Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach; JOSHUA, JUDGES, SAMUEL, KINGS (Nevi’im Rishonim)
by Dr. Meir Tamari

These four books ostensibly are merely the history of Israel from the entry into the Promised Land until the destruction of the Temple and the temporary loss of independent statehood. In fact they are actually, in a specifically Jewish sense, the most deeply religious and spiritual books of the Bible. One does not have to be specifically Jewish to see or feel the religion and spirituality in the revelations of the prophetic writings or in the words of the Tehillim. They speak to all people, as evidenced by the fact that the Bible is still the world's bestseller and there are millions of non-Jews who regularly recite the Psalms. However, it is specifically and intrinsically Jewish to understand that G-d is revealed in the prosaic material, in the political, social and military events in the lives of ordinary men and women, kings and leaders that are described in the Nevim Rishonim. Here are described the ideology and religious thoughts in Judaism, while in Chronicles we have the purely historical.

I Am the Lord Your Healer (Melachim Bet 4)
Between the conquest under Yehoshua till the eve of the destruction of the first Temple, there existed a military-political vacuum in the Middle East due to the weakness of the two major empires, Egypt and Mesopotamia. The nations there, including Israel, struggled amongst themselves for supremacy during this period and Aram [Damascus], was one of them. During the reign of Yoram ben Achav, it seems there was a temporary lull in the conflict, so the king of Aram sent a messenger to Yoram asking for his assistance to cure his chief general, Naaman, of leprosy. Since this was something that to Yoram appeared to be beyond the abilities of Man, he saw it merely as a stratagem by Aram to find a cause for war. The reaction of Yoram was to tear his clothes in fear and despair, considering himself as dead, just like a leper. On hearing of the king's sorrow and fear, Elsha sent to him saying: "Let [Naaman] come to me and he will know that there is a [true] prophet in Israel". Through this publicity there would thereby be a great Kiddush Hashem of G-d who sends His prophets and makes His will known through them. This was actually a rebuke to Yoram for not recognizing his sins in continuing the idol worship, just as Eliyahu had rebuked his brother for consulting the false prophets of Baal Zevuv.

"Leprosy is the punishment for seven sins: lashon hara, bloodshed, false oaths, sexual, immorality, gasut ruach, theft, and a begrudging eye" (Arachin 17a). Accordingly, it is definitely not to be confused with Hansen's disease of the same name but rather is the Torah's reaction to these social sins. The Torah's cure for it was temporary separation from the national camp, the social unit and fabric that the person had disrupted by his original actions. This is not to be understood as a form of medical quarantine, since it did not apply outside of Eretz Yisrael, to gentiles, nor to occasions of mass gatherings such as the Festivals and weddings when exposure and thus the danger of contagion was greatest.

G-d sent serpents into the camp when the people complained about the Manna and voiced their demand for food and water in its place. When the people repented Moshe was told to make a serpent of copper and place it on a pole. Then a person who was bitten had only to look at it and would be cured (Bamidbar, 21 8). So," Did the serpent kill and keep alive? Only when Israel lifted their eyes Heaven-ward and subjected their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they were cured" (Mishna Rosh HaShana 3:8).

There are people who believe that is not permissible to use human medical knowledge and techniques to cure ourselves, seeing in that a lack of faith in G-d, an implication that He is unable to heal. In the verse in the Torah dealing with one who causes damage to another, we read: "He shall cause him to be thoroughly healed" (Exodus 21:16). From the language in the Hebrew text our Sages taught that Hashem gave knowledge and permission to the doctors to heal (Bava Kama 88a). In our daily prayers we acknowledge that He heals the sick- rofei cholim, as He is the real and sole source of healing. There are many mitzvot that come to teach us that this applies to everything in our lives. "Shulchan Arukh codifies (Orech Chayim 156) that a person should pursue a livelihood b'emuna and should make that secondary to study of Torah; b'emuna does not mean honestly, to do that we have the many monetary laws but rather in the faith that Hashem provides all the needs of His creatures (Arukh Hashulchan).

Under protest, Naaman goes and immerses himself in the Jordan and arises with the healthy skin of a child, as Elisha foretold. The grateful gentile returns to stand humbly before Elisha and wishes to give him gifts as is customary to give to priests and holy men. He catergoricallty refuses the gifts that Naaman offers, thereby sanctifying G-d's Name; "Just as I, Hashem does chesed freely so should you".

If the prophet had cured him by a laying on of hands or by a blessing, then Naaman would have thought that the holiness lie in his hands or voice; now, he sees that holiness lies in this Land. So this idolatrous soldier asks Elisha for some earth from the Holy Land wherewith to build an altar to Hashem in Aram; asks but does not steal, since such an altar cannot be built through immoral means.

His conversion to Judaism was not complete as he was not willing to join Am Yisrael. Furthemore, while he rejected the idols of his homeland saying: "I know there is no other G-d in the whole Earth", Naaman left the possibility that there were other gods in the heavens. From Naaman, Chazal learned that a Ben Noach is not forbidden dualism, worshipping Hashem together with others in heaven (Tosafot, Sanhedrin 63b).

Gehazi, coveting the gifts runs after Naaman with a contrived message of two disciples who have come to ask Elisha for sustenance, whereupon he is given the gold and clothes. Elisha rebukes him, telling him that for the Chilul Hashem he caused, the leprosy of Naaman will fall on him and his sons; Hashem adds that this was for falsely swearing by His Name (Bamidbar Rabba 7-8).

Talmud Yerushalmi criticizes Elisha for rejecting Gehazi with both hands or completely by a punishment that was to last the whole life. Rather, his left hand should have rejected while he drew close with his right (Sanhedrin 10:2).

This is the 43rd installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times”

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