Chapter 3   Posuk 1

And Shlomo became the son-in–law of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He took the daughter of Pharaoh and he brought her to the city of David until he finished his house and the house of Hashem and the walls of Yerushalayim surrounding it.

Chapter 3   Posuk 2-3

The nation were still slaughtering karbanos on private alters [bamos], since a house was not built in the name of Hashem yet. Shlomo loved Hashem, going in the path of David his father, just on the bamos he slaughtered and burnt[the karbanos].

Why does it say by the nation only ‘mzabchim’ slaughtering, and by Shlomo it says ‘mizabeach umaktir’ slaughtered and burnt?

Chapter 3   Posuk 4

The king went to Givon to slaughter [karbanos] there, since that was the biggest bamah. Shlomo brought one thousand burnt offerings upon that alter.

Even though all bamas, private alters, were allowed in that time, apparently there is something special about the big bamah in Givon, which was the alter left over from the mishkan.

Chapter 3   Posuk 5

In Givon Hashem appeared to Shlomo in a dream at night. And Elokim asked ‘Request of me something that I should give you’.

Even after Shlomo married the daughter of Pharaoh, as long as he did not actually do any thing wrong, he was still given greatness. It is interesting to note that the posuk uses Elokim -the character of judgement – when Shlomo is asked what he wanted.

Chapter 3   Posuk 6

Shlomo said you did with your servant, David my father, a big kindness when he went before you with truth, righteousness and straightness of heart with you and you watched for this big kindness and you gave him a son sitting on his throne like today.

Look how great it is to have a son taking over your business. Even though David had many sons who did not live up to expectations, still having one is a great zechus.

Chapter 3   Posuk 7-8

Now Hashem, my G-d, you made your servant king after David my father. I am a young child, I do not how to come or go. Your servant is among your nation that you picked. A big nation that cannot be counted because of its many.

Chapter 3   Posuk 9

Please give your servant a heart that listens to judge your nation. To understand between good and bad because who could judge your large nation.

Shlomo didn’t asked that the judgement should always be correct because the final decision in a judgement was given to humans, he just asked to hear in his heart to understand what the people were really saying.

Shlomo used the term ‘your servant’, but Hashem in his answer did not use that term. Only his father David Hamelech was on a level to be called a servant of Hashem.

Chapter 3   Posuk 10- 12

It was good in the eyes of Hashem that Shlomo asked this thing. Hashem said to him, ‘since you asked these things; you did not ask for long life, or richness, or victory over your enemies. But rather you asked to understand and to listen in judgement. Behold I did like your words and gave you a wise and understanding heart that there never was like you before and after you no one will be like you.

Shlomo asked for a heart that listens, Hashem gave him a wise and understanding heart, apparently one who listens will have a wise heart.

Chapter 3   Posuk 13

Also what you did not ask, I will give you; richness and respect more than any other person, a man among kings all your days.

Shlomo’s wisdom will forever be considered highest among men and people will learn from his understanding for generations to come. His richness and respect was only for him on this world while he was alive (all his days).

Chapter 3   Posuk 14

If you will go in my path and observe the non-logical mitzvohs and the regular mitzvohs just like David your father, I will lengthen your days.

Living long is always contingent on actions, if you keep doing the right things your days will lengthen. It is not a unconditional present.

Chapter 3   Posuk 15

Shlomo woke up and behold it was a dream. He came to Yeroshalayim and he stood before the ark of the covenant of Hashem and brought up Olos and made Shelamim. He made a party for all his servants.

It is interesting to note that when he became king he did not make a party but when he got wisdom, to share his great happiness, he made a party.

Chapter 3   Posuk 16-28

Then came two women harlots to the king and they stood before him. One lady said please my master, I and this lady were sitting in one house and I gave birth with her in the house. It was on the third day of my giving birth and this lady also gave birth. We were together, no strangers were with us in the house except us two. The son of this lady died at night since she slept on him. She got up in the middle of the night and she took my daughter from me and your servant was sleeping. She put my child in her bosom and her dead child she put in my bosom. I got up in the morning to nurse my child and behold he is dead. I stared at him in the morning and it is not my son that I gave birth to’. The other lady said ’no my son is the live one and your son is the dead one’ and the other says, ‘no my son is live and your son is dead’, so they spoke before the king. The king said that each one is saying ‘your son is dead and mine is the live one’. The king said, ‘take for me a sword’, and they brought before the king a sword. The king said, ‘cut the child that is alive into two. Give half to one and the other half to one.’ The lady whose son was alive said to the king, since compassion was enkindled for her son, ‘please my master give her the live child, but do not kill him.’ The other lady said, ‘both to me and to you the one child cannot be, cut him’. The king answered, ‘give her the live child and do not kill him, she is the mother’. All Yisrael heard the judgement that the king judged, and they were in awe of the king for they saw that the wisdom of Elokim is within him to do judgement.