Tafsiran 2 Raja-raja 5:18: Tze'enah Ure'enah & Rashi

“May the Lord pardon your servant from this” [5:18]. Naaman said: I want to be a proper convert and not worship foreign gods, but I must go with the king of Aram into the house of the idols. His hand is laid on my hand and when he bows down the foreign god, then I must also bow down with the king. My thought is not to bow down to the foreign god. Therefore, I now ask the Holy One to forgive me for this sin. Elisha said: go in peace and he went home.

We want to write some midrashim concerning this haftorah. The Tanhuma writes. What kind of sin did Naaman commit that he became a leper. The explanation is that he had captured an Israelite young girl. The Holy One will punish similar things with leprosy when the Messiah will come.⁴Tanhuma, Tazria 11; Yalkut Shimoni, II Kings, Remez, 229.

The Talmud writes in [tractate] Sanhedrin. Naaman wanted to be a proper convert. Why did he not sanctify the name of God? He should have warned him to have himself to be killed rather than going into the house of foreign gods to bow down with his lord. The Talmud gives an explanation. When the nations of the world will convert, they will not have to sanctify the name of God. It is enough that they have converted and have the Holy One in their heart. Therefore, Elisha did not forbid Naaman when he said, God should forgive me the sin that I must bow down to the foreign god with my master. Elisha responded, go in peace. Should a gentile have to sanctify the Name of God, he would have forbidden him and said to Naaman not to bow down to the foreign god. However, a Jew does sanctify the name of God.⁵B. Sanhedrin, 74a; Yalkut Shimoni, II Kings, Remez, 229.

The house of Rimon. The name of a pagan deity.

To bow down there. Against my will, when my master bows, because he leans on my hand.