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II Kings Chapter 6 Fri, Mar 19, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 31:46 |
 Text Pages |
Stop This Cannibalism!
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
The student prophets said to Elisha that their study hall was too small. (Attendance was booming since Gechazi got kicked out.) They went to go build themselves a new school. When they arrived at the Jordan to cut down trees, one of the prophets suffered a mishap. The head of the axe flew off into the water and sank like a stone. This made the prophet especially distraught, as it was borrowed and he couldn't afford to replace it. "No worries," said Elisha. He cut a new axe-handle and threw it into the water. It floated back up with the axe-head attached to it. (You will note that under normal circumstances, iron does not float.)
The King of Aram planned a series of raids on Israel and he set an ambush. Elisha knew about it prophetically and sent word to Yehoram, king of Israel, to avaoid certain places. When the king of Aram saw that his traps were being avoided, he asked his advisors which of his subjects was tipping off the Jews. "None of us, your majesty!" they replied. "There is a prophet named Elisha who knows even what you discuss in private!" The king of Aram sent his soldiers to arrest Elisha.
Elisha got up in the morning and saw the army of Aram waiting for him. His attendant was worried, but Elisha was unconcerned. He prayed to G-d to "open the eyes" of the attendant. He did, and the servant saw that they were protected by a fiery Heavenly army. Elisha then prayed to G-d to blind the army of Aram, which He did. But, just as "opening the eyes" of the attendant enabled him to perceive certain thing, "blinding" the army kept them from seeing certain things. (Had they been literally blinded, they would have no doubt "freaked out.") Elisha said to the army, "You're going the wrong way! Let me lead you to the one you seek." He led them to the capital in Samaria, where he prayed that G-d enable them to see. Their vision restored, they found themselves surrounded by the fully-armed Israelite army.
King Yehoram asked Elisha whether they should strike down the army of Aram, but Elisha said no. "You wouldn't kill prisoners you captured with conventional weapons. Rather, feed them well and send them home." They served the army of Aram a feast and sent them back in safety. Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, heard about what happened and decided that sending raiding parties into Israel was a strategy that was not going to work, so it was discontinued.
There was a period of peace for a while, but then Ben-Hadad laid siege to Samaria. There was a famine in the land and people were starving. Such normally disgusting things as a donkey's head (for food) and pigeon dung (for kindling) were going for exorbitant prices. Yehoram was walking on the city wall, when a woman cried out to him. He assumed she was going to ask for food (which he didn't have); instead, she wanted him to judge a case. "This woman said to me that we should cook and eat my son today and then we'd cook and eat her son tomorrow. Well, we ate my son, now it's her turn and she's hidden him!" This so upset the king that he tore his clothes and people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his robes. Yehoram swore that he would execute Elisha. (Why? What did Elisha do? Well, Yehoram reasoned that Elisha had the power to end the famine just as Elijah had ended the drought in his day.)
The king sent a messenger to Elisha, who was sitting with the Sanhedrin. Of course, Elisha, being a prophet, already knew what was going on and he said to his companions, "Do you see what that son of a murderer has done? He sent this man to chop off my head! When he gets here, throw him out, because his master is no doubt behind him!" However, when the messenger arrived and heard this, Yehoram realized that the famine was due to his own evil, not due to inaction on Elisha's part.
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II Kings Chapter 5 Thu, Mar 18, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 31:50 |
Text Pages |
Want to see something kind of cool?
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Naaman was a general in Aram, but he had tzaraas (a skin condition that for simplicity's sake we'll translate as leprosy, even though it's not exactly the same). Naaman's wife had a Jewish servant girl, who suggested that Elisha might be able to cure him. Naaman approached the king of Aram, who wrote Naaman a letter of introduction to Yehoram, king of Israel. Naaman brought with him silver, gold and clothes.
When Yehoram got the letter asking him to have Naaman cured, he was worried that Aram was merely seeking a pretext to go to war. Elisha heard about Naaman and sent word to the king that he should sent Naaman to him so that he'll know there's a prophet in Israel.
Elisha instructed Naaman to bathe seven times in the Jordan and he would be healed. Naaman scoffed at this. "We have better rivers in Damascus and they haven't cured me!" Naaman's servant said to him, "If the prophet told you to do a difficult thing, wouldn't you have listened? This is so easy, it's at least worth a shot!" So Naaman bathed in the Jordan. Not only was he cured of his leprosy, his skin was completely rejuvenated, like a young boy's.
Naaman returned to Elisha and offered him the riches he had brought, but Elisha declined. Naaman pressed him to take a gift, but Elisha stood firm.
"Well, I'm asking YOU for a gift," said Naaman. "Please let me load my caravan with the earth of the Holy Land so that I can build an altar. From now on, I will only worship Hashem and no other god." (Naaman stipulated that, when the king of Aram would take him to worship his gods, he would have to let the king think he was doing so. Elisha told him not to worry about it; a Jew would not be permitted to do so, but it was okay for Naaman.)
Naaman departed. It was at this point that Gechazi revealed his true colors. He thought it was foolish of Elisha to let all that treasure get away and he resolved to get some of it. He ran after Naaman and said, "Elisha sent me. We just got some guests. Could you send a talent of silver and two sets of clothes?" (A talent is about 150 lbs.) "Please, take TWO talents of silver," Naaman insisted, so Gechazi did. He hid his ill-gotten gain and sent his attendants away.
The problem with working for a prophet is that they know things. If you think you can sneak around behind their backs, forget about it! Elisha asked Gechazi where he had gone and Gechazi said, "Nowhere." Elisha was livid. He had refused payment in order to sanctify G-d's Name, which Gechazi had now desecrated. He cursed Gechazi and his descendants with Naaman's leprosy.
After this incident, Gechazi only got worse; the Mishna in Sanhedrin (10:2) lists him as one of the people who forfeited their share in the World to Come. Nevertheless, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 107b) criticizes Elisha for rebuking Gechazi too harshly, discouraging repentance. This was the cause of the second illness Elisha had. (Refer back to the incident with the bears in chapter 2.)
Now, we promised to show you something kind of cool; here it is: We know that Torah is the blueprint of the universe. Everything that ever will be can be found somewhere in the Torah if one knows where to look. Allusions to future events, such as Chanukah and Purim, are famous examples of this phenomenon. So, where can we find an allusion to Naaman in the Torah?
In Hebrew, the name Naaman starts and ends with the letter Nun. There are only three verses in the Torah that start and end with Nun: Leviticus 13:9 ("If a person has leprosy, they should be brought to a Kohein"), Numbers 32:32 ("We will cross armed before G-d to Canaan and take our inheritance across the Jordan"), and Deuteronomy 18:15 ("G-d will raise a prophet like me from among you - to him you shall listen"). It's interesting to note that the only three verses that start and end with the same letter as Naaman's name refer to leprosy, the Jordan, and a prophet - all key features in the story of Naaman!
Make of that what you will...
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II Kings Chapter 4 Wed, Mar 17, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 35:50 |
Text Pages |
"My head! My head!"
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
A prophet's widow came to Elisha crying that she couldn't pay her debts and that the creditor was going to take her children as servants to work it off. Elisha asked her what she had in the house; all she had was oil.
"No problem," he said. "Go to all your neighbors and borrow vessels - as many as you can! Pour oil into all these vessels until they're all full." This she did. She poured oil until she ran out of jugs to hold it. She sold the oil, paid off her debt, and was able to live on the balance.
Elisha traveled to a place called Shuneim. A local woman invited him for a meal. Eventually, he became a regular guest at this woman's table, as he passed her house on his travels. The woman asked her husband to build an addition to their home so that Elisha could have his own room there.
One time, when Elisha was staying there, he told his servant Gechazi to get their hostess. He told Gechazi to ask the woman, "You have done so much for us, what can we do for you?" Gechazi reported back that the woman had no children and would like one. Elisha told the woman that in a year's time she would have a son. She said, "Don't tease me," but he was serious and, sure enough, she had a son.
The boy grew. One day in the field, he called out "My head! My head!" and he collapsed. The boy's father had him carried to his mother, who held him in her lap until noon, when he died. She put the boy on Elisha's bed and told her husband to get her a donkey and an attendant so she could go see Elisha.
"Why?" asked the man. "It's not a special day." "Just do it." she said. She traveled to Elisha at Mt. Carmel.
When she saw Elisha, she threw herself at his feet. Gechazi took the role of body guard and pushed her away. (The Talmud in Brachos, 10b, says that Gechazi took the opportunity to grope the woman. If that seems random, it will make more sense the more we learn about Gechazi in the next chapter.) Elisha saw that the woman was distressed and told Gechazi to let her be.
The woman said, "I didn't come to you asking for a son - I asked you not to toy with me!" Elisha had Gechazi get his things and accompany the woman. Gechazi was to lay Elisha's staff on the boy's face. The woman insisted on staying with Elisha. Gechazi ran ahead and put the staff on the boy's face, but nothing happened. He ran back and told Elisha.
Elisha arrived. He entered the room with the boy and shut the door behind him. He prayed and stretched himself over the boy, warming him. He walked around, then stretched himself over the boy again. The boy sneezed seven times, then opened his eyes. Elisha called the woman to come and get her son.
Returning to Gilgal, Elisha passed a band of prophets who had a problem: they made a stew with some poisonous mushrooms and it was making everyone violently ill. There was a famine and they had no other food. Elisha had them pour the stew back into the pot. He added some flour and cooked it together. Then he told them to dish it out because it was now wholesome food.
A man came with bread for the prophets, but it wasn't nearly enough. (The simple reading is that there were 20 loaves to feed 100 people, which is actually pretty good. The Talmud in Kesubos, 106a, clarifies that there was one loaf for every hundred people - that's very different!) Elisha told them not to worry, just start handing out bread and not only would everyone be fed, but there would be leftovers! Sure enough, that's what happened. (Please note: If you ever hear a story about someone raising a person from the dead and feeding a large crowd with a few loaves, such things were recorded in this chapter first!)
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II Kings Chapter 3 Tue, Mar 16, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 33:31 |
Text Pages |
Looks Like Blood From Here
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Ahab's son Yehoram became king of Israel after his brother Achaziah died and, like their parents, he was pretty rotten, just not as bad. He got rid of the altar to Baal that his father had made, although he left the asheira tree cult alone. Mesha, king of Moav, had paid Ahab a hefty annual tribute of sheep and rams. When Ahab died, Mesha stopped making payments, so Yehoram went out to battle Moav. He asked Yehoshafat, king of Judah, to join him and Yehoshafat agreed. (Edom was a vassal state to Judah, so they were on board, as well.) They went to Moav by way of the desert of Edom. En route, they ran out of water. Yehoram expressed the concern that G-d was handing Israel, Judah and Edom over to Moav. Yehoshafat asked if there was a prophet close enough to consult. There was: Elisha.
When the three rulers arrived, Elisha asked Yehoram, "What do we have to do with one another? Go ask your father's prophets (of Baal) or your mother's prophets (of the asheira cult)!" Yehoram replied, "Don't be like that! G-d is delivering us into Moav's hands!"
Elisha said, "I wouldn't help you, except that Yehoshafat is with you and he's a respectable person." A prophet needs to be in a good mood to receive a prophecy and seeing Yehoram got Elisha all upset, so he sent for a musician to calm him down.
Elisha prophesied, "You won't see rain, but the valley will be filled with water and all your animals will drink. More importantly, G-d will deliver Moav into your hands. You are to strike down every city, cut down every tree (normally forbidden in warfare), stop up the streams and fill the fields with rocks." The next morning, water was flowing in from the direction of Edom and it filled the land.
The army of Moav had prepared for the invasion and were standing ready. When they saw the sun shining on the water, it looked red to them, like blood. The assumed that the three invading armies must have turned on one another and wiped themselves out. They went to loot the scene of the massacre and found themselves in the middle of the Israelite camp, surrounded by sword-wielding Israelites. The Israelites easily defeated them, then did all that Elisha had commanded them.
The king of Moav saw he was defeated. He tried to break through to attack the king of Edom, but he was unable. He then sacrificed his son. (It's unclear to whom "his" refers here. Rashi says it means the king of Moav sacrificed his own son, but Radak says it means the king of Edom's son.) The human sacrifice angered G-d and caused Him to recall the idolatry that was going on in Israel. G-d's favor removed, the siege was discontinued.
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II Kings Chapter 2 Mon, Mar 15, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 0 |
Text Pages |
"Over the Rainbow" (or "Bear with Me")
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
G-d told Elijah that He was going to take him into so Elijah headed out for Beth-El with Elisha in tow. The other prophets they passed called out to Elisha, "Don't you know that G-d is taking your master away today?" Elisha replied, "I know, so be quiet!"
Elijah asked Elisha to remain in Gilgal, and again he asked him to stay in Jericho, but Elisha refused to let his teacher go without him. They came to the Jordan and had picked up fifty prophets by this time. Elijah took his cloak and struck the Jordan with it; the Jordan parted so that he and Elisha could cross. (The fifty prophets remained behind.)
Elijah asked his disciple what he could grant him before his departure and Elisha asked for a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit. (Rashi says this refers to Elijah's blessing for a particularly high level of prophecy.) Elijah said, "That's a tough one. If you see me taken away, you'll know that it's been granted."
While they were talking, a fiery chariot drawn by fiery horses came down and separated them. Elijah was carried up to Heaven in a whirlwind, his cloak falling to the ground. Elisha cried out and tore his clothes in mourning. He picked up Elijah's cloak and started back.
When Elisha got to the Jordan, he struck it and said, "Where is Hashem, the G-d of Elijah?" and the waters parted for him as they had for his master. The fifty prophets saw this and knew that G-d had appointed Elisha as Elijah's successor. The prophets asked to go look for Elijah, but Elisha said, "Don't bother." They pressed the issue until Elisha relented. They looked for three days, but didn't find him. Elisha said, "I told you so!"
The people of Jericho asked Elisha for help - their water had gone bad and people were dying. Elisha requested a new jar filled with salt. He threw the jar into the water, which became purified. (This is a "double miracle," since salt normal spoils water for drinking!)
Elisha left Jericho to return to Beth-El. Some youths came and starting taunting him. "Get out of here, baldy!" they cried. He cursed them and two bears came out of the woods and tore them apart. (The commentators explain this story allegorically in a variety of ways, but it still seems to be an over-reaction on Elisha's part. The Talmud in Sotah, 47a, says that Elisha was punished for this act with a serious illness.)
Elisha proceeded to Mt. Carmel, where Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal, and from there Elisha proceeded to Samaria, the capital of the kingdom of Israel.
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II Kings Chapter 1 Sun, Mar 14, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 17:42 |
Text Pages |
Lord of the Flies
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
NOTE: It's going to get a little bit confusing soon if you don't pay attention, because some names are going to start repeating. Just as many British monarchs had the same name - and the US had two Presidents named John Adams and two named George Bush - there are some kings with duplicated names. We ended the book of I Kings with Achaziah, son of Ahab, king of Israel, but there will also soon be an Achaziah, son of Yehoram, king of Judah. That Yehoram is the son of Yehoshafat (Jehoshaphat), but there will be a king of Israel also named Yehoram before this chapter is through. Later, there will be a second king named Yaravam, also of Israel. So just watch to see whether it's a king of Judah (which included Benjamin and Levi) or a king of Israel (Ten Tribes) and you'll do just fine.
So, Ahab died and was succeeded by his son, Achaziah. Achaziah had a fall (Rashi says down the stairs, Radak says through a skylight) and was badly injured. He sent messengers to Baal-Zevuv, the idol of Ekron, to see if he would recover. (You probably know Baal-Zevuv by one or two other names. It's often Anglicized "Beelzebub" and it literally translates into "Lord of the Flies," as in the book of the same name.)
An angel came to the prophet Elijah with a message: G-d wasn't real happy about Achaziah inquiring of an idol, so he would die of his injuries. Elijah told the messengers, who returned to the king with that prophecy. Achaziah heard it and asked, "Who told you that?" They replied, "A hairy man with a leather belt." "Elijah!" he exclaimed.
Achaziah sent a squad of fifty men to bring Elijah to him, but Elijah called upon a Heavenly fire that consumed them. Achaziah sent another fifty, who were likewise consumed. A third squad of fifty was sent and the captain was none too keen to be consumed by a Heavenly fire, so he called out, "We don't really want to be doing this; we were ordered to by the king. So could you please not consume us?" This being a reasonable request, the angel instructed Elijah to accompany the troops back to Achaziah, secure in the knowledge that he would be safe.
When he got there, Elijah reiterated the prophecy that Achaziah would die of his injuries. Sure enough, he died. Achaziah had no sons, so he was succeeded by his brother, Yehoram. (The other Yehoram was king of Judah at this time, but we'll learn more about him in chapter 8.)
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In Depth: I Kings Chapter 22 Sat, Mar 13, 10 |
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag - Length: 0 |
From Rechavam to Yehoshafat - Eliyahu ha'Navi in Light of the Rivalry between Yisrael & Yehuda
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In Depth: I Kings Chapter 20-22 Sat, Mar 13, 10 |
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag - Length: 0 |
How Achav 'Strikes Out' on Parshat HaMelech
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I Kings Chapter 22 Sat, Mar 13, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 34:37 |
Text Pages |
Jumping Jehoshaphat!
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Aram and Israel had peace for three years. King Yehoshafat (Jehoshaphat) of Judah was visiting Ahab when Ahab mentioned that Ben-Hadad had not returned the city of Ramot Gilad. (Remember his promise in chapter 20 to return all the captured cities?) He asked Yehoshafat if he would join him in battle against Aram. Yehoshafat said, "Let's check with a prophet first." Ahab called his prophets of Baal and they all said Israel would be victorious.
"Um...maybe there's an actual prophet of G-d we could ask?" asked Yehoshafat.
"Well, there's one," replied Ahab, "Michayahu, but I hate him because he always prophesies evil about me!"
They sent for Michayahu. Meanwhile, another prophet had made iron horns and was saying that Ahab would gore Aram. Michayahu was told by the messenger who got him that all the other prophets had predicted good things; Michayahu replied that he would only say what G-d told him.
When Michayahu arrived, Ahab asked whether he should attack Aram. "Well, good luck with that!" said Michayahu. "Come on, out with it!" prompted Ahab. "Fine," said Michayahu, "You asked for it. I see Israel scattering like sheep without a shepherd. They have no leader and they all run home to safety." (This means that their leader - Ahab - would be killed.)
"What did I tell you?" Ahab asked Yehoshafat. "He always predicts bad things about me!"
Michayahu continued. "I see G-d on His throne asking who will lure Ahab to his doom in Ramot Gilad. The spirit of Naboth stepped forward and volunteered to do so, by placing a false prophecy in the mouths of all these men."
Tzidkiyahu, who had made the iron horns, struck Michayahu and asked, "You think your prophecy is better than mine?" Michayahu replied, "You'll find out when you have to go into hiding because your prophecy was wrong!"
Ahab had Michayahu arrested. "Lock him up and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return," Ahab ordered. "If you return, then G-d didn't speak through me," replied Michayahu.
So Ahab and Yehoshafat led their armies to battle against Aram in Ramot Gilad. Ahab's idea was to disguise himself and fight among the troops. Yehoshafat remained in his royal robes. Meanwhile, the king of Aram was commanding his charioteers to focus all their attention on Ahab. Since Yehoshafat was the only one wearing royal robes, they initially assumed he was Ahab, but when they realized he wasn't, they withdrew from him. An archer of Aram randomly fired and hit Ahab between the plates of his armor. Wounded, Ahab was removed from the battlefield. He was propped up in a chariot and ultimately died of his wounds. His blood pooled in the bottom of the chariot.
When his army realized he had died, they dispersed. The chariot in which Ahab had died was washed out and - you guessed it! - dogs lapped up the blood, as Elijah had predicted (in chapter 21).
Let's talk about Yehoshafat, king of Judah: Yehoshafat reigned 25 years. He was righteous, like his father Asa, although he didn't stop the Jews from offering sacrifices on private altars. Yehoshafat was the king of Judah who made peace with Israel. He drove out religious cults that used prostitutes that had remained from his father's day. Yehoshafat built ships to bring gold, but they were never used because they got wrecked. Achaziah, who succeeded Ahab, suggested that his sailors travel with Yehoshafat's, but Yehoshafat declined. Yehoshafat was succeeded by his son Yehoram.
Achaziah reigned for two years, but he was just as rotten as his parents, Ahab and Jezebel. He worshipped Baal and angered G-d. His story continues in II Kings.
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I Kings Chapter 21 Fri, Mar 12, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 24:45 |
Text Pages |
Ahab and the Vineyard of Naboth
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Despite the victories that G-d permitted him, Ahab didn't improve. His neighbor Naboth (Navos) had a vineyard next to the palace. Ahab wanted to purchase the vineyard and make a vegetable garden out of it. He offered Naboth a better vineyard or cash for it, but Naboth replied, "G-d forbid that I should sell my ancestral property!" Ahab had a temper tantrum and pouted. He lay down and faced the fall, refusing to eat. His wife Jezebel asked what the problem was. He replied, "Naboth won't sell me his vineyard." (Ahab conveniently left out the part about the land being Naboth's ancestral property.) Jezebel said, "Don't worry - I'll get it for you." (A king had the authority to seize land for eminent domain in the case of the public's good, but not for his personal use, otherwise Ahab no doubt would have done so. And don't kid yourself - Ahab knew exactly what Jezebel was planning to do, if not the details of how.)
Jezebel had a fast day proclaimed and seated Naboth at the head, next to two false witnesses who lied and said that Naboth cursed G-d and the king. Naboth was stoned to death on the strength of their testimony. (When someone is executed for rebellion against the king, the king inherits his property.)
So, Ahab had his vineyard, but when he went to enjoy it, he was met by Elijah. Elijah had a message from G-d: "Just like the dogs licked Naboth's blood, so shall they lick yours. Since you've dedicated your life to doing evil, I will eradicate your household, as I did to Yaravam and Baasa - those who die in town will be eaten by dogs and those who die in the field will be eaten by birds. And Jezebel will be eaten by dogs."
Even though Ahab was the worst, most sinful king so far, he did something his predecessors hadn't: he showed remorse. When he heard the prophecy, he tore his clothes, fasted and put on sackcloth. G-d said to Elijah that since Ahab humbled himself, the prophecy would not be fulfilled during his lifetime. Instead, it was suspended until his son's reign.
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I Kings Chapter 20 Thu, Mar 11, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 29:41 |
Text Pages |
"Hit Me!"
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Ben-Hadad, King of Aram, attacked Samaria, Ahab's capital. He sent messengers telling Ahab, "Your silver and gold are mine and your wives and children are mine." Ahab took this to mean that Ben-Hadad was claiming him as a vassal and he cowardly replied, "Whatever you say: I and all that I own are yours." Ben-Hadad replied, "No, I meant that quite literally. I'm sending my army to carry away all your stuff." This made Ahab grow a spine. He consulted his advisors, then he replied, "I did everything you asked, but that's where I have to draw the line." The correspondence continued: Ben-Hadad said he would raze Samaria; Ahab told him not to count his chickens before they hatched.
Ben-Hadad was drinking with his colleagues when he got this last message and he immediately attacked Samaria. A prophet (Seder Olam says Michayahu, whom we'll meet by name in chapter 22) told Ahab that he would defeat Ben-Hadad and recognize G-d through the victory. Ahab asked through whom the victory would be wrought and he was told through the inexperienced youths, who were hardly trained combat soldiers. The youths were 232 in number; Ahab's whole army was 7,000. (These may be the 7,000 who never worshipped Baal referred to in the previous chapter.)
Ben-Hadad got word that soldiers (the youths) were advancing. He gave orders to take them alive. The youths led the army and they struck the army of Aram, who ran away. Then Ahab came out with his horses and chariots and defeated Aram. The prophet told Ahab to be on guard, because Aram would attack again in a few months.
The servants of Ben-Hadad told him that G-d must be a god of mountains, which is why Israel could defeat them there, but if they fought in a valley...! So, a few months later,Aram attacked Israel in a valley. The prophet told Ahab he would defeat Aram there, too. Israel killed 100,000 of the army of Aram, who fled into the city. The wall fell on 27,000 of them. Ben-Hadad hid.
His servants told Ben-Hadad that the Jewish kings are supposed to be merciful, so they should give themselves up. They went to Ahab to ask for Ben-Hadad's life and Ahab erred by referring to Ben-Hadad as his brother. The servants leaped on the opportunity and said, "Yes, your brother." They brought him out and Ahab made friends with him. Ben-Hadad promised to return the cities Aram had previously conquered and the two kings forged a treaty.
Change the scene: A prophet approached a man on the street and said, "Hit me!" The man refused to hit him and was killed by a lion. The prophet told another man to hit him, and this man (wisely) obliged. The prophet, now wounded, put a bandage over his eyes as a disguise and approached Ahab. He told the following story:
"I was in the battle and I was charged with watching a prisoner. I was told that if he got away, I would have to pay a talent of silver (an exorbitant amount) or my life would be forfeit. While I was preoccupied, the man got away. Am I responsible?" The king replied, "You yourself have said so!" The prophet removed his disguise and said to Ahab, "G-d says that He delivered Ben-Hadad into your hands and you let him get away! Now it's your life for his and your nation for his!" Ahab returned to Samaria appropriately distressed by this message.
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In Depth: I Kings Chapter 14-19 Wed, Mar 10, 10 |
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag - Length: 25:32 |
Why Achav marries Jezebel and Why Eliyahu 'Stops the Rain'
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I Kings Chapter 19 Wed, Mar 10, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 30:41 |
Text Pages |
The Thin, Still Voice
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Ahab told Jezebel about what Elijah did on Mt. Carmel and she was not impressed. Just the opposite, she swore to kill Elijah for what he had done, so Elijah got out of town. (One cannot rely on a miracle to protect oneself from danger.) Elijah ran into the desert and took refuge under a lone tree. There he said that it would be better if G-d took his life than Jezebel. Then he fell asleep.
He awoke to find an angel offering him food. He ate and drank and went back to sleep.
When he got up, the angel was back with more food. The angel told Elijah to fill up because he was going on a long trip. That meal gave him the strength to walk forty days and nights, to Mt. Sinai. He spent the night in the cave where Moses stood to see G-d's glory pass by (see Exodus 33:22). Then G-d opened the conversation by asking Elijah why he had come. (Of course G-d knew, but He often starts conversations with a question, such as "Where's your brother?" to Cain or "What's that in your hand?" to Moses.) Elijah replied, "I have acted very zealously on Your behalf. I alone among the prophets am still doing Your business and Jezebel is trying to kill me."
G-d told Elijah to leave the cave and stand on the mountain, which he did. There, Elijah had a vision. First he saw a great wind smashing rocks, but he said "G-d is not in the wind." Then he saw an earthquake, but he said "G-d is not in the earthquake." Next, he saw a fire, but he said "G-d is not in the fire." Finally, he heard a tiny, quiet voice. Elijah knew that G-d was in the voice. (Long before Shakespeare, Elijah knew that things full of sound and fury often signify nothing.)
Elijah humbly covered his face and the quiet voice repeated the question, "Why are you here?" Elijah repeated his answer about how he acted zealously for G-d's sake and now his life was in danger. G-d told Elijah to go to Damascus and anoint Chazael as king of Aram, to anoint Yehu, grandson of Nimshi, as king of Israel and to appoint Elisha ben Shafat as his own successor. Among them, Chazael, Yehu and Elisha would wipe out the wicked people. G-d told Elijah not to worry: though there were only 7,000 righteous people who never worshipped Baal left in the kingdom, they would all be spared.
Elijah left and went to Elisha ben Shafat, who was driving twelve pair of oxen before him. Elijah allowed his mantle to pass over Elisha as he walked by, signifying that Elisha should follow him. Elisha asked permission to say goodbye to his parents first. Elijah gave his approval. Then Elisha slaughtered a pair of oxen and made a feast to celebrate being chosen Elijah's disciple. After the feast, Elisha followed Elijah and served him.
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I Kings Chapter 18 Tue, Mar 09, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 33:54 |
Text Pages |
Hashem Hu Ha'Elokim! Hashem Hu Ha'Elokim!
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
This chapter tells of one of the most significant events in Jewish history: the "showdown" between G-d and the Baal on Mt. Carmel. (It wasn't much of a showdown since one of the parties - the Baal - never actually showed up. But that's because he doesn't exist.)
Let's start at the beginning:
The drought lasted three years and G-d told Elijah to go to Ahab and end it. The head of Ahab's household was the righteous Obadaiah, a convert from Edom (see Sanhedrin 39b). When Jezebel was wiping out all the prophets, Obadaiah hid 100 of them in caves and supported them with his own money. As a reward, he became a prophet, one of the twelve "minor prophets" whose books make up the volume called Trei Asar. Elijah approached Obadiah and said, "Tell Ahab that I'm here." Obadiah balked. "Oh, no. Ahab has been looking for you everywhere. I'm going to go get him, G-d will whisk you away to safety, and Ahab will kill me." Elijah replied, "Don't worry, I'll still be here when you get back." So Obadiah went and got Ahab.
When Ahab saw Elijah, he blamed the prophet for causing the drought. Elijah replied, "It's not my fault, it's yours." He told Ahab to get the 450 prophets of Baal as well as the 400 prophets of the asheira tree worshippers.
Elijah, the people, and the prophets of Baal gathered on Mt. Carmel. (The asheira prophets were no shows.) Elijah said, "Either G-d is the L-rd or Baal is - it's time to pick one!" He proposed the following contest. There were two bulls. The Baal worshippers would prepare one and he would prepare the other. Whichever one would be consumed by a fire from Heaven must be an offering to the one true Ruler. Everyone thought this was a good idea and the priests of Baal got to go first. They prepared their sacrifice and prayed, danced and cut themselves for hours, but there was no reply, because nobody was listening. Elijah mocked them. "Shout louder! Maybe Baal is sleeping, or perhaps he's in the bathroom!" Eventually the prophets of Baal had to give up.
Then it was Elijah's turn. He had a huge trench dug around his altar. He then had water poured over his sacrifice until it filled the trench. (Keep in mind that this was during a drought and water was very precious!) A fire came down from G-d and consumed the sacrifice and licked up all the water in the trench. The people cried out "Hashem Hu Ha'Elokim! G-d is the L-rd!" (We say this seven times at the conclusion of the Yom Kippur service - this is where it comes from.) Elijah told the people to seize the prophets of Baal and the people executed them.
Fasting is a traditional way of praying for rain. Elijah told Ahab, "Go and eat because rain is coming." Elijah prayed and sent his attendant out to check the horizon for clouds. Nothing. He checked seven times; on the seventh, he saw a small cloud, like a man's fist. Elijah told Ahab to hit the road so the rain wouldn't affect his journey. The skies darkened and rain came down. Ahab headed for home and Elijah accompanied him, out of respect for the king.
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I Kings Chapter 17 Mon, Mar 08, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 18:58 |
Text Pages |
Eliyahu HaNavi, Eliyah HaTishbi, Eliyahu HaGiladi
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Elijah (Eliyahu) was a prophet (navi), who came from Toshav (making him a Tishbi) and lived in Gilad (also making him a Giladi - now you get the song!). Elijah went to Ahab with the following message: I swear by G-d that there will be no rain until I say so. (This was Elijah speaking, not G-d.) G-d then told Elijah to go hide by a certain stream off of the Jordan. Elijah was to drink from the stream and G-d would send ravens with food. (The Talmud in Chulin, 5a, says the ravens stole the food from Ahab.) After a year, the stream dried up, so G-d told him to go to a city called Tzarfas, where a local widow would support him.
When he arrived at Tzarfas, Elijah asked the widow for bread and water. She went to get the water, but she told him that she only had enough flour and oil to prepare one last meal for her son and herself. Elijah assured her that if she fed him, her flour jar and her oil jug would not run out until the rains resumed. She fed him and her oil and flour became never-emptying supplies.
After this incident, the woman's son became very sick. The Navi says that his breath stopped, but it is unclear whether or not he actually died. In either case, the woman cried to Elijah, who took the boy and laid him on his bed. Elijah cried out to G-d and stretched himself out over the boy and he was revived. He brought the boy back downstairs to his mother and said, "Look, ma'am, your son is alive!" (Modestly, Elijah did not say, "Look what I did!") Despite the previous miracle of the flour and oil, this miracle enabled the woman to see how great a prophet Elijah truly was.
A clever Rashi on Parshas Noach: The Torah tells us that before sending the dove, Noah tried sending a raven. The raven went back and forth "until the waters dried up" (Genesis 8:7). Rashi quotes the Midrash in Bereishis Rabbah, that this means that the raven was put aside for a different job, namely delivering food to Elijah when "the waters dried up" in our chapter.
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I Kings Chapter 16 Sun, Mar 07, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 30:46 |
Text Pages |
"Heard about a king, he was doing swell..."
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
G-d spoke to the prophet Yehu about Baasa. Yehu was to tell Baasa that he really blew it. G-d elevated him to replace the sinful Yaravam, but all he did was perpetuate Yaravam's evil. Therefore, his house would receive the same curse of extinction as Yaravam's had suffered. Same deal: die in the city, eaten by dogs. Die in the field, eaten by birds.
When Baasa died, he was succeeded by his son Elah. Elah reigned only two years, when he was assassinated by Zimri, one of his head charioteers. Zimri struck Elah down when Elah was drunk and easy prey. He then declared himself king and eliminated Baasa's descendants, just as Yehu had foretold. If you think Elah's two-year reign was short, just look at Zimri's: seven days. Assassins are not the most popular people and when the army heard that Zimri assassinated Elah, they made Omri their king and went after Zimri. Zimri took refuge in the palace, but Omri burned it down and Zimri died.
Some of the people wanted Omri for king, but others favored a man named Tivni. They struggled for a while, but Tivni died and Omri became the undisputed king of the Ten Tribes.
Omri ruled for 12 years. He purchased Samaria and made it his capital. Even though he was an evil king, even worse than Yaravam and Baasa, he is praised for building up Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel. (See Sanhedrin 102b. Hey, at least he did something right! As an aside, did you ever notice that all the land in Israel that was clearly purchased in Tanach - Hebron, Samaria, the Temple Mount - are among the most disputed?)
Omri was succeeded by his son Ahab (Achav). As bad as Omri was, Ahab managed to surpass him. Yaravam's worst sins were just the start of Ahab's evil. To make matters worse, he had an evil wife, Jezebel (Izevel) who only reinforced his already-reprehensible behavior. (Contrary to the lyrics of the Elvis song, the king was NOT "doing swell, 'til he started playing with that evil Jezebel." Ahab was rotten before; she just made him worse.) Jezebel was the daughter of the king of Tzidon and she was a Baal worshipper. (Baal was a popular idol of the time.) Ahab worshipped Baal and built altars for it. He also planted asheiras, which were trees used for idolatry.
Now refer back to Joshua chapter 6. There, Joshua pronounced a curse on anyone rebuilding Jericho. Ahab's buddy Hiel rebuilt Jericho and, even though his children kept dying, he just said, "Curse? What curse? It's just a coincidence!" It's amazing how people like Yaravam, Baasa and Hiel can see the Hand of G-d up close and personal and still keep on doing their own thing.
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I Kings Chapter 15 Sat, Mar 06, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 29:28 |
Text Pages |
Good King Asa, Bad King Baasa
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Aviyam succeeded Rechavam and was just as bad as his father had been. He was only tolerated by G-d because of the promise made to David. Yaravam was still king over Israel when Aviyam became king over Judah and Aviyam continued the animosity his father had shared with Yaravam. Aviyam only reigned three years; when he died, he was succeeded by Asa. (Yaravam was still ruling Israel.)
Unlike his father and grandfather, Asa was a righteous king. He chased the idolatry and immorality out of the kingdom of Judah. He even deposed the Queen Mother (his grandmother Maacah) because she had made an idol. He chopped up her idol and burned it. The one thing he didn't do was abolish personal altars to G-d, which were prohibited from the time the Temple was built. But he did contribute large amounts of silver and gold to the Temple.
Yaravam's son Nadav was succeeded by Baasa. (More about him at the end of the chapter.) There was war between Asa and Baasa. Baasa invaded Judah and built a fortress to seal Asa in. Asa took the gold and silver from the Temple and sent it to Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram. He reminded him of the pact between their countries and asked him to accept the gold and silver in order to drive away Baasa's forces. Ben-Hadad agreed and Baasa was repelled. The people of Judah dismantled Baasa's fortress. While his strategy worked, Asa is faulted for using the Temple treasury to hire a foreign army rather than turning to G-d.
When Asa died, he was succeeded by his son Yehoshaphat (Jehoshaphat).
Baasa was not a descendant of Yaravam and Nadav. He was from the Tribe of Issachar and he assassinated Nadav only two years into his reign. This eliminated the house of Yaravam, as G-d had said would happen. Baasa reigned 24 years and was as evil as his predecessors.
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I Kings Chapter 14 Fri, Mar 05, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 30:40 |
Text Pages |
A Blind Man Sees Through a Disguise
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Yaravam had a young son named Aviyah, who became ill. Yaravam sent his wife to see the prophet Achiya, who had predicted his ascension to the throne. It wouldn't do for people to know the idolatrous Yaravam was consulting the prophet of G-d, so he told his wife to disguise herself and to take a more modest gift than the king would normally send. (Achiya was blind, but they didn't want other people to know, either.) Yaravam's wife traveled to Achiya in Shiloh. G-d had told Achiya to expect her, so when she got there, he greeted her by name even though she was disguised and he was blind!
Achiya said, "I have a message for your husband from G-d: I took most of the kingdom from David's house and gave it to you, but you are worse than any of your predecessors! Therefore, I will eliminate all your male descendants. They won't even be properly buried! If they die in the city, dogs will eat them. If they die in the country, birds will eat them. Now, as for why you're here, Mrs. Yaravam, as you enter your city, the boy will die. He alone of Yaravam's descendants will be buried, because in him is what little good is left in your husband's house. A new king will wipe out Yaravam's house."
Yaravam's wife left and, sure enough, as she re-entered her city, the boy died. He was buried and mourned as G-d had said. Yaravam reigned in Israel for 22 years and was succeeded by his son, Nadav.
Rechavam reigned in Judah for 17 years. The people of Judah descended into idolatry and immorality worse than any previous generation, so G-d allowed them to be invaded by Shishak, king of Egypt. He carried away all the treasures of the Temple, as well as the golden shields that Solomon had made. (Rechavam replaced them with copper shields.) Rechavam and Yaravam were in a perpetual state of war. When Rechavam died, he was succeeded by his son, Aviyam.
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I Kings Chapter 13 Thu, Mar 04, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 30:49 |
Text Pages |
A False Prophet Has a True Prophecy
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
G-d sent a prophet to see Yaravam. (Radak quotes the Midrash that it was Iddo, but we'll call him "the man of G-d" here because that's what he is called throughout the chapter.) The man of G-d came to Yaravam as he was burning incense on his altar. The man of G-d addressed the altar saying, "A son will be born to the house of David and his name will be Yoshiyahu (Josiah). He will kill the false priests of this place and human bones will be burnt on you. As a sign that this will come to pass, the altar will split and the ashes on it will spill!"
Yaravam was not happy that this prophet was interrupting his service with such dire predictions. He stretched his arm out towards the man of G-d, but it became paralyzed and he could not bring it back. And then... the altar broke and the ashes spilled off, just as the man of G-d had said.
This concerned Yaravam. He asked the man of G-d to heal his hand, which he did. He then invited the man of G-d back to his home for a meal. The man of G-d declined, saying that G-d had commanded him not to eat or drink or to return by the same road on which he came. The man of G-d then departed (by a different road, of course).
There was a retired prophet living in Beth-el who heard that the man of G-d was in town. (There is a difference of opinion as to whether he was a real prophet or a false prophet. Rashi and the Targum Yonasan both say he was a false prophet, so let's go with that.) The false prophet invited the man of G-d to his home for a meal and the man of G-d replied with the command not to eat or drink. At this, the false prophet lied to him. "I'm also a prophet and G-d told me to go and get you." So the man of G-d accompanied the false prophet to his home.
G-d wasn't happy that the man of G-d disobeyed His directions. He lost his gift for prophecy, so G-d spoke to him through the previously-false prophet. "Because you disobeyed the word of G-d and ate and drank in this place, your corpse will not be buried in your family's grave!" (The Radak explains that this means he would not reach home. Rather, he would be killed en route.)
On his way out of town, the man of G-d was attacked by a lion and killed. Miraculously, the lion did not eat the body, nor did it touch the man of G-d's donkey. The donkey and the lion just stood there by the body. This was pretty unusual and the people reported it to the old prophet. The old prophet retrieved the corpse and buried it in his own family plot. He instructed his sons that, when he would die, he should be buried in the same grave as the man of G-d, in hopes that his own bones would not be among those burned on Yaravam's altar. (See II Kings chapter 23 to see how the prophecy of the man of G-d turned out. Hint: it takes place three hundred years later, during the reign of King Yoshiyahu/Josiah!)
And Yaravam? Despite the prophecy, the paralyzed hand, the sign of the altar splitting coming true, and the incidents with the false prophet's prophecy and the lion, he remained unmoved. He continued in his idolatrous ways. Instead of fulfilling his potential of having a lasting dynasty like David, he caused destruction to be declared on his descendants. The Talmud in Tractate Sanhedrin (102a) describes how G-d offered Yaravam a prominent place in Paradise if he repented. Instead, the Mishna there (10:2) lists Yaravam among those rare exceptions who managed to forfeit their shares in the World to Come.
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In Depth: I Kings Chapter 10-13 Wed, Mar 03, 10 |
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag - Length: 27:48 |
Yerovam's revolt, and its political & prophetic setting
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I Kings Chapter 12 Wed, Mar 03, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 30:02 |
Text Pages |
Read Our Lips: No New Taxes
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Solomon's son and heir, Rechavam, went to Shechem to be crowned. The people had summoned Yaravam back from Egypt and he was among them. The people said to Rechavam, "The tax burden under your father was very great. If you alleviate this burden, we will be your loyal subjects." Rechavam showed poor leadership by asking for three days to consider it.
His elder advisors, the ones who had served his father, gave him good advice: Choose your battles. If you give in to this request, you'll have won their support. But his peers were "yes men." They advised him to exert his authority and show the people who was boss. Not only that, they told him to be more demanding than Solomon ever was and to make sure the people knew it. Sadly, Rechavam took the advice of the young and impulsive advisors over that of his elder statesmen. (The whole scenario was orchestrated by G-d in order to fulfill the prophecy conveyed to Yaravam by Achiya.)
The problem with saying "My way or the highway" is that, when given that ultimatum, the answer is often "okay, highway." When they heard Rechavam's harsh reply, ten Tribes seceded from the union. When Rechavam sent Adoram to collect taxes, the people stoned him to death.
Conversely, Yaravam, who was also a tax collector by trade, was quite popular with the people. So much so that they asked him to rule over them. In response, Rechavam gathered his troops to force the ten Tribes to re-join the nation. G-d sent the prophet Shemaya to tell Rechavam not to go to war, so Rechavam stood down.
Yaravam, however, had a terrible idea. Realizing that the Kingdom of Judah still had Jerusalem and the Temple, he became concerned that his people would gradually long to reunite with them. To prevent that, he decided to offer alternatives to the Temple. What did he come up with? He built two golden calves and placed them at opposite ends of the country, for the people's convenience.
Now, you and I might think that a golden calf is the worst possible thing one could make, given the obvious association with the golden calf in the desert. But it was easy for Yeravam to rationalize that the golden calf must be an appropriate vehicle. His advisors convinced him that in rejecting Rechavam, G-d was also rejecting Jerusalem and the Temple. And, since Aaron made a golden calf in the absence of Moses, Yaravam should make golden calves in the absence of the Temple...
So Yaravam barricaded the roads to Jerusalem, set up idols, appointed non-Levites as priests, and made up his own holidays. Yeah, his reign was off to a great start.
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I Kings Chapter 11 Tue, Mar 02, 10 |
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein - Length: 31:58 |
Text Pages |
The End of Solomon's Reign
By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
If you didn't read the last paragraph of the synopsis for chapter 10, take a look; it describes how Solomon erred by having enormous stables despite the Torah's directive not to. Here we see Solomon's other, larger error.
As we've already discussed, Solomon married the Pharaoh's daughter in order to cement a treaty with Egypt. Here we see that Solomon married princesses from many other countries in order to forge alliances with them. The first problem was that we are forbidden to marry people from certain Canaanite nations, even if they convert. The other problem is that the Torah forbids a king from having too many wives (see Deut. 17:17). The "magic number" of wives that a king is permitted is 18. Solomon had 700! The reason, the Torah tells us, is that too many wives will turn the king's heart away from G-d. That's exactly what happened.
Even though they were converted, many of Solomon's wives were not sincere converts and they continued to worship their idols. Solomon even facilitated it by building them places to perform their service, which was really wrong. As the Torah and Nach does with great people who err, he is spoken of in the strongest possible terms. In this case, the Navi speaks of Solomon as if he himself had served the idols, though of course he clearly did not do so literally.
Because Solomon allowed himself to be swayed from wholehearted devotion to G-d, G-d decided to remove the kingdom from him - but not immediately and not completely. The kingdom would be divided after Solomon's death, with ten Tribes following another king. However, because of His promise to David of an everlasting dynasty, the descendants of Solomon would continue to rule Judah. (Benjamin and Levi would remain loyal to the Davidic kings, as well.)
Until this time, everything in Solomon's life had been hunky-dory. After this decree was made, Solomon for the first time had opposition. One critic was Hadad, a member of the royal family of Edom. David's general Yoav eradicated Hadad's people and he escaped to Egypt, where he became a member of Pharaoh's household. He married Pharaoh's wife's sister. He went to Israel to make trouble for Solomon, but he didn't tell Pharaoh this, since Pharaoh was Solomon's father-in-law.
Another troublemaker was R'zon. R'zon was a former servant of David's old nemesis, King Hadadezer of Tzova. He caused problems for the rest of Solomon's life.
Finally, there was Yaravam (Jeroboam). Yaravam "bawled out" King Solomon when he closed up the Millo (see chapter 9). Yaravam had been a man of distinction - Solomon had appointed him a minister of taxation over the Tribes of Ephraim and Menashe.
Yaravam was leaving Jerusalem when G-d sent the prophet Achiya to see him. Achiya took a brand-new garment and tore it into 12 pieces. He then told Yaravam to pick up ten of them. This represented the ten Tribes that G-d was giving Yaravam to rule. (A prophecy can be "thwarted" by repentance unless it is accompanied by a physical act. This decree was effectively a "done deal.") Achiya told Yaravam that G-d promised that David's descendants would continue to reign in Jerusalem, but he would rule over the rest of Israel. And, if he would follow G-d's Torah, G-d would establish for Yeravam an eternal dynasty, just like David's. (Hint: he didn't.)
Solomon sought to execute Yaravam for opposing him in the matter of the Millo, so Yaravam ran away to Egypt. He stayed with Shishak, who had succeeded Solomon's father-in-law as Pharaoh. Yaravam stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.
Solomon ruled Israel for 40 years. When he died, he was succeeded by his son Rechavam (Rehoboam).