In our parashah we have the mitzvah of the Torah to appoint a Jewish king for the people of Israel: "You shall set a king over you." The Children of Israel in all their generations are servants of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. Why do they also need a king of flesh and blood? And what can we learn from this for our daily service to HaShem?
The peoples of the world appoint a king to maintain the order and the laws of the country. From him people learn how to behave, but they can also fail. But because of the fear of the king, the man changes his course and corrects his way. Another task of the king in leading the country is that when he is exalted over the people, he knows how to guide them by promulgating laws that benefit the nation. The task of the king of the people of Israel has two aspects: if the Children of Israel are at a low spiritual level, they will fear the king and respect him, and by virtue of his leadership and guidance, they will submit to the King of the universe, G-d. And if the Children of Israel are on a higher spiritual level and submitted to G-d by themselves without the king’s help, the degree of holiness and submission of the king to G-d are higher and he influences all the people and leads them to join more to HaShem.
Despite the fact that in the days of the galut there is no king over the people of Israel, we have the guidance of Chaza’’l. The sages hold the position of the king in the time of the galut, guide the people and unite them to G-d. We must comply with what is said in the Mishnah "Make for yourself a teacher", every Jew and also a Jewish child must choose a Rabbi and teacher who will guide him in the service of G-d. In our generation, the generation of the geulah there is a unique bond with this instruction, and by fulfilling it we hasten the coming of our righteous Mashiach soon in our days.
