וַיִּ֤פֶן אַֽחֲרָיו֙ וַיִּרְאֵ֔ם וַֽיְקַלְלֵ֖ם בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה וַתֵּצֶ֨אנָה שְׁתַּ֤יִם דֻּבִּים֙ מִן־הַיַּ֔עַר וַתְּבַקַּ֣עְנָה מֵהֶ֔ם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁנֵ֖י יְלָדִֽים׃
A gdy odwrócił się za siebie i spostrzegł ich, złorzeczył im w imieniu Wiekuistego. Wyszły tedy dwie niedźwiedzice z lasu i rozszarpały czterdzieści dwoje z tych dzieci.
From David to Destruction
It is one of the most shocking incidents in Tanach. The end of Melachim II 2 records that Elisha reacts angrily when a group of “Ne’arim Ketanim,” young lads, taunt him by calling him a “Keirei’ach,” “baldhead.” Elisha reacts angrily and curses them, which in turn leads to the gruesome death of these forty-two youngsters at the hands of fearsome bears (Melachim II 2:24). This seems a severe overreaction on the part of Elisha. Why does he react in this extreme manner to a petty insult? Why does Elisha not simply take the “high road” and ignore the taunt?
Sforno
לא יוכל לראות, he could not see clearly. In order for a blessing to take hold it is necessary for the one bestowing the blessing to see the party whom he blesses at the time the blessing is pronounced. [the same is true of a curse, this is why Balak took Bileam to a vantage point from which he could see the people of Israel whom he had been hired to curse, clearly. (Numbers 23,13). G’d also took Moses to a point from which he could see the land of Israel clearly so that he could bless the land. Something similar occurred in Kings II 2,24 where Elisha turned around to face the lads mocking his baldness before he cursed them.
Ramban
WILT THOU SPEAK TO KILL ME? “From here we learn that Moses had killed the Egyptian by merely pronouncing the Tetragrammaton.”84The Tetragrammaton (Shem Hamphorash or Shem Hamyuchad) is the Proper Name of G-d. It consists of four Hebrew letters, the utterance of which is now forbidden. It is translated here as the Eternal. By pronouncing this Name, Moses needed no weapon to accomplish his purpose of bringing about the deserved death of the Egyptian. Thus the language of Rashi, and it is also a Midrash of our Rabbis.85Shemoth Rabbah 1:35.
But I wonder. If so, who told the wicked one86“The wicked one” — so called by the Torah in Verse 13: and he [Moses] said to the wicked one, ‘Why do you smite thy fellow?’ that Moses killed him? Perhaps Moses placed his hands upon the Egyptian and cursed him in the Name of G-d,87See II Kings 2:24. [and the Hebrew who was now quarrelling with Moses saw him doing that]. This would explain the term vayach (‘and he smote’ the Egyptian).88A similar use of the term is found in the case of the Assyrian army that was smitten outside Jerusalem by the angel of G-d. It says there, And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Eternal went forth ‘vayach’ (and smote) in the camp of the Assyrians (II Kings 19:35). Now just as in that case vayach does not signify a physical act of striking by hand but rather the inflicting of defeat by supernatural power, so also here in the case of Moses. (Bachya.) It may be that because the Egyptian had fallen dead before him [after he had pronounced the Tetragrammaton over him], Moses feared that they may report him and so he buried the Egyptian in the sand. The Hebrew who saw him doing that reckoned that Moses had caused [the Egyptian’s death somehow, even though he did not know that he had killed him by pronouncing the Tetragrammaton]. Perhaps he thought Moses had killed him by the sword, as he saw only the burial.
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, scholars say89Ibn Ezra in his commentary here, and R’dak in his Book of Roots, under the root amar. that the expression, wilt thou ‘omer’ (speak), means “think,” since we find amirah (speaking) referring to the thought of the heart. I said in my heart;90Ecclesiastes 2:1. I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.91Ibid., 6:3. It is obvious that Ramban’s intent in selecting these two verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes is to show that the term amirah (saying) as such is equivalent to amirah b’leiv (speaking in one’s heart). Hence the Book of Ecclesiastes uses them interchangeably. But here there is no need for this, for [the intent of the Hebrew’s words to Moses] is as follows: “Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Is it because thou dost desire to kill me as thou didst kill the Egyptian that thou reprovest me and sayest, ‘Why smitest thou thy fellow?’”92In other words, Ramban is saying that the expression atah omer (thou sayest) alludes to that which Moses had said in Verse 13: Why smitest thou thy fellow? The Hebrew thus said to Moses: “Is it because you desire to kill me as you killed the Egyptian that you reproved me by saying, ‘Why do you smite your fellow?’”
But I wonder. If so, who told the wicked one86“The wicked one” — so called by the Torah in Verse 13: and he [Moses] said to the wicked one, ‘Why do you smite thy fellow?’ that Moses killed him? Perhaps Moses placed his hands upon the Egyptian and cursed him in the Name of G-d,87See II Kings 2:24. [and the Hebrew who was now quarrelling with Moses saw him doing that]. This would explain the term vayach (‘and he smote’ the Egyptian).88A similar use of the term is found in the case of the Assyrian army that was smitten outside Jerusalem by the angel of G-d. It says there, And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Eternal went forth ‘vayach’ (and smote) in the camp of the Assyrians (II Kings 19:35). Now just as in that case vayach does not signify a physical act of striking by hand but rather the inflicting of defeat by supernatural power, so also here in the case of Moses. (Bachya.) It may be that because the Egyptian had fallen dead before him [after he had pronounced the Tetragrammaton over him], Moses feared that they may report him and so he buried the Egyptian in the sand. The Hebrew who saw him doing that reckoned that Moses had caused [the Egyptian’s death somehow, even though he did not know that he had killed him by pronouncing the Tetragrammaton]. Perhaps he thought Moses had killed him by the sword, as he saw only the burial.
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, scholars say89Ibn Ezra in his commentary here, and R’dak in his Book of Roots, under the root amar. that the expression, wilt thou ‘omer’ (speak), means “think,” since we find amirah (speaking) referring to the thought of the heart. I said in my heart;90Ecclesiastes 2:1. I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.91Ibid., 6:3. It is obvious that Ramban’s intent in selecting these two verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes is to show that the term amirah (saying) as such is equivalent to amirah b’leiv (speaking in one’s heart). Hence the Book of Ecclesiastes uses them interchangeably. But here there is no need for this, for [the intent of the Hebrew’s words to Moses] is as follows: “Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Is it because thou dost desire to kill me as thou didst kill the Egyptian that thou reprovest me and sayest, ‘Why smitest thou thy fellow?’”92In other words, Ramban is saying that the expression atah omer (thou sayest) alludes to that which Moses had said in Verse 13: Why smitest thou thy fellow? The Hebrew thus said to Moses: “Is it because you desire to kill me as you killed the Egyptian that you reproved me by saying, ‘Why do you smite your fellow?’”
Rashi
Elisha will kill. We do not find that Elisha killed anyone but the forty-two children through the bears in Yericho.11See II Melochim 2:24. Alternatively, the hunger in Shomron was initiated by Elisha’s curse, as implied in II Melochim 6:31.—Ralbag