Q:
Why was Lot rewarded with such progeny, such prosperity like the malchus beis David if it came about through giluy arayos – incest?
A:
And the answer is, we have to realize that Hakadosh Baruch Hu was planning the malchus Beis David.
Now, Dovid HaMelech had a certain quality that helped him to perfection. It was the quality of anavah.
Remember, Dovid had every reason to be arrogant, to be proud. Dovid was a beautiful man, טוב ראי – a good looking man; אדמוני – he had red complexion, red cheeks (Shmuel I, 16:12).
He also was נעים זמירות – a beautiful singer, and he composed such beautiful things. The ruach hakodesh that Dovid utilized inspires the world today in Tehillim. נעים זמירות ישראל.
Dovid was a great fighter too and he conquered all the enemies around. We don’t realize how the nation was grateful. They loved him. They admired him.
Dovid was a great servant of Hashem. דוד עבדי – Dovid My servant. With all his heart, he loved Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And as we study Tehillim, we learn so many ikrei ha’emunah from Tehillim that serve as an illumination on the chumash. The chamisheh seforim of Tehillim are a revelation, a peirush on chamisheh chumshei Torah. It’s remarkable how much you can learn from Tehillim if you study it properly.
Dovid was the one who envisioned the plan for the Beis Hamikdash. It was Dovid’s idea. He was the one who thought about it and he actually prepared all the materials. His son built it, but Dovid had all the materials ready for it.
So Dovid had every reason to be proud and arrogant. And yet, דוד הוא הקטן, הוא בקטנותו מתחילתו ועד סופו. It says that “Dovid was the youngest brother” but our Sages learn from there that “he remained little from the beginning to the end” (Megillah 11a). Dovid was an anav, even at the end.
Now, how did that happen?
It happened in a number of ways. I’ll give Dovid credit for using his bechirah – his free will. He worked on anavah.
We’ll also say what the Chovos Halevovos says. When a man is aware of Hakadosh Baruch Hu more and more, he becomes a bigger anav. דע לפני מי אתה עומד – Know before Whom you stand. When you’re standing in the Presence of Hashem, automatically you’re humble. That’s the best way to become an anav. And the Chovos Halvovos, that’s his system of anavah, to remind yourself that you’re always standing before Hashem. Not like other people say, that anivus means you’re an anav towards other people. No! He’s an anav because he’s in the Presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. He didn’t speak לפני מי שגדול ממנו. Hashem is greater than he was, so he kept his mouth closed all the time.
But the Gemara (Yoma 22b) says that there was another reason why he was an anav. משל לאדם, a man is carrying a box of shratzim. A man is carrying a box of worms for a certain reason, on his back. Let’s say he forgets what he’s carrying and he becomes arrogant as he’s walking. He’s proud.
So they say to him, חזור לאחריך – “Look what’s behind you. You’re carrying a box of worms – don’t be stuck up. Don’t be so arrogant.”
What’s the mashal? Dovid came from a very low ancestry. He came from Rus Hamoaviah. And the reason was, the Gemara says, that Dovid should remain an anav.
Not only Dovid looked back on his own but he was reminded constantly. Dovid had enemies. It’s a remarkable fact – Dovid had enemies. It’s because he was successful and they were jealous of him. He had very big enemies. Even after his death, he still had enemies. They were jealous of him. And one of the things they used to throw up to him behind his back, “Look where he came from.” Everybody else is proud of their ancestry, their blue-blooded ancestry from Avraham Avinu, but he came from Moav. And Moav was a shame; Mo Av – from the father. The daughter conceived from her father – it was a shame.
And Dovid became an anav because of that too. It helped out. It helped out. If you have yichus, you are justifiably conceited. “I’m proud of my ancestry.” But Dovid looked back and he saw that he came from Rus, a giyores. And Rus came from Moav. And Moav was a shame; even to say the word Mo-Av.
The Gemara says that, so when he was misga’eh, he was proud, they said, חזור לאחריך – “Look what’s doing behind you. You’re carrying a box of shratzim. Look where you come from, Dovid.”
Now that was necessary. It was a big benefit for Dovid. Even though Dovid could have become an anav on his own, every little bit helps. Every suggestion helps too. The fact that he came from such an ancestry encouraged him even to become a bigger and bigger anav.
And Dovid said, מי אנכי ומי ביתי – “Who am I and who is my family?” (Shmuel II, 7:18). When Nosson Hanavi came to him and Nosson Hanavi said, “Nobody can sit down in the azarah of the Beis Hamikdash. In the courtyard of the Beis Hamikdash that will be built, nobody can sit down; but you, Dovid, you and your children, will be able to sit down.” Only Dovid and his children can sit. So Shlomo sat in the courtyard. אין ישיבה בעזרה אלא למלכות בית דוד בלבד.
Even before they built the Beis Hamikdash, they also had a beis Hashem. So, ויבא המלך דוד וישב לפני ה׳ – he sat down (ibid.) He sat down. The navi told him, “You sit down, Dovid. Hashem loves you. He’s giving you this privilege forever, לדוד ולזרעו עד עולם.”
So Dovid said, “Who am I? מי אנכי – Who am I, ומי ביתי – and what’s my family, כי הבאתני עד הלם – that you brought me to this place? I should sit down here? Who am I? Who’s my family?”
You see, he was reminded of his family: ומי ביתי – Who’s my family? So therefore, the fact that he came of a low family was a benefit for him. And that’s why Hakadosh Baruch Hu made it turn out so.
So Lot is not to blame. Lot was drunk. He didn’t know what he was doing. And his daughters are not to blame because they didn’t know there were other people alive in the world. They thought that this was the end of the world. They had to save mankind. So nobody really is to blame. But Hakadosh Baruch Hu did this in order to make sure that Dovid should be perfect in his humility to Hashem.
(November 1988)
