וַתָּבֹ֞א אֶל־אִ֤ישׁ הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־הָהָ֔ר וַֽתַּחֲזֵ֖ק בְּרַגְלָ֑יו וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ גֵּֽיחֲזִ֜י לְהָדְפָ֗הּ וַיֹּאמֶר֩ אִ֨ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים הַרְפֵּֽה־לָהּ֙ כִּֽי־נַפְשָׁ֣הּ מָֽרָה־לָ֔הּ וַֽיהוָה֙ הֶעְלִ֣ים מִמֶּ֔נִּי וְלֹ֥א הִגִּ֖יד לִֽי׃
Ketika perempuan itu sampai kepada abdi Allah di gunung itu, ia memegang erat kakinya. Gehazi datang mendekat untuk menyingkirkan dia, tetapi abdi Allah itu berkata: “Biarkanlah dia, sebab hatinya sedang pedih. Yang Mahakekal telah menyembunyikannya dariku dan tidak memberitahukannya kepadaku.”
Shemot Rabbah
“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: This is the statute of the paschal offering; no foreigner shall eat of it” (Exodus 12:43).
“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: This is the statute of the paschal offering” – that is what Scripture said: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul; and in its joy no stranger can meddle” (Proverbs 14:10). Why is it so? It is only that just as the heart senses the trouble that it experiences, so, too, when a person rejoices, the heart rejoices first, as it is stated: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul.” Likewise, David said: “My heart flutters, my strength fails me” (Psalms 38:11). In my joy, my heart rejoices first, as it is stated: “Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices” (Psalms 16:9), and so it says: “For my sighs are many and my heart is faint” (Lamentations 1:22). In the future, the Holy One blessed be He brings [relates to] all the limbs but first consoles only the heart, as it is stated: “I will speak to her heart” (Hosea 2:16).
Another interpretation: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul” – that is Hannah, who suffered greatly, as it is stated: “She was bitter of soul” (I Samuel 1:10); she, by herself.1Hannah was barren but her husband had children by his other wife. When she was remembered,2When she bore a son. God remembered her by herself, as it is stated: “And in its joy no stranger can meddle” (Proverbs 14:10); and it is written: “My heart exults in the Lord…because I rejoice in Your salvation” (I Samuel 2:1); I exulted by myself but no other will exult with me.
Another interpretation: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul” – that is the Shunamite woman. When? It was when her son died and she went to complain to Elisha. What is written? “Geḥazi came to push her away, but the man of God said: Release her, for her soul is bitter within her…” (II Kings 4:27). When he sent Geḥazi to revive her son and said to him: “Take my staff in your hand” (II Kings 4:29), the Shunamite said to him: ‘“By the life of the Lord and by your life” (II Kings 4:30), you abided in God’s mysteries. At first, you gave me a son; now, again abide in God’s mysteries, and revive him’ – that is: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul.”
Another interpretation: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul” – that is David. When he went down to Akhish3The Philistine king of Gath. to assist him, he was there for three days, and the Amalekites came and took his [David’s] wives and his children captive and burned Tziklag, David began crying, as it is stated: “David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him” (I Samuel 30:6). They did not do so, but rather they rescued their wives, their sons, and their daughters and came to the Land of Israel and took up the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place. What is written there? “Also David the king rejoiced with great joy” (I Chronicles 29:9).
Another interpretation: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul” – that is Israel, who were subject to enslavement in Egypt. When they came to leave, and the Holy One blessed be He decreed for them to perform the paschal offering, the Egyptians came to eat with them. God said to them: Heaven forbid! “No foreigner shall eat of it;” that is: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul; and in its joy no stranger can meddle.”
“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: This is the statute of the paschal offering” – that is what Scripture said: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul; and in its joy no stranger can meddle” (Proverbs 14:10). Why is it so? It is only that just as the heart senses the trouble that it experiences, so, too, when a person rejoices, the heart rejoices first, as it is stated: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul.” Likewise, David said: “My heart flutters, my strength fails me” (Psalms 38:11). In my joy, my heart rejoices first, as it is stated: “Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices” (Psalms 16:9), and so it says: “For my sighs are many and my heart is faint” (Lamentations 1:22). In the future, the Holy One blessed be He brings [relates to] all the limbs but first consoles only the heart, as it is stated: “I will speak to her heart” (Hosea 2:16).
Another interpretation: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul” – that is Hannah, who suffered greatly, as it is stated: “She was bitter of soul” (I Samuel 1:10); she, by herself.1Hannah was barren but her husband had children by his other wife. When she was remembered,2When she bore a son. God remembered her by herself, as it is stated: “And in its joy no stranger can meddle” (Proverbs 14:10); and it is written: “My heart exults in the Lord…because I rejoice in Your salvation” (I Samuel 2:1); I exulted by myself but no other will exult with me.
Another interpretation: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul” – that is the Shunamite woman. When? It was when her son died and she went to complain to Elisha. What is written? “Geḥazi came to push her away, but the man of God said: Release her, for her soul is bitter within her…” (II Kings 4:27). When he sent Geḥazi to revive her son and said to him: “Take my staff in your hand” (II Kings 4:29), the Shunamite said to him: ‘“By the life of the Lord and by your life” (II Kings 4:30), you abided in God’s mysteries. At first, you gave me a son; now, again abide in God’s mysteries, and revive him’ – that is: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul.”
Another interpretation: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul” – that is David. When he went down to Akhish3The Philistine king of Gath. to assist him, he was there for three days, and the Amalekites came and took his [David’s] wives and his children captive and burned Tziklag, David began crying, as it is stated: “David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him” (I Samuel 30:6). They did not do so, but rather they rescued their wives, their sons, and their daughters and came to the Land of Israel and took up the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place. What is written there? “Also David the king rejoiced with great joy” (I Chronicles 29:9).
Another interpretation: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul” – that is Israel, who were subject to enslavement in Egypt. When they came to leave, and the Holy One blessed be He decreed for them to perform the paschal offering, the Egyptians came to eat with them. God said to them: Heaven forbid! “No foreigner shall eat of it;” that is: “The heart knows the bitterness of its soul; and in its joy no stranger can meddle.”
Vayikra Rabbah
Rabbi Yehuda ben Pazi said: Why was the portion of forbidden sexual relations juxtaposed to the portion of “[you shall be] holy”? It is to teach you that everywhere that you find restraint from forbidden sexual relations, you find holiness. This is consistent with another statement of Rabbi Yehuda ben Pazi, who said: Anyone who restrains himself from forbidden sexual relations is called holy. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi cites it from the Shunamite woman. That is what is written: “She said to her husband: Behold now, I know that the man of God is holy” (II Kings 4:9). Rabbi Yona said: He is holy, but his attendants are not holy. That is what is written: “Geiḥazi came to push her away [lehodfah]” (II Kings 4:27). Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: He pushed her away by the glory of her beauty [behod yofyah], by her breasts.
Rabbi Aivun said: It teaches11Rabbi Aivun is commenting on the fact that the Shunamite woman referred to the prophet Elisha as holy. that he had never looked at her. The Rabbis say: [It teaches] that she never saw a drop of semen on his sheet. The maidservant of Rabbi Yishmael bar Rav Yitzḥak said: I would tend to the garments of my master, and never did I find anything untoward on the garments of my master.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Why was the portion of forbidden sexual relations juxtaposed to the portion of “[you shall be] holy”? It is to teach you that everywhere that you find restraint regarding forbidden sexual relations, you find holiness. There are many verses for this. “[They shall not marry] a licentious woman or a profaned woman” (Leviticus 21:7), [is followed by the verse]: “You shall sanctify him, for he offers the food of your God, [he shall be holy to you]” (Leviticus 21:8). “A widow or a divorcee, or a profaned woman, or a licentious woman, [these he shall not marry]…and he shall not profane his offspring” (Leviticus 21:14–15). And this: “Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel…” (Leviticus 19:2).
Rabbi Aivun said: It teaches11Rabbi Aivun is commenting on the fact that the Shunamite woman referred to the prophet Elisha as holy. that he had never looked at her. The Rabbis say: [It teaches] that she never saw a drop of semen on his sheet. The maidservant of Rabbi Yishmael bar Rav Yitzḥak said: I would tend to the garments of my master, and never did I find anything untoward on the garments of my master.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Why was the portion of forbidden sexual relations juxtaposed to the portion of “[you shall be] holy”? It is to teach you that everywhere that you find restraint regarding forbidden sexual relations, you find holiness. There are many verses for this. “[They shall not marry] a licentious woman or a profaned woman” (Leviticus 21:7), [is followed by the verse]: “You shall sanctify him, for he offers the food of your God, [he shall be holy to you]” (Leviticus 21:8). “A widow or a divorcee, or a profaned woman, or a licentious woman, [these he shall not marry]…and he shall not profane his offspring” (Leviticus 21:14–15). And this: “Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel…” (Leviticus 19:2).
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer
The woman went to Mount Carmel, and fell on her face to the ground before Elisha, saying to him: Would that my vessel had remained empty ! But it was filled, and now its contents are spilt. The prophet answered: Everything which the Holy One, blessed be He, doeth, He telleth to me, but He has hidden this matter, as it is said, "And when she came to the man of God… and Gehazi came near to thrust her away" (2 Kings 4:27). What is the meaning of "to thrust her away"? To teach us that he put his hand upon (her) pride, which was upon her breasts, as it is said, "And the man of God said, Let her alone… and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me" (ibid.). He took the staff which was in his hand, and gave it to Gehazi, saying to him: Do not speak with thy mouth any word at all; know that thou goest and placest the staff upon the face of the lad, that he may live.