Deep Dive into Izevel

Our first introduction of Izevel was when Achav took her as his wife. In the same pasuk, we are told that after he married Izevel, he went and worshipped the Baal. The Taana Debbi Eliyahu Rabbah says that it was Izevel who taught Achav the ways to doing avodah zarah, and that led him to become an idol worshipper.

The gemara on Sanhedrin tells us more about Izevel’s idol worship. It says that every day she would weigh gold coins that were equal to Achav’s weight for idol worship.

The pasuk and commentaries paint Izevel as a bad influence on her husband.

After first hearing about Izevel, we do not hear about her again except that she has ordered the execution of all the Nevii Hashem. During this time there is a drought and we are told about Achav going through the country searching for water for the people. Izevel, however, does not participate in this search which suggests that she does not care about the people and that she thinks that she is above doing the "dirty work."

Izevel sends this message following the event at Har Carmel where Eliyahu killed all the Nevii Ha’Baal. We know that she did not attend the event because Achav had to tell her about what happened afterwards. According to Rabbi Torczyner, the reason she refused to go even though it was a national gathering is because she did not want to see her gods disproven. She will do whatever it takes to continue believing that she is right even if the facts say otherwise. This shows how hardheaded and stubborn she is.

While this scene can be read as showing a glimpse of Izevel’s humanity by showing that she cares about her husband, we believe that this is an incorrect reading. The Gemara in Makkot explains that whenever the word תדבר is in תנ״ך it connotes harsh language. So, this scene should not be read as Izevel caring for her husband and checking in on him, but rather her viewing his emotion as a weakness and being disgusted by the fact that he will not act strongly and just serve the land as she later does. This scene, actually demonstrates Izevel’s total lacking of human compassion and how she only cares about one thing: power.

All of these source have one common theme: Izevel controlling Achav. Izevel is clearly power hungry and manipulative, and she believes that as queen she is completely above the law. She takes what she wants with force and shows no remorse. She has no qualms about toying with Achav or using his position to her advantage and she holds Achav to the same standards. She expects him to show power and be strong and sees all hesitations to do so as a sign of weakness.

The fact that the elders knew to send her the letter, even though it was the order was written in Achav’s name shows how universally known Izevel’s cruelty was. Just by the nature of the command, the elders were able to identify that it was Izevel, and not Achav, who would be so cruel and heartless to order that. Izevel was known to be rutheless, so this act was easily identified as being from her.

This statement from Izevel truly highlights her cruelty and disregard for human life. After killing Navot she expresses no remorse and tells Achav to go claim the land. In addition, her language shows her lack of compassion because it would have been enough to say "he is no longer alive," but Izevel adds "He is dead." This bluntness shows her disregard for human life. In addition,it shows that she does not even leave a second for mourning. The instant Navot dies she is already moving in to claim his land.

The fact that Izevel receives such a harsh punishment shows how evil she truly is. In addition, this punishment is a reminder to everyone that while Izevel may have been able to escape human punishment because of her high station and deceit, Hashem was keeping track of her sins and gives her a worthy punishments. We should never think that we will be able to get away with crimes and sin because even if we are not caught by man, we cannot outrun Divine punishment.

All of these source explain how it was Izevel that caused Achav to be evil by leading him astray to serve idolatry. By following her advice on spiritual matters, Achav caused his downfall and caused much suffering for the people under his tyranical rule and with the drought. This teaches us the lesson of having good influences in our lives and taking advice from the right people. If Achav had instead taken council with Eliyahu, this story would be completely different, but he chose to listen to Izevel and become labeled as one of the most evil kings in Jewish history.

This scene shows Izevel totally in contrast with Judaism's view on morality. While Judaism emphasizes modesty, Izevel chooses to try and sexualize herself and use her body as a tool to escape a difficult situation. This shows Izevel's disregard for Jewish ideals and for herself. In the end, she is still killed but not before demeaning herself.

Izevel's death does reveal some redeeming qualities. According to some her skull, feet, and hands were spared because she used them to give kavod to the dead, others say that she used them to dance for a bride and make her happy. Either way, this shows that as bad a s Izevel was she still had some good in her.

Some take aways:

1. Everyone, no matter how evil, has a redeeming quality that we should look for and try to find the good in everyone.

2. We should never look at an evil person who is appears to be successful and think that it is because they are escaping punishment. In the end Hashem always delivers what they deserve and they pay for their crimes.

3.Be careful who you allow to influence you, and don't let one negative influence rewrite the story of who you get to be. If it had not been for Izevel, Achav could have been great.

4. It is never worth it to debase yourself and try to use your bodies for an advantage because you have so much more to offer than just your body.