Hizkiyahu's Prayer

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1. Sanheriv’s Siege of Jerusalem

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Hizkiyahu takes advantage of a gap in Assyrian rule and joins Egypt and Babylon in rebellion against Assyria. He fortifies Jerusalem and channels water into the walled city, while cutting off the water supply outside of the city. However, the new Assyrian king Sanheriv fights back, destroying 46 fortified cities in Yehuda, and sets his sights on Jerusalem. Sanheriv sends emissaries to Jerusalem to deflate the moral of the people and encourage them to surrender while boasting that God cannot stop him. After Yishayahu first prophecy sends Sanheriv away temporarily, Sanheriv returns to Jerusalem once again. This time Hizkiyahu prays to God and miraculously the entire Assyrian army is killed in one night. This description has an indirect corroboration in Assyrian historical documents that describe the war against Hizkiyahu in a manner which is jarringly inconsistent with other battles. This miracle led to the concept of Jerusalem's invincibility, a concept that the prophet Yirmiyahu could not change when he prophesied its destruction over a century later.

2. Tests of Faith

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Hizkiyahu's prayer in the face of a prophecy from Yishayahu of his impending death and the reversal of this prophecy to extend his life and his reign for 15 more years makes Hizkiyahu a paragon of faith. Conversely his dealings with Berodakh Baladan, King of Babylon, are criticized harshly by Yishyahu. Divrei Hayamim paints a picture of arrogance and pride as leading to Hizkiyahu's illness and perhaps the censure he received for his dealings with the Babylonian King. Melakhim seems to be critical of putting faith in other nations and forming alliances as a rejection of faith in God. 

   These two stories lead to a broader discussion within Hizkiyahu's character and in general of proactiveness versus faith in God. The Sages criticize Hizkiyahu for chanelling the waters of Gihon into the city and for utilizing the Book of Remedies as expressing a lack of faith. Are these criticisms justified?

3. MiBereisheet: Avishai, Roey, and Ravshakeh's Speech

   Hodaya Bonen

4. Yeshayahu 35-39 - Matan Al HaPerek

   Rabbi David Sabato

    Chapter 35 vividly depicts the journey of the exiles back to Zion. The Chapter is replete with different expressions of joy, and is dotted with happy descriptions of the blossoming of the desert and the flowing of its waters, as well as the healing of human wounds.

   Chapters 36-39 are parallel to Chapters 18-20 of II Kings (Melakhim Bet), with only very minor differences (which we will not be discussing in this article). We will focus on the additions that occur in the Book of Yeshayahu and not in Melakhim Bet:Hizkiyahu's expression of thanks after his recuperation (38, 9-20).

5. He Who Answered Hizkiyahu

   HaTanakh.com Staff

6. Hizkiyahu, Prayer, and a Do-it-Yourself Approach

   Erev Shabbat Tazria-Metzora

   Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell

   תאריך פרסום: תש"ע | |

   Sanheriv, King of Assyria, is on the march and destroying large swaths of Yehuda.  He sends Ravshakeh to deliver a famous, demoralizing speech saying that Hizkiyahu and the people of Jerusalem have no reason to hope. We - and Hizkiyahu learn that to get something done right, one has to have personal responsibility and investment. We look at Hizkiyahu's response to this and to other events and learn messages about the significance of prayer - even prayer for onesself.

7. Tefilla in Tanach: The Character of Prayer

   Debra Geller

   תאריך פרסום: 2023 | | Hour and 5 minutes

   In this lecture, we will be examining the “narrative” prayers, that is, those that appear within a story, of Eliyahu, Elisha, and other characters in Tanakh. By looking closely at the prayers, both for the individual and the nation, we will reveal how the prayer impacts the one who says it and its functions as an integral part of the narrative.