King Without a Crown?

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The last time I wrote about Elizabeth, I compared her to Pharaoh.

Rosh Hashanah is coming. This is my big chance to repent.

I don't know whether or not Prince King Charles was in shul last Shabbos, but I hope for his sake that he was.

(It's actually quite hard to say "King Charles," isn't it? So let's try to get used to it.) 

If for some reason he was in shul, then he would have heard the Torah reading that outlines the ethical guidelines of a righteous king.

• Don't have too many wives - check.
• Don't have too many horses - check.
• Don't have too much money - check? (What's "too much money" these days? Compared to J.K. Rawling and Sir Paul, Elizabeth died practically a pauper.)

And had Elizabeth spent her last Shabbos in shul with him, she might have been given pause by the words of the Haftarah, where Yeshiyah (Isaiah) is un-awed by royalty: Why should you be afraid of a man who will die, or of a human over whom grass will grow?

Verily, this is an historic moment, and I suggest we strive to fulfill the words of Ben Zoma:

Who is wise? One who learns from everyone (Pirkei Avos 4:1).

It seems to me the most remarkable fact about Elizabeth II is that despite her seventy years on the throne, she seems to have died without any enemies.

How many politicians of any stripe ever achieved anything comparable, in any country, at any time in history?

First question for your table: Would the lack of enemies be a sign of virtue?

Yet, one is reminded of Churchill's quip, "So you've made some enemies? Good, that means you've stood for something."

Second question for your table: Per Churchill, would this imply that Elizabeth never stood for anything?


Shabbat Shalom


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