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Dad of David

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Topic: David's Father Vs. Moshe's Father

Rachel Fyman wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

What did Yishai do that gave him the merit to be mentioned always as the father of David, as opposed to, for example, Amram who is rarely mentioned as the father of Moses? Thanks.


Dear Rachel Fyman,

Often the Tanach refers to David as "David son of Yishai" whereas the Torah never refers to Moses as "Moses son of Amram." I think the reason is that David's lineage is of paramount importance. Since David is the founder of the monarchy and the messianic dynasty, the Torah emphasizes that he is a descendant of Yishai who was from the royal tribe of Judah.

Moses, on the other hand, founded the "Torah Dynasty." Through diligence and determination, anyone in the world regardless of lineage can become a Torah scholar. Therefore the Torah de-emphasizes Moses's lineage.

Interestingly, the Torah always refers to Elazar and Ithamar as "the sons of Aharon." Here too, their lineage is emphasized because they owe their positions to their father, Aharon, who was the High Priest.


 
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