Meet Jehosheba: The Heroine Who Saved the Davidic Lineage

1. Jehosheba was the daughter of Joram, King of Judah, the sister of King Ahaziah, and the wife of Jehoiada the High Priest. She lived during the time of the First Temple.

2. After Ahaziah, the King of Judah, was killed by the messengers of Jehu, his mother Athaliah sought to eliminate all male heirs of the Davidic line so that she could rule Judah herself. To learn more about Athaliah, click here.

3. In a remarkable act of devotion, Jehosheba managed to steal away Joash, the infant son of Ahaziah, and hid him, along with her husband Jehoiada the priest, in the Holy of Holies for six years, until he was seven. At that point, they revealed him, he was crowned king of Judah, and old Athaliah was executed.

4. By doing this, Jehosheba saved the House of David from destruction, and she was a channel through which Hashem safeguarded David's line "from generation to generation." As noted in the *Seder Elyahu Zuta* (Chapter 3), "If not for the covenant Hashem made with David, Joash would have been killed as well, and the monarchy of the House of David would have been completely abolished."

5. The story of Joash's concealment is recounted in *2 Kings* 11:1-3 and *2 Chronicles* 22:10-12: "When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons who were being killed; and she hid him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not killed. He remained with her in the House of Hashem for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land."

6. In *Daat Sofrim*, it is stated that "Jehosheba is included among the great list of women in Israel who merited to have their names established for eternity by the prophets of Hashem, becoming examples of self-sacrifice and loyalty."

7. In the *Treasury of Midrashim*, Jehosheba is listed among 23 righteous women in Israel. It states: "Twenty-three righteous women, great in their righteousness, were in Israel, and they are: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah... Jehosheba, etc."

8. In *Yalkut Shimoni*, the verse in Psalms is explained: "And Jehosheba took Joash, the daughter of the king," concerning which it is written: "For He will hide me in His sukkah in the day of trouble; He will conceal me in the secret place of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock." (*Yalkut Shimoni* Melachim 2, Remez 245)

9. On the verse in Ecclesiastes, "Two are better than one," it is stated in *Ecclesiastes Rabbah*: "Rabbi Nehemiah said: 'The two' refers to Jehoiada and Jehosheba, 'better than one' refers to each on their own, and 'the cord of three strands' refers to the Sanhedrin who agreed with them to anoint Joash and to execute Athaliah. (*Ecclesiastes Rabbah* 4:1)

10. It is further explained in *Yalkut Shimoni*: "For You will light my lamp" – in reference to Jehosheba, "Hashem my God will enlighten my darkness" – in reference to Jehoiada. (*Yalkut Shimoni* Shmuel 2, Remez 561)

What can we learn from Jehosheba, so that we too may join the great list of deserving men and women of Israel? Care, selflessness, dedication, and courage, bravery without compromise and surrender – to fulfill the will of Hashem. May we merit it.