Dovid HaMelech Marries Meirav and Michal
After slaying Golias, Dovid tries to marry Shaul's daughters Meirav and then Michal by forgiving a debt, and Shaul twice disputes whether the kiddushin worked.
Faced with Golias’s relentless reign of terror against the Jews, King Shaul sought a champion who could vanquish the Philistine giant. To incentivize potential heroes, he declared that whoever defeated Golias would be showered with immense riches and honored to marry his daughter. Dovid HaMelech took up the task and slew Golias. Dovid chose to forgo the wealth and told Shaul he could keep the money. Instead, the riches would be used in place of a ring to marry his daughter Meirav. Meirav was of the age that her father could still accept money for kiddushin on her behalf. After initially agreeing, Shaul had a change of heart and decided to marry Meirav off to Adriel HaMecholasi instead. Dovid argued that Meirav’s marriage to someone else was a nullity, as Meirav was already married to him. Shaul responded, “You did not effectuate kiddushin properly. You cannot marry someone with a loan.” To do kiddushin properly, a man must tender something of value and cannot merely forgive a loan that the woman owes him. Shaul reasoned that he owed Dovid HaMelech riches, which is virtually a loan. Dovid forgave that loan. However, loan forgiveness cannot affect a kiddushin. Rebbe Yehoshua opines that King Shaul was correct in this dispute. Indeed, the practical halacha does follow this reasoning.