In the Haftorah of Chayei Sarah we read that when King David became old he was cold and couldn’t be warmed even by clothing (blankets). David’s advisers sought a young unmarried girl whose body warmth would help warm him. They found a very beautiful girl by the name of Avishag, the Shunamit, who became a sochenet (assistant, see below) for the king. The king, however, did not marry her.
This article will discuss the details of this intriguing arrangement as well as some other details about Avishag.
Why Was King David Cold?
The Talmud says that David couldn’t be warmed by garments as a punishment for tearing King Saul’s garments when he was pursued by Saul.
In fact, David tore King Saul’s garments to prove to him that he could have killed him but didn’t. His intent was to convince Saul that he bore him no ill will and that Saul should stop trying to kill him. As such, David was justified in ripping the garment as he was doing so to save his life. Nevertheless, the commentaries explain that David cut the corner of the garment which included the Tzitzit when he should have cut another part of the garment that wouldn’t have ruined the tzitzit. Thus, his act was considered a disgrace of the (tzitzit) garment.
According to the Midrash, King David became cold when he saw the angel with a sword stretched out over Jerusalem as the angel was about to strike Israel with a plague. The fright and terror of this vision affected him to the extent that he was unable to warm himself from that chill.
How did Avishag Keep him Warm?
According to our sages, the body warmth of a virgin is greater than that of a non-virgin, which is why the servants sought a virgin. Some say that this is the reason King David didn’t marry her – so that she maintain her virginity and provide him with that warmth. According to the Ralbag it was King David’s natural attraction to Avishag that increased his body temperature (although he wasn’t intimate with her). This is why a beautiful girl was chosen – to increase his attraction and thus, his body temperature.
Avishag’s Side Job
The verse says that Avishag was a sochenet for the king. According to Rashi this means a “warmer” (see Kohelet 10:9). Others say that this refers to a side job that she would perform for the king which was done as a pretense for her presence in the king’s court.
Treasurer
According to Ralbag, she was a treasurer. A similar meaning of sochen is found in Isaiah (22:15).
Kitchen Staff
Others say she was in charge of the food in the king’s kitchen. In this context, sochenet means manager or overseer.
Why Didn’t King David Marry her?
The Talmud says that King David could not marry Avishag because he already had 18 wives and concubines, which is the maximum allowed by the Torah for a king to marry. The sages of that time allowed David to be alone with Avishag (see below) despite the Rabbinic prohibition of Yichud (seclusion with a member of the opposite sex who isn’t one’s spouse or immediate family member), rather than advising him to divorce one of his wives or concubines. This shows us how negatively the sages viewed divorce.
It is interesting to note that King David was no longer intimate with his 10 concubines after Avshalom had consorted with them. Despite this, he didn’t divorce them as it was better for them to be his wives (even in name only) rather than his divorcees.
Fixing the Sin
Some say that by not being intimate with Avishag (although she would sleep “in his bosom”) King David rectified the sin of taking Bat Sheva inappropriately. This would explain why his servants specifically sought a beautiful girl – in order to increase King David’s desire so that he could overcome it and rectify that sin.
Why Was Yichud Permitted?
As mentioned above, the Talmud says that the sages permitted King David to be alone with Avishag. There are several opinions as to why they allowed this:
To Save his Life
Some say that, due to his frigid body temperature, King David was considered dangerously ill, and so the sages permitted the above arrangement in order to save his life.
To Keep him Warm
Others say that his illness was serious but not life threatening. Even so, the sages permitted this arrangement since the purpose of Avishag’s presence was for warmth and not for any licentious activity. This is contrasted with another case in the Talmud where the rabbis forbade any leniency in the laws of modesty for a man who was lovesick for a particular (unmarried) woman, for in that case, the leniency would have involved immoral behavior.
Why Was Neg’iah Permitted?
It’s forbidden to hug or kiss a woman to whom one isn’t married (except one’s immediate family members). This prohibition is commonly known as negiah which means “touching.” The same applies to sleeping in the same bed. (An older child shouldn’t sleep with their parent of the opposite sex unless they are clothed.) As such, we need to understand how King David and Avishag were allowed to sleep together even though they were not married. This is especially difficult in light of the above-mentioned story in the Talmud where the rabbis didn’t allow any leniency for a man who was lovesick for a girl even if it meant he would die.
Here is some background that will help us explain this matter:
Negiah; Torah or Rabbinic?
The Rambam is of the opinion that negiah is a Torah prohibition (in a case where the man and woman are forbidden to each other by Torah law) while the Ramban (Nachmanides) is of the opinion that it’s a Rabbinic violation.
Non-Affectionate Touch
Some say that the Torah prohibition (according to the Rambam) only applies if one touches the other person in a loving manner. If, however, the touch is a professional one, such as a doctor examining patients, it’s not forbidden. (Even so, non-affectionate touch is only allowed in a case of need, such as a doctor.)
Others say that even non-affectionate touch is forbidden by Torah law (according to the Rambam).
Based on this we can understand how King David was allowed to sleep with Avishag.
- According to the Ramban, this prohibition is of Rabbinic origin. As such, the rabbis permitted it in order to treat his illness.
- Since this case didn’t involve affectionate touch, some say that the prohibition is only Rabbinic even according to the Rambam. As such, the rabbis permitted it to keep him warm.
- According to those opinions that non affectionate touch is also forbidden by Torah law, this case is different since Avishag wasn’t a married woman or otherwise forbidden to David. (Although he wasn’t allowed to marry her, intimacy without marriage wouldn’t have been a severe violation.) In this case, such touching isn’t forbidden by Torah law. The difference between the case of the lovesick man (see above) and that of King David is that the rabbis didn’t allow licentious behavior with an unmarried woman (even at the pain of death) but weren’t strict when it was for a medical purpose.
Choosing Avishag
The Talmud points out how differently David’s servants chose Avishag compared to how Achashverosh’s servants chose Esther. David’s servants chose only one young woman and certainly all of the families of that time vied to have them choose their daughter. Achashverosh’s servants on the other hand took all of the young girls although only one of them would be the princess. Understandably, the families in Achashverosh’s time did their best to conceal their daughters so that they not be chosen.
Avishag’s Family
The names of Avishag’s parents are unknown but, according to our sages, her sister was the Shunamite woman who hosted Elisha. That Shunamit woman is called “a great woman” due to her association with King David through her sister. It is noteworthy that these stories occurred approximately 120 years apart.
Her Tribe
According to Joshua 19:18, the city of Shunem was in the portion of Yissachar. As such, it stands to reason that Avishag was from that tribe.
Life after David
After King David passed away and his son Solomon assumed the throne, Adoniyahu, the oldest surviving son of David, asked his brother King Solomon for permission to marry Avishag. (Although one may not marry one’s father’s wife, Avishag had never married King David as mentioned above.) Solomon took this as an (another) act of rebellion–Adoniyahu had already rebelled once–since only a king can “use the scepter” of another king. (That is, although Avishag and King David were not man and wife, she was very closely associated with him, and marrying her would be perceived as being royalty.)
The implication of this event is that Avishag was not eligible to marry anyone besides King Solomon. There is no record, however, that she did marry him.
Lived to a Ripe Old Age
Some say that Avishag was still alive at the time when Elisha blessed her sister, the Shunamite woman, to have a baby and that she was living in their house at the time of the story. This is why Elisha told Geichazi, “call that Shunamite woman” as he was specifying to call her rather than her older sister who was also a Shunamite woman and was also present. This would mean that Avishag lived to be at least 130 years old.
Gilgul
According to the Arizal, the sisters Avishag HaShunamit and the Shunamite woman (of the story with Elisha) were reincarnations of Bilha and Zilpa, the wives of Yaakov, who were also sisters.
May we merit to overcome temptation and rectify our sins!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMevorach!
Copyright 2024 by Rabbi Aryeh Citron
