Today’s haftarah is read on a Shabbat that is immediately followed by Rosh Chodesh. Indeed, the reading opens with the words, “Jonathan said, ‘Tomorrow is the [first of the] new month.”
The story is one of loyalty and devotion. David and Jonathan are dear friends. Jonathan’s father, King Saul, despises David, fearing that he will depose him from the throne. Sensing danger, Jonathan told David to hide in the field rather than attend Saul’s Rosh Chodesh feast. Jonathan then attended the feast and gauged the king’s mood. Realizing that Saul was determined to kill David, Jonathan went out to the field, shot three arrows and called to his assistant, “The arrow is beyond you,” a predetermined signal to his friend that it was not safe to return to the king’s palace.
Before parting, the two friends kissed and wept, and swore to maintain their mutual affection for generations to come.
I have a question on the last two verses of this Haftarah for Machar Chodesh. "And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, ... and they kissed one another, and wept..." If it was safe for David to come out and speak with Jonathan directly, why was the charade with the arrows even necessary?
So Yonatan can have plausible deniability that he did not verbally reveal anything to David.