A heavy scene, right? That's where we find ourselves with a certain king in the Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg). He's surrounded by Queen Alfar'anit and his nobles, all weeping, as he prepares to pass on.
The obvious question arises: who will take his place?
His princes and counselors urge him to choose a successor from among his sons. Now, this king wasn't exactly short on offspring. He had three sons and two daughters with Queen Alfar'anit, plus, let’s just say, additional children from... other sources. Let's meet the contenders.
First, there's ATRO, the eldest. Not exactly king material, it seems. Ginzberg describes him as an idiot, precipitate, and heedless in all his actions. Ouch. Not a great start for the line of succession.
Then we have ADIKAM, the second son. Now, Adikam’s got brains. He’s cunning, clever, and well-versed in all the wisdom of Egypt. Sounds promising, right? But... there's a catch. He was, shall we say, physically challenged. Ginzberg tells us he was ungainly in appearance, fleshy, and short of stature, barely a cubit and a space tall (that's roughly around two feet!), with a beard flowing all the way down to his ankles. So, brains and wisdom? Yes. Regal appearance? Perhaps not.
And finally, Moryon is mentioned as the third son, though nothing is said about him here. And then there are the daughters, Bithiah and Akuzit... but in this patriarchal society, they are unlikely to be considered.
So, what's a dying king to do? He's got one son who's a fool and another who's brilliant but… vertically challenged and somewhat hirsute. The pressure is on! Who will inherit the throne? That's the question hanging in the air, isn't it? And it's a question that will undoubtedly shape the future of the kingdom. What qualities do you think make a good leader? Is it intelligence? Appearance? Or something else entirely?