Asking For A Friend - Timely Issues. Timeless Torah.
Asking For A Friend - Timely Issues. Timeless Torah.
Kehillas Federation
#15: The King's Visit: A Torah Perspective - With Dayan Hool
1 hour 5 minutes Posted Jun 21, 2026 at 6:30 pm.
– Intro: King Charles visits Golders Green
– Why frum Jews are excited to see a king
– The brocha on seeing Jewish and non‑Jewish monarchs
– Does the brocha apply to King Charles III and presidents?
– Can a monarchy be abolished? Acceptance by the people
– Seeing the king from afar: entourage, cars, and the brocha
– How often can you say the brocha on a king?
– Must you go out to see a king? Bitul Torah and mitzvah
– Kavod malchus: honoring even non‑Jewish and wicked kings
– Shaking hands with royalty: halacha and real‑world strategies
– Praying for the welfare of the kingdom in golus
– Queen Wilhelmina and the Munkatcher Rebbe
– Dutch royalty, Rav Katz, and modern royal brachos
– Why we call Hashem “Melech”: kindness and authority
– Dina de’malchusa dina and UK land law
– Closing: Malchus shel chesed and Malchus Shamayim
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Show notes
When King Charles III recently visited Golders Green, hundreds of members of the local Jewish community lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the monarch. The visit sparked widespread discussion: why does Yiddishkeit place such importance on kings and royalty, and what is the Torah perspective on monarchy in the modern world?
In this special episode, Dayan Hool explores the halachic and hashkafic questions raised by the King's visit. Can one make a brachah upon seeing King Charles? Should a person make a special effort to see a king? What is the concept of כבוד מלכות? Can one shake the King's hand? And why is Hashem so often described throughout our tefillos as a King?
Drawing on sources from Chazal, Halachah and Jewish history, this fascinating discussion sheds light on a topic that captured the attention of so many in the community and reveals what earthly kingship can teach us about מלכות שמים.
 
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