Elisha and the Lepers

Found 4 Search results

1. Tazria - Metzora

   Haftarot: Tazria - Metzora

   Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

   Four stories about lepers appear in the books of the prophets. Three of the stories relate to Elisha (Na'aman, Gehazi, the Four Lepers). Why is Elisha the only prophet who meets with lepers and is involved with leprosy? What is the connections between leprosy and the war with Aram?

2. Curing Na’aman

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   The themes of the story of Naaman are: power and subservience, pride and humility, authority and submission. Ironically it is from the character of the lowest rank, the Israelite maid, that Na’aman's salvation shall emerge. At the outset we are struck by the enormous contrast between the "young girl – na’ara ketana" and Na’aman, the "great man – ish gadol"; the simple powerless slave child shall save the powerful general. This inversion of the power structure, whereby the lowest figure provides the key to salvation for her superior, undercuts the aforementioned hierarchy.  It is not the grand ceremonies and gestures, but the contrite heart that God sees; not opportunistic manipulation, but pure straightforward honesty and humility that stand before God. 

3. Siege and Salvation in Shomron

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Judaism does not always present redemption as flawless. We learn about the story of the siege and salvation of Shomron via characters who are ethically compromised: the cruel child-eating mothers and the selfish leprous outcasts. Moreover, God's salvation is discovered almost by accident. The study of this chapter leads to contemporary thought on a flawed redemption in modern day Israel.

4. Haftarat Metzora: A Look at the 4 Metzoraim and Geihazi

   Rabbi David Silverberg