929/2 Kings 12-16: Elisha's Legacy

The Sages taught: Elisha fell ill with three illnesses: One illness was for inciting bears to attack children (II Kings 2:24–25); one was for pushing Gehazi away with both hands; and one the illness he died from, as it is stated: “And Elisha was fallen ill of his illness from which he was to die” (II Kings 13:14). Until Abraham there were no signs of aging in the world. Anyone who saw Abraham said: That is Isaac, and anyone who saw Isaac said: That is Abraham. Abraham prayed for mercy, that he would undergo aging, as it is stated: “And Abraham was old, well stricken in age” (Genesis 24:1). Until Jacob there was no illness (a precursor to death). Jacob prayed for mercy and there was weakness, as it is stated: “And one said to Joseph: Behold, your father is ill” (Genesis 48:1). Until Elisha, no ill person who recovered, and Elisha came and prayed for mercy and recovered, as it is stated: “And Elisha was fallen ill of his illness from which he was to die” (II Kings 13:14).

(1) A general principle - understand it in all of the coming sections about Avraham, Yitschak and Yaacov, and it is a great matter. Our rabbis mentioned it in a brief way, and said (Tanchuma 9), "Everything that occurred to our forefathers is a sign for the children." And therefore the verses will write at length in recounting the journeys and the digging of the wells and the other events. And one who thinks about them can think as if they were superfluous things with no purpose. But all of the events come to teach about the future, for when an event occurs to a prophet, [i.e,] the three forefathers, he will contemplate from it the matter that is decreed to come to his seed. And know [about] every 'decree of the wakeful ones,' that when it goes from a potential decree to a symbolic action, the decree will be realized no matter what. And therefore the prophets will do actions in prophecies, like the statement of Yirmiyahu that he commanded to Baruch (Jer. 51:63-64), "And it shall be that when you finish to read the words of this book, you shall throw it into the Euphrates. And you shall say, 'So will Babylonia sink, etc.'"; and so [too with] the matter of Elisha in the placing of his forearm on the bow (II Kings 13:17), "And Elisha said, 'Shoot,' and he shot, and he said, 'It is the arrow of salvation of the Lord and the arrow of salvation from Aram,'" and it is stated there (II Kings 13:19), "And the man of God got angry with him and said, 'To strike five or six times, then you would have struck Aram to its end, and now three times will you strike Aram.'" And therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, kept Avraham in the land (of Israel) and did to him simulations of all of the future that would be done to his seed. And understand this.

(28) And Mattathias cried throughout the city with a loud voice, saying, Whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me. (29) So he and his sons fled into the mountains, and left all that ever they had in the city.(30) Then many that sought after justice and judgment went down into the wilderness,

(31) to dwell there: Both they, and their children, and their wives; and their cattle; because afflictions increased sore upon them.(32) Now when it was told the king’s servants, and the host that was at Jerusalem, in the city of David, that certain men, who had broken the king’s commandment, (33) were gone down into the secret places in the wilderness, They pursued after them a great number, (34) and having overtaken them, they camped against them, and made war against them on the sabbath day. And they said unto them, (35) Let that which ye have done hitherto suffice; come forth, and do according to the commandment of the king, and ye shall live. (36) But they said, We will not come forth, neither will we do the king’s commandment, to profane the sabbath day (37) So then they gave them the battle with all speed. (38) Howbeit they answered them not, neither cast they a stone at them, nor stopped the places where they lay hid; (39) But said, Let us die all in our innocency: heaven and earth will testify for us, that ye put us to death wrongfully. (40) So they rose up against them in battle on the sabbath, and they slew them, with their wives and children and their cattle, (41) to the number of a thousand people. (42) Now when Mattathias and his friends understood hereof, they mourned for them right sore. (43) And one of them said to another, If we all do as our brethren have done, and fight not for our lives and laws against the heathen, they will now quickly root us out of the earth. (44) At that time therefore they decreed, saying, Whosoever shall come to make battle with us on the sabbath day, we will fight against him; neither will we die all, as our brethren that were murdered in the secret places.

(5) Gentiles who come against Israelite towns - go forth to do battle against them carrying weapons, and they violate the prohibitions of the Sabbath on their account. When? When they come to kill. But if they do not come to kill, they do not go forth against them carrying weapons, and they do not violate the prohibitions of the Sabbath on their account. If they come against towns located near the frontier, even to grab straw, even to grab a loaf of bread, they go forth against them carrying weapons, and they violate the prohibitions of the Sabbath on their account. At first, they would leave their weapons in the house nearest the wall. One time, they ran about and were in haste to grab their weapons, and they ended up killing one another. They established that each one should go to one's house.

Since we shall be celebrating the purification of the temple on the twenty-fifth day of the month Kislev, we thought it right to inform you, that you too may celebrate the feast of Booths and of the fire that appeared when Nehemiah, the rebuilder of the temple and the altar, offered sacrifices