Sanhedrin - Daf 21
- Machlokes about how many wives a king can have (טעמא דקרא)
The next Mishnah states that a king cannot marry more than eighteen wives. Rebbe Yehudah says he may marry more, ובלבד שלא יהו מסירות את לבו – provided they do not turn his heart away from Hashem, as implied by the reason given in the passuk. Rebbe Shimon says: אפילו אחת ומסירה את לבו הרי זה לא ישאנה – if there is even one who would turn his heart away from Hashem, he may not marry her. Rather, the Torah’s restriction against marrying “too many” wives means even those as virtuous as Avigayil.
It would appear that Rebbe Yehudah darshens טעמא דקרא – the reason for the passuk and limits the prohibition according to its reason; therefore, he allows a king to marry more wives if they will not turn his heart away. Rebbe Shimon apparently does not darshen טעמא דקרא, and so prohibits marrying too many wives regardless of their character. However, the Gemara proves that each Tanna holds the exact opposite, and explains that here, where the reason is written explicitly, Rebbe Yehudah holds the recorded reason qualifies the law. Rebbe Shimon, who holds we darshen טעמא דקרא without a passuk, holds that the Torah’s superfluously writing a reason prohibits marrying one wife of poor character.
- גדר גדול גדרה תמר באותה שעה, and the institution of the יחוד prohibition
The passuk describes how Tamar humiliated herself publicly after being violated by her brother Amnon. Rebbe Yehoshua ben Korchah said: גדר גדול גדרה תמר באותה שעה – Tamar built a great barrier at that time to prevent such a thing from happening again. People said: לבנות מלכים כך – If such can happen to daughters of kings, לבנות הדיוטות על אחת כמה וכמה – how much more so can it happen to daughters of commoners! אם לצנועות כך – If such can happen to modest girls, לפרוצות על אחת כמה וכמה – how much more so can it happen to immodest girls! Rav said: באותה שעה גזרו על הייחוד ועל הפנויה – at that time, they decreed to forbid seclusion with a married woman, and an unmarried woman. The Gemara objects that יחוד is Biblically prohibited with all עריות, and concludes that Rav said that they decreed then to forbid יחוד with an unmarried woman.
- מפני מה לא נתגלו טעמי תורה
Rebbe Yitzchak said: מפני מה לא נתגלו טעמי תורה – Why were the reasons for the mitzvos of the Torah not revealed? שהרי שתי מקראות נתגלו טעמן – Because the reasons for the mitzvos in two pesukim were revealed, נכשל בהן גדול העולם – and the great one in the world (Shlomo) stumbled over them. The Torah says: לא ירבה לו נשים – “He shall not have many wives so that his heart will not turn away from Hashem.” Shlomo said: אני ארבה ולא אסור – I will have many wives, and I will not turn away my heart from Hashem. However, the passuk says that in Shlomo’s old age, נשיו הטו את לבבו – his wives swayed his heart. The passuk says: לא ירבה לו סוסים – “He shall not have many horses and shall not return the nation to Mitzrayim in order to increase horses.” Shlomo said: אני ארבה ולא אשיב – I will increase horses, and I will not return the nation to Mitzrayim. However, the passuk says: ותצא מרכבה ממצרים בשש וגו' – and a chariot left Egypt worth six hundred silver coins, etc.