P17 is understood to be all about writing your own copy of Torah. The 18th positive commandment as enumerated by Maimonides is closely related, but specifically in regard to the King of Israel.
P18 – For the king to write a second Torah scroll for himself in addition to the one which [he is required to write to fulfill the mitzvah incumbent upon] every man. Thus, he will have two Torah scrolls, as Deuteronomy 17:18 states: “And he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah.[1]“
This is a strange command with some entertaining Jewish commentary on it. Even if the king already has a Torah scroll that he obediently created according to P17, when he becomes king, he is required to sit and write a second (mishneh/משנה) Torah. Most English translations render this instance of mishneh as “copy” but the Jewish people utilize the more common understanding of “second”. According to this commandment, once the king writes for himself his second scroll, it is to remain with him at all times.
While P17 may not be entirely overt, P18 is much more explicit in the New Testament – at least from a Jewish perspective. Most Christians don’t realize it, but Jesus dropped a strong hint toward a famous Jewish legend during His Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:17–18 (TLV)
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass.
In this statement, our Master forbade His disciples from even thinking that He would reduce the authority of the books of Moses, but from a Jewish mindset, He also referenced King Solomon by adding that bit about the smallest of letters being struck from the law of God.
When Solomon in his wealth and prosperity grew unmindful of his God, and, contrary to the injunctions laid down for kings in the Torah, multiplied wives unto himself, and craved the possession of many horses and much gold, the Book of Deuteronomy stepped before God and said: “Lo, O Lord of the world, Solomon is seeking to remove a Yod from out of me, for Thou didst write: ‘The king shall not multiply horses unto himself, nor shall he multiply wives to himself, neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold’; but Solomon has acquired many horses, many wives, and much silver and gold.” Hereupon God said: “As thou livest, Solomon and a hundred of his kind shall be annihilated ere a single one of thy letters shall be obliterated.[2]“
One version of the legend I’ve read said that in the midst of creating the king’s Torah scroll, Solomon struck a Yod (the smallest letter) from the “thou shalt not” instructions that appear in the verse before P18 where kings are instructed to not multiply wives. The version of the legend I read in years past indicated that the removal of the yod transformed the teaching from a negative to a positive – “thou shalt not” to “thou shalt” multiply wives. While yes, this is only a legend, the reference to the smallest letter in Matthew 5:18 would have brought to mind this command (P18) and the legends surrounding it.
Divine Judgement
Part of the command instructs that this scroll is to remain with the king and he is to read from it constantly. Perhaps it’s obvious and you already have a clear picture in your head as to what this looks like, but the sages of Israel expounded on it in the Talmud.
“When he goes out to war, he brings it out with him. When he comes in from war, he brings it in with him. When he sits in judgment, it is with him. When he reclines to eat, it is opposite him, as it is stated: ‘And it shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life[3]’”
With this imagery in mind, we can find additional allusions to this command in Revelation. Through various prophecies, God draws a clear picture of Yeshua stepping into His role of King and Judge in the days to come. Hints about His position and duties exist in various places of course, but it is especially blunt in Revelation where Yeshua begins to use Torah as His “weapon”.
Revelation 1:16 (NKJV)
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
Revelation 19:15 (NKJV)
15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
When you stop to think about it, especially from a Jewish perspective, this makes sense. When the King finally walks among us again and He is sitting on the throne of David in Jerusalem, He is going to adjudicate cases according to the Word of God. When He comes to set things right, the Word of God is the sword that proceeds from His mouth to subjugate the nations. You can dive a lot deeper into this particular idea using the Prophets, but as I’m working to specifically find the commandments in the Apostolic Writings, I’ve opted to leave it here instead of extending the length of this post. If you’re interested in some fun exploration though, I highly recommend the treasure hunt on this topic! Happy studying!
[1] Rambam, Mishneh Torah Positive Mitzvot 18