Can You Split the Child?

MIKEITZ Can You Split the Child? In the Haftorah we read of the famous story, when King Solomon is asked to preside over the case of two women arguing over the guardianship of a child. The wisest of all men issues a ruling, which has long been hailed as a brilliant solution to the quarrel: let the child be split in half, and each woman will receive her share. This of course, exposed the legitimate mother, namely the woman willing to forego her ‘share’ of the child, in favor of not cutting him, heaven forbid. In this shiur we will analyze this episode more in depth, and challenge some if its premises, to extract profound life lessons from it.