Haftarah of Tazria

Melachim II 4:42 – 5:19

This Haftarah tells two stories about the prophet Elisha, Eliyahu's disciple and successor. He lived in the northern kingdom of Yisrael, during the dynasty of Achav, who had been the most pagan of all the kings. Achav's generation had been punished with a drought that lasted for several years and caused a great deal of damage to the economy. In addition, Yisrael had been at war with its neighbor to the north, Aram, for several decades. The Haftarah takes place at a time where Aram has the upper hand, and Yisrael is still suffering economically and politically. The current king, Achav's son Yoram, is described by the Navi as "not quite as evil as his father and mother." Nevertheless, this generation has Elisha as their spiritual leader, and experienced open miracles, some of which form the subject of this Haftarah.

In addition to his other duties, Elisha was the head of an academy of prophets. The first story of the Haftarah talks about a donation of food that Elisha received, and how it miraculously stretched to feed the entire community of starving students.

42) A man came from Baal-Shalisha; he brought to the Man of G-d bread of the first fruit: twenty loaves of barley, and grain bound in its sack. He said, "Give to the people and they will eat."	(מב) וְאִישׁ בָּא מִבַּעַל שָׁלִשָׁה וַיָּבֵא לְאִישׁ הָאֱ-לֹהִים לֶחֶם בִּכּוּרִים עֶשְׂרִים לֶחֶם שְׂעֹרִים וְכַרְמֶל בְּצִקְלֹנוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר תֵּן לָעָם וְיֹאכֵלוּ:
43) His servant said, "How can I serve this to one hundred people?!" He said, "Give to the people and they will eat. For so said Hashem: They will eat and have left over."	(מג) וַיֹּאמֶר מְשָׁרְתוֹ מָה אֶתֵּן זֶה לִפְנֵי מֵאָה אִישׁ וַיֹּאמֶר תֵּן לָעָם וְיֹאכֵלוּ כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' אָכֹל וְהוֹתֵר:
44) He placed it before them; they ate and had left over, as Hashem had said.	(מד) וַיִּתֵּן לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיּוֹתִרוּ כִּדְבַר ה':

The Haftarah continues to the next story, about the Aramean general, Na'aman, who was afflicted with leprosy.

5:1) Na'aman, the general of the king of Aram, was a great man at court, and highly esteemed, for through him, Hashem had given victory to Aram. The man was a great warrior, a leper.

(א) וְנַעֲמָן שַׂר צְבָא מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם הָיָה אִישׁ גָּדוֹל לִפְנֵי אֲדֹנָיו וּנְשֻׂא פָנִים כִּי בוֹ נָתַן ה' תְּשׁוּעָה לַאֲרָם וְהָאִישׁ הָיָה גִּבּוֹר חַיִל מְצֹרָע:

A Jewish girl had been captured by Aram in war, and became a slave in Na'aman's household. She told them about Elisha, the miracle-working prophet in Shomron, the capital of Yisrael. Na'aman, who apparently had tried many cures without success, asked his king to arrange for him to visit this prophet. The king of Aram wrote to the king of Yisrael, commanding him to take care of Na'aman's leprosy.

2) Aram had gone out on a raid, and captured a young girl from the land of Yisrael; she became a servant to Na'aman's wife.	(ב) וַאֲרָם יָצְאוּ גְדוּדִים וַיִּשְׁבּוּ מֵאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל נַעֲרָה קְטַנָּה וַתְּהִי לִפְנֵי אֵשֶׁת נַעֲמָן:
3) She said to her mistress, "If only my master would visit the prophet in Shomron! Then he would cure him of his leprosy."	(ג) וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל גְּבִרְתָּהּ אַחֲלֵי אֲדֹנִי לִפְנֵי הַנָּבִיא אֲשֶׁר בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן אָז יֶאֱסֹף אֹתוֹ מִצָּרַעְתּוֹ:
4) He went and told his master, "This is what the girl said, who is from the land of Yisrael."	(ד) וַיָּבֹא וַיַּגֵּד לַאדֹנָיו לֵאמֹר כָּזֹאת וְכָזֹאת דִּבְּרָה הַנַּעֲרָה אֲשֶׁר מֵאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל:
5) The king of Aram said, "Go on, I will send a missive to the king of Yisrael." He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand gold pieces, and ten suits of clothing.	(ה) וַיֹּאמֶר מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם לֶךְ בֹּא וְאֶשְׁלְחָה סֵפֶר אֶל מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּקַּח בְּיָדוֹ עֶשֶׂר כִּכְּרֵי כֶסֶף וְשֵׁשֶׁת אֲלָפִים זָהָב וְעֶשֶׂר חֲלִיפוֹת בְּגָדִים:
6) He brought the missive to the king of Yisrael, which said, "When you receive this missive, I have sent to you my servant Na'aman. You must cure him of his leprosy."	(ו) וַיָּבֵא הַסֵּפֶר אֶל מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר וְעַתָּה כְּבוֹא הַסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה אֵלֶיךָ הִנֵּה שָׁלַחְתִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֶת נַעֲמָן עַבְדִּי וַאֲסַפְתּוֹ מִצָּרַעְתּוֹ:

The king of Yisrael naturally assumes that this is some kind of a ploy on the part of the king of Aram, so that when he fails to cure Na'aman, Aram will use it as a reason to attack. The prophet Elisha sends a message to the king to have faith in his abilities as a prophet and send Na'aman to him.

7) When the king of Yisrael read this letter, he tore his clothes. He said, "Who am I, G-d, bringing death and life, that this one demands of me to cure a man of his leprosy?! But know this, and see that he is setting me up!"	(ז) וַיְהִי כִּקְרֹא מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַסֵּפֶר וַיִּקְרַע בְּגָדָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הַאֱ-לֹהִים אָנִי לְהָמִית וּלְהַחֲיוֹת כִּי זֶה שֹׁלֵחַ אֵלַי לֶאֱסֹף אִישׁ מִצָּרַעְתּוֹ כִּי אַךְ דְּעוּ נָא וּרְאוּ כִּי מִתְאַנֶּה הוּא לִי:
8) When Elisha, Man of G-d, heard that the king of Yisrael tore his clothes, he sent to the king saying, "Why did you tear your clothes? Let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Yisrael."	(ח) וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ אֱלִישָׁע אִישׁ הָאֱ-לֹהִים כִּי קָרַע מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת בְּגָדָיו וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר לָמָּה קָרַעְתָּ בְּגָדֶיךָ יָבֹא נָא אֵלַי וְיֵדַע כִּי יֵשׁ נָבִיא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל:

As we saw in the previous story, Elisha's material circumstances were minimal at best. Na'aman showed up at the door to Elisha's hovel with his entire entourage, with chariots filled with gold and silver. Elisha did not show any sign of being impressed by his wealth. He did not even bother to meet with him, just sent a servant with a simple message: "Go bathe in the Yarden." Na'aman was quite upset; he expected the holy man to show him some personal attention, and, at the very least, perform some kind of mystic ritual. Being told to go bathe in the Yarden was so anti-climatic as to be insulting. Fortunately, his servants convinced him that there is no harm in trying, he followed Elisha's instructions, and his leprosy disappeared.

9) Na'aman came with his horses and chariots, and stood before the door of Elisha's house.	(ט) וַיָּבֹא נַעֲמָן בְּסוּסָיו וּבְרִכְבּוֹ וַיַּעֲמֹד פֶּתַח הַבַּיִת לֶאֱלִישָׁע:
10) Elisha sent him a messenger saying, "Go and bathe seven times in the Yarden, your flesh will be restored and you will be clean."	(י) וַיִּשְׁלַח אֵלָיו אֱלִישָׁע מַלְאָךְ לֵאמֹר הָלוֹךְ וְרָחַצְתָּ שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים בַּיַּרְדֵּן וְיָשֹׁב בְּשָׂרְךָ לְךָ וּטְהָר:
11) Na'aman got angry and stormed off. He said, "I had said to myself, he's going to come out, and stand, and call in the name of Hashem his G-d, wave his hand over the place and the leprosy would go away.	(יא) וַיִּקְצֹף נַעֲמָן וַיֵּלַךְ וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה אָמַרְתִּי אֵלַי יֵצֵא יָצוֹא וְעָמַד וְקָרָא בְּשֵׁם ה' אֱ-לֹהָיו וְהֵנִיף יָדוֹ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם וְאָסַף הַמְּצֹרָע:
12) Aren't Amana and Pharpor, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Yisrael? Can't I bathe in them and be pure?" He turned and walked off in fury.	(יב) הֲלֹא טוֹב אֲמָנָה וּפַרְפַּר נַהֲרוֹת דַּמֶּשֶׂק מִכֹּל מֵימֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲלֹא אֶרְחַץ בָּהֶם וְטָהָרְתִּי וַיִּפֶן וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּחֵמָה:
13) His servants approached him, and spoke with him, They said, "Father! If the prophet had asked of you a great thing, would you not have done it? Yet all he asked of you was to bathe, and you will be pure!"	(יג) וַיִּגְּשׁוּ עֲבָדָיו וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֵלָיו וַיֹּאמְרוּ אָבִי דָּבָר גָּדוֹל הַנָּבִיא דִּבֶּר אֵלֶיךָ הֲלוֹא תַעֲשֶׂה וְאַף כִּי אָמַר אֵלֶיךָ רְחַץ וּטְהָר:
14) He came down and dipped in the Yarden seven times, as the Man of G-d had said; his flesh was restored like that of a little child, and he was pure.	(יד) וַיֵּרֶד וַיִּטְבֹּל בַּיַּרְדֵּן שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים כִּדְבַר אִישׁ הָאֱ-לֹהִים וַיָּשָׁב בְּשָׂרוֹ כִּבְשַׂר נַעַר קָטֹן וַיִּטְהָר:

Na'aman was very impressed with G-d and His power, and tried to express his gratitude by rewarding Elisha with some of the wealth that he had brought for this purpose. Elisha categorically refused - taking a gratuity would imply that he was the source of the healing, rather than G-d alone.

15) He went back to the Man of G-d, him and all his entourage. He came in and stood before him, and said, "Now I know that there is no other G-d in all the world, except in Yisrael! Please now, take a honorarium from your servant!"	(טו) וַיָּשָׁב אֶל אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים הוּא וְכָל מַחֲנֵהוּ וַיָּבֹא וַיַּעֲמֹד לְפָנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה נָא יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אֵין אֱ-לֹהִים בְּכָל הָאָרֶץ כִּי אִם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַתָּה קַח נָא בְרָכָה מֵאֵת עַבְדֶּךָ:
17) He said, "I swear by Hashem before whom I stand, if I take it!" He pressured him to take it, but he refused.	(טז) וַיֹּאמֶר חַי ה' אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתִּי לְפָנָיו אִם אֶקָּח וַיִּפְצַר בּוֹ לָקַחַת וַיְמָאֵן:

Na'aman declared his intention to leave the gods of his nation and to only serve G-d from now on, as best as he could.

18) Na'aman said, "If not, the let it be given to your servant some earth that a pair of mules could carry. For your servant will no longer make sacrifices to other gods, except to Hashem.	(יז) וַיֹּאמֶר נַעֲמָן וָלֹא יֻתַּן נָא לְעַבְדְּךָ מַשָּׂא צֶמֶד פְּרָדִים אֲדָמָה כִּי לוֹא יַעֲשֶׂה עוֹד עַבְדְּךָ עֹלָה וָזֶבַח לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים כִּי אִם לַה':
19) But this one thing, let Hashem forgive your servant: when my master visits Beit-Rimon to worship there, and he leans on my arm, I will bow in Beit-Rimon; while bowing in Beit-Rimon, let Hashem forgive your servant this thing."	(יח) לַדָּבָר הַזֶּה יִסְלַח ה' לְעַבְדֶּךָ בְּבוֹא אֲדֹנִי בֵית רִמּוֹן לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹת שָׁמָּה וְהוּא נִשְׁעָן עַל יָדִי וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֵיתִי בֵּית רִמֹּן בְּהִשְׁתַּחֲוָיָתִי בֵּית רִמֹּן יִסְלַח ה' לְעַבְדְּךָ בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה:
19) He said to him, "Go in peace." He went away from him some distance.	(יט) וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם וַיֵּלֶךְ מֵאִתּוֹ כִּבְרַת אָרֶץ: ס