Ari's Really Interesting Shiur
on King Solomon, the Angel of Death, and demons
Ari learned this over Succos (It’s from Gemara Succah) and it was so interesting and I enjoyed his solution to the riddle so much that I had to write it up to share. He’s planning on delivering it in shul Friday night, so if you’re a subscriber who attends, you may want to wait to hear it firsthand in his inimitable style.
It starts with the Gemara in Succah 53a. (Note that words in bold are the actual translation and unbold is the translation of the Steinsaltz interpretation):
הָנְהוּ תַּרְתֵּי כּוּשָׁאֵי דַּהֲווֹ קָיְימִי קַמֵּי שְׁלֹמֹה, אֱלִיחֹרֶף וַאֲחִיָּה בְּנֵי שִׁישָׁא, סוֹפְרִים דִּשְׁלֹמֹה הֲווֹ. יוֹמָא חַד חַזְיֵיהּ מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת דַּהֲוָה קָא עֲצִיב, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אַמַּאי עֲצִיבַתְּ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: דְּקָא בָעוּ מִינַּאי הָנֵי תַּרְתֵּי כּוּשָׁאֵי דְּיָתְבִי הָכָא. מַסְרִינְהוּ לִשְׂעִירִים, שַׁדְּרִינְהוּ לְמָחוֹזָא דְלוּז. כִּי מְטוֹ לְמָחוֹזָא דְלוּז — שְׁכִיבוּ.
The Gemara relates with regard to these two Cushites who would stand before Solomon: “Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha” (I Kings 4:3), and they were scribes of Solomon. One day Solomon saw that the Angel of Death was sad. He said to him: Why are you sad? He said to him: They are asking me to take the lives of these two Cushites who are sitting here. Solomon handed them to the demons in his service, and sent them to the district of Luz, where the Angel of Death has no dominion. When they reached the district of Luz, they died.
לִמְחַר, חַזְיֵהּ מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת דַּהֲוָה קָבָדַח! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אַמַּאי בְּדִיחַתְּ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: בַּאֲתַר דִּבְעוֹ מִינַּאי, תַּמָּן שַׁדַּרְתִּינְהוּ. מִיָּד פָּתַח שְׁלֹמֹה וְאָמַר: רַגְלוֹהִי דְּבַר אִינִישׁ אִינּוּן עָרְבִין בֵּיהּ, לַאֲתַר דְּמִיתְבְּעֵי — תַּמָּן מוֹבִילִין יָתֵיהּ.
The following day, Solomon saw that the Angel of Death was happy. He said to him: Why are you happy? He replied: In the place that they asked me to take them, there you sent them. The Angel of Death was instructed to take their lives in the district of Luz.1 Since they resided in Solomon’s palace and never went to Luz, he was unable to complete his mission. That saddened him. Ultimately, Solomon dispatched them to Luz, enabling the angel to accomplish his mission. That pleased him. Immediately, Solomon began to speak and said: The feet of a person are responsible for him; to the place where he is in demand, there they lead him.
Questions:
What does it mean Shlomo saw the Angel of Death?
Why was the Angel of Death sad? Was he unable to kill these two people? Is the Angel of Death limited like that? Or was he able to, but the thought made him sad? If so, why would he be sad? Presumably he kills people every day.
Why does Shlomo try to change the situation?
Why would he send them to Luz?
Why did he send them with demons? Are these literal demons? Why does Shlomo have access to demons?
What is special about Luz? (Rashi: the angel of death has no dominion there; see Sotah 46b.2) Why would the Angel of Death have no dominion in Luz? Is it normal that there is a place on earth where people are not subject to death?
:
More Questions:
Is this an Oedipus fanfic? The very act of trying to preserve them is the very act that brought about their demise? Should Shlomo not have sent them to Luz?
What is it about Luz?
Why did they die right when they got to Luz?
Did Shlomo not realize that they were destined to die in Luz and the Angel of Death was only allowed to kill them at Luz? Surely if he had known that Luz would be dangerous to them, he would not have sent them to Luz.
Why would Luz be a place where the Angel of Death has no dominion, and yet the Angel of Death was only allowed to kill them in Luz? Isn’t that contradictory?
What is Shlomo’s reaction to their deaths? He put in all this effort and sent them via demons to Luz, and then it turns out they died, and he ends up with this pithy (okay, not so pithy in Aramaic) “insight”: “A person’s feet are responsible for him; they take him where he needs to be.” What does that mean? What’s the big insight? What kind of reaction is this? At first glance, it seems like it means, “Oh, well, I tried; what can I do? A person’s feet are going to bring him where he needs to be.” Does that mean don’t try? Fate?
Let’s hop over to Rashi’s source in Sotah 46b for a factfinding mission on the background about Luz:
תַּנְיָא, הָיָה רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר: כּוֹפִין לִלְוָיָה, שֶׁשְּׂכַר הַלְוָיָה אֵין לָהּ שִׁיעוּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיִּרְאוּ הַשֹּׁמְרִים אִישׁ יוֹצֵא מִן הָעִיר וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ הַרְאֵנוּ נָא אֶת מְבוֹא הָעִיר וְעָשִׂינוּ עִמְּךָ חָסֶד״, וּכְתִיב: ״וַיַּרְאֵם אֶת מְבוֹא הָעִיר״, וּמָה חֶסֶד עָשׂוּ עִמּוֹ — שֶׁכׇּל אוֹתָהּ הָעִיר הָרְגוּ לְפִי חֶרֶב, וְאוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ וּמִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ שָׁלְחוּ.
It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Meir would say: There is coercion with regard to accompaniment, i.e., one who does not want to accompany another is nevertheless required to do so, as the reward for accompaniment is without measure. The proof of the importance of accompaniment is from a verse, as it is stated with regard to when the Jewish people laid siege to the city of Bethel: “And the watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him: Show us, please, the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you” (Judges 1:24), and it is written: “And he showed them the entrance to the city” (Judges 1:25). And what kindness did they perform with him? It is that they killed the entire city by the sword, but that man and his family they sent free.
״וַיֵּלֶךְ הָאִישׁ אֶרֶץ הַחִתִּים וַיִּבֶן עִיר וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמָהּ לוּז הוּא שְׁמָהּ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה״,
The Gemara elaborates on the reward received in that story. The next verse states: “And the man went to the land of the Hittites, and he built a city, and he called its name Luz; that is its name to this day” (Judges 1:26).
And then for even more background, we take a closer look at Shoftim (Judges) 1, cited by the gemara.3 It talks about each tribe conquering the territory God gave it by lottery. Yosef needed help conquering, a person helped,4 and this person and his family were spared. And then that man went and built a city and called it Luz.5
Honestly, it’s weird that the guy delivered Luz into the Israelite hands and then built a new city whose name is Luz to this day. In a different location. Is there significance to this? Leaving that aside, this new Luz ended up with a bit of a reputation:
תַּנְיָא: הִיא לוּז שֶׁצּוֹבְעִין בָּהּ תְּכֵלֶת, הִיא לוּז שֶׁבָּא סַנְחֵרִיב וְלֹא בִּלְבְּלָהּ, נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר וְלֹא הֶחְרִיבָהּ, וְאַף מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת אֵין לוֹ רְשׁוּת לַעֲבוֹר בָּהּ. אֶלָּא זְקֵנִים שֶׁבָּהּ, בִּזְמַן שֶׁדַּעְתָּן קָצָה עֲלֵיהֶן יוֹצְאִין חוּץ לַחוֹמָה, וְהֵן מֵתִים.
It is taught in a baraita: This is the city Luz where sky blue wool is dyed. It is the same city Luz where, although Sennacherib came and exiled many nations from place to place, he did not disarrange and exile its inhabitants; Nebuchadnezzar, who conquered many lands, did not destroy it; and even the angel of death has no permission to pass through it. Rather, its Elders, when they have decided that they have reached the end of life, go outside the city wall and die.
Questions:
How does knowing this about Luz help?
What is the significance of the sky blue wool being dyed there?
Is it magical that two conquerors didn’t conquer it?
What does it mean that the Angel of Death has no permission to pass through there? Are we to imagine that literally old people left the city to die? Why is there no death there? Is that related to it escaping the two major attacks on the Israelites (the 2nd one leading to the destruction of the first temple and exile)?
And that still seems contradictory, that the Angel of Death has no power here and yet these 2 people were fated to die here.
ANSWERS
It’s easiest to approach this kind of story like a riddle, a metaphor, an exaggeration of fantastical elements to make a point. Nobody is actually claiming that King Solomon converses with a literal Angel of Death. Angel of Death would just be the forces that cause people to die.
You might ask, how do we know this is not literal? One: It breaks the laws of nature as we know them. Two: If we take it as a hyperbolic riddle AND we make sense of it, that’s pretty cool, right?
Were these people fated to die or not? If yes, why was the Angel of Death sad in the story? If yes, why did it have to be at Luz? If yes, why did Shlomo try to stop it?
So we deduce that there seems to be some conflict. In some ways, the Angel of Death was “sent.” Yet he was “sad” and could not do his mission.
Rashi adds that they were Cushites, which is a euphemism for extremely good looking.6 One might speculate from this detail (similar to the gorgeous man who took a Nazarite vow7) that they had the potential due to their unusually striking looks to be pulled into a world of destructive hedonism. But it could go in either direction. Shlomo noticed this (ie “spoke to the Angel of Death”) and decided to attempt to set them on a better path.
Where did he choose? Luz. Luz has numerous factors that seem to contribute to the quality of “nobody dies there.” Even (perhaps exaggeratedly) the elders leave the city when it is time to die. It is a city associated with life, with merit, with a focus on values that help a person merit living a worthwhile life and attitudes and actions that deserve saving. What are they?
Production of blue dyed wool: the blue string on the tzitis that reminds us of our commandments and our mission8
A city founded by someone who founded this city as a result of our attribute of “hakaras hatov” appreciation for a favor done for us9
The city represents how much impact a small act of kindness can have long term effects reverberating through generations10
I do not personally believe that it is reasonable to take literally the idea that Luz has magical properties and nobody ever died there. It does make sense to me that this city did “miraculously” escape Sancherav’s invasion (which exiled the 10 tribes) and Nevuchadnezar’s invasion (which destroyed the temple), causing the Rabbis (between the years 70 and 500) to ponder what was special about this city.11
Shlomo, in that sense, would have sent the two good looking hedonists on a possible destructive path to that city, hoping that the city would have the type of impact it seemed to have on all the people there–being a city full of people living good and worthwhile lives of principle and kindness, working on production of a product that constantly kept these values in the forefront of the whole city’s minds.
Now that we’ve settled Shlomo’s alleged “discussion” with the Angel of Death and its “sadness,” and his decision to send the men to Luz, it’s time to discuss the demons. What does it mean Shlomo sent demons to accompany them to Luz? Assuming he didn’t have actual minions.
I like R’ Moshe ben Chaim’s explanation of demons: Based on Rabbinic statements12 that you should not greet a demon if you encounter one in mountaintops, in isolated places, and at night (as anyone who has had insomnia anxiety can attest), they are the thoughts and concerns that plague a person, the illusions and terrors of isolation. “Don’t greet them” means: Do not take them seriously. They are figments of your deepest insecurities and anxieties. Don’t feed them.
If we take that approach, then we can deduce that Shlomo used some sort of psychological terror strategy to drive these two people to run to Luz. He did it in their best interest, in the hopes that they would run towards a wholesome and enriching environment that would change their lives around and spare them from the destructive path that he could see, with his insight, leading to likely death.
However, they reached Luz, but died there. It seems that despite Shlomo’s efforts, they chose a destructive path and they followed that path over the metaphorical cliff and into death. Imagine drinking and recklessly riding a motorcycle. Imagine seducing a very jealous and powerful man’s wife. Who knows. They were at the city that could have shifted their lives around if they chose, but they chose the other path. And they died.
When Shlomo “sees the Angel of Death again, who is happy he attained his mission,” it means he heard of their death. And then he said: “A person’s feet are going to take them where they need to be.”
Meaning they made their choice. Shlomo tried to intervene, which was a noble and reasonable thing to do. However, a person ultimately chooses their own path and a person intent on self destruction cannot necessarily be stopped by outside efforts of other people.
It’s an interesting lesson from the wisest man on making efforts to help someone–and also being able to see that it’s not your responsibility if your efforts are unsuccessful. Everyone chooses their own path.
Addendum Question: Why this is so cryptic. Why not just say this idea straight out?
Answer: Maybe it’s only wise for someone with the wisdom of King Solomon to be using psychological terror tactics to try to lead people to run to a place with a better environment (cf. Penina and Chana)
Rashi: דקא בעו מינאי - אלו מתבקשים ממני למעלה שהגיע זמנם למות ולא היה יכול ליטול נשמתם כיון שלא נגזר עליהם למות כי אם בשער לוז:
Rashi: אמטינהו למחוזא דלוז - עיר שאין מלאך המות שולט בתוכה כדאמרינן בסוטה (דף מו:)
If you want to read about Biblical genocides lacking follow through and conquering of natives, here’s a place to start. In fact, the Jews conquered Gaza in Judges 1:10
I imagine the conquered side would call it “betrayed” not “helped.” We are grateful to this day to this man who showed them the hidden entrance to the city. The midrash says that the Jews had to wait in Egypt for years until the Canaanite nations’ “cup of wrath had been filled,” meaning their behavior was bad enough for enough generations that they deserved to be kicked out of the land
https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/R._N.H._Wessely/Bereshit/15.14#m6e3n6
Hashem tells Yaakov to go down to Egypt and he will die there but it will take 4 generations to get back to Israel because that is when the sin of the inhabitants will be complete.
וְאַתָּ֛ה תָּב֥וֹא אֶל־אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ בְּשָׁל֑וֹם תִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָֽה׃ (טז) וְד֥וֹר רְבִיעִ֖י יָשׁ֣וּבוּ הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֧י לֹא־שָׁלֵ֛ם עֲוֺ֥ן הָאֱמֹרִ֖י עַד־הֵֽנָּה׃
שאם יבואו לארץ טרם התמלא סאתם שישמיד ה׳ אותם מפניהם
Radak:
הוא שמה עד היום הזה – לפי שקרא לה שם העיר האחרת, אמר כי באותו השם שקרא לה, קוראים לה עד היום הזה, לוז.
Abravanel:
ושהלך ארץ החתים ויבן עיר ויקרא שמה לוז וגו׳. וספר זה לבל נשתבש באותו לוז בחשבנו שהיא ביתאל, שנא׳ (בראשית כ״ח י״ט) ואולם לוז שם העיר לראשונה, לכן אמר שהיא לוז אחרת שעשה אותו האיש שיצא משם, וחז״ל (סוטה מ״ו ע״ב) זכרו דברים רבים בלוז הזה והוא דרך דרש:
As in the famous non-pshat interpretation of Moshe marrying the Cushite woman who was Tzipporah, called so because she was so beautiful.
תרי כושאי - על שם שהיו יפים קרי להו הכי
Nazir 4b:
אמר שמעון הצדיק מימי לא אכלתי אשם נזיר טמא חוץ מאדם אחד שבא אלי מן הדרום יפה עינים וטוב רואי וקווצותיו סדורות לו תלתלים אמרתי לו בני מה ראית לשחת שער נאה זה אמר לי רועה הייתי לאבי בעירי והלכתי לשאוב מים מן המעיין ונסתכלתי בבבואה שלי ופחז יצרי עלי וביקש לטורדני מן העולם אמרתי לו ריקה מפני מה אתה מתגאה בעולם שאינו שלך שסופך להיות רמה ותולע' העבודה שאגלחך לשמי' עמדתי ונשקתיו על ראשו אמרתי לו כמותך ירבו נזירים בישראל
"Speak to the Children of Israel, and say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and they shall put on the fringes of the corners a cord of blue. (39) It shall be for you as fringes, and you shall see it and remember all the commandments of Hashem and do them, and you shall not wander7 after your heart and after your eyes, after which you go astray; (40) so you shall remember and do all My commandments, and you shall be holy to your God.
As the gemara says: And the watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him: Show us, please, the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you” (Judges 1:24), and it is written: “And he showed them the entrance to the city” (Judges 1:25). And what kindness did they perform with him? It is that they killed the entire city by the sword, but that man and his family they sent free.
The gemara continues: Are these matters not inferred a fortiori: And if this Canaanite, who did not speak with his mouth and explicitly tell them where the city entrance was, and did not walk with them by foot, but merely indicated the correct path to them, nevertheless caused himself to be rescued and also had the merit to provide rescue for his descendants until the end of all generations, then with regard to one who accompanies another by foot, all the more so will his reward be great.
Maybe this is an unnecessary point, but I cannot help thinking that one side’s “help” is the other side’s “betrayal.” Assuming we are “the good guys,” it’s help and not betrayal. Assuming they are “the bad guys” and their cup of wrath was full and they were “decreed” to leave and make way for the Israelite nation. This went on a lot in the Bible (and in history). And it is uncomfortable now, when “occupying” is a common accusation leveled at us. I will quote two sources which indicate that perhaps this man appreciated what was happening to the Jews and their mission and made a decision to choose the Israelite mission over perhaps the less principled, kind, and ethical ways of his own people: Az Yashir after the splitting of the Reed Sea: “The peoples heard; they shuddered. Writhing took hold of the dwellers of Philistia. (15) Then the chiefs of Edom were terrified; trembling took hold of the leaders of Moav. All the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.”
And the story of Rachav the Zona who ended up marrying Joshua!: (10)and she said to the men, "I know that Hashem has given you the land, and that your terror has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. (10) For we have heard how Hashem dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed. (11) And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there did not remain any more spirit in any man because of you; for Hashem your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. (12) Now therefore, please, swear to me by Hashem, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's house — and give me a true token —(13) and keep my father alive, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death."(14) And the men said to her, "Our life for yours, if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall be, when Hashem gives us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you."(15) Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was inside the wall, and she dwelled upon the wall.
Tosafos Gittin 66a, Megila 3a
דדוקא חוץ לעיר [היכא דשכיחי מזיקין] כגון בשדה ובלילה …אבל במקום שבני אדם מצויין אין לחוש
דוקא בבור או אותו שעומד על ראש ההר וראהו בפרק בתרא דיבמות (דף קכב.) ואסור לאדם שיתן שלום לחבירו בשדה דבמגילה (דף ג.)