David stresses to his son, Solomon, that leadership is not a right, it is a duty. That a leader has to set a moral example for the nation.
A Quick D’var Torah – Leadership as Duty
Yosef is the first of the brothers to die. He dies at the age of 110, which—by the standards of the patriarchal period—is relatively young. The Rabbis comment that this may be connected to the tremendous burden Yosef carried. After all, he was not merely a family leader; he was the viceroy of Egypt, the dominant superpower of its time. Such responsibility brings enormous stress, and that strain can shorten a person’s life.
We see this even in modern times. If you look at photographs of world leaders—especially presidents—when they enter office and when they leave, the difference is striking. Leadership ages a person. The emotional and physical toll is real.
Yehuda, by contrast, lived longer. He too was a leader, but his leadership was of a different nature. Yosef governed a vast, active empire; Yehuda led a family—though, as the old Jewish joke reminds us, leading Jews often means leading “millions of prime ministers.” Still, the scale and intensity of Yosef’s role were far greater, and that difference matters.
This idea is echoed in the Haftarah of the week, where King David prepares to hand over the kingdom to his son, Shlomo. Just as Yaakov transfers leadership of the family to Yehuda, David transfers royal authority to Shlomo—but not without warning. David emphasizes that kingship is not about power alone. A leader must be personally moral. It is not enough to speak about values; one must live them, visibly and consistently.
Here, American history offers a powerful parallel. When George Washington became the first president, he was acutely aware that he was defining the nature of the office. Though he had every right to wear a military uniform at his inauguration, he chose instead civilian clothing—to show that he was a servant of the people, not a ruler above them. When elaborate titles were proposed for him, it was ultimately “Mr. President” that prevailed—a title that emphasized earned authority, not inherited status.
That is precisely David’s message to Shlomo: you may be king, but every day you must earn the right to rule.
Yehuda earned the respect of his brothers. Yosef earned the trust of Egypt. Neither position came automatically. Leadership is not a license, and it is not a privilege—it is a duty. Leaders must be honest, morally upright, and accountable. They must say what they mean, mean what they say, and never treat power as permission to exploit others.
That is something worth remembering—by leaders, and by those who choose them.
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