Since antiquity, mankind has recognized the need for kings. The distinct natures and interests of the individuals that make up every society are a recipe for strife and contention, and only a king can keep law and order while leading the society in a single direction of general interest. In light of this, a Mishna in Pirkei Avos advises: “Pray for the welfare of the government, for if not for the dread that it casts upon society, people would swallow each other alive.”

Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah #71) remarks that no group of people can reach any collective decision without a king. That king’s decisions will sometimes be good and sometimes be bad, but the doubtful results of any decision are better than the certainty of discord and strife when there is no decision. It follows that in a modern-day democracy, in which the people are led by a group of leaders who are subject to the opinions of their co-leaders as well as their followers, the extent of the government’s ability to lead will be limited accordingly. Only a single leader has true leadership and can bring out the best of his followers.

Also, since antiquity, mankind has endured suffering specifically because of kings. Tales of corrupt tyrants fill pages of history, and we need look no further than the narratives in Tanach. From the heights of glory in the days of King David and King Shlomo, the nation declined steadily until almost complete ruin, as the majority of kings led them in accordance with their corrupt interests and idolatrous leanings instead of rallying them in the service of Hashem. Even a casual glance at news headlines these days should suffice to lead a person to conclude that democratic countries contribute more to the world’s peace and welfare than do countries that are run directly or indirectly by dictators.

The Torah’s perspective on kings is a rich topic of discussion, which we will only touch upon in this brief article (see Sanhedrin 20b; Rambam, Melachim 1:1-2; Derashos HaRan §11; Abarbanel and Rav Hirsch to Devarim 17, et al).

The Torah states in Parashas Shoftim: “When you come to the land…and you will say, ‘Let me appoint for myself a king, like all the nations around me,’ you shall surely appoint for yourself a king” (17:14-15). Most Halachic authorities cite the above as a source for a mitzvah to appoint a king. However, when we look a little further, in the eighth chapter of the Book of Shmuel, we find that Hashem was greatly disappointed when the Jewish people demanded that Shmuel provide them with a king.

Many explain that Hashem was not disappointed about their request for a king, but rather because the time was not yet ripe or because of the impure motive behind their request. They specifically asked for a king "so that they could be like all the nations," which one opinion interprets as a request to be led by a king would lead them according to the idolatrous practices that were popular at that time, and not according to the righteous practices of the Torah.

Another opinion states that their mistake was that they wanted a king to lead them in their battles. Now, while a non-Jewish nation needs the unity imposed by a king in order to conduct warfareeffectively, the Jewish people are meant to win their wars with Hashem's assistance, as was the case until that point in history. Hashem is our King, and when we fulfill His precepts, He grants us miraculous victories over our enemies. And when we disobey Him, He places us under the rule of foreign nations until we return to Him. This was the pattern that repeated itself throughout the Book of Shoftim and until the time of the nation’s request for a king in the Book of Shmuel. This means that their request for a king to fight their battles was a request for their battles not to be dependent on their righteousness. Instead, they were asking to replace Hashem’s kingship with human kingship. Therefore, national ruination followed. When the Torah commands us to appoint a king, it means to appoint someone to enforce the mitzvos. Or, in other words, to appoint a representative of Hashem and not a replacement.Don Yitzchak Abarbanel contends that it is not ideal to appoint a king and the Torah does not command us to do so. He elaborates at length about the evils of kings and the folly of placing the reigns of multitudes in the hands of one fallible individual and granting him unlimited power for an unlimited period. Since we cannot trust the righteousness and wisdom of any mortal, we cannot entrust our lives into the hands of any king. He explains that the Torah means to say that if the Jewish people should be so foolish as to demand a king, this is how they must appoint one, and these are the mitzvos that he must observe (Devarim 17:14-20). He compares this to the mitzvah of Yefas To’ar at the beginning of Parashas Ki Seitzei.

Very soon, when we become deserving, and when the time arrives for Jewish kingship in its fullest sense, Hashem will appoint as His representative the righteous Messianic king, who will lead us as one soul in the glorious worship of our Creator.