Midreshet Amit

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Team Malchut

By: Miriam Heyman

There are many different names for God. One of his names is Melech Malchai Hamilachim which means He is the King of Kings. But since when was Hashem king? You might think the obvious answer is that Hashem was always King—but it is a little more complicated than that.

When Hashem created the world, He created something on every day. On the third day, Hashem created the grass and plants and trees. Yet later, in perek bet, The Torah says, "Vichol siach hasadeh terem yismach" - and all the weeds hadn't yet grown. So which one is it- did Hashem bring out all the plants on the third day as it seems from the first perek or did he not? Rashi and Ramban answer, according to a Gemara, that on the third day they were created but they didn't yet sprout through the ground. However, on the sixth day after man was created, the rain came down and once it rained, the plants started to grow.

Why didn't it rain before? Rashi explains Hashem didn't bring the rain until there was someone to daven for rain. Once man was created on the sixth day, he prayed for rain and the plants had the ability to grow.

Every day at the end of creation it says, "Vayihi erev vayihi boker yom echad, or yom shainie." On the sixth day it says, "Vayihi erev vayihi boker yom HAshishi.", with an extra letter "Hey". Rashi explains that when Hashem created the world, He left the world's future existence hanging on the condition that on THE sixth day, the sixth of Sivan, if Bnei Yisroel would accept the Torah. If they would, the world would continue. If not, the world will go back to the original nothingness.

In davening we say the Song of The Day which is according to what happened on that day. On the sixth day it says, "Hashem malach gaeut lavaish" - Hashem became king. But why do we wait for the sixth day of the week to declare Hashem Malach!, Hashem is the King? Wasn't this true beforehand? The explanation for this is simple- in order for someone to be king, he has to have subjects. Without followers he is not a ruler. Even though the whole world was created before the sixth day, there were no followers to make Him King. It was therefore on the sixth day, when man was created, that's when Hashem became king.

Now we fully understand "Yom Ha-shishi." The first step in Hashem's malchus was the creation of man. At that point, He had subjects. The second step was Matan Torah when Bnei Yisroel accepted the Torah, which solidified the permanence of the world. It would seem that at this point, Hashem's Malchus was complete. But there was a problem.

The Gemara tells us that when Bnei Yisroel accepted the Torah, they didn't really have a choice because Hashem held the mountain over them and forced them into accepting the Torah. He told them, "If you accept the Torah, good. But if not, this will be your burial site." Hashem was the King, but not a complete King because His subjects did not accept him out of their own will—they were forced into it.

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