (and, in this case, aggadata) is not intended as a history lesson. I just had an exchange with someone about the asara harugei malchus [the ten Sages executed by the Romans]. The midrash makes it sound as if they all lived at the same time, but I assure you that the author of that midrash was well aware that two of the ten lived at a different time from the other eight. He's not lying, he's just employing literary license.

Similarly, it's not important if Rechavam ever sat on David's lap. (And if they did have such a conversation, who would have recorded it and transmitted it through the centuries until it reached Rava?) Rather, it's just a more memorable and effective way to communicate to us that David and Rechavam – two important kings in Jewish history, plus all their descendants – only existed at all because of the permissibility to marry Ammonite and Moabite women. The story is just a story, intended to help us internalize the lesson.

You can read more about midrashic literalism (or lack thereof) here.

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