R. Jose gave a further exposition of the verse relating to Elisha which says: “And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, certain youths (ne’arim), little ones”, etc. (2 Kings 2, 23). ‘The term ne’arim (youths)’, he said, ‘has been expounded to mean empty,1The root, N’R has this meaning only in post-Biblical Hebrew. that is, empty of any words of the Torah and of any observance of the precepts of the Torah: “little ones”, to wit, of little faith, and such as were doomed in this world and in the world to come; “came forth out of the city” (Ibid.), that is, they abandoned the mystery of Divine Faith, the term “city” having the same implication here as in the passage, “and I will not enter the city” (Hos. 11, 9).1Al. the Divine Faith, which is called “city”, as in the passage, “in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God” (Ps. 17, 9).
“And he looked behind him and saw them” (2 Kings 2, 24); that is, he surveyed their future to see whether they would ever turn back from their evil ways, “and he saw them” as being such that were not ever to bring forth any good seed. Again, “and he saw them”, that is, he recognized them as such as had been conceived on the night of the Day of Atonement;1When marital relations are forbidden. straightway, therefore, “he cursed them in the name of the Lord” (Ibid.) .
Further, “And he turned behind him” signifies that having surveyed them in order to find out whether he would be punished for their sake or not, “he turned behind him”, in other words, he found himself turned away and removed from such punishment. Parallel to it is the passage, “and Aaron turned” (Num. 11, 10), signifying that Aaron was turned away and shielded from Miriam’s leprosy; “and he saw them”, as being destined to perpetrate much evil in Israel.
“And he turned behind him” further signifies that he turned his gaze behind the Shekinah, as it says of Lot’s wife that she “looked back from behind him” (Gen. 19, 26), meaning “from behind the Shekinah”. Thus Elisha looked behind the Shekinah and discerned that their mothers had conceived them all on the night that presides over the atonement of the sins of Israel. Straightway “he cursed them in the name of the Lord”. “And there came forth two bears”(2 Kings 2, 24)-she bears, as indicated by the feminine numeral sh’tayim, big with offspring, “and tare forty and two children of them” (Ibid.), in correspondence, as has been explained, to the number of offerings brought by Balak.
(שמות ל״ח:כ״ד) כָּל הַזָּהָב הֶעָשׂוּי לַמְּלָאכָה בְּכֹל מְלֶאכֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְגוֹ'. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי פָּתַח קְרָא בְּאֱלִישָׁע, דִּכְתִּיב, (מלכים ב ב׳:כ״ג) וַיַּעַל מִשָׁם בֵּית אֵל וְהוּא עוֹלֶה בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְגוֹמֵר. וּנְעָרִים קְטַנִּים. הָא אוּקְמוּהָ, מְנוּעָרִים הֲווֹ מִכָּל מִלֵּי אוֹרַיְיתָא וּמִכָּל פִּקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא. קְטַנִּים זְעִירֵי מְהֵימְנוּתָא, וְאִתְחַיְּיבוּ בְּחִיוּבָא דְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וּבְחִיּוּבָא דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. יָצְאוּ מִן הָעִיר, נַפְקוּ מֵרָזָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא. כְּתִיב הָכָא יָצְאוּ מִן הָעִיר, וּכְתִיב הָתָם (הושע י״א:ט׳) וְלֹא אָבֹא בְּעִיר. (ס"א מרזא דמהימנותא אקרי עיר (תהילים מ״ח:ט׳) עיר יי צבאות עיר אלהינו).
R. Jose gave a further exposition of the verse relating to Elisha which says: “And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, certain youths (ne’arim), little ones”, etc. (2 Kings 2, 23). ‘The term ne’arim (youths)’, he said, ‘has been expounded to mean empty,1The root, N’R has this meaning only in post-Biblical Hebrew. that is, empty of any words of the Torah and of any observance of the precepts of the Torah: “little ones”, to wit, of little faith, and such as were doomed in this world and in the world to come; “came forth out of the city” (Ibid.), that is, they abandoned the mystery of Divine Faith, the term “city” having the same implication here as in the passage, “and I will not enter the city” (Hos. 11, 9).1Al. the Divine Faith, which is called “city”, as in the passage, “in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God” (Ps. 17, 9).
וַיִּפֶן אַחֲרָיו וַיִּרְאֵם, וַיִּפֶן אַחֲרָיו, דְּאִסְתָּכַּל לַאֲחוֹרָא, אִי יְהַדְרוּן בְּתִיוּבְתָּא, וְאִם לָאו. וַיִּרְאֵם, מַאי וַיִּרְאֵם. אִסְתָּכַּל בְּהוּ, דְּהָא לֵית זַרְעָא מְתַּתְקְנָא זַמִּין לְנָפְקָא מִנַּיְיהוּ, וְאוּקְמוּהָ. וַיִּרְאֵם, הָא אוּקְמוּהָ, דְּאִתְעָבֵידוּ בְּלֵילְיָא דְּכִפּוּרֵי. מִיַּד וַיְקַלְלֵם בְּשֵׁם יְיָ'.
“And he looked behind him and saw them” (2 Kings 2, 24); that is, he surveyed their future to see whether they would ever turn back from their evil ways, “and he saw them” as being such that were not ever to bring forth any good seed. Again, “and he saw them”, that is, he recognized them as such as had been conceived on the night of the Day of Atonement;1When marital relations are forbidden. straightway, therefore, “he cursed them in the name of the Lord” (Ibid.) .
וְרָזָא אִיהוּ בְּהַאי קְרָא, וַיִּפֶן אַחֲרָיו, אִסְתָּכַּל בְּהוּ, אִי יִתְעֲנֵשׁ עָלַיְיהוּ, וְאִתְפְּנֵי מֵהַאי. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (במדבר י״ב:י׳) וַיִּפֶן אַהֲרֹן, דְּאִתְפְּנֵי מִצָּרַעְתֵּיהּ. אוּף הָכָא אִתְפְּנִי מֵעוֹנְשָׁא דִּלְהוֹן. וַיִּרְאֵם, דַּהֲווֹ קַיְימִין לְבָתַר לְמֶעְבַּד כַּמָה בִּישִׁין בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.
Further, “And he turned behind him” signifies that having surveyed them in order to find out whether he would be punished for their sake or not, “he turned behind him”, in other words, he found himself turned away and removed from such punishment. Parallel to it is the passage, “and Aaron turned” (Num. 11, 10), signifying that Aaron was turned away and shielded from Miriam’s leprosy; “and he saw them”, as being destined to perpetrate much evil in Israel.
וַיִּפֶן אַחֲרָיו, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (בראשית י״ט:כ״ו) וַתַּבֵּט אִשְׁתּוֹ מֵאַחֲרָיו. מַאי מֵאַחֲרָיו. מֵאֲחוֹרֵי שְׁכִינְתָּא. אוּף הָכָא וַיִּפֶן אַחֲרָיו, אִסְתָּכַּל מֵאֲחוֹרֵי שְׁכִינְתָּא. וְחָמָא לְכֻלְּהוּ, דְּהָא בְּהַהוּא לֵילְיָא דְּשַׁלְטָא עַל כַּפָּרָה דְּחוֹבֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, אִתְעֲבָּרוּ אִמְּהוֹן מִנַּיְיהוּ, מִיַּד וַיְקַלְלֵם בְּשֵׁם יְיָ'. וַתֵּצֶאנָה שְׁתַּיִם דוּבִּים מִן הַיַּעַר. שְׁתַּיִם דוּבִּים, שְׁנַיִם דוּבִּים מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי שְׁתַּיִם דוּבִּים. נוּקְבִין הֲווֹ, וּבְנַיְיהוּ. וַתְּבַקַּעְנָה מֵהֶם אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁנַיִם יְלָדִים, הָא אוּקְמוּהָ לָקֳבֵל קָרְבָּנִין דְּבָלָק.
“And he turned behind him” further signifies that he turned his gaze behind the Shekinah, as it says of Lot’s wife that she “looked back from behind him” (Gen. 19, 26), meaning “from behind the Shekinah”. Thus Elisha looked behind the Shekinah and discerned that their mothers had conceived them all on the night that presides over the atonement of the sins of Israel. Straightway “he cursed them in the name of the Lord”. “And there came forth two bears”(2 Kings 2, 24)-she bears, as indicated by the feminine numeral sh’tayim, big with offspring, “and tare forty and two children of them” (Ibid.), in correspondence, as has been explained, to the number of offerings brought by Balak.