Haftarah for Va-Yera: We can all be someone's miracle
2 Kings 4: 1 - 37
Not every haftarah is potent with meaning or insight, not every one resonates with power, not every one is memorable. This is one of the more workaday haftarot, concerning a pair of miracles performed by the prophet Elisha. In the first, he provides a near endless supply of oil to an impoverished woman, which she sells to pay off a crushing debt. In the second, he rewards a woman for her generous hospitality to him by promising her a son and then by later bringing the son back to life.
There are two lessons in this reading. The first is that we should all emulate Elisha and help, as best we can, those who are living in poverty. We can't all perform miracles, but for the poor, practically any assistance borders on the miraculous. Once you fall into debt, it can seem all but impossible to get out. In addition, the woman fears her sons may be sold into slavery to satisfy her creditors. All Jews are specifically commanded to redeem Jewish slaves into freedom. Debt itself is a form of slavery, especially when accompanied by high interest payments. It is true that many people find themselves in debt through their own improvidence, but even stupidity should not be a life sentence. If we can help people to self-sufficiency, we are all but obligated to do so.
Second, not every generous, hospitable act will lead to a miracle. The second woman seems inclined to be hospitable to Elisha because he is a holy man. Perhaps she would not have been as generous to anyone else. Still, she does not appear to have an ulterior motive in mind; she asks for nothing. Elisha has to approach her to find out what he can do to thank her. Even then, she does not personally ask for a son; in fact, she does not even believe him.
You never know where a miracle may come from. You never know when an act of kindness will repay itself a thousandfold. Even if it doesn't, an act of kindness, an act of generosity, helping a person in need, is itself a miracle. We are not all prophets, we can't help a barren woman conceive, or bring a beloved child back from the dead, or fill countless vessels with oil. But we can all help others, we can all be that unexpected and blessed miracle for someone. What we get back will be even greater than what we give.
(Note: all citations from Eitz Chayim ("Tree of Life"), the official Chumash (printed version of the Torah) of the Conservative Movement (copyright 2001 by the Rabbinical Assembly; Hebrew text, based on Biblia Hebraica Stuttgarensia, copyright 1999 by The Jewish Publication Society; English translation copyright 1985, 1999 by The Jewish Publication Society).
(Except as otherwise specifically noted and referenced, all commentaries are mine.)
Not every haftarah is potent with meaning or insight, not every one resonates with power, not every one is memorable. This is one of the more workaday haftarot, concerning a pair of miracles performed by the prophet Elisha. In the first, he provides a near endless supply of oil to an impoverished woman, which she sells to pay off a crushing debt. In the second, he rewards a woman for her generous hospitality to him by promising her a son and then by later bringing the son back to life.
There are two lessons in this reading. The first is that we should all emulate Elisha and help, as best we can, those who are living in poverty. We can't all perform miracles, but for the poor, practically any assistance borders on the miraculous. Once you fall into debt, it can seem all but impossible to get out. In addition, the woman fears her sons may be sold into slavery to satisfy her creditors. All Jews are specifically commanded to redeem Jewish slaves into freedom. Debt itself is a form of slavery, especially when accompanied by high interest payments. It is true that many people find themselves in debt through their own improvidence, but even stupidity should not be a life sentence. If we can help people to self-sufficiency, we are all but obligated to do so.
Second, not every generous, hospitable act will lead to a miracle. The second woman seems inclined to be hospitable to Elisha because he is a holy man. Perhaps she would not have been as generous to anyone else. Still, she does not appear to have an ulterior motive in mind; she asks for nothing. Elisha has to approach her to find out what he can do to thank her. Even then, she does not personally ask for a son; in fact, she does not even believe him.
You never know where a miracle may come from. You never know when an act of kindness will repay itself a thousandfold. Even if it doesn't, an act of kindness, an act of generosity, helping a person in need, is itself a miracle. We are not all prophets, we can't help a barren woman conceive, or bring a beloved child back from the dead, or fill countless vessels with oil. But we can all help others, we can all be that unexpected and blessed miracle for someone. What we get back will be even greater than what we give.
(Note: all citations from Eitz Chayim ("Tree of Life"), the official Chumash (printed version of the Torah) of the Conservative Movement (copyright 2001 by the Rabbinical Assembly; Hebrew text, based on Biblia Hebraica Stuttgarensia, copyright 1999 by The Jewish Publication Society; English translation copyright 1985, 1999 by The Jewish Publication Society).
(Except as otherwise specifically noted and referenced, all commentaries are mine.)
posted by Tom Beck at 8:43 PM
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