You shall surely set over yourself a king whom the Eternal your God will choose; from among your brethren you shall set a king over yourself; you may not place over yourself a foreigner who is not your brother.
English: Rabbi Yehudah says: Three commandments were commanded to Yisrael upon their entry into the Land … to appoint a king for themselves.
On the daf / in context: The sugya on Sanhedrin 20b presents the view that appointing a king is a positive commandment, derived from the doubled language ‘som tasim’.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — the doubled verb ‘som tasim’ is taken as establishing a mitzvah to appoint a king.
What Is Learned
Appointing a king is a positive mitzvah that becomes operative when Yisrael enter and settle the Land. The doubled language of the verse teaches the obligation.