David, Batsheva andTeshuva

אמר רב הונא כמה לא חלי ולא מרגיש גברא דמריה סייעיה שאול באחת ועלתה לו דוד בשתים ולא עלתה לו שאול באחת מאי היא מעשה דאגג והא איכא מעשה דנוב עיר הכהנים אמעשה דאגג כתיב (שמואל א טו, יא) נחמתי כי המלכתי את שאול למלך

Yoma 22b:10

Apropos Saul’s contravention of God’s command to obliterate Amalek, the Gemara observes that Rav Huna said: How little does a person who has the support of his Lord have to worry or be concerned. The proof for this assertion is a comparison between Saul and David. Saul failed with one single sin and it was counted against him, costing him the throne. David, however, failed with two sins and they were not counted against him, as he retained his position. The Gemara asks: What was Saul’s one sin? The incident with Agag, king of Amalek, whom Saul spared in defiance of God’s command (see I Samuel 15:9). But was this his sole sin? There is also the incident of Nob, the city of priests, in which Saul later slew many innocent people, as cited above. The Gemara answers: It was after the incident with Agag, and even before the incident at Nob, that God said: “I regret that I have crowned Saul to be king” (I Samuel 15:11).

עבודה זרה ד׳ ב:י״ח

והיינו דא"ר יוחנן משום ר"ש בן יוחאי לא דוד ראוי לאותו מעשה ולא ישראל ראוין לאותו מעשה לא דוד ראוי לאותו מעשה דכתיב (תהלים קט, כב) ולבי חלל בקרבי

Avodah Zarah 4b:18

And this is similar to that which Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: David was not fit to act as he did in that incident involving Bathsheba, and the Jewish people were not fit to act as they did in that incident of the Golden Calf. David was not fit to act as he did in that incident involving Bathsheba (see II Samuel, chapter 11), as it is written: “And my heart is wounded within me” (Psalms 109:22), i.e., he had vanquished his evil inclination, and therefore it should not have been able to rule over him to that extent.

עבודה זרה ד׳ ב:י״ט

ולא ישראל ראוין לאותו מעשה דכתיב מי יתן והיה לבבם זה להם ליראה אותי כל הימים אלא למה עשו

Avodah Zarah 4b:19

And likewise the Jewish people were not fit to act as they did in that incident of the Golden Calf, as it is written with regard to the Jewish people of that time: “Who would give that they had such a heart as this always, to fear Me and keep all My commandments, that it might be good for them, and with their children forever” (Deuteronomy 5:25). Rather, why did they perform these sins?

עבודה זרה ה׳ א:ג׳

והיינו דרבי שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יונתן מאי דכתיב (שמואל ב כג, א) נאם דוד בן ישי ונאם הגבר הוקם על נאם דוד בן ישי שהקים עולה של תשובה

Avodah Zarah 5a:3

And this is similar to that which Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “The saying of David, son of Yishai, and the saying of the man raised on high [al]” (II Samuel 23:1)? This is the meaning of the verse: The saying of David, son of Yishai, who raised and lightened the yoke [ullah] of repentance, as he taught the power of repentance through his own example.

דרשות הר"ן ו׳:כ״ט

(כט) ואמנם צריך ביאור שנכתב בפשט הכתוב עון בת שבע כאלו דוד חטא, שדרך הכתובים לכסות השגגות ולהעלימם, כאמרם ז"ל התורה כסתו ואתה מגלה אותו, וכ"ש שהיה ראוי זה בדוד שהתפלל על זה כאמרם ז"ל ביומא שני פרנסים טובים היו לישראל משה ודוד, משה אמר יכתב סורחני שנאמר יען לא האמנתם בי להקדישני, דוד אמר אל יכתב סורחני שנאמר אשרי נשוי פשע וגו', וא"כ היאך הציע הכתוב ענין, בת שבע ואוריה בענין שיראה שחטא חטא עצום:

Derashot HaRan 6:29

(29) However, it should be explained why the sin with Batsheva is written down plainly, as if David actually sinned, when it is the practice of Scripture to veil inadvertent sins and to conceal them, as our sages state (Shabbath 96b): "The Torah concealed it and you reveal it!" And how much more so should it have been concealed in the case of David, who prayed for such concealment, viz. (Yoma 86b): "There were two good leaders in Israel — Moses and David. Moses said: 'Let my stain be recorded,' as it is written (Numbers 20:12): '…because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me.' David said: 'Let my stain not be recorded,' as it is written (Psalms 32:1): 'Blessed is he whose offense is forgiven, whose sin is covered.'" This being the case, why does Scripture describe the episode of Batsheva and Uriah in such a way as to make it appear that David was guilty of a blatant sin?

דרשות הר"ן ו׳:ל׳

(ל) אבל התשובה בזה, כי הגלוי והסתום בעיניו הם עקרים גדולים לבעלי תשובה, וכמו שאמרו ז"ל, אם חטא יחיד אומר לו כלך אצל יחיד. ולכן הציע הכתוב זה כאלו חטא חטא גדול ועצום, שאותו המעט לדוד שמורים בו רז"ל שחטא היה נחשב לו כמו שיהיה נחשב לאדם אחר שחטא כל מה שיורה עליו פשט הכתוב, והודיע הכתוב כי גם כשיחטא אדם חטא עצום שיתכפר לו כמו שנתכפר זה העון לדוד, עם היותו נראה עצום מפשטי הכתובים, ושהיה יותר ראוי דוד ליענש כפי גודל צדקו, ושהקב"ה מדקדק עם סביביו כחוט השערה, כמו שראינו בענין משה רבינו ע"ה יען לא האמנתם בי, ובאו רז"ל והזהירונו כפי קבלתם האמתית שדוד לא חטא החטא שיורו עליו פשטי הכתובים. ומזה נלמד דברים רבי התועלת ג"כ, שצריך לבעל תשובה לשום חטאיו נגד עיניו תמיד, שהרי אנו רואים דוד שלא חטא על דרך האמת אעפ"כ היה אומר וחטאתי נגדי תמיד.

Derashot HaRan 6:30

(30) The answer: what is revealed to and concealed from our eyes are great principles for penitents, as our sages stated (Avodah Zarah 5a): "If an individual sins, he is told: 'Go to the individual [i.e., David, and repent as he did].'" It is for this reason that Scripture portrays David as having committed an awesome sin. For that little wherein our sages acknowledge David as having gone astray is accounted relative to him as it would be to the average man who had sinned in the manner indicated by the plain meaning of the verses. And Scripture thereby informs us that even when one is guilty of a grievous sin he is [upon repentance] granted atonement for it, just as it was granted to David in spite of his sin's being a grievous one according to the plain meaning of the verses and his being more liable to punishment by virtue of his great uprightness and the Holy One's hair's-breadth punctiliousness with those of His "inner circle." This is borne out further in the instance of Moses our teacher, may peace be upon him — "…because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me." And our sages came and enlightened us according to their true tradition that David did not commit the sin indicated by the plain meaning of the verses. And we likewise learn from this other things of great benefit, one of which is that the penitent must place his sins constantly before his eyes. For we see that David, though he did not actually sin, still said "…constantly before me."