It turns out that the entire reason Hakadosh Baruch Hu brought Tzara’at upon Na’aman was so that he would not harm the Jewish girl in his household.
(3) She said to her mistress, “I wish Master could come before the prophet in Samaria; he would cure him of his leprosy.” (4) Na’aman went and told his master just what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
The girl says to Na’aman’s wife, “I see your husband is suffering; let him go to the prophet and pray. Let him plead before the Navi, and then he will heal him.” Upon telling his master, the response he received was, “She only said to go to the prophet to pray. Why are you inflating it?” The commentators say something wondrous here. I do not know if this was a plan Na’aman devised himself or if the girl told him this, but the commentators write as follows: He came to the king of Aram and said to him: “Listen, there is a girl in my house who says the prophet knows how to heal. Do you know why I got Tzara’at? Because I killed Achav, king of Yisrael. So, his son Yehoram became king in his place, and he went to the prophet and asked that I be punished with Tzara’at which is considered like death! The prophet went and cursed, and since then, I have been scratching!” This is the conspiracy of “כָּזֹאת וְכָזֹאת דִּ בְּרָ ה הַנַּעֲרָ ה – this and that spoke the girl” that Na’aman constructed. The king replied: “If that is your problem, I will take care of it.”
(5) And the king of Aram said, “Go to the king of Israel, and I will send along a letter.” He set out, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. (6) He brought the letter to the king of Israel. It read: “Now, when this letter reaches you, know that I have sent my courtier Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
Achav said to the new king of Israel, “I know you are angry with him (Na’aman) because he killed your father, but since he is my servant and I am pleased with him, I request that you ensure he does not have Tzara’at. How? I do not know. Please take care of it! Since you told the prophet to harm him, just deal with it now!” As soon as the letter arrives, Yehoram tears his garments. The king of Aram is telling him there’s a prophet named Elisha and directing him to the Navi for healing, and he tears his garments not because he fears war, but because he knows he cannot influence the Navi at all!
Elisha HaNavi says to Yehoram: “Tell him (Na’aman) to come to me.” Why should he come? The commentators say, for two reasons. First, if Elisha does not heal him, Na’aman will harm the girl in his household, as she led him to a dead-end or even lied to him. And if he kills her, Elisha will have caused murder by not treating him. Second, Elisha knew that by healing Na’aman, he would become a convert, and to sanctify the Name of Heaven, he does it.
Na’aman arrives with horses, an entire delegation, but the Navi does not want to receive him. Why? If he received Tzara’at because of the arrogance in him, how do we overcome it? We lower his nose. We humble him. How? We tell him: “The prophet wishes not to see you; go to the Yarden and immerse seven times.” Na’aman then gets angry: “Did you see him? I come from far, and he doesn’t even come out to welcome me! What sort of humiliation he put me through!” His servants tell him: “What do you care? Go immerse!”
This was actually Elisha’s test. If Na’aman responds “No way! I’m not going,” it’s a sign that he remains arrogant, and if he remains arrogant, he cannot be healed. But the moment he listens to the instruction and humbles himself before the Navi. It’s a sign that Elisha can heal him. The moment he immersed himself in the water, he was purified. He then returns to Elisha and says to him:
(15) Returning with his entire retinue to the agent of G-d, he stood before him and exclaimed, “Now I know that there is no G-d in the whole world except in Israel! So please accept a gift from your servant.”
Chazal say: Here, Na’aman accepted upon himself to be a Ger Toshav and to no longer offer sacrifices except to Hakadosh Baruch Hu! The Maharsha comes and asks: Why did he really not want to take the money afterwards? We said that Rashi says it was because idolatry was involved, but the Maharsha says (Sanhedrin 107), there are two types of healing by tzaddikim. There is a tzaddik who heals by performing a miracle through a natural action, and there is a tzaddik who tells you to perform a natural action. If you wish, you will see it as a natural action. But if you have proper understanding, you will see that within this nature lies a miracle.
If Elisha tells him to go immerse in the Yarden, what will everyone say? “Listen, there is some sort of substance in the water there that heals Tzara’at!” Just as the Dead Sea has a treatment for psoriasis, so the Yarden has a cure for those with Tzara’at. So, tell me something – why are there not a string of hotels by the Yarden like there are at the Dead Sea? The answer is – there’s nothing special in the water.
The Maharsha says, at first, Elisha was afraid when he told him to go immerse in the Yarden. Na’aman said, “Forget it! He wants to give me some kind of natural remedy? For that, I have the Amana and Parpar at home. I thought he would place his hand on my head and recite something, and then there would be a miracle!” The girl said to him, “Not always does he place his hand on the person. Sometimes he performs a miracle within nature – he will tell you to go immerse and you will be healed!” And why does he not place his hand? Because he does not want to perform an open miracle. He wants to perform a miracle in nature! Na’aman returns and says: “My lord, now I know the girl was right. You performed a miracle in nature; I want to pay you for it!”
(16) But he replied, “As G-d lives, whom I serve, I will not accept anything.” He pressed him to accept, but he refused.
Elisha refused the money, however, and the Maharsha says it was not only because the money was associated with idolatry. Even if the money was completely clean, he would not have taken it. Why? The answer is simple. Elisha said to Na’aman: “If I take money from you, it means I’m a doctor and I heal people prior to sending them an invoice for my services.
(17) And Na’aman said, “Then at least let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will never again offer up burnt offering or sacrifice to any god, except G-d.
“I am not a doctor. I davened to Hakadosh Baruch Hu to bring you salvation. This is not my healing, but the healing of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.” Elisha did not want Na’aman to think the healing was natural.
The Maharsha adds, this was the essence of the claim against Gechazi, who moments later came to Na’aman and said: “Give money.” This request means the healing was indeed natural, and it collapses the entire structure Elisha built. These are the words of the Maharsha, and from here I want to go to a wondrous idea I found in the sefer Kol Tzofayich on the Haftarot, by Rav Chaim Zaichik.
Rav Zaichik asks: Why did Gechazi run to take money? This isn’t the first such story involving Gechazi, and the Yerushalmi says while Gechazi was great in Torah, he was also desirous for money and צַר עַיִן – envious. This envy of his did not begin with money either; it started earlier. When Elisha gave a shiur, Gechazi would sit outside the hall on a chair, one leg over the other. People would come and see him in such a position, then say it must mean the shiur is not interesting! “If his most distinguished student doesn’t enter the room, it’s a sign there’s nothing to hear!” And why did Gechazi sit outside? If few people come to the shiur, everyone will ask Gechazi: “So, what did Elisha say?” Then everyone will listen to Gechazi recount it all. But if everyone enters Elisha’s shiur, no one will come to him anymore. And why did he do this? Because he was צַר עַיִן; he did not want the others to have what he had. This trait led to his envy for money too – and he ran after Na’aman and said to him: “The Navi now wants money.”
Rabbotai, if Rav Zaichik had not said this, I would not have dared to suggest it. In sefer Kol Tzofayich, he asks: What was the terrible sin that Gechazi committed? He then says something terrible. If Gechazi had not approached him and asked for money, Na’aman would have converted, but instead, Na’aman did not convert because of this act! Why? Na’aman was saying to himself: “Look at this man, Elisha. He performs a miracle and swears to take nothing! What a great man! There’s no such man in the world – I accept upon myself to be a Ger Toshav.” To then accept full conversion, he needs to return home, but suddenly Gechazi – Elisha’s attendant – comes to him and says: “He’ll take the money now.” A surprised Na’aman said: “Swear that he (Elisha) told you to take the money,” and Gechazi responded, “I swear.”
What happened in Na’aman’s mind at that moment? Until then, he thought Elisha was truly a prophet of Hashem, but now he finds out, or incorrectly believes, he’s really a fraud. He doesn’t touch money, but after everyone leaves, he sends his assistant to grab it! At that moment, all of Elisha’s greatness fell in Na’aman’s eyes, and from here, he stopped his process of conversion.
Rav Zaichik brings a Gemara in the Yerushalmi (Sheratzim 8) that recounts that Rabbi Yochanan had problems with his tooth. He went to a doctor, the daughter of the emperor, and asked: “What happens if I have pain on Shabbat?” She said to him: “I will give you the medicine in advance, and you can use it on Shabbat. You won’t need to come for an appointment on Shabbat nor pay for the medicine then. But I have a condition – that you do not reveal this to anyone!”
There is a dispute between the Bavli and the Yerushalmi here. In the Bavli, it is written that Rabbi Yochanan told her he would reveal it. But in the Yerushalmi, it is not written so. On Shabbat, he stood to give a sermon and said to all those present: “My dear friends, whoever has tooth pain on Shabbat, do such and such. He revealed the secret she told him!” On Sunday, she heard about it, and the Yerushalmi brings two opinions about what she did. One opinion says she committed suicide, as he took away all her business, while the second opinion says she converted. Why? The emperor’s daughter said: “I thought he would keep this secret to himself and simply write a note: ‘Whoever needs help with tooth pain, come see me,’ and thus, for every visit, he would take 500 shekels for himself. But if I see that he is clean of a desire for money and says: ‘I do not want to benefit from this; let all of the people benefit,’ such a person demonstrates purity from envy. I now want to convert!”
Rav Zaichik says, Na’aman started his conversion process upon seeing Elisha and his purity when it came to a desire for money, but he fell from the path of conversion upon seeing Gechazi’s longing for it!
In the sefer Hamaor Shebatorah, the author brings what Chazal in the Gemara (Yevamot) say – the students of Rabbi Akiva died because they did not treat each other with respect. The Midrash in Kohelet (Kohelet Rabbah 1:6) says: Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand students and all of them died between Pesach and Shavuot. He told his remaining seven students: “They all died מִפְּנֵי שׁ ֶהָיְתָה עֵינֵיהֶם צָרָ ה בַּתּ וֹרָ ה זֶה לָזֶה – because they were begrudging to each other regarding their Torah.” Another Midrash says (Bereshit Rabbah, 61:3) they died because they were צַר עַיִן toward one another, and he said to the remaining students: “My dear sons, the reason the first students died is וּוּ לְ אֵ לּשׁ ֶ הָ יְתָ ה עֵ ינֵיהֶ ם צָרָ ה אֵ ל – because they were envious toward one another. Take care that you do not act like them.” They then filled all of Eretz Yisrael with Torah.
Rabbotai, what does מִפְּנֵי שׁ ֶהָיְתָה עֵינֵיהֶם צָרָ ה בַּתּוֹרָ ה זֶה לָזֶה really mean? Hamaor Shebatorah presents a tremendous yesod. It means that each wanted to learn only with someone suitable to him. There is a Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah, 34:4) that comments on a Pasuk in Mishlei (22:2): ָם הָּשׁ וּ עֹשֵׂה כֻלּעָשִׁיר וָרָ שׁ נִפְג' – Rich man and poor man meet; The Lord made them both. The poor is one poor in Torah, and the other is one who studies one or two Masechtot. The poor man said to his rich peer: “Teach me one chapter,” and he did not teach him, but instead responded, “Why do I need to sit and teach you about the proper time to begin reciting Shema? I’m studying Uktzin now! I’m studying Mikvaot now! I learned about the times for Shema when I was seven years old! Are you trying to take me back to childhood?! Go find another ba’al teshuva to study with!” Hakadosh Baruch Hu says: “The rich one is one I made rich in Torah so that he would teach the poor! If he does not teach the poor, I will not teach him either! Everything I gave him was so that he would teach others!” If he teaches others, then he deserves to know Torah. Otherwise, He who made him rich will make him poor, and the poor rich. Hamaor Shebatorah says this is what took place with Rabbi Akiva’s students. They were צַר עַיִן, meaning each one studied only with someone suitable to his level. The learned one was not willing to learn Pirkei Avot with the less learned and instead remained focused on Ketzot HaChoshen with his peer.
Hamaor Shebatorah adds, the Gemara (Niddah 30b) says a fetus in its mother’s womb is taught the entire Torah, and before it comes into the world, an angel strikes it on its mouth and makes it forget all the Torah learned. Why does Hakadosh Baruch Hu teach it if He makes it forget everything? The answer everyone gives is, after it has learned it once, it will be much easier for it to re-learn later. If so, why not arrange that it will be easier for him to learn even without forgetting? Don’t teach him in the womb and instead make it easier to learn later! Why does he need to study the Torah, receive a quick flick, and forget it all before being told to go re-learn it? The answer is, it teaches a person one thing – not to study alone. You want to go out and study by yourself? You already did that in your mother’s womb! You came out to give to others! Everything you came out for is to give to those who do not have! Whoever comes to you and asks: “Give me, teach me!” For such a person, it’s a Mitzvah to give them!
This is the yesod of a good eye toward one another – one gives to another with a good eye! Thus, we have learned from this Haftarah how much harm צָרוּת עַיִן – envy and desire, causes. The entire matter of Tzara’at begins with such a mindset and approach in life.
A person comes to his neighbor and says: “Hi, can you please lend me a hammer?” “A hammer?! Are you out of your mind?! Who keeps a hammer at home? It’s dangerous!” “Fine, but do you have a drill?” “Do you know what a drill is?! It’s even more dangerous than the hammer; it can take out an eye! Who keeps such a thing at home?! I have nothing!” Hakadosh Baruch Hu brings Tzara’at to this man’s house, so that he must dismantle all his tools, take everything outside, and have everyone witness his hammer and drill sitting right there. Let them see his traits of envy and desire that lead to such greed! All that Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants is for us to have a good eye, to be good to one another, and thus we will rectify what the students of Rabbi Akiva did, and we will merit the complete redemption speedily in our days, Amen and Amen!
