Comentários de Citação sobre II Reis 5:20

The four commoners are: Bilaam, Doeg, Ahitophel, and Gehazi. The four non-Kings mentioned in the Torah who do not receive a portion in the world to come are: 1) Bilaam, the prophet who attempted to curse Israel (Numbers 22-24); 2) Doeg, who informed on David to Saul and caused the death of the priests of Nob (I Samuel 22:9-22); 3) Ahitophel, who advised Absolom against David and subsequently hung himself (II Samuel 17:1-23); 4) Gehazi, Elisha’s servant (see II Kings 5:20-27).

And all the other things listed in the Talmud and Midrashim have no support from this Torah passage, therefore I have seen fit to establish all the particular actions done to the metzora [person afflicted with tzara’at] on the foundation of these three things: evil speech [lashon hara], arrogance, and desire for wealth. The verse encompasses them by saying, Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him I will cut off; he who has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him I will not endure (Psalms 101:5). A proud heart refers to one who covets wealth, as they said (Avot 5:23) about Balaam that he had “a wide soul” [meaning he was greedy]. And him I will cut off the Sages interpreted (Arachin 15b) as referring to a confirmed metzora. The verse makes two divisions, joining haughty eyes with proud heart because both come from the same source, for the root of the eye depends on the understanding of the heart (Avodah Zarah 28b). Every haughty person has a proud heart, for every arrogant person desires great wealth through which he can display the glory of his greatness. Conversely, all wealth causes a lifting of the heart, as it is written And your silver and gold increase… and your heart becomes proud (Deuteronomy 8:13-14). Evidence of this is from what Elisha said to Gehazi, May the leprosy of Naaman cling to you (2 Kings 5:27). Why did he need to mention Naaman’s leprosy? Because Gehazi was coveting wealth (see 2 Kings 5:20-24), and Naaman was haughty. The commentators learned this from what is written Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in the sight of his master (2 Kings 5:1). This means that even in the presence of his master, he conducted himself with greatness and pride. We have already said that arrogance and greed come from the same source, therefore he said, May Naaman’s leprosy cling to you. Similarly, David joined them together saying, he who has haughty eyes and a proud heart, etc.

“There were four men, lepers outside the gate” [7:3]. Four men, who were lepers, were outside the city of Samaria. These men were Gehazi and his three sons and they were lepers.¹Yalkut Shimoni, II Kings, Remez, 231. This incident happened when Gehazi was the servant of Elisha. Elisha did not want to take anything from Naaman, who had been a leper and had been healed by Elisha, as written above in the haftorah for Tazria. Gehazi saw that Naaman had taken everything away and Elisha did not want to take anything from Naaman. Gehazi went and ran after Naaman and said to him. My master Elisha sent me to you. Two young men from the prophets came to my master Elisha. Therefore, he has asked you that you should send him a talent of silver and two sets of garments, to give to the two young men. Naaman responded: please take two talents of silver and two garments. Gehazi let himself be convinced and took them. He went home, hid everything, and presented himself to Elisha. Elisha asked Gehazi: where have you been? He responded: I haven’t been anywhere. Elisha said: I know very well what you have done. You have taken silver and clothes from Naaman. Therefore, you and your children will be afflicted with the leprosy that afflicted Naaman. Gehazi and his children immediately became lepers and at near the city of Samaria.²II Kings, 5:20–27. They said to one another. Why should we sit here and die? If we will go into the city, there is great hunger there and they will also die. Therefore, the best advice is that we will go among the people of Aram, who had besieged the city of Samaria. Perhaps they will let us live. If not, they can do with us what they want. We will certainly die of hunger.