As we continue our exploration of laws pertaining to a king, we are reminded that Deuteronomy 17:18–20 stipulates that a king of Israel must write a Torah scroll and keep it with him as he rules:
When he is seated on his royal throne, he shall write for himself a copy (mishneh) of this teaching (torah) on a scroll … Let it remain with him and let him read in it all his life, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God, to observe faithfully every word of this teaching as well as these laws. Thus, he will not act haughtily toward his fellows or deviate from the instruction to the right or to the left, so that he and his descendants may reign long in the midst of Israel.
The Hebrew word torah can mean either teaching or Torah. According to Deuteronomy, having a copy of this torah (or Torah) at hand helps the king remain in fear of God, rule justly and, by virtue of those things, enjoy a long reign.
A beraita on today’s daf interprets the verses from Deuteronomy using the second meaning — Torah — and reiterates Deuteronomy’s assertion that the king must write the entire scroll himself:
He does not beautify himself with a Torah scroll of his ancestors.
In other words, a king cannot make use of a Torah that has been passed down to him by his family. Rather, he must write a new Torah for himself.
Perhaps it is not only kings who are required to write a Torah scroll, as the amoraim now discuss:
Rava says: Even if an ordinary person’s ancestors left them a Torah scroll, it is an obligation for them to write a scroll of their own, as it is stated: “Now, therefore, write for yourselves this song.” (Deuteronomy 31:19)
Abaye raised an objection to him: And he (the king) writes himself a Torah scroll for his sake, so that he does not beautify himself with the Torah scroll of others. A king, yes, but an ordinary person, no.
According to Rava, who equates shira (song or poem) with Torah, Deuteronomy 31:19 signals that not just a king but indeed every Jew is required to write a Torah for themselves. This is a beautiful sentiment but perhaps a somewhat extraordinary requirement given the time and expense involved in scribing a Torah. In contrast, Abaye, referring back to the original text in Deuteronomy 17:18, thinks the requirement to write a new Torah falls only on the king. Ordinary Jews may use hand-me-down Torahs from their ancestors.
Deuteronomy says the king must have a mishneh torah. The Gemara notes that the word mishneh, usually translated in this context as copy, can also mean second. When we read it this way, a third position is possible: Yes, everyone is obligated to write a Torah for themselves. A king, however, is obligated to write two. So Rava and Abaye are, in some senses, both right.
What does a king do with his two Torahs? A beraita explains:
One goes out and comes in with him at all times, and one is placed in his treasury. The one that goes out and comes in with him is very small, like an amulet, and he hangs it on his arm.
One of the king’s Torahs, presumably the one that fulfills the obligation that falls on everyone, is stored in a safe place. The second Torah, which guides him as he rules, is meant to stay with him at all times. To facilitate this, the second Torah is made small and attaches to his arm, like a piece of jewelry. The king therefore literally adorns himself with Torah.
Well, most of the time anyway, as the beraita then points out:
He does not go into the bathhouse with it, nor into the bathroom, as it is stated: “And it shall be with him and he shall read from it” (Deuteronomy 17:19), meaning it shall remain in a place that is appropriate for reading from it.
It’s a rabbinic ideal for Jews to immerse themselves in the study of Torah, both royalty and common folk. But there are limits. And that limit, as we might recall from way back in Tractate Berakhot, is the lavatory.
Read all of Sanhedrin 21 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on January 7, 2025. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
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