“The cohen answered David, ‘I don’t have any regular bread; however, there is consecrated bread — but only if the guards have abstained from women.’ David answered the cohen, “Of course, women have been kept away from us, as on previous campaigns. Whenever I go out on campaign, the men’s gear is clean, even if it’s an ordinary trip. How much more, then, today, when they will be putting something consecrated in their packs!’”-1 Samuel 21:5-6
Do you remember me discussing the rabbinical principle of KAL V’HOMER in the past?
It means the weighing of the LIGHT versus the HEAVY.
The Rabbis and Sages always understood that when life and well-being are being threatened, that situation has to be weighed against the strictest interpretation of the Law.
An example I often use is a doctor working on the Sabbath to save a life.
Another great example is during World War II, some righteous gentiles hid Jews in their homes to protect them from the Nazis.
When the German authorities came knocking on their doors, they broke two commandments.
First, they lied.
Second, they disrespected the human government in power at that time.
KAL V’HOMER says that although it’s a sin to lie…
It’s an even greater sin to contribute to the murder of innocent life.
This is a perfect example of weighing the light versus the heavy in a given situation.
Now let’s connect this to the priest offering to give David five of the consecrated loaves of bread under the condition he and the men who were supposedly with him were clean.
The priest had a starving man in front of him.
On top of that, David was representing himself as someone on a critical mission sent by the King.
Therefore, from a Kal V’homer perspective, the commandment to save a life and love your neighbor as yourself took precedence.
However, there’s only one thing ironic about this whole situation.
According to the Torah, the priest didn’t have the right to offer David the LECHEM KODESH (the holy bread)…
And common men are prohibited from eating it.
The fact that Ahimelech, the High Priest at this time, didn’t have any qualms about obeying David’s request goes to show how loosely the Law was applied during this time.
Plus, let’s not forget, that David was lying this whole time.
He wasn’t on a mission from the king…
And he wasn’t accompanied by other men…
So this whole story that his men’s gear was clear because they hadn’t had sex was a bunch of hogwash.
So what’s the takeaway to be gleaned from this situation?
It’s that in a fallen world, it’s not always going to be easy to obey God’s commandments in a binary or black-and-white fashion.
There will be situations when we might have to lie and maybe even steal because not doing so would be breaking an even greater commandment.
Ya feel me?
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