מלכים א, פרק י״א, פסוק ח׳

King Solomon's extensive marriages to foreign queens ultimately triggered a severe spiritual decline throughout his kingdom [מדוד ועד לחורבן]. Accustomed to a life of luxury and left with ample idle time, these royal women began to revert to the ancient customs and idol worship of their native lands [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Despite this widespread spiritual decay, commentators unanimously agree that Solomon himself never engaged in idol worship. The royal wives were the ones actively offering sacrifices and burning incense to their gods. This raises a compelling question regarding why the king is held directly responsible for these actions.

The primary approach among commentators is that Solomon’s true failure was turning a blind eye. He failed to protest or prevent his wives from erecting altars to the gods of Edom and Moab, even though he possessed the absolute authority to stop them. When an individual has the power to prevent a wrongdoing but chooses not to intervene, the act is attributed to him as if he had committed it himself or explicitly ordered it to be done [אברבנאל, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, merely allowing idolatry to exist within one's domain, or permitting others to establish it through silent consent, is treated as a direct violation of the prohibition against idol worship [מלבי״ם].

On a deeper level, the situation involved more than standard idol worship. Through his immense wisdom, Solomon possessed a profound understanding of the spiritual forces and heavenly ministers appointed over the various nations of the world. As he grew older, his wives did not simply drag him into basic idolatry. Instead, they persuaded him to teach them how to channel spiritual abundance from those heavenly forces down to their native nations. Solomon’s great sin was engaging in this esoteric study with his wives and permitting these practices to take place right in the heart of Jerusalem, the very city chosen as the dwelling place for God [מלבי״ם בשם האברבנאל].