{"id":63292,"date":"2019-09-22T17:31:54","date_gmt":"2019-09-22T14:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=63292"},"modified":"2023-04-16T09:59:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-16T06:59:00","slug":"a-three-step-course-in-miracles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-three-step-course-in-miracles\/","title":{"rendered":"A Three-Step Course In Miracles"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[931,471],"acf":{"old_id":"63292","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":46656,"related_cahpter":"313","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Help yourself, lean on your community, and open yourself to help from God","content":"

A widow asks for Elisha the Prophet\u2019s help in saving herself and her children. Her deceased husband has left behind huge debts, and his creditors are threatening to enslave the widow\u2019s children to pay off the debt. We\u2019ve already seen Elisha\u2019s disposition to facilitate God\u2019s miracles, most recently at the Jordan River and the spring of Jericho. Those were large-scale miracles witnessed by entire communities seemingly to engender unity and faith-building. But now we are seeing a very different miracle-maker, working on a personal level and imparting some valuable lessons about helping ourselves and seeking God\u2019s help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Step one: identify what you have to work with and see what you can do for yourself to pave the way for God\u2019s help.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Elisha could have delivered a flashy public miracle to save this widow, but instead he asks her \u201cWhat do you have in your house (4:2)?\u201d He lays out an important part of solution- finding:<\/span><\/p>\n

Step two: seek help from your community and know that you don\u2019t have to do this all on your own.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The widow responds that she has a small container of oil, so Elisha instructs her to go to all her neighbors and ask to borrow all the vessels they have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, Elisha tells the woman, go into your house with the borrowed vessels, close the door behind you and pour from your small pot of oil into your borrowed vessels until there are no vessels left. Elisha declares that she will then have enough oil to sell to pay off the debts and support her family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Step three: allow God in and remain modest about the help received.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

But why behind closed doors? Our sages speak of the power of hidden miracles and Rashi declares, \u201cIt brings honour to the miracle if it happens in private (4:4).\u201d It\u2019s also a tenet of tzedakah \u2013 the Jewish idea of charity – that help should be given to the destitute in a manner that preserves their dignity. So, it is fitting that this miracle occur in private, for both the respect of the miracle and its benefactor.<\/span><\/p>\n

But perhaps the most important lesson from this story is, as Ramban (Bereishit 6:19) teaches, that \u201c<\/span>this is the manner of all miracles in Torah and Prophets<\/span>, that man does that which he can perform, and the rest is left to God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":63293,"id":63293,"title":"2kings4-flames","filename":"2kings4-flames.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings4-flames.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-three-step-course-in-miracles\/2kings4-flames\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings4-flames","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":63292,"date":"2019-09-22 14:31:39","modified":"2019-09-22 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