Shmuel 2 Perek 7 Pasuk 18 - Ways to Become a Melech

Rabbi Zev Cohen delivers a powerful, emotionally charged shiur on Shmuel II 7:18, using King David’s humility as a springboard to explore a radical idea: true leadership in Klal Yisrael isn’t defined by lineage or perfection, but by radical inclusion. David, a descendant of Ruth the Moabite, had no royal bloodline and no personal perfection—but he became Melech because he embodied the principle that every Jew, regardless of observance or background, is inherently kosher and worthy of belonging. Rabbi Cohen drives this home with a personal story of a young man at the airport who said, 'I’m Jewish but not kosher,' to which the rabbi responded, 'You are kosher—just not eating kosher.' This moment becomes a metaphor for a deeper truth: we must care for every Jew, even those who have sinned or strayed, because we are all connected as Hashem’s children. He illustrates this with halachic examples from Tazria, where the Torah delays declaring someone a metzora so they can still participate in joyous occasions like Sheva Brachot, showing that compassion overrides ritual purity. The shiur culminates in a call to action: in a world of war, loss, and spiritual disconnection, our responsibility is not to judge, but to reach out—especially to the unaffiliated, the lost, and even non-Jews—because true kingship begins with care, not pedigree.