On this amud, Yannai Malka had killed all the Chochomim due to aspersions cast on his status as a Kohen, and felt he needed a Talmid Chochom to recite Birkas Hamazon. His queen made him swear that he would not causej tzaar to Shimon ben Shetach who she would bring to bentsch for them.

Tzlach, in a long and complex piece, explains why Yannai or others members at the seuda were in a quesitonable position to bentsh, and why a Chochom was needed.

One question is, how is it that a person as ruthless as Yannai would be so careful with such particulars of the Halacha as to exactly who is qualified? In fact, it seems strange that such a person would be careful to recite Birkas Hamazon in the first place. A person of his ilk often feels that he is on top of the world and other people should pay homage to him.

Also, of what value is a Shavua made by such a person, as in this case where his queen had him swear?

Thank you

Y. Gesser

A much simpler explanation than that of the Tzelach is given by the Etz Yosef in the Ein Yakov, as well as in the Ben Yehoyada. Yanai was looking for a Talmid Chacham to bless him with Birchas ha'Ore'ach. A lonely king had need of a Berachah.

Very often one finds people who do horrible things, yet still consider themselves to be righteous and keeping Mitzvos. They usually manage to justify their own dastardly misbehavior. The ravens brought food to Eliyahu ha'Navi from the table of Achav, one of the most wicked of all Jewish kings and who lost his portion of Olam ha'Ba. However, notwithstanding his worship of Ba'al and his murderous behavior in the case of Navos, he must have kept a Kosher home if Eliyahu was eating the food from there.

So, too, in the case of Yanai. Remember that Yanai had been tricked by Elazar ben Po'ira into believing that the Chachamim considered him to be of tainted descent. The Gemara in Kidushin (66a) records the whole episode, and indeed the accusation against him turned out to be false. He was furious (and as he was a Kohen, he had the Midah of "Kohanim Ragzanim Hem") and he was adroitly maneuvered by Elazar ben Po'ira to kill all the Chachamim because of the alleged disrespect to him as king. (See the Gemara in Kidushin there.)

When he calmed down, he would have been under the influence of his wife Salome, who was a Tzadekes Gemurah, the sister of Shimon ben Shetach, and she would certainly have influenced him to keep Torah and Mitzvos as much as possible. He, too, after all, was the great-grandson of Matisyahu Kohen Gadol. Whilst he might have had great sympathy with the Tzedukim, this did not preclude him from having an affinity with the Perushim too, especially through the influence of his wife. And even the Tzedukim kept many Mitzvos -- all the Mitzvos of Torah she'b'Ksav, and others, too, according to their own perverted idiosyncratic observances (see Doros ha'Rishonim regarding the Tzedukim in general).

A Shevu'ah in those days was of great consequence. Even the Nochrim held it in great reverence (see, for example, the incident of Avimelech with Avraham and with Yitzchak, and Lavan with Yakov, etc.). Right up to the twentieth century an oath was considered an extremely useful tool in the secular law courts for the avoidance of perjury. It is only very recently, with the spread of the modern atheistic [non-] culture that oaths have lost their appeal and power. In ancient times, a Shevu'ah was binding and that was that. Human life was much cheaper. So I have no doubt that the queen was fully satisfied by her husband's Shevu'ah.

Joseph Pearlman