The haftarah portion for “Vayera” (II Kings 4:1-37, according to the Ashkenazi custom) recounts two miracles performed by the prophet Elisha. A destitute widow is saved from crushing debt via a bottomless flask of oil, and a wealthy Shunamite woman, barren and resigned, is granted the child she thought she’d never have.
Their stories mirror the haftarah portion itself: promises that defy logic, faith that reshapes reality, and the hand of heaven that transforms despair into renewal.
The question running through both the Torah portion and the haftarah is timeless: Can faith prevail over reason and reality? Scripture’s answer is clear. What seems impossible to man is never beyond the power of God.
The power of God
THE HAFTARAH begins with the story of the widow, whom the sages identify as the prophet Obadiah’s wife. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 39b) says that Obadiah, an Edomite convert, merited prophecy because he concealed 100 prophets whom Queen Jezebel was seeking to murder, feeding and caring for them.
To save their lives, Obadiah spent his own money, and then was forced to take out loans with interest (Shemot Rabbah 31:4). After he died, his wife was left with heavy debts, and their two sons were about to be enslaved.
The widow then cries out to Elisha, who asks her what possessions she has left. “Your maidservant has nothing at all in the house except a jug of oil,” (verse 2) she answers.
From that simple household item comes salvation. Elisha tells her to borrow empty vessels from her neighbors, and then to pour and keep pouring. Miraculously, the oil flows from the jug until every jar is full, providing her with enough to sell, pay off her debts, and support her family.
This account illustrates the power of faith, which can transform scarcity into abundance. The widow’s “nothing” becomes everything once she acts on faith, underscoring the fact that hopelessness, not poverty, is the true emptiness.
The story of modern Israel echoes the widow’s. Though small in size and besieged by difficulties, Israel’s “flask of oil” has repeatedly overflowed with rebirth, strength, and moral purpose. The state’s endurance is Elisha’s miracle lived daily: a nation that refuses to believe its vessels will remain empty.
THE SECOND act unfolds in Shunem, an ancient town in the tribal territory of Issachar. A woman of means offers the prophet Elisha a modest upper room, expecting nothing in return. Her quiet kindness becomes the key to her life’s miracle.
When Elisha promises her a son, she recoils: “Do not deceive your maidservant” (verse 16). Yet within a year, the impossible occurs, and she is blessed with a child.
Like Abraham, who rushes out in this week’s Torah portion to serve three strangers and is rewarded with news of Isaac’s birth, the Shunamite woman teaches us that generosity invites blessing.
True hospitality – opening one’s space, one’s life – isn’t about mere courtesy. It is an act of covenantal significance. A nation in which welcoming others is the norm makes itself a dwelling for the divine.
But tragedy strikes the Shunamite woman when the promised child dies suddenly. She immediately goes into action, laying the boy on the prophet’s bed, and then riding to Mount Carmel to confront Elisha. Her resolve evokes divine mercy. The prophet prays, stretches himself over the child, and life returns.
This final miracle turns the personal into the prophetic. The revival of one child foreshadows the resurrection of a people. Israel, too, was once lifeless among the nations. Yet it rose again in its land, a fulfillment of Elisha’s act: the breath of God returning to His beloved child, the nation of Israel.
THESE STORIES illustrate that one truth stands firm: Faith is not passive. It demands movement and initiative. The widow gathers vessels. The Shunamite builds a room for the prophet and later seeks him out. Each act opens the channel for Divine response.
So, too, today. Surrounded by challenges, Israel’s calling is to act, to fill every vessel, to keep building rooms of hope and courage. And as in the case of the widow, may our blessings continue to overflow.