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Solomon Tried to Remove a Yod From Torah and Lost the Argument

Solomon thought the yod in one Torah verse could not apply to a king as wise as himself. The letter rose and accused him before God.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. Solomon Read the Yod Out of the Verse
  2. The Torah Came as a Witness
  3. Three Holy Appearances That Corrected the King
  4. The Dawn of Creation Had Already Named Him

The smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet decided to take a king to court. Solomon had armies, the Temple, a reputation for wisdom that had reached every nation, seven hundred wives, three hundred concubines, horses beyond counting, and more gold than anyone before him had assembled. The yod, the tenth letter, the smallest mark in the alphabet, had almost no visible dimension. It looked like a single brushstroke, a suspended moment of ink. It still won.

Solomon Read the Yod Out of the Verse

Deuteronomy 17 contains the law of the king. He shall not multiply horses for himself. He shall not multiply wives. He shall not greatly multiply silver and gold. The word used each time is yarbeh, from the root that means to multiply. The yod that begins the word is the third-person masculine singular prefix. Without it, the verb would be a different form.

Solomon read the verse as conditional. He told himself the prohibition was aimed at lesser kings, kings who would be led astray by horses or wives or wealth, kings who could not handle abundance without losing their way. He was the wisest man alive. He had prayed only for wisdom, not for wealth or long life, and God had given him all three. Surely a man of his stature could gather horses and wives and gold without the consequences the verse described. He was different from the king the verse was warning against.

He was wrong.

The Torah Came as a Witness

In the version preserved in the Legends of the Jews tradition, Deuteronomy itself rose before God and lodged a complaint. Solomon was trying to remove a yod from the Torah. If a legal document has letters removed from it, the document collapses. The document cannot function without its letters. If Solomon could strip the yod from yarbeh because he believed it did not apply to him, then the whole of the written law was vulnerable to the same kind of reasoning from the next king who believed himself exceptional.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, in the Midrash Rabbah tradition, names the accuser precisely: the yod of yarbeh. Rabbi Shimon gives the full scene: the book of Deuteronomy prostrates itself before the Holy One and argues that Solomon has rendered it invalid. God rules against Solomon. The yod will outlast a hundred kings like Solomon. The law does not bend for wisdom. The wisdom that thinks it can see past the law has misunderstood both what the law is and what wisdom is.

Three Holy Appearances That Corrected the King

The tradition records three moments when the Holy Spirit appeared in response to events in Solomon's court. The first was when Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David while the Temple was not yet complete: the Holy Spirit considered destroying the world entirely, and was restrained. The second was when Solomon sat in judgment and rendered the decision about the disputed child with the sword: the Holy Spirit praised him. The third was when the court investigated whether he had used his wisdom to override the Torah: the Holy Spirit condemned him.

The three appearances bracket his career. His greatest achievement, the Temple, began in the shadow of a marriage that alarmed heaven. His most celebrated judgment was genuinely worthy of praise. His fall was caused not by lust or greed alone but by the specific intellectual failure of believing that his particular wisdom placed him outside the rules that existed for less capable men.

The Dawn of Creation Had Already Named Him

The tradition that traces Solomon's name back to the moment of creation, to a verse in which the divine name appears in connection with the word shalem, whole or complete, catches a double meaning. He was named Solomon in connection with peace, with wholeness, with the completion of what David had begun. But the same root that gives him his name gives the language the word for a debt paid, for an account settled, for a restitution made. The yod he tried to remove from the text was collecting a debt he had run up across a lifetime of exceptions he had made for himself.

SolomonTorahCreationLettersWisdomDivine JusticeDeuteronomyJudgment
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From the tradition

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The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Vayikra Rabbah 19:2Vayikra Rabbah

Like, staring up at a mountain of laundry or a career change and thinking, "Where do I even begin?" Well, you're not alone. Our sages grappled with this feeling too, especially when it came to the immensity of Torah study.

In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, we find a beautiful and surprisingly relatable discussion on how to approach a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Rabbi Ḥanin of Tzippori starts us off with a powerful image: a mound of dirt, a telulit in Hebrew, and how differently a fool and a wise person approach it. The fool looks at it and throws up their hands: “Who can ever remove this?” But the clever one? They say, “I’ll remove two baskets today, two baskets tomorrow, until I remove it all.”

It's such a simple analogy, isn't it? But it speaks volumes about our mindset. The Midrash then connects this to Torah study. A fool looks at the vastness of Torah – Nezikin with its thirty chapters, the complex intricacies of Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, and Bava Batra (which, by the way, are considered one integrated tractate, as we see in Bava Kamma 102a) – and gets paralyzed. Kelim, another massive tractate, looms large. They think, "Who can ever learn all of this?"

The wise person? Ah, they take it one step at a time. "I'll study two halakhot (Jewish laws) today, two tomorrow, until I study all the Torah in its entirety." Rabbi Ami succinctly captures this with the verse from (Proverbs 24:7): “Wisdom is lofty to a fool.” It's not about innate ability, but about approach.

Rabbi Yoḥanan adds another layer with the image of a loaf of bread suspended in a house. The fool wonders, "Who can take this down?" The wise one remembers that someone must have put it up there. They figure out a simple solution – two reeds attached together – and solve the problem. Similarly, even the greatest sage learned Torah from someone else. We can all access it, bit by bit.

Then Rabbi Levi chimes in with a particularly evocative image: a perforated basket. Imagine hiring workers to fill it. The fool gets discouraged, thinking, "What's the point? I fill it from here, and it flows out there!" But the wise worker focuses on the task at hand: "Do I not receive a salary for each and every barrel?" The reward is in the effort itself, regardless of the immediate outcome. This resonates deeply when we think about studying Torah and inevitably forgetting some of it. But, as the clever one knows, does the Holy One, blessed be He, not give reward for effort? Absolutely.

Rabbi Ze’ira offers a final, powerful thought: even the seemingly insignificant dots, the kotzim, in the Torah are actually heaps upon heaps – tilei tilim. They have the power to destroy the world or render it a mound, a tel, as (Deuteronomy 13:17) says, "It shall be an eternal mound, it shall not be rebuilt.” Every detail matters.

These teachings, found in Vayikra Rabbah, are not just theoretical. They emphasize the profound value and impact of consistent, dedicated study, even when the task seems daunting. But what happens when someone tries to change Torah, even in a small way? Well, the Midrash doesn't shy away from that question either.

Rabbi Alexandri bar Ḥagai, quoting Rabbi Alexandri Kerova (so named either because he was a prayer leader who recited kerovot, liturgical poems, or because he led the congregation in coming close, karov, to God) states that if all the nations of the world assembled to whiten one wing of a raven, they couldn't. Likewise, they couldn't uproot one matter from the Torah.

The Midrash then recounts the story of King Solomon, who, in his wisdom (or perhaps overconfidence), sought to reinterpret a commandment. (Deuteronomy 17:16-17) commands the king not to amass horses or wives, lest he be led astray. The Hebrew uses the phrase lo yarbeh – "he shall not amass." Solomon, however, thought he could amass these things and still avoid the pitfalls.

But the Midrash tells us that a prosecutor arose! Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says it was the yod (the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet) of yarbeh that prosecuted him. Without the yod, the word would be rava, changing the meaning and effectively nullifying the commandment!

Rabbi Shimon even imagines the Book of Deuteronomy itself ascending to God, protesting that Solomon had invalidated it. The Holy One, blessed be He, reassures Deuteronomy: “Solomon and one hundred like him will be void, and a yod from you will never be void.”

This idea of the yod – this tiny, seemingly insignificant letter – holding immense power continues. Rav Huna, in the name of Rav Aḥa, says that the yod that God took from Sarai's name when He changed it to Sarah, was divided and given to both Abraham and Sarah.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa adds that the yod, having been removed from Sarai's name, pleaded with God. God responded by promising to place it in the name of a male – thus, Joshua (Yehoshua).

The Midrash goes on to illustrate how even a single letter change can have catastrophic consequences for key theological concepts. Altering the dalet to a reish in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), turning echad (one) into acher (other), destroys the affirmation of God's unity! Likewise, manipulating letters in verses about profaning God's name (Leviticus 22:32), denying God (Jeremiah 5:12), or betraying God (Hosea 5:7) all lead to equally disastrous outcomes.

The final teaching is a poignant reminder of God's eternal nature. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana says: Everything erodes (bala), but You do not erode. Ein biltekha – none outlasts You.

So, what do we take away from all of this? The immensity of Torah, like any grand endeavor, shouldn’t paralyze us. Break it down, approach it with consistent effort, and remember that even the smallest details hold immense value. And perhaps most importantly, recognize the enduring power and sanctity of the words we study. The Torah is not just a text; it’s a living, breathing entity that shapes our world and our understanding of the Divine. Now, what two halakhot will you study today?

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Legends of the Jews 5:130Legends of the Jews

Solomon, in all his glory. The king whose wisdom was legendary, whose wealth was unparalleled, whose temple stood as a evidence of divine favor. Yet, even he wasn't immune to the temptations of the world.

The story goes that as Solomon’s riches grew, so did his forgetfulness of God. He started collecting wives – going directly against the instructions laid out for kings in the Torah. And not just wives, but horses too, and mountains of gold. Essentially, he was doing everything Deuteronomy explicitly warned against.

The scene. The Book of Deuteronomy itself – personified, no less! – steps before God. "Look, O Lord," it says, "Solomon is trying to erase a Yod from me!" A Yod, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, but immense in its significance.

Deuteronomy is referring to the passage, "The king shall not multiply horses unto himself, nor shall he multiply wives to himself, neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold" (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). According to this tradition, Solomon’s actions were so egregious, so directly opposed to divine law, that it was as if he were trying to literally tear a letter from the very scroll of the Torah itself.

God’s response? It’s "As thou livest," He declares, "Solomon and a hundred of his kind shall be annihilated ere a single one of thy letters shall be obliterated."

Whoa.

It's a powerful reminder that even the most powerful figures are accountable. No amount of wisdom or wealth can excuse disobedience to divine law. The integrity of the Torah, even down to the smallest letter, is paramount. This isn't just about following rules; it's about the very foundation of faith and covenant.

What do we take away from this? Maybe it's a warning to ourselves, regardless of our own status or accomplishments. Are we allowing the allure of the material world to cloud our spiritual vision? Are we, in our own ways, perhaps trying to erase a little Yod here and there? It’s a question worth pondering.

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Midrash Tehillim 72:1Midrash Tehillim

In Jewish tradition, these questions lead us straight to the Source of all righteousness, the Holy One, blessed be He. And surprisingly, also to King Solomon.

Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, delves deep into this very idea. It all starts with the verse from (Psalm 72:1), "To Solomon, give Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king." But who exactly is this "righteous" one

Rabbi Isaac Luria, a towering figure in Kabbalah, suggests something profound: the truly righteous one is none other than God Himself. As it says in (Psalms 11:7), "For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds." This makes you think. readers often It challenges us to consider where our own sense of justice originates. "Say ye of the righteous, that it shall be well with him," the scripture from Isaiah (3:10) reminds us.

Then, Rabbi Ibo offers another beautiful interpretation. Remember when God created the world and saw that it was "very good" (Genesis 1:31)? Rabbi Yosei bar Chanina connects this back to Moses and his famous encounter with God. When Moses asked God for His name, God responded, "I am that I am" (Exodus 3:14). The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) points out that the phrase "I will be" is written three times, implying God created the world mercifully and will continue to govern it with mercy. It’s a comforting thought.

But what does this all mean for us, mere mortals, striving to live righteously?

Well, the Midrash shifts its focus to the "fruit of His deeds," emphasizing the importance of leaving a legacy of righteousness for our children. Even King David, a towering figure himself, passed on his commitment to justice and righteousness to his son, Solomon. And it brings us back to that initial verse, "Give Your judgments to the king."

David, in his prayer, essentially asks God to grant Solomon the ability to judge as God does – without needing witnesses or warnings. And God, in a powerful moment, seems to agree. The text references (1 (Chronicles 29:2)3), stating, "And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord." Now, hold on a minute! The Midrash anticipates our surprise. Can a human really sit on God's throne? Of course not literally! Instead, it means Solomon judged as God's agent, embodying divine justice.

This brings us to one of Solomon's most famous cases: the two prostitutes (1 (Kings 3:1)6) arguing over a baby. Rav said they were spirits, while Shmuel said they were actual prostitutes. Either way, it was a tricky situation. Rabbi Simon emphasizes that a judge must carefully weigh arguments. Solomon's seemingly bizarre solution – to cut the baby in half – was actually a stroke of genius.

Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Elai even chimes in, saying he would have executed Solomon for suggesting such a thing! But Solomon's wisdom was in the revelation it prompted: the true mother would rather give up her child than see it killed.

The Midrash highlights that when Solomon suggested cutting the child in two, he began to speak wisdom, saying, "The Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that this judgment was to come before Him, therefore He created for man two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two legs, and two hands."

The people, initially skeptical, were awestruck by Solomon's wisdom. As it says in (1 Kings 10:8), "Happy are your people! How blessed are these servants of yours, who stand before you always, listening to your wisdom!"

Rabbi Elazar then offers a beautiful parallel, noting that God's presence was revealed in moments of righteous judgment: in the court of Shem (Genesis 38:26), in the court of Samuel (1 Samuel 12:5), and now in the court of Solomon.

But here’s the real question: how did Solomon know the truth? It's possible the women switched babies! The Midrash acknowledges this, suggesting that a bat kol – a heavenly voice – revealed the truth.

What does it all mean? Maybe it's that true wisdom and righteous judgment are not just about logic and evidence. Maybe they require a spark of divine inspiration, a connection to something greater than ourselves. Maybe, like Solomon, we all have the potential to access that wisdom and bring a little more justice into the world.

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Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 145:11Yalkut Shimoni on Torah

(Genesis 38:26) Rabbi Elazar said: In three places the holy spirit appeared. In the court of Shem, as it is written, "And he said, She is more righteous than I" (Genesis 38:26). How did he know [the child was his]? Perhaps just as he had said that he had relations with her, she had relations with others too! A heavenly voice went forth and said, "From Me [mimeni] these hidden matters came forth." In the court of Samuel, "And he said, Here I am; testify against me... And he said, He is witness" (1 Samuel 12:3,5). [And in the court of Solomon,] "And the king answered and said, Give her the living child... she is its mother" (1 Kings 3:27). How did he know? Perhaps she was being cunning! A heavenly voice went forth and said, "She is its mother." Rava said: From what [do you prove a heavenly voice]? Perhaps Judah counted the days and the months, and it happened that it fit [the time he was with her], so we establish the claim; and one who does not fit we do not establish. And Samuel too all Israel are called "one," as it is written, "Israel is saved by the LORD" (Isaiah 45:17). As for Solomon's court, it was reasoning: this one shows mercy and that one does not but rather it is a tradition they had learned.

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MidrashHebraic Literature (1901)

When the Torah laid out the rules for Israel's king, it gave three specific warnings. In Deuteronomy 17, Moses wrote that the king shall not acquire for himself many horses. He shall not take for himself many wives, lest his heart turn away. And he shall not accumulate too much silver and gold.

King Solomon broke all three.

He stabled horses from Egypt by the thousand. He married seven hundred wives and took three hundred concubines. He accumulated gold until silver lost value in Jerusalem. He was the wisest king Israel ever had. And he read the Torah the way a talented lawyer reads a contract, looking for the spirit that could excuse him from the letter.

Rabbi Simon teaches that the angels themselves watched this, troubled. They approached the Holy One with a grievance.

"Sovereign of the world," they said, "Solomon has made Your law like an ordinary law, subject to repeal, subject to amendment. Three precepts he has disregarded. If Your wisest king treats Your Torah as negotiable, who will hold it fixed?"

And the Holy One answered them. "Solomon will perish from the earth. A hundred Solomons will perish after him. And not the smallest letter of the Torah will be changed."

The kings are mortal. The kingdoms pass. The yud stays.

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Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vaera 2:2Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vaera

Another interpretation: "For oppression makes a wise man foolish" (Ecclesiastes 7:7). The dealings in which Solomon engaged, with matters that were not necessary, led him astray, as it is said, "And it came to pass, when Solomon was old, [his wives turned away his heart after other gods]" (I Kings 11:4). Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said: It would have been better for him had he raked out gutters, and this verse had not been written about him.

And what are these matters? "The words of Agur son of Jakeh, the burden; [the utterance of the man to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal]" (Proverbs 30:1). Why was his name called Agur? Because he gathered up the Torah. "Son of" (ben), because he understood it (bin). "Jakeh" (Yakeh), because he disgorged it (heki). What is "to Ithiel" (le-Iti'el)? That the Holy One, blessed be He, wrote in His Torah, "He shall not multiply wives for himself" (Deuteronomy 17:17), so that his heart not turn away. Solomon said: I will multiply, and I do not fear that his heart will turn away.

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: The yod went up and prostrated itself before the Holy One, blessed be He. It said before Him: Master of the World, have You written one letter in Your Torah in vain? Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai taught: The book of Deuteronomy went up before the Holy One, blessed be He. It said before Him: Master of the World, here is Solomon seeking to uproot a yod from me, for You wrote in me, "He shall not multiply horses for himself," "He shall not multiply wives for himself," "and silver and gold he shall not greatly multiply for himself" (Deuteronomy 17:16–17).

Whence did he multiply horses? As it is said, "And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses" (I Kings 5:6). Whence did he multiply wives? As it is said, "And he had seven hundred wives, princesses" (I Kings 11:3). He multiplied silver and gold, as it is said, "And the king made silver [as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones]" (I Kings 10:27). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to it: By your life, Solomon and a hundred like him shall be nullified, but one letter shall not be nullified. And what caused Solomon to come to this? The dealing with matters in which there was no need. Thus, "For oppression makes a wise man foolish."

And do not say Solomon alone, but even Moses, at the hour when he went to Pharaoh. What is written? "And afterward Moses and Aaron came [and said to Pharaoh]" (Exodus 5:1). Rabbi Hiyya bar Rabbi Abba said: It was Pharaoh's reception day, and all the kings came and crowned him, for he was the mighty ruler of the world. And Moses and Aaron were standing at the palace gate. They came in to Pharaoh and said to him: Two elders are standing at the gate of your palace. He said to them: Are there crowns in their hands? They said to him: No. He said to them: Let them come last. They came in to Pharaoh. He said to them: What do you seek? They said to him: "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us to you," and He said to us that we should say to you, "Send out My people that they may serve Me in the wilderness" (Exodus 7:16). He said to them, "Who is the Lord that I should heed His voice?" (Exodus 5:2), and He did not know enough to send me a crown of His own, but comes to me with words. "Who is the Lord that I should heed His voice?"

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