Settling the Score

Shavua Tov. I often refer to today’s Haftarah as the “Godfather Haftarah.” King David realizes that he is about to die, and gives instructions to his successor, Shlomo. He enumerates those individuals who were loyal to him, and should be treated well. But he also points out that he had some unfinished business with Yoav Ben Zeruya and Shimi Ben Geira. In a godfather like manner, David tells Shlomo to be certain that they do not reach old age. Shlomo got the message and took care of these two who disrespected his father. The obvious question was why didn’t David take care of these two himself. Why did he leave it for his son? The answer is that timing is everything. There is a right time when a response will produce results. If it is the wrong time, it can bring disastrous results. David had to balance his kingdom and such decisions had to be made carefully. The same is true in personal relationships. We have to know when a response will bring results. For example, an argument can never be settled when one of the parties is angry. We also need to be smart and find the right time, when the other side will be receptive to fixing things. All of this can be learned from David and how he settled matters.