לזכות ר' חנא מנחם בן מרים
Says the Gemara [Brachos 3b]:
וְדָוִד מִי הֲוָה יָדַע פַּלְגָא דְּלֵילְיָא אֵימַת? הַשְׁתָּא מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ לָא הֲוָה יָדַע, דִּכְתִיב ״כַּחֲצוֹת הַלַּיְלָה אֲנִי יוֹצֵא בְּתוֹךְ מִצְרָיִם״.
When King David said: At midnight I rise, the assumption is that he rose precisely at midnight. The Gemara asks: Did David know exactly when it was midnight? Even Moshe our teacher did not know exactly when it was midnight. How do we know this about Moses? As it is written that he said to Pharaoh: “Thus said the Lord: About midnight, I will go out into the midst of Egypt” (Exodus 11:4). The word about indicates that it was only an approximation.
מַאי ״כַּחֲצוֹת״. אִילֵימָא דַּאֲמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא ״כַּחֲצוֹת״ — מִי אִיכָּא סְפֵיקָא קַמֵּי שְׁמַיָּא?! אֶלָּא: דַּאֲמַר לֵיהּ (לִמְחַר) ״בַּחֲצוֹת״ (כִּי הַשְׁתָּא), וַאֲתָא אִיהוּ וַאֲמַר ״כַּחֲצוֹת״, אַלְמָא: מְסַפְּקָא לֵיהּ, וְדָוִד הֲוָה יָדַע?!
The Gemara clarifies: What is the meaning of the expression: About midnight? Did Moshe say it or did God say it? If we say that the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself, said: About midnight, to Moses, is there doubt before God in heaven? Rather, this must be understood as follows: God told Moshe: At midnight, but from the fact that when Moshe came to Pharaoh he said: About midnight; apparently, Moshe was uncertain about the exact moment of midnight. Moshe, the greatest of all the prophets, was uncertain, and David knew?
דָּוִד, סִימָנָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ, דְּאָמַר רַב אַחָא בַּר בִּיזְנָא, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן חֲסִידָא: כִּנּוֹר הָיָה תָּלוּי לְמַעְלָה מִמִּטָּתוֹ שֶׁל דָּוִד, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה, בָּא רוּחַ צְפוֹנִית וְנוֹשֶׁבֶת בּוֹ וּמְנַגֵּן מֵאֵלָיו, מִיָּד הָיָה עוֹמֵד וְעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה עַד שֶׁעָלָה עַמּוּד הַשַּׁחַר. כֵּיוָן שֶׁעָלָה עַמּוּד הַשַּׁחַר נִכְנְסוּ חַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶצְלוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: אֲדוֹנֵינוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ, עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל צְרִיכִין פַּרְנָסָה. אָמַר לָהֶם: לְכוּ וְהִתְפַּרְנְסוּ זֶה מִזֶּה. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: אֵין הַקּוֹמֶץ מַשְׂבִּיעַ אֶת הָאֲרִי, וְאֵין הַבּוֹר מִתְמַלֵּא מֵחוּלְיָתוֹ. אָמַר לָהֶם: לְכוּ וּפִשְׁטוּ יְדֵיכֶם בִּגְדוּד.
The Gemara offers several answers to this question:
David had a sign indicating when it was midnight. As Rav Acha bar Bizna said that Rabbi Shimon Chasida said: A lyre hung over David’s bed, and once midnight arrived, the northern midnight wind would come and cause the lyre to play on its own. David would immediately rise from his bed and study Torah until the first rays of dawn.
Once dawn arrived, the Sages of Israel entered to advise him with regard to the various concerns of the nation and the economy. They said to him: Our master, the king, your nation requires sustenance.
He said: Go and sustain one another, provide each other with whatever is lacking.
The Sages of Israel responded to him with a parable: A single handful of food does not satisfy a lion, and a pit will not be filled merely from the rain that falls directly into its mouth, but other water must be piped in (ge’onim). So too, the nation cannot sustain itself using its own resources.
King David told them: Go and take up arms with the troops in battle in order to expand our borders and provide our people with the opportunity to earn a livelihood.
מִיָּד יוֹעֲצִים בַּאֲחִיתוֹפֶל, וְנִמְלָכִין בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין, וְשׁוֹאֲלִין בְּאוּרִים וְתוּמִּים.
The Sages immediately seek advice from Achitophel to determine whether or not it was appropriate to go to war at that time and how they should conduct themselves, and they consult the Sanhedrin. And they ask the Urim VeTummim whether or not they should go to war, and whether or not they would be successful.
1] Rashi says that the Sanhedrin was consulted so that they should DAVEN:
נוטלין מהם רשות כדי שיתפללו עליהם
ODD!!
The Mishna at the beginning of Sanhedrin says that we may only go out to war with the permission of the Sanhedrin!! So Rashi should have said that the reason they went to the Sanhedrin was in order to ask permission!!? אין מוציאין למלחמת רשות אלא על פי ב"ד של ע"א. The last Rashi on Sanhedrin 16a says that this means that they ask permission!
2] The language of the Gemara is "ונמלכין בסנהדרין". This means to consult. So where does Rashi get his understanding that it means to daven??
3] The Rambam writes [שורש י"ד בסה"מ] that they went to war based on the "advice" of the Sanhedrin. That sounds like it is not an obligation. The Ramban will have none of that and demurs. He insists that it is not just a good idea but an absolute obligation - for all generations!! To add to the wonder - the Rambam HIMSELF [Sanhedrin 5-1] says that we may not wage war without the green light of the Sanhedrin. So how does the Rambam hold??
4] The Tosfos Ha-Rosh writes:
"ונמלכין בסנהדרין - משום שאין מוציאין למלחמת הרשות אלא עפ"י בי"ד של ע"א ועוד שהם בעלי עצה וגבורה".
So he gives two reasons: We have to ask permission and also they are good advisors on military matters. Cool. But why is the first reason not enough given that it is a Mishna!? It must be that he was bothered by the term "ונמלכין" which implies taking counsel and not davening. Great. But then why does the Gemara say "ונמלכין" when the task of the Sanhedrin was to give advice and not to daven?
5] Why didn't they start with the אורים ותומים and ask if they should go to war - then they wouldn't need to ask Achitofel!!? Ruach Hakodesh trumps all!!
