Presaging David's Monarchy

Now it came about at that time that Judah went down from his brothers, and he turned to an Adullamite man, named Hirah.                             Genesis 38:1

            Many commentators wonder why Hirah is mentioned, as Ḥassidic Master Rabbi Zvi Elimelech of Dinov phrases it: “I do not know what purpose is served by informing us that Judah turned to an Adullamite man.”

            Akeidat Yitzḥak (Rabbi Yitzḥak Arama, 1420 – 1494) writes: “The proximate reason (for mentioning Hirah) is that he is connected to Judah’s taking Tamar as a wife, since her home was there (in Adullam).” That is, Hirah is seen as the matchmaker between Judah and Tamar (even if only indirectly and unintentionally). Thus, Akeidat Yitzḥak asserts that Hirah’s role was decidedly positive.

            In contrast, Don Yitzḥak Abravanel is of the opinion that Hirah’s role was not positive, but intended to stress the depth of Judah’s descent from his brothers:

Judah’s friendship with Hirah constituted a descent in status compared to his friendship with his brothers, thus the verse states “Judah went down from his brothers,” that is he descended from friendship with his brothers and turned to an Adullamite as a friend.

The fact that Judah left the society of his brothers and instead chose that of an Adullamite gentile, constituted a true descent in his status.

            Based upon Midrash Breishit Rabba, we can understand the role of Hirah as an example of “the events of the fathers presaging the events of the sons.” Thus comments the Midrash:

“And he turned to an Adullamite man named Hirah” – the rabbis say Hirah is identical to Hiram, who lived in the days of King David, as the verse states; “for Hiram always loved David.” [I Kings 5:1] This man (Hirah/Hiram) was used to loving this tribe.

            Quite clearly, the Midrash is not intended to be taken literally, since a literal reading would require that Hirah lived more than one thousand years.

            Rashi comments;

Midrash Breishit Rabba states “This man (King Hiram of Tyre) was used to loving the tribe of Judah” as Hirah the Adullamite loved Judah. [Commentary on I Chronicles 14:1]

That is, the intention of the Midrash is to note that the common thread between Hirah and Hiram was love of members of the tribe of Judah.

            In a similar manner, Rashi’s spiritual descendants, the Tosafists wrote:

Hiram was of the family of Hirah and the entire family loved the tribe of Judah, and therefore Hiram loved Solomon, who was of the tribe of Judah.

            Ḥassidic Master Rabbi Zvi Elimelech answered his own astonishment by suggesting that Hirah’s figure points us to the future. When David, the tenth generation from Judah, [I Chronicles 2:1-15] ran away from King Saul, his first hiding place was the cave of Adullam. [I Samuel 22:1] While David was in the cave, “Every man who was in distress, and every man who had a creditor, and every man of embittered spirit, gathered themselves to him, and he became a chief over them; and there were about four hundred men with him.” [Ibid., 2:2] That is, David’s status as a leader began at the cave of Adullam, as Rabbi Zvi Elimelech phrases the point, “There was the beginning of the blossoming of David’s governance.” The Master notes that according to some commentators, the verse in Psalms “A maskil (some translate the word as “A cry to the Lord,” others as “An instruction”) of David, when he was in the cave” [Psalms 142:1] refers to the cave of Adullam. In this cave, writes Rabbi Zvi Elimelech:

David was aware of what happened with his ancestor Judah, when he “went down from his brothers” he came to Adullam and there “A shoot of monarchy sprang forth.” [based on Isaiah 11:1]

That is, just as the basis for the Israelite monarchy was established by Judah and Tamar in Adullam, so David took his first steps towards realizing that monarchy specifically in Adullam.

            Rabbi Zvi Elimelech suggests that the name “Hirah” is related to “ḥerut” (freedom) and writes;

The name of the man is Hirah, and he is from the city of Adullam, teaching that it is there that the redeemer of Israel (i.e. Messiah, a descendant of King David), who will bring freedom to the entire world,  will be “born.”

This being the case, the role of Hirah is truly significant.

            The primary lesson of the episode of Hirah is that despite the low state Judah had reached when he parted company with his brothers, He Who foresees history from the onset guided events towards the ultimate redemption.