{"id":63897,"date":"2018-07-09T17:44:39","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T14:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-322\/"},"modified":"2023-05-01T12:34:04","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T09:34:04","slug":"wall-322","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-322\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Prophets-II Kings-13"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"322","date":"20261123","book":"II Kings","chapter":"13","chapter_main_number":"322","books_group":"Prophets","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"63702","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"JPS Audio Bible - 2 Kings Chapter 13 ","post_title":"JPS Audio Bible - 2 Kings Chapter 13","slug":"jps-audio-bible-2-kings-chapter-13","old_id":"63702","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"322","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"JPS Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"2 Kings Chapter 13","tile_main_caption_size":"2","tile_sub_caption":"Hear the daily chapter","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/JPS_Audio_Bible_2_Kings_Chapter_13","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"13","chapter_main_number":"322","date":"20261123","wall_id":"322"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"114528","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"Did The Student Become The Master? ","post_title":"Did The Student Become The Master?","slug":"did-the-student-become-the-master","old_id":"114528","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. He and his daughter studied the Tanach again for her bat mitzvah. Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group. When not studying for 929, Josh works as an in-house lawyer in New Jersey.","short_description":"Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group, and is an in-house attorney in New Jersey. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"322","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Elijah v. Elisha. In the end, who was greater?\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

Elijah is hands down the more famous prophet. He is a figure at every <\/span>brit<\/em> <\/span>and seder. His name appears in songs about the messiah. Elijah appears in Christianity and Islam and there is even a cultic practice that follows him on Mt. Carmel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Elisha is not as well known. He does not appear as a major figure in other religions. Elijah is the zealous powerful prophet, but Elisha does not have a signature trait. (Yes, most prophets in the Tanakh also do not have signature traits, but Elisha appears in multiple chapters). Elisha seems to be the \u201ccalmer\u201d prophet to Elijah\u2019s firebrand, save for an invited bear attack on a group of 42 youth early in his career (see <\/span>2 Kings ch. 2<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Was Elijah really the more powerful prophet? Comparing their known miracles, one sees different stories. Elijah was known for causing a famine, being fed by birds, making a pot of oil and flour last for a long time, reviving the child of the widow, bringing fire down from heaven on Mt. Carmel, causing a deluge, disappearing and reappearing, bringing fire down from heaven to kill soldiers of the king, splitting the Jordan river, and disappearing in chariots of fire. Elisha matches his master in quite a few of these. Elisha split the Jordan, made bitter waters sweet, sent bears to kill youths that mocked him, made a pot of oil pour into multiple vessels, gave a new baby to the Shunamite woman, revived the dead child, made poisoned food safe to eat, made some bread and fruit last for a large group of people, healed Naaman from <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/span><\/em>, gave <\/span>tzara\u2019at<\/em> <\/span>to Gehazi, told the King of Israel the exact words and plans of the King of Aram, summoned chariots of fire to protect himself and the city from Aram, smote the enemy with blindness, cursed the guard of the gate to death, and revived a second person from death after he died.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Back when Elijah was taken away, Elisha asks him to be blessed with a double portion of his prophetic prowess. Based on this list, it seems like God granted Elisha\u2019s wish. Perhaps, though, Elisha\u2019s request stopped at the prophetic prowess, but not at the extended impact. Yes, Elisha turned out to be the more powerful prophet, but Elijah is the one who had staying power throughout the generations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Another possibility is that Elijah\u2019s renown is more of a burden. Elijah was so zealous that God needed to take him away in a chariot of fire. He was condemned to an eternity of visiting the Jewish people during circumcisions and Passover to witness the longevity of the people\u2019s faith in God. In <\/span>Malachi ch. 3<\/span><\/a>, the prophet foretells that Elijah will herald the Messiah. That will be the ultimate show from God to Elijah that the people are redeemable.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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\u201cElisha had been stricken with the illness of which he was to die.\u201d (v.14) According to the Rabbis, the prophet and miracle-maker Elisha was the first person to get sick and recover, but this verse teaches us that this time he would not heal. The end of Elisha\u2019s life gives us a glimpse into three models of a leader leaving a legacy at the end of his life. First he gives comfort to King Joash, who arrives distraught and fearful of a future for his people. Elisha soothes King Joash by giving him something to do (shoot a bow and arrow out the window) and by prophesying victory for Joash and his people. Elisha then instructs Joash to hit the ground with the arrows, leaving the number of times he hit open to Joash, a number which Elisha interprets in the context of future military exploits, explaining that because he hit the ground three times, Joash would defeat his enemy three more times, but if he had hit the ground more times he would have eliminated his enemy. Finally, sometime after his death, a body of another deceased man is unceremoniously dumped on top of Elisha\u2019s in the grave. As soon as the man comes in contact with Elisha\u2019s body, the man comes back to life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Although we seem to be living in a post-miracle and post-prophecy world, Elisha\u2019s final three actions can offer us insight into ways we might think about the end of our own lives and the legacy we want to leave. The first is to be a supportive presence to people who love us. Elisha comforts King Joash both by giving him something to do and by reassuring Joash about the near future. The second is to empower those who depend on us, which Elisha does by giving Joash minimal instructions about hitting the ground with the bow, effectively pushing Joash to determine his people\u2019s future by choosing to hit the ground three times instead of more or fewer. Finally, by reviving a dead man <\/span>while he himself was still dead<\/span><\/em>, Elisha reminds us about the power of memory and the ongoing reverberations of our actions during our 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Elisha became fatally ill and Joash, King of Israel, came to pay his respects, bemoaning Elisha\u2019s imminent departure with the identical terms used by that prophet to take leave from his own master, Elijah (2 Kings 2:12). Poignantly, Joash, who is described as not having strayed from the crimes of Jeroboam (11), paid homage to his kingdom\u2019s prophetic nemesis, while his Judean counterpart\u2014who was also named Joash\/Jehoash\u2014did not.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Elisha used this opportunity to perform one last mission (see our description of \u201capostolic\u201d prophecy in 2 Kings 5<\/a>), combining it, in his customary fashion, with a miracle. He instructed the king to seize a bow and arrows and then placed his own hands over those of the king (15-16). Next, he commanded him to shoot an arrow through an eastern-facing window and declared: \u201cAn arrow of victory for the LORD! An arrow of victory over Aram!\u201d (17).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Then, a most curious episode ensued. Elisha instructed the king to strike the ground with his remaining arrows (18), but when the latter struck them but three times, the prophet got angry and accused the king of having thrown away the opportunity for total victory over Aram and settling for what can only be called a pyrrhic victory (19). Our question, of course, is: If Elisha wanted Joash to succeed, why did he not tell him how many times to strike? And since he did not tell him, how could he be angered by the fact that he struck them only three times rather than five or six?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I believe that the answer lies in the declaration of victory in v. 17, which prefaces God\u2019s victory over the king\u2019s. One may infer from their sequence that Elisha was intent on providing the king an opportunity to repent by soliciting his acknowledgment that it would indeed be the Lord who provided the victory, rather than the strength of arms. Also implicit in the shooting exercise was the relationship between the flight of an arrow and victory. Joash, arguably, ought to have drawn the unspoken conclusion on his own. His failure to do so indicated his unworthiness to enjoy God\u2019s support.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":64059,"alt":"","title":"2kings13-arrows","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","width":450,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows-300x200.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","medium_large-width":450,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","large-width":450,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","1536x1536-width":450,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","2048x2048-width":450,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","post_full_size-width":450,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","home_baner-width":450,"home_baner-height":300}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"\u201cI Shot an Arrow through the Air\u2026\u201d","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Joash fails to understand Elisha\u2019s subtle message","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":64059,"alt":"","title":"2kings13-arrows","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","width":450,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows-300x200.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","medium_large-width":450,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","large-width":450,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","1536x1536-width":450,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","2048x2048-width":450,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","post_full_size-width":450,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2kings13-arrows.jpg","home_baner-width":450,"home_baner-height":300}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"13","chapter_main_number":"322","date":"20261123","wall_id":"322"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"506","name":"Prophecy","old_id":"906"},{"term_id":"931","name":"Elisha","old_id":"1331"}]},{"order":5,"id":"64065","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"The Power Of Symbolic Actions ","post_title":"The Power Of Symbolic Actions","slug":"the-power-of-symbolic-actions","old_id":"64065","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":36277,"post_title":"Yedidya Sinclair","slug":"yedidya-sinclair","old_id":"36277","first_name":"Yedidya","last_name":"Sinclair","description":"Rabbi Yedidya Sinclair serves as Senior Rabbinic Scholar at Hazon, the leading US Jewish environmental organization. From 2011-16 he was Vice President for Research and Senior Economist at Energiya Global, a Jerusalem-based solar energy company focused on the developing world and he continues to consult on renewable energy and climate change preparedness. In 2014 he published together with Hazon, a translation of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook's great work on shmitta, the Sabbatical year, \"Introduction to Shabbat Ha'aretz.\" Yedidya holds a BA from Oxford University, an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and lives with his family in Jerusalem.","short_description":"Yedidya Sinclair is a Jerusalem-based rabbi and economist, and is Senior Rabbinic Scholar at Hazon. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36278,"alt":"","title":"yedidya sinclair","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","width":200,"height":200,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","medium_large-width":200,"medium_large-height":200,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","large-width":200,"large-height":200,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","1536x1536-width":200,"1536x1536-height":200,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","2048x2048-width":200,"2048x2048-height":200,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","post_full_size-width":200,"post_full_size-height":200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/yedidya-sinclair.jpg","home_baner-width":200,"home_baner-height":200}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"322","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"But Elisha cannot sufficiently communicate the miraculous acts that will bring victory","post_main_content_content":"

The end of Elisha\u2019s life is a poignant teaching about both the power and the limitations of a great leader to influence events after his death.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Knowing that he will soon die, Elisha orders King Yoash to come to him with a bow and arrows. Placing his own hands over the king\u2019s hands that are grasping the bow, the prophet commands the king to shoot arrows from the window. Elisha declares that this symbolizes, \u201can arrow of victory for the Lord! An arrow of victory over Aram!\u201d (v17)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Then the prophet asks the king to gather the arrows and strike the ground with them, which he did, three times. But Elisha became angry with the king, explaining, \u201cIf only you had struck five or six times, then you would have annihilated Aram. As it is, you shall defeat Aram only three times.\u201d The end of the chapter tells us that indeed, Yoash defeated Aram three times, just as Elisha had said.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

These are mysterious verses that give rise to several questions. What is the power of these symbolic actions? Why does Elisha get angry at Yoash? If he had wanted the king to strike the ground five or six times, why didn\u2019t he explicitly say so? And moreover if, as we commonly see in the Bible, the symbolic act is sort of a concrete, visual representation of the prophetic message, why does doing the symbolic action wrong matter? Isn\u2019t the prophecy the main thing with the act serving as merely a sort of graphic aid?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Rabbi Elchanan Samet explains that the acts of shooting arrows and striking the earth with them are more than symbolic. Through these acts, it is as if Elisha, with his last energies, is actually engaging in the battles against Aram, even though they will take place after his death. This is the significance of the prophet placing his own feeble hands over the king\u2019s hands on the bow.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

If so, then perhaps we can understand his anger at Yoash failing to precisely fulfil his will. Maybe it is an expression of frustration that he cannot sufficiently communicate the miraculous acts that will bring victory. Elisha\u2019s reliance on Yoash as the deeply flawed living agent charged with fulfilling his plan after he dies inevitably creates a gap between the prophetic vision and its execution in reality.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Rabbi Samet movingly depicts the extent of Elisha\u2019s love of Israel. With his dying breaths, the prophet tries to the utmost to safeguard their well-being after he will be gone.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: The Arrow Of The Lord's Deliverance, William Henry Margetson 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The deathbed scene ends with a report of Elisha's burial, followed by the enigmatic anecdote of Elisha's bones causing a man to come back to life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

So much about this story is incoherent: Why are there Moabite troops in Israel \u2014 the foreign invader in these chapters is Aram! Who is the individual being buried? Why did the man come to life? And what became of him? Most importantly, why is this story an essential element to our knowledge of Elisha? The commentaries search for answers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Ralbag (13:21) suggests: \u201cIt was unlike the [resurrection of the] son of the Shunammite who gradually returned to life. Here, he suddenly arose and stood up.... But this was not to return home to his previous life, but merely to have him leave Elisha's grave for the honor of Elisha.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Radak disagrees:\u201dThe Rabbis said that he lived and had children, and the reason that he was revived was to fulfill Elijah's blessing to Elisha that he be granted a double portion of [Elijah's] spirit (2:9). Elijah resurrected one person, and [Elisha] resurrected two: one in his lifetime \u2014 the Shunammite's son, and one in his death \u2014 this man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

For Ralbag, the story demonstrates how even after Elisha's death, miracles are wrought to ensure that the prophet's bones are left undisturbed. For Radak, it is a fulfillment of Elijah's promise that his student be granted a double portion of his power; only at Elisha's death do we discover that he had been granted Elijah's blessing. It is possible that neither of these answers fully explains the elements of this story, but we will suggest two somewhat speculative thoughts that may add a dimension to this enigmatic scene.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

First, when Joash addresses Elisha as \"Israel's chariot and horsemen,\" we hear the echo of Elijah's death scene. But of course, Elijah was not buried; he flew heavenward, and tradition continues to identify Elijah's power, even after his mortal body has departed this world. If we are looking to identify this as a parallel scene, we might propose that this story comes to inform us that Elisha, just like his mentor Elijah, also retained some of his miraculous potency, even after his death. Second, this scene suggests that Elisha's role is one of resurrection in the larger sense \u2014 the revival of the nation. The combination of the threatening troops, and the man who is revived, not through merit but merely by proximity to the prophet, encapsulates in some way the work of Elisha. Elisha never calls for repentance. He simply offers assistance and healing to the people with whom he comes into contact. His life ends by announcing the restoration of Israel's fortunes after an extended period of foreign dominance and national hardship. The idea of the revival of the dead is fitting to Elisha's legacy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Alex Israel, II Kings: In a Whirlwind,<\/em> Maggid Books, 2019, The Rise and Fall of Israel<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":63310,"alt":"","title":"Alex Israel - 2_kings_cover","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","width":1711,"height":1821,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-282x300.jpg","medium-width":282,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-768x817.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":817,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-962x1024.jpg","large-width":962,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1443,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1711,"2048x2048-height":1821,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-1128x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1128,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-395x420.jpg","home_baner-width":395,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Excerpts from: II Kings - 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13:21 \u201cAnd as they were burying a man, they saw a raiding party and they flung the man into Elisha\u2019s grave, and the man went and touched Elisha\u2019s bones, and he revived and rose up on his feet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The first clause is formulated as a kind of prolepsis: instead of \u201cthe body,\u201d we have \u201cthe man\u201d; and \u201che went and touched\u201d makes the corpse sound as though it were already a living person. It should be noted that Elisha\u2019s miracle-working power is imagined to be invested in his body, so that even after death he is able to work wonders. The Elisha cycle began with a (scandalous) episode in which he summoned bears to kill forty-two boys. Now, at the end of the cycle, his bones perform the opposite act of reviving the dead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

From: Robert Alter, <\/span>The Hebrew Bible<\/span><\/i>, vol. 2: Prophets, W. W. Norton & Co., 2019, ad loc. By permission of the author.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":54890,"alt":"","title":"Alter-Cover","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","width":1200,"height":693,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-300x173.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":173,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-768x444.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":444,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1024x591.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":591,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":693,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":693,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1200x693.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":693,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-727x420.jpg","home_baner-width":727,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"From Robert Alter's Bible Translation and Commentary","tile_main_caption":"Miracle Working Corpse","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The dead reviving the dead","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":54890,"alt":"","title":"Alter-Cover","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","width":1200,"height":693,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-300x173.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":173,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-768x444.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":444,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1024x591.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":591,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1200,"1536x1536-height":693,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1200,"2048x2048-height":693,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-1200x693.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":693,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Alter-Cover-727x420.jpg","home_baner-width":727,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"13","chapter_main_number":"322","date":"20261123","wall_id":"322"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"471","name":"Miracle","old_id":"871"}]},{"order":10,"id":"63785","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Sefaria Source Sheets - 2 Kings 13 ","post_title":"Sefaria Source Sheets - 2 Kings 13","slug":"sefaria-source-sheets-2-kings-13","old_id":"63785","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":42228,"post_title":"Sefaria","slug":"sefaria","old_id":"42228","first_name":"","last_name":"Sefaria","description":"Sefaria is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the future of Jewish learning in an open and participatory way. 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\u201cPraying for Rain and Eternal Life\u201d<\/a> by Getzel Davis: The deep relationship between weather and human experience.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cJewish Views of the Afterlife\u201d<\/a> by Marina Yergin: Texts on what happens after death.<\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Go deeper into the chapter....","tile_main_caption":"Source Sheets - 2 Kings 13","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Links to learning resources","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":42232,"alt":"","title":"sefaria-words-sunburst","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","width":608,"height":395,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-300x195.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":195,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","medium_large-width":608,"medium_large-height":395,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","large-width":608,"large-height":395,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","1536x1536-width":608,"1536x1536-height":395,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","2048x2048-width":608,"2048x2048-height":395,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","post_full_size-width":608,"post_full_size-height":395,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","home_baner-width":608,"home_baner-height":395}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"Sefaria word sunburst visualization","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"13","chapter_main_number":"322","date":"20261123","wall_id":"322"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":11,"id":"63753","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"A Lesson on the Daily Chapter- 2 Kings 13 ","post_title":"A Lesson on the Daily Chapter- 2 Kings 13","slug":"a-lesson-on-the-daily-chapter-2-kings-13","old_id":"63753","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":40936,"post_title":"David Silber","slug":"david-silber-2","old_id":"40936","first_name":"David ","last_name":"Silber ","description":"Rabbi David Silber is the Founder and Dean of Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. 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    \r\n\t
  1. Similar names, different kingdom<\/em>. In previous chapters we met Ahaziah and his son Joash, the kings of Judah. Here we encounter Jehoachaz and his son JOash, kings of Israel. Why are the names so similar? Scholars and commentators suggest a range of answers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  2. The power of prayer<\/em>. \u201cBut Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD; and the LORD listened to him\u201d (4).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Who is the savior here?<\/em> In verse 5, in a formulation that is a little reminiscent of the Book of Judges, we are told of the coming of a \u201cdeliverer\u201d: \u201cSo the LORD granted Israel a deliverer, and they gained their freedom from Aram.\u201d Who is this deliverer? A military leader - or is it perhaps the Assyrian king? Worth delving deeper.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  4. \u201cFather, father\u201d reprise.<\/em> With Elisha\u2019s death imminent, the king of Israel cries out the same phrase that Elisha did 11 chapters ago (2 Kings 2), when Elijah was taken: \u201cFather, father! Israel\u2019s chariots and horsemen!\u201d (verse 14).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  5. Miracles take a little doing<\/em>. This isn\u2019t always the case, but here the miracle is granted in accordance with the level of personal effort. Joash symbolically struck the arrows three times, and he would be granted victory three times. But no more. Oh well.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  6. In his life, and his death<\/em>. The two miracles described in the chapter sum up the two central arenas that Elisha did his prophetic work. One was the political, espcecially viz. Aram in chapters 6-7, and in the personal, in actions that saved or improved people\u2019s lives, even the revival in chapter 4 of the son of the Shunamite.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>","post_main_content_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"2 Kings 13","tile_main_caption":"Points to Ponder","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Insights and questions for personal reflection and group discussion","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"II Kings","chapter":"13","chapter_main_number":"322","date":"20261123","wall_id":"322"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false}],"hide_acf":true,"home_image":false,"home_posts":false,"home_posts_title":"","posts_home":[],"static_cube_title":"","static_cube_brief":"","static_cube_color":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall\/63897"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wall"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}