Melakhim II Chapter 7 | A Day of Good News

The news of liberation from the siege reached the people of Israel through four lepers who were stationed outside the city. Having completely lost hope, they decided to gamble with their lives by daring going into the Aram's camp. Does the fact that this news came specifically from lepers hold significance?

Does it imply that Israel was unworthy of redemption through other messengers? Or perhaps it makes sense that change should originate from society's margins, from those who have nothing left to lose?

Inspired by this chapter, Rachel the Poetess wrote the well-known poem "A Day of Good News," (יום בשורה) reflecting on redemption brought about by those who are not "pure":

In days of old, the dreadful enemy
Brought Samaria under siege;
(בְּשֶׁכְּבָר הַיָּמִים הָאוֹיֵב הַנּוֹרָא
אֶת שֹׁמְרוֹן הֵבִיא בְּמָצוֹר;)
Four lepers brought her tidings,
Brought her tidings of freedom.
(אַרְבָּעָה מְצֹרָעִים לָהּ בִּשְּׂרוּ בְּשׂוֹרָה.
לָהּ בִּשְּׂרוּ בְּשׂוֹרַת הַדְּרוֹר.)

As Samaria was besieged — so was the entire land,
And the famine was unbearably heavy.
(כְּשֹׁמְרוֹן בְּמָצוֹר – כָּל הָאָרֶץ כֻּלָּהּ,
וְכָבֵד הָרָעָב מִנְּשׂא.)
But I will not desire tidings of redemption,
If they come from the mouth of a leper.
(אַךְ אֲנִי לֹא אֹבֶה בְּשׂוֹרַת גְּאֻלָּה,
אִם מִפִּי מְצֹרָע הִיא תָבוֹא.)

Let the pure herald and the pure redeem,
And if his hand cannot find redemption — 
(הַטָּהוֹר יְבַשֵּׂר וְגָאַל הַטָּהוֹר,
וְאִם יָדוֹ לֹא תִמְצָא לִגְאֹל –)
Then I choose to fall from the distress of the siege
To the light of the great day of tidings.
(אָז נִבְחָר לִי לִנְפֹּל מִמְּצוּקַת הַמָּצוֹר
אוֹר לְיוֹם בְּשׂוֹרָה הַגָּדוֹל.)

Rachel insists on redemption delivered by a pure and noble figure, rejecting any other form of salvation. Her ideal vision includes a knight on a white horse — redemption that fits her perfect image and whose deliverance of the message are truly worthy of their role.

At first glance, this perspective might seem somewhat 'chutzpadik': setting conditions for God on how redemption should occur. On the other hand, in a world without prophecy or divine revelation, it is challenging to follow every self-proclaimed leprous messenger shouting "a day of good news!" How can we know who truly leads to salvation and who brings decline? Who resembles Koresh, and who mirrors Acḥashverosh? Which change is a step forward, and which is a fall?

In such circumstances, perhaps God does need to consider our human limitations and deliver a message of redemption that not only sounds like good news but also looks like one.