"You should always set a king over you, one whom G-d, your G-d chooses." Shoftim 17:15

A JEWISH KING

ONCE, the Baal Ketzos Hachosen (Rabbi Aryeh Leib) asked the Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch, the Rebbe of Ziditchov, "Why are these times so different from the time of the earlier generations, even just a few hundred years ago?"

"I've noticed," continued the Baal Ketzos Hachosen, "that since the Baal Shem Tov has arrived, he has attracted a large number of followers to beliefs that were primarily the teachings of Ari HaKodesh. So Rebbe, how did the Baal Shem Tov attract such a multitude of followers to his teachings when the same teachings weren't so accepted before?"

Reb Tzvi Hirsch answered, "Let me explain with a parable."

There was a country where the King died and left without designating someone to assume the position of King. The people searched everywhere in the kingdom for a replacement but couldn't find anyone of suitable stature. Finally, they heard of a man from a distant land that had the characteristics of a great King. He was described by all who saw him as handsome, strong, brilliant, wise, and of exceptional character. There were no other men that even came close to this person, especially in brilliance, wisdom and character. Although, the people of this country were seriously considering appointing this man as King, they still hadn't met him and were reluctant to make such an important decision based on rumors.

Then, a highly respected man returned from traveling to that faraway land and reported that he had seen the candidate with his own eyes. He described how special the candidate was, especially his wisdom and character. After hearing the account of the traveler, some people were ready to accept the man as their King. However, most of the people were still reluctant to make such a decision without actually seeing the man themselves.

A wise man living in that country without the King finally took the initiative to bring the candidate to his country for everyone to see. He took the long, arduous journey to the far away land and convinced the candidate to personally come to his country where the people were desperate to find a King. When the man arrived and the people of the country had the opportunity to meet him and see with their own eyes that he was in fact as handsome, strong, brilliant, wise and of exceptional character as they had heard, they immediately crowned him to be their King.  

Then Reb Tzvi Hirsch continued, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his students were like the ones that spread the rumor of the greatness of the man in the parable. They were the first to reveal the secrets of G-d's glory in the holy Zohar to the general population but the Zohar was still a very esoteric book and most people just couldn't understand the meaning of its teachings.

Then the Arizal, as with the highly respected man who returned from traveling to that faraway land in the parable, began to expound on these esoteric teachings that were first publicly taught in the Zohar. But his explanation of these lofty spiritual matters still couldn't be appreciated by most people since they couldn't see or understand them.

And then came the Baal Shem Tov, like the wise man in the parable who took the initiative to bring the candidate to his country. The Baal Shem Tov revealed G-d by showing that G-dliness exits in everything, even this physical world, without exception. But then, the Baal Shem Tov went even further by teaching us how we can embrace G-d's Holiness with our thoughts and even our everyday speech and action.

Thus the Baal Shem Tov, just like the wise man in the parable, was able to bring the King of Kings before the eyes of all people.

And so it was.

Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane Cohn from a story found in DIVREI TZADDIKIM and translated in STORIES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV by Y.Y. Klapholtz.

You shall set a king upon yourself, whom the L-rd your G-d shall choose; from among your brothers you shall set king over yourself... . . (Deuteronomy 17:15)  

The king of Israel is the heart of Israel. This explains the verse: "How can I go, for Saul will hear and kill me?" (I Samuel 16:2).1Why was he scared to go? He could have gone in secret. What he should have said was: "How can I return, after I have anointed someone else as king? Saul will kill me."

The reason is because the king is the heart of Israel, and the heart hears2 - that is, it understands. This is what Samuel meant: "How can I go, for Saul will hear?" Since he was still the king of Israel before David's anointment, "he will hear" - that is, he will understand the purpose of my going, "and he will kill me." However, he was not afraid to return, because by then David had been appointed king, and Saul would not understand or hear, for certainly Samuel acted in secret.
Degel Machane Ephraim, Va'eschanan

1When G-d told the Prophet Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint David as king instead of Saul, Samuel expressed fear that Saul would hear of his trip and try to kill him.
2Based upon I Kings 3:9, where King Solomon prays: ""And now, O L-rd my G-d, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in . . . Give, then, Your servant a listening heart, to judge your people. . . "