Izevel
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Eliyahu in Horev (Part 1)
Structure of the Story
Rabbi Elchanan SametThe chiastic structure in chapter 19 utilizes parallels in language, themes, characters and geography in order to highlight Eliyahu’s revelation at Mount Horev as the central axis of this narrative.
Eliyahu in Horev (Part 2)
Eliyahu's Flight (Part 1)
Rabbi Elchanan SametIt is unlikely that Izevel sends a warning to Eliyahu about her intention to kill him in order to provide him with an opportunity to escape. Rather, it appears that Izevel, recognizing the limitations of her power, begins a process of a public trial for Eliyahu, similar to the case of Navot.
Eliyahu in Horev (Part 2)
Eliyahu's Flight (Part 2)
Rabbi Elchanan SametIf Eliyahu runs away from Izevel to save his life, why does he then ask God to take his life? One approach suggests that Eliyau expected a political revolution on the heels of the miracle at Mount Carmel. Izevel’s ability to continue to reign in her previous manner leaves Eliyahu with the understanding that miracles exert power only for a short time, and a profound, thorough, long-term change in consciousness was not thereby achieved. Eliyahu realized this the very next day, and it caused him great despair.
Navot's Vineyard (Part 1)
The Episode of Navot and the Rights of the King
Rabbi Elchanan SametThis shiur focuses on the legal and cultural background of the King’s request for Navot’s vineyard, Navot’s refusal, and the need for an orchestrated trial in order to kill Navot.
Navot's Vineyard (Part 2)
"Have You Murdered And Also Inherited?!" ֠- Ahav's Responsibility
Rabbi Elchanan SametWhile Izevel plots and executes Navot’s murder, Ahav becomes a hidden but necessary partner. The attempt to enjoy the fruits of wickedness without dirtying one's hands with the actual deed, may work in relation to other people, but it cannot work in the real reckoning between man and God. This is Eliyahu’s harsh accusation towards Ahav.
Navot's Vineyard (Part 3)
Navot's Refusal and its Motives
Rabbi Elchanan SametDespite Ahav’s generous offer, Navot refuses to sell his vineyard. The narrative describes Ahav’s attempt to ignore the real reason behind Navot’s refusal and Izevel describes it as petty. In fact, Navot’s refusal is based on the value of preserving the patriarchal inheritance which was viewed not as an asset with monetary value, but rather as part of a social structure in which the individual was connected to his family.
Navot's Vineyard (Part 4)
Ahav's Personal Punishment and the Punishment of His Household
Rabbi Elchanan SametEliyahu’s divine message to Ahav that informs him of the end of the rule of his house, relates both to the murder of Navot and to the idol worship in his time – both instigated by Izevel. Navot’s murder is viewed as more severe than idol worship and thus serves as the catalyst for this message.
Navot's Vineyard (Part 8)
Concluding Study: ֠Structure of the Narrative (Part 1)
Rabbi Elchanan SametThe two halves of the story reflect two inverse processes that Ahav undergoes: his deterioration from transgressing a “light” prohibition to complicity in the most terrible of sins – murder, and his ascent from the depths of his sin to the level of a penitent. A significant literary structure exists around the low-point of the story – Ahav taking possession of Navot’s vineyard.
Navot's Vineyard (Part 9)
Concluding Study: ֠Structure of the Narrative (Part 2)
Rabbi Elchanan SametVarious thematic and literary parallels and contrasts are drawn between the two halves of the story before and after the central axis of the story highlighting Izevel’s influence on Ahav and the movement from the sin to the punishment.
Izebel, Israel, and the Valley of Yizre'eI
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag |King Ahab, one of the greatest kings of Israel - marries Jezebell, the daughter of the King of Sidon!
Eliyahu ha'Navi, the greatest prophet of his time is so scared of her, that he runs away to Mt. Sinai and 'resigns' after she threatens him; yet several years later, General Yahu has no trouble finding volunteers to push her out the window to her gruesome death in the Valley of Jezreel.
In this shiur, we will attempt to make sense out of these and many other strange events in Melachim Bet.
Ahav: An Introduction
Rabbi Alex IsraelFollowing his father's legacy of alliance with Phoenicia, Ahav marries Izevel and together they transform the worship of Ba'al and Ashera into the national religion. The Canaanit culture and religion are attractive for many reasons. The rebuilding of Jericho signifies the spiritual low the nation has reached. But if Ahav is the most serious sinner thus far amongst the Israelite kings, why is his kingdom flourishing?
The Test at Mount Carmel
Rabbi Alex IsraelBefore the showdown at Mt. Carmel there is a lengthy description of Eliyahu's meeting with Ovadya. Ovadia personifies the dilemma of the nation and foreshadows the outcome of the showdown. Just like the nation feels that it has two masters - God and Ba'al - so too Ovadya is Ahav's closest minister, but he is also God fearing. Eliyahu forces Ovadya to make a choice.
At Mount Carmel, Eliyahu seeks to broadcast a message to the entire nation and to activate them. Mount Carmel is chosen as the location for the test between Eliyau and the prophets of the Ba'al as it was a revered site for the worshippers of the Ba'al and because it overlooks the Ba'al culture of Phoenicia to the North and the Kingdom of Israel to the South. The killing of the prophets of Ba'al after Eliyahu's victory raises questions as to Ahav's allegiances in the aftermath of the showdown.
Prophet in Distress
Rabbi Alex IsraelEliyahu had orchestrated a three-year drought that had brought the nation to its knees. This had culminated in the decisive religious contest at Mt. Carmel that had exposed the falsity of the Baal, bringing king and country to proclaim faith in God alone. It had been an excruciating process, with Eliyahu living in exile for three years. Indeed, he had succeeding in turning the king around. But now the entire project, this huge educational endeavor, lay shattered, in ruins. It was not Izevel's death threat alone. Izevel's confidence highlighted the understanding that she was in control, and that the transformation of national priorities would be a more arduous, complex, and protracted process. All of this leads to Eliyahu's feeling of dejection and his rejection of his role as a prophet. Unlike Moshe, he is unable to be zealous towards the sinner but to invoke God's mercy on the nation as a whole.
A Perfect Murder: Navot's Vineyard
Rabbi Alex IsraelThough it is completely clear from the beginning of the storyline that Ahav is legally powerless to commandeer Navot's vineyard - a significant statement regarding the autonomy of the common citizen in ancient Israel - the outcome after Izevel's ruthless plan displays the helplessness and vulnerability of the simple Jewish farmer. While the story describes Ahav as passive and ignorant of Izevel's plan and Izevel as the mastermind, Eliyahu makes it clear that Ahav is fully implicated in the murder. Ahav succeeds in taking Navot's ethical stand and grotesquely twisting it into an egotistical gesture of greed and as king he cannot absolve himself by claiming ignorance, all the more so when the pointers were rather obvious.
Confrontation, Punishment, Submission
Rabbi Alex IsraelThere are two dimensions to Ahav's demise. On a personal level, Ahav is worse than all of his predecessors. However, the House of Omri, Ahav's royal lineage, is just another chapter in the dismal succession of kings of the Northern kingdom.
One might argue that the most severe of Ahav's crimes was idolatry, a sin on a national scale, whereas the murder of Navot was a personal crime, which didn't affect the national temper and did not influence wider ethical norms in ancient Israel. The Rambam insists, however, that murder is at the top of the pyramid, as it causes “the destruction of civilization,” the disintegration of society, undermining its cohesion and trust.
On this backdrop, Ahav's sudden teshuva is disconcerting, arousing a sense of astonishment. Can one make amends so easily? Both in the subsequent texts and in the Midrash the degree and depth of Ahav's teshuva remains an open topic.
The Yehu Revolution
Rabbi Alex IsraelAt first glance Yehu seems to adopt the zealotry of Eliyahu in destroying the house of Ahav and the worship of Ba'al. Elisha removes himself from this episode by sending one of his disciples to anoint Yehu and begin the rebellion. However, are all the people killed by Yehu justified? Are the violent and gory methods which he utilizes to execute his plans justified? Is Yehu to be remembered as a righteous king?
Prophecies to Tzor
Dr. Tova GanzelTyre was an economic and cultural power throughout the duration of the Israelite kingdom. This was the source of various problems: including the introduction of idolatry in the times of Shlomo and Ahav and the causing problems regarding Shabbat observance in Nehemya’s days. There were periods when positive ties prevailed between Israel and Tyre, including the building of David’s house by emissaries from Tyre and Hiram’s assistance in building the Temple.
While Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians, Tyre withstood the siege throughout the period of the Babylonian empire. The steadfastness of Tyre in contrast with the destruction of the Temple served to compound the psychological difficulty facing the inhabitants of Jerusalem: now, God’s status in the eyes of the nations had fallen even more. Not only had the god of the Babylonians seemingly prevailed over the God of Israel, but there seemed to be a different god that watched over Tyre that was even stronger than the Babylonian power. In effect, Nevukhadnetzar’s conquest of Jerusalem proved to the nations what they had wanted to demonstrate, namely, the weakness of the God of Israel. This religious challenge, and the desecration of God’s Name among the nations, are apparently the reason for the length and vehemence of the prophecy to Tyre. Tyre – which, from the earliest history of the Israelite monarchy maintained commercial ties with it – has grown arrogant to the point where it has presumed itself above the Lord God of Israel.
Yehezkel’s prophecy to Tyre and to Sidon ends with the ingathering of Israel in its land. This does not appear to be an after-thought to the prophecy, but rather an essential component, a conclusion that completes the prophecies of destruction to the nations. Sanctification of God’s Name in the eyes of the nation begins with their downfall, but it will not be open and clear until God gathers up His nation.
Haftarat Vayera: the Widow and the Oil
Rabbi David SilverbergSidon
Tyre
Yizre'el
וַיְהִי֙ יָמִ֣ים רַבִּ֔ים וּדְבַר־יְהוָ֗ה הָיָה֙ אֶל־אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ בַּשָּׁנָ֥ה הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֖ית לֵאמֹ֑ר לֵ֚ךְ הֵרָאֵ֣ה אֶל־אַחְאָ֔ב וְאֶתְּנָ֥ה מָטָ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה׃
I Kings 18, verse 1
וַיַּגֵּ֤ד אַחְאָב֙ לְאִיזֶ֔בֶל אֵ֛ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָרַ֛ג אֶת־כָּל־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים בֶּחָֽרֶב׃
I Kings 19, verse 1
וַיְהִ֗י אַחַר֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה כֶּ֧רֶם הָיָ֛ה לְנָב֥וֹת הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִ֖י אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּיִזְרְעֶ֑אל אֵ֚צֶל הֵיכַ֣ל אַחְאָ֔ב מֶ֖לֶךְ שֹׁמְרֽוֹן׃
I Kings 21, verse 1