Rabbi Yudan tells us that for seven long years, as Solomon built the Beit Hamikdash, the Temple, he abstained from wine. A monumental achievement. But the moment he finished, the moment he married Bitya, the daughter of Pharaoh, he celebrated with wine. And here's where things get interesting.
That night, there were two dances, two celebrations intertwined. One for the Temple, a beacon of holiness, and the other for the Pharaoh’s daughter. And, according to the text, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, The Holy One, blessed be He, was essentially like, "Which one of these am I supposed to be happy about?"
The stakes? The story suggests that in that moment, God considered destroying Jerusalem! As it says in (Jeremiah 32:31), "For this city has been a cause of My wrath [api] and of My anger from the day that they built it until this day, to remove it from My presence." Rabbi Hillel bar Hileni cleverly points out that the Hebrew word api, "my wrath," can also mean "my nose," likening God's reaction to wrinkling one's nose at a foul odor.
Can you imagine? The weight of that moment!
Rabbi Honya adds that Pharaoh’s daughter danced eighty kinds of dances that night. Solomon, exhausted or perhaps a bit too merry, slept until four hours into the day, the keys to the Temple still under his head. Now, normally, the daily morning offering was sacrificed at the very beginning of the morning (as we see in Tamid chapter 3). But on this particular day, because Solomon overslept, it was offered several hours late.
Talk about a royal screw-up!
Someone had to say something. The text offers two possibilities. Some say it was Solomon's mother who entered and rebuked him. Others say it was Yerovam ben Nevat. How could Yerovam, a commoner, dare to rebuke a king? Rabbi Hagai, citing Rabbi Yitzchak, explains that Yerovam gathered a thousand men from his tribe and, with their support, confronted Solomon. As (Hosea 13:1) says, "As Ephraim spoke there was trembling [retet]." The numerical value of retet is one thousand, subtly hinting that Yerovam's words caused Solomon to tremble.
But HaKadosh Baruch Hu, The Holy One, wasn’t thrilled with Yerovam's audacity either! God essentially said, "Who are you to rebuke a prince in Israel? I'll give you a taste of his authority, and you won't be able to handle it." And, the text says, as soon as Yerovam became king, "he became guilty through the Baal and he died" (Hosea 13:1), because he introduced idolatry.
But let's go back to Solomon's mother. The Rabbis suggest she was the one who really gave him a piece of her mind. She took her shoes and started slapping him, saying, "What, my son [beri], and what, son of my womb?" (Proverbs 31:2). Rabbi Hoshaya points out that it doesn't say "beni" (my son), but "beri." This alludes to the commands and prohibitions of the Torah, which is called bar (clear), as in "Yearn for bar" ((Psalms 2:1)2), because all its matters are barim (clear).
She continues, reminding him of his father’s many wives and the vows they made to bring sacrifices if they bore Solomon. "Now, I have stood and my offerings are with me, and you are sleeping?" A powerful moment, filled with a mother's love and concern. She quotes (Proverbs 31:3), "Do not give your strength to women, or your ways to that which destroys kings." She reminds him that licentiousness led to the Flood and the destruction of a generation.
The passage continues, quoting more of Proverbs 31, emphasizing the importance of kings staying sober and mindful of God's word. Rabbi Yochanan states that kingdom isn't given to those who stray from God, but to those who follow His word. Wine can lead to forgetting what's legislated, even the 248 limbs of the human body!
Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa sums it up poignantly: God says, "I had a great House, and I destroyed it only due to wine." The Rabbis add that the two sons of Aaron died because they entered intoxicated with wine.
But the story doesn’t end on a down note. The Holy One says that while wine causes trouble in this world, in the future, it will bring joy. As (Joel 4:18) says, "It will be on that day the mountains will drip with wine."
So, what can we take away from this incredible story? It's a reminder that even the wisest among us are fallible. That moments of celebration can be fraught with danger. And that the consequences of our actions, even seemingly small ones, can be enormous. But also, it offers a glimmer of hope, a promise that even the things that cause us trouble now can, in the future, be transformed into sources of joy. It's a complex, layered story that invites us to reflect on the balance between celebration and responsibility, pleasure and mindfulness, in our own lives.
Rabbi Yudan said: During all the seven years that Solomon built the Temple, he did not drink wine. Once he had built it and married Bitya daughter of Pharaoh, that night he drank wine. There were two dances there, one a celebration for the building of the Temple and one a celebration for the daughter of Pharaoh. The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Whose [dance] shall I accept, of these or of those?’ At that moment, it entered His mind to destroy Jerusalem. That is what is written: “For this city has been a cause of My wrath [api] and of My anger [from the day that they built it until this day, to remove it from My presence]” (Jeremiah 32:31). Rabbi Hillel bar Hileni said: This is like one who passes a filthy place and wrinkles his nose.15The Hebrew word api, my wrath, can also mean, my nose. Rabbi Ḥonya said: Pharaoh’s daughter danced eighty kinds of dances that night. Solomon slept until four hours of the day, and the keys to the Temple were under his head. That is what we learned regarding the daily morning offering, that it was sacrificed at four hours.16Mishna Eduyot 6:1. Generally the daily morning offering would be offered at the very beginning of the morning (see Tamid chapter 3). However, since Solomon slept so late and he had the keys to the Temple, it was sacrificed on that day several hours later. His mother entered and rebuked him. Some say that Yerovam ben Nevat entered and rebuked him. How was he able to do so? Rabbi Ḥagai in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: He stood and assembled one thousand from his tribe and entered and rebuked him. That is what is written: “As Ephraim spoke there was trembling [retet]” (Hosea 13:1);17The numerical value of the Hebrew word retet is one thousand. as Yerovam spoke [he aroused] the trembling of Solomon.18Solomon trembled in anger at Yerovam’s rebuke. Alternatively, Yerovam trembled in anger as he rebuked Solomon. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Why are you rebuking him? He is a prince in Israel! As you live, I will give you a taste of his authority and you will be unable to bear it.’ Immediately, when he entered the kingship, “he became guilty through the Baal and he died” (Hosea 13:1).19When Yerovam became king over ten tribes, he introduced idolatry and thereby became liable to die. The Rabbis say: Certainly, his mother rebuked him. She took her shoes and was slapping him with them this way and that, and she said to him: “What, my son [beri], and what, son of my womb?” (Proverbs 31:2). Rabbi Hoshaya said: “What, my son [beni]” is not written here, but rather, “what beri.” These are the commands and the prohibitions of the Torah, which is called bar, just as it says: “Yearn for bar” (Psalms 2:12), because all its matters are clear [barim]. “And what, son of my vows” (Proverbs 31:2) – she said to him: ‘My son, your father married many wives. When Natan the prophet came and said to him: “Behold, a son is born to you…for Solomon will be his name” (I Chronicles 22:9), each of them would say: ‘If I produce Solomon, I will sacrifice all the offerings in the Torah.’ Now, I have stood and my offerings are with me, and you are sleeping? “Do not give your strength to women, or your ways to that which destroys kings”’ (Proverbs 31:3). She said to him: ‘My son, the generation of the Flood was erased from the world because they were steeped in licentiousness.’ “It is not for kings, Lemoel” (Proverbs 31:4). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Kingdom is not given to one who distances himself from the words of the Lord, but one who performs the word of God, he will be installed as king. “It is not for kings to drink wine” (Proverbs 31:4); let kings not drink wine, lest they forget and say like the one who said: “Who is God, that I should heed his voice?” (Exodus 5:2). “Or for princes: Where is [ei] strong drink?” (Proverbs 31:4). “O” is written;20The term “where is [ei]” is traditionally pronounced ei, but is actually written aleph vav, which is pronounced “o.” woe [oi], because of wine. “Lest he drink and forget what was legislated” (Proverbs 31:5). Anyone who drinks much wine will ultimately forget the two hundred and forty-eight limbs that are in him. That is what is written: “Lest he drink and forget what was legislated [meḥukak].” Meḥukak is written [without a vav], and they are two hundred and forty-eight.21Mem – 40, ḥet – 8, kof – 100, kof – 100 = 248. Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘I had a great House and I destroyed it only due to wine.’ The Rabbis say: I had two princes and they died only due to wine, as Rabbi Yishmael taught: The two sons of Aaron died only because they entered intoxicated with wine…The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Because in this world, wine is trouble for the world; in the future I will render it joy.’ That is what is written: “It will be on that day the mountains will drip with wine” (Joel 4:18).
