Sanhedrin Daf 19 סַנהֶדרִין דַף 19

The Mishnah taught that a king cannot be judged. Rav Yosef clarifies that this only applies to מלכי ישראל, but kings from בית דוד may be judged. מלכי ישראל cannot be judged because of the incident in which King Yannai’s slave killed a person, and at Shimon ben Shetach’s urging, the Sages sent a message to Yannai that his slave killed someone. Yannai sent the slave to be judged, but the Sages said he must appear as well (like the owner of an ox accused of killing someone). Yannai came and sat down, and Shimon ben Shetach said, “King Yannai, stand on your feet and the witnesses will testify against you. ולא לפנינו אתה עומד – And realize that you are not standing only before us; אלא לפני מי שאמר והיה העולם אתה עומד – rather, you are standing before the One Who spoke and the world came into being. Yannai said he would act according to what the other judges say, but when Shimon turned to them, they looked to the ground from fear. Shimon said: בעלי מחשבות אתם – You are men of thoughts! יבא בעל מחשבות ויפרע מכם – May the Master of thoughts come punish you! Gavriel struck them to the ground, and they died. At that time, they said a king cannot judge or be judged.

The passuk mentions the five sons of Michal (daughter of Shaul) that she bore to Adriel. Rebbe Yehoshua ben Korchah asks that מירב (Michal’s sister) bore these children to Adriel (but Michal was given to Palti), and explains that מירב bore them, and Michal raised them (when מירב died). They are called Michal’s children, to teach you שכל המגדל יתום בתוך ביתו – that whoever raises an orphan in his home מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו ילדו – the Torah considers him as if he fathered him. Rebbe Chanina derives this from people saying about Rus’s child that a son was born to נעמי, because she raised him. Rebbe Yochanan derives this from Moshe being described as בתיה’s child, because she raised him. Rebbe Elazar derives this from Yaakov’s children also being called Yosef’s, because he supported them during the famine. Rebbe Yonasan said: כל המלמד בן חבירו תורה – Whoever teaches his friend’s son Torah, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו ילדו – the Torah considers it as if he fathered him, because a passuk describes Aharon’s sons as also being Moshe’s, because he taught them Torah.

The Gemara had described that Shaul considered Michal’s marriage to Dovid invalid and gave her to Palti ben Layish. Another passuk calls him "פלטיאל", and Rebbe Yochanan explains that although his name was Palti, he was called Paltiel, שפלטו אל מן העבירה – because Hashem saved him from sin. The Gemara says that Palti stuck a sword between them and said: כל העוסק בדבר זה ידקר בחרב זה – whoever engages in this act of relations should be stabbed with this sword! Still, Palti cried when Dovid took Michal back, על המצוה דאזיל מיניה – over the mitzvah of abstention which was leaving him. Rebbe Yochanan says: תוקפו של יוסף ענוותנותו של בועז – the triumph of Yosef (resisting פוטיפר’s wife) is modest compared to the trial of Boaz resisting Rus, because Rus was unmarried and in Boaz’s bed. The triumph of Boaz is modest compared to Palti’s trial, which lasted many years. Rebbe Yochanan says that "רבות בנות עשו חיל" – many daughters have acted virtuously refers to Yosef and Boaz, and "ואת עלית על כלנה" – but you rose above them all refers to the greater achievement of Palti.