Midrash sobre II Reis 3:14

R. Joshua b. Karcha: "In reward of what have you lived so long?" He answered him: "Does it grieve you that I live so long?" He replied: "Rabbi, it is a study, and I want to learn it from you." He replied: "I never in my life looked into the face of a wicked man; for R. Jochan, in the name of R. Simon b. Jachai, said: "It is prohibited for a man to look in the face of a wicked man, as it is said (II Kings 3, 14) Surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehosaphat the King of Judah, I would not look toward thee nor see thee.'" Raba said: "From here (Prov. 18, 5) It is not good to favor the countenance of the wicked." When R. Joshua b. Karcha was dying, Rabbi asked him: "Bless me!" He said to him: "May it be His will that you should reach the half of my age." "And not your whole age?" said Rabbi to him. Whereupon he replied: "And what will your sons do? Will they tend sheep?" The disciples or R. Zera and, according to others, the disciples of R. Adda b. Ahaba asked him: "Whereby have you merited to live long?" He answered: "I never was angry in my house; I never walked in front of my superior, I never thought of Divine subjects in unclean alleys; I never walked four cubits without studying the Torah nor without Phylacteries; I never slept in the house of learning neither a sound sleep nor a nap: I never rejoiced when my neighbor was in misfortune, and I never called my fellowmen by nicknames."

(Ib. b) R. Juda said, in the name of Rab: "Whoever is arrogant, if he be a sage, his wisdom will depart from him: and if he be a prophet, his prophecy will depart from him. That his wisdom will depart from him, if he be a sage, can be inferred from the case of Hillel, for the master said [above] , 'he began to reproach them,' and immediately after, when they asked him a law, he said, 'I heard, but I have forgotten it.' If he be a prophet, his prophecy will depart from him; this may be gathered from the case of Deborah [the prophetess]; for it is written (Jud. 5, 7) Desolate were the open towns in Israel; they were desolate, until that I arose, Deborah, thus I arose a mother in Israel; and it is written (Ib. ib. 12) Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song, [which signifies that the prophecy left her and she had to awaken herself]." R. Simon b. Lakish said: "A man who becomes excited, if he be a sage, will have his wisdom depart from him; and if he be a prophet, will have his prophecy depart from him. That his wisdom will depart from him, if he be a sage, we infer from Moses, concerning whom it is written (Num. 31, 41) And Moses was excited against the officers of the host; and [after this] it is written, And Elazar the Priest said, etc. From this it may be inferred that the law escaped Moses' memory and therefore Elazar had to say it. That his prophecy will depart from him, if he be a prophet, we infer from Elisha, concerning whom it is written (II Kings 3, 14) Were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee; and [after this] it is written. But now bring me a musician; and it came to pass, when the musician played, and the inspiration of the Lord came upon him, [which shows that he had to seek the inspiration]." R. Mani b. Patish said: "A man who becomes excited will be removed from greatness even if it had been predestined for him by Heaven. Whence do we deduce this? From Eli'ab concerning whom it is written (I Sam. 17, 28) And Eli'ab's anger was incited against David, and he said, etc.; and when Samuel went to anoint a king, from among the sons of Jesse, concerning all others [who were rejected] it is written (Ib. 17, 8-10) This one hath the Lord not chosen [in the past tense]. But concerning Eli'ab, it is written (Ib. ib., 7) But the Lord said unto Samuel, 'Regard not his appearance, nor the height of his stature, because I have rejected him,' [in the present tense]. From which it may be inferred that I rejected him now although I had intended to choose him."

6 Another interpretation (of Numb. 25:17) “Harass the Midianites”: Since I have written (in Deut. 20:19), “When you besiege (rt. tswr) a city a [long time] […], you shall not destroy its trees,” in the case of these (i.e., Moab and the Ammonites) you shall not do so. On the contrary, their trees you shall destroy. And so you find that when Joram king of Israel, Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and the king of Edom went to fight with Moab, (according to II Kings 3:9) “they circled around on a seven-day march, so that there was no water for the army or for the animals that were with them.” They began to weep, and (according to vs. 10) “The king of Israel said, ‘Alas, for the Lord has summoned these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.’” Jehoshaphat answered (in vs. 11), “Is there no prophet of the Lord here through whom we may inquire of the Lord […]?” [This passage is] to make known the wickedness of Joram, in that he did not acknowledge Him, but rather only Jehoshaphat acknowledged Him. (Vs. 12) “Then Jehoshaphat said, ‘The word of the Lord is with him’; so the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, [and the king of Edom] went down unto him”: Why is Jehoshaphat not called a king here? In order to make known the humility of that righteous man, in that he did not want to go down before the prophet in royal garb, but as a commoner.⁸Gk.: idiotes. But some say, “[It was] because an edict had been decreed that he would be killed with Ahab that the scriptural text has reckoned [the reign of] his son from that hour. For that reason ‘king’ was not written.” But as a reward for their going down to the prophet, they attained the right to see all those miracles. When the king of Israel saw Elisha, Elisha said to the king of Israel (according to vs. 13,) “What have I to do with you; go unto the prophets of your father and unto the prophets of your mother,” as he never asked him [anything] all of his days. He began to implore him, (as in ibid., cont.) “And the king of Israel said to him […].” (Vss. 14-17) “Elisha said, ‘As the Lord of hosts lives […]. Now then get me a musician […].” He gave them the water that they needed. Moreover, he said to them “The Moabites shall fall into your hands, (in vs. 19) ‘thus you shall smite every fortified city and every choice city, [you shall also fell every good tree].’” They said to him, “[But] the Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Deut. 20:19), ‘You shall not destroy its trees’; yet you are saying [to do] so.” He said to them, “He gave the command with reference to the rest of the nations, but this one is insignificant and contemptable,” as stated (in II Kings 3:18), “This one is insignificant in the eyes of the Lord, so He will give Moab into your hands.” It is [also] stated (in Deut. 23:7), “You shall not seek their welfare and benefit (literally, their good).” [That is referring to] the good trees. It is therefore stated (in Numb. 25:17), “Harass the Midianites.”