The Recording

The Summary

Melakhim Bet Chapter 5

Naaman is the highly acclaimed general of Aram but suffers from tzaraat, often translated as “leprosy”. In one of his successful campaigns against Israel, he captured a young maiden who attends to his wife. The maiden suggests that Naaman seek out the prophet in Israel who can cure his disease. The King of Aram sends a message to the King of Israel directing him to arrange that Naaman, who is en route to Israel bearing gifts of precious metals and clothing, will be healed of his tzaraat.

The King of Israel, realizing that he is not capable of fulfilling the demand of the King of Aram, interprets it as an attempt to seek a pretext for war. He tears his garments as a sign of mourning, anticipating the worst. Elisha is apprised of the situation and sends word to the King of Israel not to worry. Elisha encourages the King to have Naaman come to him for healing. Naaman arrives with a large entourage and chariot and stations himself outside the home of Elisha. Elisha has his messenger convey instructions to Naaman: the general is to immerse himself in the Jordan River seven times, and he will be cured.

Naaman is very upset, disappointed that the prophet did not appear in person and perform some magical ritual. If all that is necessary is a bath in the river, Damascus has far superior bodies of water for that purpose than Israel! However, his attendant prevails upon him to at least try out the recommendation of Elisha; after all, had he told him to do something more difficult and mysterious, he would have complied, and it can’t hurt to simply bathe in the river a little. Naaman follows the instructions of Elisha and the health of his skin is immediately restored.

Naaman returns to the home of Elisha and stands before the prophet face to face. He acknowledges that Hashem, God of Israel, is the only true God, and urges Elisha to accept his gifts of tribute. Elisha adamantly refuses. Naaman takes some earth from the land of Israel in order to carry home with him and to build there an altar to Hashem for worship.He also asks Elisha to intercede on his behalf for forgiveness from the Almighty. Although Naaman himself will no longer serve any other gods, he occasionally must accompany his master into the idolatrous temple. His master leans upon him and so, when he bows down to his god, Naaman must prostrate himself as well. Elisha assures Naaman that this is accepted in the eyes of God.

Our Sages learn an important law from this incident: unlike a Jew who must die before bowing to a graven image even under duress, a gentile who believes in God is not obligated to sacrifice his life for his beliefs and may feign worship of an idol to escape death.

Gehazi, Elisha’s attendant, witnesses the exchange between Elisha and Naaman and is upset that this “Aramean” left without paying the prophet anything. He runs after Naaman and is greeted with great deference. Gehazi lies and tells Naaman that his master, Elisha, was just approached by two of the disciples of the prophets who are in dire straits and in need of one talent of silver and two changes of clothing. Naaman generously gives Gehazi two talents of silver and the clothing he requested, and Naaman and his men escort Gehazi back to his home where they are deposited for “safe keeping”.

When Gehazi returns to Elisha, he is questioned about his absence and denies having left the area. Elisha, of course, knows where Gehazi has been and rebukes him for taking advantage of Naaman for material gain. He curses Gehazi who contracts the very disease of tzaraat with which Naaman had been afflicted.

This episode is nearly the opposite of the opening chapter of Melakhim Bet. There, a seriously ill King Ahazya dispatched messengers to Eqron to consult with a foreign god about his prognosis. This was a potentially terrible desecration of Hashem’s name, as it implied that there was no deity in Israel worthy of consulting, and it was therefore intercepted by Eliyahu. Here, a foreign dignitary who is actually in a position of dominance vis a vis the Jewish people (the King of Israel is afraid of him and his maidservant is a Jewish girl he captured in battle) nonetheless leaves his country to seek advice and healing from the One God of Israel. This results in a spectacular sanctification of God’s name on multiple levels.

The orientation of the Arameans to the office of the prophet reflects pagan culture. First, they assume the prophet works for the king and therefore reach out to the monarch in order to access the prophet’s services. Second, Naaman arrives at Elisha’s home in full regalia and with a company of officers, placing himself in the position of superiority relative to the man of God. Third, Naaman expects Elisha to be a magician or miracle-worker who will enact some elaborate ritual of hocus-pocus to heal him. Finally, Naaman assumes that Elisha will expect to be compensated handsomely for his efforts and prepares accordingly.

Each of these preconceived notions is negated in the story. The prophet, a servant of God, is neither employed by nor beholden to any human king. As long as Naaman sits regally atop his chariot, Elisha declines to stand before him and sends a messenger instead. The instructions Elisha offers are deceptively simple because he wants to teach Naaman that humbly conforming to the will of God is the only path to recovery. No ritual, however impressive, can force Hashem to respond to our demands. Lastly, Elisha attributes the miracle to the Almighty and not to himself, adamantly refusing to accept any material reward for the assistance he has offered.

All of these “corrections” to the perspective of Naaman draw him closer to a true understanding and recognition of Hashem Who is absolute and transcendent, receives no benefit from His creatures and cannot be magically manipulated. Naaman has clearly been transformed by this experience and adopts a far more modest and self-effacing attitude toward Elisha after he is cured.

This helps us to appreciate why Gehazi’s sin was so terrible. Aside from lying and misrepresenting the prophet, Gehazi detracted from the sanctification of Hashem’s name for his own personal gain. He gave the impression that, at the end of the day, Elisha did want to “cash in” on his prophetic services, and was perhaps just being gracious in allowing Naaman to leave without paying. Gehazi was motivated here not only by a desire for material wealth but also by his disdain for Naaman, whom he terms “this Aramean”. He saw Naaman as the political foe of Israel and therefore someone who should not be granted any favors.

An opportunist by nature, Gehazi did not see the intrinsic value in sanctifying Hashem’s name before a fellow human being, let alone a great leader of a gentile nation; he merely saw the property of an enemy of Israel that would go to better use in the hands of a Jew. This arrogant perspective earned him the curse of tzaraat. Tzaraat is a divine punishment meted out to arrogant people who attempt to aggrandize and promote themselves at the expense of others. Since such an individual thrives on his ability to interact with and take advantage of others, isolating him from society robs him of his power and forces him to engage in meaningful reflection and repentance.

From the fact that Elisha maintained such an intimate relationship with him, we can infer that Gehazi must have been an impressive person, highly intelligent and talented. The two seem to have been inseparable and to have shared a level of closeness similar to the one Elisha himself enjoyed with his master, Eliyahu. Undoubtedly, Elisha had high hopes for Gehazi and expected him to work on and overcome the character flaws that held him back in his development. Consistent with his kind and patient disposition, Elisha was willing to allow Gehazi plenty of time to improve himself in his areas of weakness, and Gehazi was the beneficiary of the remarkable opportunity to develop a deep and edifying relationship with his illustrious teacher.

However, Gehazi instead chose to use his position as Elisha’s attendant as a source of political clout, distancing others from the “inner circle” of the prophet and, in the case of Naaman, even undermining the holy efforts of Elisha when doing so served his own personal ambitions. He abused his relationship with Elisha as well as his standing in the eyes of others. For all of these reasons, suffering from tzaraat, which excluded him from social interaction indefinitely, was a fitting consequence.

The Recording

The Summary

Melakhim Bet Chapter 3

Yehoram, son of Ahav, rules over the Kingdom of Israel. He does not follow the path of Torah; however, he is not as wicked as his parents. In fact, he removes the monument to the Baal created by his father, indicating that he did not participate in the worship of foreign gods. Nevertheless, he did not dismantle the illicit sanctuaries erected by Yarovam.

Mesha, King of Moav, had been paying a very large annual tribute of wool to the King of Israel for many years. After the death of Ahav, however, he rebels. Yehoram enlists the support of his ally, Yehoshafat, King of Yehuda, to put down the rebellion. They partner with the king of Edom who joins their military operation. After a seven day journey through the wilderness of Edom, the kings’ water supply is depleted, human beings and animals are weakened, and chances of defeating Moav under these circumstances are bleak.

True to form, Yehoshafat, the righteous king of Israel, inquires whether there is a local prophet who can be consulted immediately. He is advised that Elisha dwells nearby, and the three kings visit with him. Elisha has harsh words for Yehoram whom he condemns as a hypocrite for seeking an audience with a prophet of Hashem. Elisha clarifies that he only consented to meet the kings out of deference to the upstanding Yehoshafat. Elisha summons a musician to play music and this enables him to enter the prophetic trance necessary for him to receive a communication from Hashem.

Elisha informs the kings that Hashem will provide them with an ample supply of water very soon; moreover, he assures them that they will vanquish Moav in the impending war. Elisha commands them to adopt a “slash and burn” approach to the battle, cutting down all trees, filling up all wells, and covering the ground with stones.

As Elisha predicted, the valley becomes filled with water that night (possibly this was due to a flash flood in the mountains that flowed down to them). The Moabites awaken in the morning and see that the liquid that has permeated the area has a reddish hue – possibly because of the sunlight shining on the water or the mud it had dredged up – and they infer from this that the “alliance” of the three kings fell apart and that the armies slaughtered one another.

Assuming that all that remained for them to do was to swoop down and collect the spoils left behind by the armies who had decimated one another, the men of Moav arrive at the Jewish camp unprepared for battle and are handily defeated. The Jewish armies follow the instructions of Elisha in carrying out a harsh and destructive campaign against Moav. Perceiving these setbacks, the King of Moav panics and orders his soldiers to confront and break through the ranks of the King of Edom, but they fail.

Ultimately, in an act of supreme desperation, the King of Moav ascends to the wall of his city and slaughters his first born son as a burnt offering. This unspeakable act spells the end of the conflict; the armies of Yehuda, Israel and Edom return to their respective homelands.

On the surface, there is a basic theological difficulty with this narrative. Yehoram has “repented” for at least some of the sins of his parents. At the very least, he does not worship the Baal. Why is he punished with having to handle the rebellion of Moav – something his parents, who were more wicked, never had to face – and the harsh rebuke of the prophet Elisha?

One possibility, mentioned by some of the modern commentators, is that Yehoram’s move away from idol worship occurred after this encounter with Elisha, not before. In fact, perhaps his experience in this war contributed to his change of heart. Although his removal of the monument to Baal is mentioned at the opening of the chapter, that is the signature form of the Book of Melakhim – briefly summarizing the whole career of each king before providing the details – and need not be interpreted as suggesting that the actions described happened first.

On the other hand, we may suggest that Yehoram had already engaged in some repentance prior to the battle against Moav. There are a couple of pieces of evidence that support this approach. First, we hear no objection from Yehoram when Yehoshafat suggests that Elisha be consulted; were Ahav the King of Israel, we would have expected him to register a protest here as he did when Mikayhu ben Yimla was summoned to the royal court. Second, we find that it is one of Yehoram’s own men who recommends Elisha as a local prophet of Hashem who could be contacted, indicating that Elisha was no stranger to the officers of Yehoram.

Therefore, it seems likely that Yehoram had already begun something of a shift of direction toward service of Hashem prior to the conflict with Moav. The emergence of the rebellion was not a punishment for past transgressions as much as it was an opportunity to deepen Yehoram’s understanding and awareness of Hashem and perhaps inspire him to implement even greater changes in the religious life of his kingdom.

Along these lines, we may speculate that Elisha offers his criticism precisely because he knows that Yehoram may take it to heart and benefit from it. Since Yehoram has been contemplating his relationship with Judaism and Torah, Elisha urges him to fully disengage with the “heritage” of his ancestors and embrace Hashem as his ally, Yehoshaphat, has done.

The miraculous provision of water and military triumph of this chapter are, as we will see in upcoming episodes, typical of the career of Elisha. Unlike the fiery and combative Eliyahu, Elisha is calm, conciliatory and positive. When Elisha is distraught, as when he interacts with Yehoram, he does not persist in that state; rather, he immediately calls for a musician to set his mind and heart at ease. Although the Jewish people during the time of Elisha were still steeped in idolatry and perhaps unworthy of divine intervention for many reasons, Elisha nonetheless predicts blessing and success for their armies so that they will perceive the hand of Hashem in their activities.

In other words, Elisha’s educational philosophy puts more emphasis on the proverbial “carrot” than the “stick”; his preference is for showcasing the kindness and compassion of Hashem to draw the people closer to Him rather than serving as a mouthpiece for God’s judgment, ceaselessly challenging the shallowness and stupidity of their idolatrous and immoral culture like his teacher, Eliyahu, had done.

The concluding verses of the chapter are the subject of much debate. What prompted Mesha’s human sacrifice, and how did this idolatrous action achieve its desired objective of putting an end to the battle? There are numerous approaches to this thorny issue. Some traditional commentators opine that the heinous deed of Mesha was a “reminder” of the corruption of the Jews themselves and an indictment of their own equally wicked practices; therefore, perhaps when they saw the behavior and identified with it, this caused the divine favor to withdraw from Israel.

Another interpretation suggests that Mesha did this to galvanize and raise the morale of his own troops who had been losing their motivation, and that it restored their faith in the cause and enabled them to fend off their enemies. In other words, it was effective for psychological, not theological reasons.

One classic interpretation found in the writings of the Geonim and cited by some of the traditional commentaries is that Mesha did not sacrifice his own son but the son of the king of Edom, who is mentioned in the previous verse. Consider that the act of human sacrifice is described immediately after the account of the failed attempt to break through the ranks of the King of Edom. Apparently, according to this view, the soldiers of Mesha succeeded in kidnapping the crown prince of Edom, and Mesha made a public spectacle of executing him as a sacrifice to the god of Moav.

This interpretation maintains that the consequence for the Jewish people was not the result of the Divine “recollection” of their sins nor the rise in the morale of the Moabite troops; rather, it was because their coalition with Edom fell apart in the wake of this incident. Just as he had hoped, Mesha was able to drive a wedge between Israel and Edom that weakened Israel considerably. The King of Edom was not likely to forgive the kings of Israel and Yehuda for enticing him to participate in a battle in which his first born son was slaughtered.

Looking at the chapter as a whole, we see how significant but complicated a role this Israel-Edom alliance plays. For example, the troops approach the battle by traversing the wilderness of Edom, testifying to the strategic benefit for Israel in this political friendship. The troops of Moav who believed that they saw blood filling the valley immediately assumed that it must have been as a result of the dissolution of the partnership between Edom and the Jews and the bloody civil war that must have ensued. This itself indicates that the agreement between them must have been assumed to be a precarious one.

Even on a literary level, when the text describes the water that fills the valley and appears red like blood, we cannot avoid being reminded of the origin of the name “Edom” as an appellation for Esav who was ruddy (“admoni”) and who desired the “red stuff”, the soup of his brother Yaaqov. Clearly, the text is going to great pains to highlight the remarkable teamwork and partnership between the descendants of Yaaqov and Esav, Israel and Edom; a partnership that is, in the final analysis, a tenuous and temporary one.

The Recording

The Summary

Melakhim Bet Chapter 2
Eliyahu and Elisha are together in Gilgal. Eliyahu informs Elisha that Hashem has commanded him to travel to Bet El, and he tells Elisha to remain behind; Elisha, however, insists on accompanying him. Once in Bet El, a group of young prophets approach Elisha and ask him if he is aware of the fact that this is the day that Eliyahu will finally disappear. Elisha responds that he is, indeed, aware of this, but tells them to be silent about it.

Eliyahu again attempts to leave Elisha behind in order to fulfill a divine command he has received to travel to Yeriho; Elisha, once again, refuses to part from his master and goes as well. The young prophets in Yeriho have the same exchange with Elisha that their counterparts in Bet El did.

Finally, Eliyahu announces his plan to head to the Jordan River and to leave Elisha behind; Elisha, still standing his ground, escorts Eliyahu to his destination. Eliyahu removes his cloak and strikes the waters of the Jordan with it; they split and allow the two prophets to cross, in clear view of a group of young prophets who are watching the event from afar.

Eliyahu asks Elisha what he can do for him before he departs. Elisha requests a double portion of the spirit that has rested upon his master. Eliyahu comments that this is a tall order. However, he tells Elisha that if he witnesses Eliyahu’s final ascent to heaven, this is a sign that the spirit he seeks will indeed rest upon him.

As they are walking and talking, a chariot of fire driven by horses of fire appears between them, and Eliyahu is whisked away in a whirlwind. His mantle falls to the ground and is retrieved by Elisha, who uses it to miraculously split the waters of the Jordan once again.

Once back on the mainland of Israel, he is greeted by the younger prophets who recognize that he has inherited the spiritual power of Eliyahu. Nevertheless, they wish to organize a search party to find Eliyahu; at first, Elisha protests, but at their repeated urging, he relents. Unsurprisingly, Eliyahu is not found.

The young prophets in Yeriho share with Elisha that their city is very pleasant but the water is bitter and induces illness. Elisha requests a new container with salt inside, and he pours it into the water, permanently “healing” it. Retracing the steps of his teacher, Eliyahu,

Elisha proceeds to Bet El, where he is taunted by a group of youths who hurl insults at him, calling him “bald one”. Elisha curses the boys and forty two of them are mauled by bears. Elisha then travels to Mount Carmel, the site of the famous showdown between Eliyahu and the prophets of the Baal, and ultimately returns to Shomron.

This chapter is shrouded in a considerable amount of mystery. We won’t be able to dispel or even explore all of it, but we must touch upon at least a few points. What is the nature of Eliyahu’s ascent to heaven, and why is he the only prophet in our history to have concluded his career in such a dramatic and remarkable manner? Moreover, what is the significance of the lead up to his departure – his visit of various communities, crossing of the Jordan, and dialogue with Elisha?

The commentaries are divided on the precise nature of Eliyahu’s “ascent”. Some, like Radaq, interpret it in purely spiritual terms and explain the story as the death of Eliyahu and his entry into the World-To-Come. Others, like the Ralbag (and, seemingly, most of the mainstream Sages of our tradition), understand that Eliyahu continues to live in the physical world in a secret location where he awaits the future redemption.

Of course, there are difficulties with both approaches. On a fundamental level, Radaq’s interpretation basically amounts to saying that Eliyahu died but that his remains – like those of Moshe Rabbenu – were not buried by human hands. While this downplays the supernatural aspects of Eliyahu’s ascent, it does little to explain how is fate is much different than that of an ordinary person who passes away. On the other hand, the view that Eliyahu continues to live for eternity in this world can be hard for us to imagine and accept; it would be the most extraordinary and long-lasting miracle Hashem has ever performed!

The reason behind the ascent of Eliyahu can be found not in these differences of opinion but in the common denominator between the two schools of thought. Both agree that Eliyahu will one day reappear as the harbinger of the Messianic Age, preparing the way for the arrival of the Mashiah. So, one way or another, his unusual departure conveys the message that his career is not over – the idea that he “lives forever”, whether in this world or the next, means that his mission as a prophet is “on pause” but has not yet reached its conclusion. In his own era, Eliyahu did all he possibly could to bring the Jews back to the way of Torah, but his efforts were ultimately not successful. We know that he will have another opportunity to achieve his goal under better circumstances, in the future…And, in one way or another, he is waiting for it.

We can best understand the travels of Eliyahu as a farewell tour; he visits each community of prophets and repeatedly attempts to bid farewell to his own protégé, Elisha, before departing from the world. Fascinatingly, the route that Eliyahu takes – from Gilgal to Bet El to Yeriho to the opposite side of the Jordan River – is a reversal of the path taken by the Jewish people when they entered the Land of Israel by crossing the Jordan River, conquering Yeriho, passing through Bet El, and camping in Gilgal.

Symbolically, Eliyahu is taking leave of his students, his people, and his role in Jewish history – he is exiting the stage, at least temporarily. Elisha, who grasps the mantle of his master and crosses back over the Jordan to retrace the journey to Yeriho and Bet El and ultimately Mount Carmel, demonstrates his assumption of the role of Eliyahu and his “reentry” onto the scene as the new prophet of the generation.

Until the very end, Eliyahu seemed like he was not quite sure if Elisha would be able to “fill his shoes” after his departure. Elisha’s stubborn insistence upon accompanying his teacher was evidence of his determination to serve as a worthy successor to Eliyahu. Unlike the way Yehoshua succeeded Moshe – as a “second choice” because the ideal, Moshe himself, was unavailable – Elisha asked to have the capability to continue the legacy of his great master fully and authentically. His witnessing of the ascent of Eliyahu – his participation in the prophetic experience of his teacher – was proof that he had, in the eyes of Hashem, reached a level of development that qualified him to take Eliyahu’s place.

Nevertheless, if Elisha is to gain the respect of the nation, the community must also embrace him as the “new Eliyahu”. The younger prophets, although they saw the power of Elisha in his splitting of the Jordan, were not convinced that he was the official replacement for Eliyahu until they conducted a search and determined that Eliyahu was no longer among them.

Similarly, the young boys who taunted Elisha as “bald” – in contrast with Eliyahu, who was known as a hairy fellow (as reported by Ahazya’s messengers) – were essentially stripping him of his credibility, accusing him of being a usurper or a pretender to the “throne” of the great prophet. When all was said and done, in the eyes of Hashem and in the eyes of the community, Elisha emerged as the preeminent prophet of his generation, filling the shoes of Eliyahu but enriching and improving his teacher’s educational methods with his softer, gentler and more compassionate style.

The Recording

The Summary

Melakhim Bet Chapter 1

Moav rebels against Israel following the death of Ahav; however, we will not learn more about the details of the uprising until later. Ahazya, son of Ahav, falls from the attic of his residence and sustains serious injuries. He sends messengers to Baal Zevuv, god of Eqron, to inquire whether he will survive his accident or not. Eliyahu the prophet is sent by Hashem to intercept Ahazya’s emissaries and sends them back to Ahazya with a harrowing message.

Ahazya’s behavior in seeking guidance from a foreign god implies that there is no God in Israel, and is the ultimate desecration of Hashem’s name; therefore, he will not recover from his illness and will die imminently. From the content of the communication and the messengers’ description of the appearance of the man who confronted them, Ahazya correctly infers that it was Eliyahu, and he sends a company of fifty troops to apprehend and probably kill the prophet.

The first group of soldiers approach Eliyahu and order him to surrender to them by the command of the king; instead, a fire descends from heaven and consumes Ahazya’s men. Undeterred, Ahazya sends a second set of troops who are even more aggressive and meet the same fate. When a third delegation arrives, the leader begs Eliyahu to have mercy on their souls and not to destroy them.

Eliyahu receives a command from Hashem not to fear these men but to accompany them to the bedside of their master. In the presence of Ahazya, Eliyahu once again announces the Divine decree that the king will die for having cast aside the God of Israel and gone in search of guidance from foreign deities. Ahazya indeed perishes and, since he had no sons, his brother, Yehoram, reigns in his stead.

There are a couple of key points worth highlighting in this chapter. Ahazya has certainly departed even more from the fold of Israel than his father did. While Ahav participated in idol worship and endorsed it, at a fundamental level he acknowledged Hashem and valued his Jewish identity. Ahazya has abandoned that identification and awareness entirely, as evidenced by his dispatch of messengers to Eqron to inquire about his fate. This loss of any regard for the God of Israel cost Ahazya his kingdom.

Eliyahu Hanavi’s interactions with the messengers who approach him are quite instructive. On the surface, his reaction of incinerating them with heavenly fire seems excessive. However, when we consider the interactions more deeply, we can understand Eliyahu’s motives more clearly. There is a “contest” here between the word of Hashem as declared by Eliyahu, His messenger, and the “word of the king” as declared by his messengers.

Ahazya’s attempt to seize and execute Eliyahu was prompted by his desire to demonstrate that he could extinguish the Divine pronouncement by eliminating its spokesperson. The messengers intercepted by Eliyahu made the correct decision, forsaking their role as agents of the human king and embracing the mission of conveying Hashem’s word. The two groups of soldiers, by contrast, refer to Eliyahu as the “man of God” yet invoke the supreme authority of Ahazya, a mere human king who intends to thwart the Almighty’s designs. In fact, the second group is even more brazen in its language than the first (although they keep their distance, perhaps hoping to be “out of range” of Eliyahu’s miraculous firebombs), insisting that Eliyahu rush and conveying Ahazya’s demands in the language of prophecy – “so says the king” – as if setting him equal to God. This indicates that they have failed to take the implications of the first group’s demise to heart.
Although these officers and troops were just “following orders”, they were morally responsible for their behavior. In taking the “wrong side” in this dispute, they suffer the consequences of attempting to undermine God’s word, learning that Hashem’s will and his messenger cannot be overcome by human resistance, artifice or attack. Only the last delegation, which accepts the Divine authority of Eliyahu’s position and the inviolable nature of God’s word, is spared – they had the wisdom and humility to appreciate that human might was powerless against Hashem, and that all they could do was serve as agents to support Eliyahu and enable him to proclaim his message to the king.