Torah Study Blog

When there is a change in leadership, a common idiom used is that the new person has “inherited the mantle,” or “assumed the mantle,” or “picked up the mantle.” A “mantle” is an article of clothing, like a cloak. This idiom has its origins in the biblical book of Kings.

Last week Rabbi Roberts led us in an introduction to the prophet Elijah. This week Rabbi Jaech introduced us to the prophet Elisha. Elisha was a disciple of Elijah and, the Bible tells us (2 Kings 2), that the final exit of Elijah came as Elijah and Elisha were walking together when, suddenly, a fiery chariot appeared and took Elijah “up to heaven in a whirlwind.” When Elijah was swept up, his cloak, or mantle, dropped to the ground. Elisha picked up the mantle and wore it himself, and the people saw that, “‘The spirit of Elijah has settled on Elisha!’ And they went to meet him and bowed low before him to the ground” (2 Kings 2:15).

The next few chapters in the book of Kings illustrate the miraculous deeds God channeled through Elisha, which included: purifying a body of water, making a single jug of oil multiply into many, resurrecting a boy, multiplying 20 loaves of bread to be enough to feed a hundred men, and curing the leprosy of a commander of a neighboring army.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, Rabbi Jaech has reflected on how the biblical characters affected with leprosy were set apart. The Torah portion for this week includes a passage from Leviticus 13 that a person with leprosy, “shall cover over his upper lip; and he shall call out, “Unclean! Unclean!” He shall be unclean as long as the disease is on him. Being unclean, he shall dwell apart” (Leviticus 13:45-46). Although we have not been calling out, “Unclean!” Many of us have covered over our upper lip by wearing masks and, in this time of social isolation, we have certainly been dwelling apart.

The biblical term “leprosy” does not mean the Hansen’s Disease we think of today. The term probably covered a wide variety of skin afflictions, some that were short in duration and some that were long-lasting – even life-long lasting! The people with these afflictions were thought to be highly

contagious and they were forced to keep apart from the community. At that time, expulsion from your community was a horrible fate. In fact, the historian Josephus described people with leprosy as being already dead.

The tales of the prophet Elisha include one story where four men with leprosy, surprisingly, play a pivotal role in the survival of the Israelite people of Samaria. The story is summarized as follows:

The city of Samaria had been besieged by the Arameans and we know that, during war, there is massive inflation and starvation. We are told that the prices for food, even the horrible food, are sky-high and the people have resorted to cannibalism. The king is in despair that he cannot provide for his people, causing him to direct his anger toward Elisha. Afterall, Elisha is a man of God and should have the inside track. Why can’t Elisha talk with God and make the situation better?!

When the king confronts Elisha, Elisha promises that there will be plenty of food available, at reasonable prices, as soon as tomorrow. An aide to the king questions how this rapid turnaround could be possible. Elisha tells the aide that it will, indeed, happen. But the aide himself will not partake.

Now come the four lepers... While the people were starving in the city of Samaria, the lepers were left outside the city gates, where they were also starving. With nothing to lose, they decided to go to the Aramean camp to beg for food. Before arriving at the camp, God created a stir that sounded like an army descending upon the Arameans – causing the Arameans to flee! Upon arriving at the camp, the lepers find that the Arameans had hastily fled and left behind all their possessions. The lepers ate and drank, and carried off valuable objects, until they were sated.

Being sated, the lepers realized that they should share the bounty with the starving people of Samaria. They returned to the city and shared the news. The people ran through the city gates to get a share of the spoils and trampled the doubting aide on the way. Just as Elisha prophesied – the aide did not partake, and the prices of goods dropped precipitously.

There are several morals to this story, which has the flavor of a beloved folktale preserved in the Bible, as opposed to a story that recounts history. 1) The most afflicted among us should not be discounted! The actions of these afflicted people are what brought the words of the prophet to fruition.

2) Life is uncertain, and it always has been. The aide, in questioning how the dire situation could be rectified overnight, was actually quite reasonable in his doubts. 3) This was a warning tale. The king waivered when he listened to the aide and doubted God. But the king learned that he had better listen to the prophet! God showed his almighty power to the king.

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misquotes or misunderstandings in what Rabbi Jaech taught us are the responsibility of Tara Keiter