{"id":63465,"date":"2019-09-25T16:05:30","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T13:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=63465"},"modified":"2023-04-23T13:26:57","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T10:26:57","slug":"a-wicked-skeptic-and-some-unlikely-redeemers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-wicked-skeptic-and-some-unlikely-redeemers\/","title":{"rendered":"A Wicked Skeptic And Some Unlikely Redeemers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/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":[612,755,403],"acf":{"old_id":"63465","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":46656,"related_cahpter":"316","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"A story on the inclusive properties of redemption, that gives people a chance to shine","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An officer of the King, overhearing Elisha\u2019s prophesy that the siege of Samaria by the Arameans is about to come to a swift and decisive end, responds with these skeptical words, \u201cEven if God were to make windows in the sky, could this happen (7:2)?\u201d Meanwhile, four lepers, who have been relegated to live outside the gates of the city and thus not privy to hearing the prophecy, pragmatically determine that \u201cif we stay here we will die, and if we go into the city we will die (7:3).\u201d Seeing only one possible chance for survival they venture out to the Aramean army camp where, to their amazement, they find the camp abandoned and with plenty of food and supplies. Somewhat surprisingly, after having their fill of food and drink, they return to Shomron to alert the city that the siege has ended.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The gatekeeper who received this news is the very same officer who earlier in the chapter vehemently doubted Elisha\u2019s prophesy, and the words of the skeptic officer from 7:3 are repeated in 7:19 word for word.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Me\u2019am Lo\u2019Ez expounds on the sin of this sort of skeptic. Unlike the healthy skepticism that keeps us engaged in truth-finding, this officer demonstrates a character trait indicative of an unwillingness to accept that God is in control. He purposefully distances himself not only from divine decrees but also from divine blessings. Instead of running toward the camp to obtain food with the rest of the citizens, his arrogant need to prove that he is control made him choose to stay behind and suffer rather than accept God\u2019s blessing. It was no accident that he met his death at the same time as his neighbours received redemption.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what of the unlikely redeemers, these four men who had been cast out of the city because of corruption? Why should they merit bringing the good news that the siege had ended? Rabbi Alex Israel (Virtual Beit Midrash) brings an explanation provided by Rav Aharon Soloveitchik.\u00a0 Rav Soloveitchik described this very episode as an example of the inclusive properties of redemption, in which no Jew is excluded from the possibility of receiving God\u2019s redemption, and even spiritual outcasts can be messengers of deliverance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apropos of this season, perhaps these unlikely redeemers, in their decision to share the news of the abandoned Aramean camp, were demonstrating teshuva (repentance) and by choosing them as the messengers of redemption, God was answering them with forgiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: Edwin Wilbur Rice, Easter Lepers, c. 1889 \/ internet archive<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":63521,"id":63521,"title":"2kings7-eastern lepers","filename":"2kings7-eastern-lepers.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-wicked-skeptic-and-some-unlikely-redeemers\/2kings7-eastern-lepers\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings7-eastern-lepers","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":63465,"date":"2019-09-25 13:45:22","modified":"2022-06-28 13:49:53","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1473,"height":744,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-300x152.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":152,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-768x388.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":388,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-1024x517.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":517,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers.jpg","1536x1536-width":1473,"1536x1536-height":744,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers.jpg","2048x2048-width":1473,"2048x2048-height":744,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-1200x606.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":606,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-832x420.jpg","home_baner-width":832,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"A Wicked Skeptic And Some Unlikely Redeemers","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"A story on the inclusive properties of redemption, that gives people a chance to shine  \u00a0","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":63521,"id":63521,"title":"2kings7-eastern lepers","filename":"2kings7-eastern-lepers.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-wicked-skeptic-and-some-unlikely-redeemers\/2kings7-eastern-lepers\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings7-eastern-lepers","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":63465,"date":"2019-09-25 13:45:22","modified":"2022-06-28 13:49:53","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1473,"height":744,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-300x152.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":152,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-768x388.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":388,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-1024x517.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":517,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers.jpg","1536x1536-width":1473,"1536x1536-height":744,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers.jpg","2048x2048-width":1473,"2048x2048-height":744,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-1200x606.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":606,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings7-eastern-lepers-832x420.jpg","home_baner-width":832,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63465"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63465"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114283,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63465\/revisions\/114283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}