Kings II 4:1-37: This week’s haftarah mirrors the parsha in a depiction of miraculous promises. Vayeria haftorah describes two miracles performed by the prophet Elisha: the first, an indebted widow is instructed to bring forth all the vessels in her home and borrow those of her neighbors to fill with a miraculously never-ending vial of oil in order to stave off debt collectors from taking her sons as slaves. The second, Elisha promises a hospitable couple they would have a child in exactly one year’s time, which they do, and then miraculously brings the boy back to life after a sudden death several years later.

When I read through the text, I thought to myself, “who is the prophet Elisha? Is this the same as the prophet Elijah, for whom we leave our extra glass of wine on the seder? Maybe just spelled differently in this text?”

Indeed Elisha and [Read more…]