Community MagazineOctober 2021

A MATTER OF PRIORITIES 10 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Words of Rabbi Eli J. Mansour לעילוי נשמתם של משה בן עליזה, יצחק הלל בן עליזה, והנרייט לאה בת עליזה, דוד בן גילה, רבקה בת גילה, יהושע בן גילה, משה בן גילה, שרה בת גילה, יעקב בן גילה, ואליאנה בת גילה. ולרפואה שלמה ליוסף בן אהובה מסעודה, שילת אהובה בת עליזה, ודניאל בן עליזה. It was one of the darkest periods in our nation’s history. The nationwas divided into two kingdoms, and the ruler of theNorthern Kingdom, Ahav, married a gentile woman who worshipped idols, Queen Izevel. As part of her effort to institutionalize idol-worship in the country, Izevel embarked on a ruthless campaign to rid the kingdom of authentic prophets, those who spoke out about the evils of idol-worship. The majority of them were killed in cold blood, and only 100 remained. One man, named Ovadia, selflessly took on the dangerous task of protecting the surviving prophets. He hid them in two separate caves – fifty in each – and brought them food provisions each day. This necessitated selling his personal belongings so he could purchase enough food. Ovadia made an enormous sacrifice, and put himself at great risk, for the sake of rescuing the lives of the remaining prophets. When he ran out of funds, he had no choice but to borrow money. He approached the prince – Ahav’s son, Yoram – who was very wealthy and had the wherewithal to grant a considerable loan. Sinful like his father, Yoram demanded interest, which the Torah strictly forbids. Normally, it is forbidden not only to charge interest, but also to pay interest, but Ovadia had no choice. This was a matter of life-and-death, and so he signed the contract and received the loan on interest so he could continue his life-saving mission. Tragically, Ovadia died, leaving behind a destitute widow with her two orphans, and a large amount of debt that continued to grow. The dire situation quickly turned outright horrific, when Yoram – the creditor – demanded that the widow give him her two sons as slaves in lieu of the loan payments which she was unable to make. This is the background to the story in the Book of Melachim II (chapter 4) which we read this month, as the haftara (selection from the Prophets) for Shabbat Parashat Vayera. The haftarah begins with the downtrodden widow desperately approaching the prophet Elisha and begging for help. Elisha replied by asking her if she had anything at home, and she replied that she had some oil. He instructed her to borrow utensils from her neighbors – as many as she could – and then pour the oil from her flask into these utensils. Miraculously, the oil jug kept pouring oil until all the utensils were filled. The prophet then advised the widow to sell the oil and use the money to repay her debt. The remaining funds would be used to support the family. This is how Elisha saved Ovadia’s widow and two sons from slavery and poverty. The Widow’s Greatest Concern When analyzing this story, there are a number of interesting elements to consider. First, let us take a moment to think of the state of destitution in which this woman and her sons lived. When Elisha asked her what she had in her home, she said all she had was a little oil. She had nothing else. She even had to borrow utensils. The family lacked even basic items such as bowls and containers. And yet, when she approached Elisha for help, Ovadia’s wife did not complain. She did not say, “Look at what my husband did! He gave away everything we had! He died and left me with no possessions and lots of debt!” On the contrary, she complimented her husband, telling Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, died, and you know that your servant was Gd-fearing…” Ovadia’s widow fully supported her husband’s righteous endeavor and was fully prepared to make the difficult sacrifices entailed. She understood