Chasidut к Мелахим Б 2:20

Indeed, we find various distinctions and levels in the miracles performed by various prophets and their awakenings, based upon the level to which they prepared their souls. The miracles performed by Moshe could actually transform things to their very opposite, as the Midrash teaches us (Beshalach), “‘And God showed him a tree’ (Shemot, 15:25). It was a bitter branch, and the bitter sweetened the bitter.”³⁹³Shortly after passing through the sea, the Children of Israel camped at an oasis called Marah – named so because its waters were bitter and undrinkable. G-d told Moshe to throw a tree into the waters, to sweeten them. According to the Midrash, this tree was itself bitter. So too with the brass serpent, which healed the snakebites.³⁹⁴In Numbers 21, the Children of Israel complain unnecessarily about the hardship of their travels. G-d is angered, and sends poisonous serpents to bite them. The people repent, and G-d commands Moses to forge a snake made of brass, and place it atop a pole. Whoever was bitten by a snake, yet looked upon the brass snake, would be healed. Again, that which kills and that which heals is the same. Also with the splitting of the Red Sea, where the waters congealed against the laws of nature, where (Shemot 15:8), “the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.” This, too, also an example of opposites, because water usually begins to freeze at the surface, and here it began in the middle of the sea, which, according to nature, would be the last place to freeze. The miracle of the splitting of the sea happened in the exact opposite way nature would have had it. Thus, with all of Moshe’s miracles, things were changed to their complete opposite. Moshe’s level of prophecy was greater than all of the other prophets, for he would see the Divine form at once. This is written in the Midrash Tanhuma (Hayei Sara) and in the Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 18, 32a).³⁹⁵God has no form. However, prophets receive their prophecy through a vision of the Divine body. All of the other prophets would behold a vision of a part of the Divine body. Moshe differed, in that he could see the King in His entirety. Therefore the miracles associated with him would change a thing over to its complete opposite. Similarly, with Yeshayahu, we find a miracle within a miracle, and the transformation of one thing to its complete opposite. As he said (38:21), “Take a lump of figs, and smear it on the boil, and he shall recover.” The Midrash tells us that it is the nature of figs to cause the wound to rot. Yeshayahu knew that this would have the opposite effect. This is because Yeshayahu’s prophecy had an aspect of Moshe’s prophecy. It is said in the Midrash on Tehillim (90), “Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rav Yossi ben Zimra, all of the prophets would prophesize, and not be conscious of their prophecy. This was not so for Moshe and Yeshayahu. Moshe said (Devarim, 32), ‘My doctrine shall drop as the rain.’ And Yeshayahu said (Yeshayahu, 8:18), ‘Behold, I and the children whom God has given me are for signs and tokens in Israel from the Lord of Hosts who dwells in mount Zion.’ Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yossi, even Shmuel, the master of prophets, would speak prophecy, and not know what prophecy he was speaking. This is as it is said (Shmuel 1, 12), ‘And God sent you Yeruval and Badan and Yiftah and Shmuel.’³⁹⁶He was speaking to the people, and as he was not aware of what he was saying, he said, “Shmuel,” instead of “me.” This is because he was not aware that he was speaking.” On the other hand, the miracles performed by Elisha occurred mostly through an awakening of salvation through prayer. That is, his miracles were answers to his prayer. Most of them were effected through hints contained in his prayer to heal the waters of Yericho, as he said (Melachim 2, 2), “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.” As it is said in the tractate Berachot, “Just as salt will sweeten meat, so will it sweeten water.” Elisha also said (Melachim 2, 4), “Take flour and put it in the bowl.” He was praying, “God who said flour will be man’s food, so shall He say that these fields will bring forth food.” And also (Melachim 2, 6), when one of the sons of the prophets lost his axe in the river, Elisha cut down a branch and threw it in the river. His prayer was, “The one who said wood floats can also tell the iron to float.” For Elisha to perform various miracles at various times, he had to prepare his heart for each situation. In this way, he was showing how God’s miraculous governance is hidden within nature.³⁹⁷The implication is that because Elisha’s prophecy was on a lesser, more concealed level than Moshe’s, his prayers did not achieve a total uprooting of nature, but merely an extension of natural laws.