King Hezekiah knew the feeling. He finally listened to the prophet Isaiah and took a wife – Isaiah's daughter, no less! A match made in, if not heaven, then at least in spiritually-minded circles. But Hezekiah wasn’t exactly thrilled.
Why? Because he had a prophetic inkling – a bad feeling, really – that any sons he fathered would be, shall we say, less than ideal. In fact, he feared their wickedness would make death seem like a preferable option. Talk about a dark premonition hanging over your wedding day!
And wouldn’t you know it, his fears were confirmed pretty quickly. His two sons, Rabshakeh and Manasseh, were nothing like their pious parents. Ginzberg, in his Legends of the Jews, really paints a picture here.
There’s this story about Hezekiah carrying his two little cherubs on his shoulders, heading to the Bet ha-Midrash – the house of study. Adorable, right? Except… he overhears their conversation.
One says, "Our father's bald head might do for frying fish." Ouch. The other one-ups him: "It would do well for offering sacrifices to idols." Double ouch! You can almost hear the blood draining from Hezekiah's face.
Enraged – and who wouldn't be? – Hezekiah lets them slip from his shoulders. Rabshakeh, poor kid, dies from the fall. Manasseh, however, survives. And this is where the story takes an even darker turn.
According to the tale, it would have been better if Manasseh had joined his brother. Why? Because he went on to commit murder, embrace idolatry, and commit all sorts of other "abominable atrocities," as the story puts it. Manasseh's reign is described in 2 Kings 21, and let's just say it isn't a glowing review.
This little anecdote, though seemingly harsh, really highlights a recurring theme in Jewish tradition: the heavy burden of leadership and the constant struggle against evil, even within one’s own family. It’s a stark reminder that good intentions and even prophetic insights don’t guarantee a smooth path, especially when free will enters the equation. What do you think – did Hezekiah have any other options?