Parshat Acharei Mot
“Machar Chodesh”
The story related in this week’s haftarah, a special one read when Shabbat coincides with Erev Rosh Chodesh, is found in the 20th perek of Shmuel I. The story related in this chapter is well-known as it is a haftarah that is read whenever the first day of Rosh Chodesh falls on a Sunday throughout the year. The episode, as detailed in this reading, tells of a difficult time of trial, a test for both David and his dear friend (and brother-in-law) Yonatan, the son of King Shaul.
Following King Shaul’s failure to follow God’s command in the war against Israel’s intractable enemy, Amalek, Hashem removed His favor from Shaul and placed it upon His choice of successor, Shaul’s son-in-law, David. As a result, Shaul struggled with bouts of depression and anger, even attempting to murder David twice. When David fled the palace after the king tried to spear him, he told Yonatan of Shaul’s attempt to kill him, something that Yonatan could not accept, as his father had sworn to him that he would not harm David. Our haftarah tells the story of the two friends trying to reveal Shaul’s true intentions and find out whether or not David can safely return to the palace. When David’s absence was sensed both at the festive Rosh Chodesh meal as well as on the following day, the king suspects that he is planning to usurp the throne and, despite Yonatan’s attempts to defend David, Shaul publicly declares his intention to kill David.
As both had planned earlier, Yonatan secretly meets David in the field and tearfully reveals to David what happened, urging him to escape before he is killed. In the end, Yonatan acts nobly, faithfully serving his father and continuing to show him the respect due to him, while, similarly, David never attempts to harm Shaul—even to save his own life—despite numerous opportunities to do so.
Although the opening words of the haftarah declaring “Machar Chodesh,” that “tomorrow is Rosh Chodesh” form the obvious connection between the Shabbat and the haftarah, there is more we see in the story that helps us understand its choice for the reading. King David is symbolized by the moon (Tiferet Shlomo), explaining why we declare “David, Melech Yisrael, chai v’kayam” every month when we stand before the moon and recite Birkat HaLevana. As the moon grows and is diminished, so too David had times of ascendancy and power as well as times of trouble and powerlessness. Most meaningful is that, like the moon, David humbly “diminished” his “light,” always pointing to God as his source of strength and victory and not taking the glory for himself. It was this trait of King David that endeared this military hero/psalmist to Hashem.
And why we await for his descendant to usher in the Messianic era.
By Rabbi Neil N. Winkler
Rabbi Neil Winkler is the rabbi emeritus of the Young Israel of Fort Lee and now lives in Israel.
