Let me tell you a story from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer that might sound familiar. It's about miracles, doubt, and what it really takes to bring something back to life.

We're talking about the prophet Elisha, successor to the mighty Elijah. You remember Elijah. The one who ascended to heaven in a whirlwind! Big shoes to fill, for sure.

Anyway, Elisha is faced with a tragedy: a child has died. He sends his servant, Gehazi, ahead with his staff, instructing him to lay it on the boy's face. Simple enough. But Gehazi… well, Gehazi wasn't exactly a believer.

The text tells us that the whole thing was "laughable in his eyes." Can you imagine? He goes around asking people, "You really think this stick is going to raise the dead?" Seriously undermining the mission!

And guess what? Nothing happens. The staff, in Gehazi's hands, is just a piece of wood.

So Elisha has to go himself. And this is where it gets interesting. He doesn't just wave his hand or speak a command. He identifies with the child, completely and utterly. The text says he put his face upon the face, his eyes upon the eyes, his hands upon the hands. He becomes a mirror image of the boy.

Then, he prays. And what does he say? "Sovereign of all the worlds! Just as Thou didst perform miracles by the hand of Elijah, my master, and brought the dead to life, likewise let this child live." He acknowledges the past, the legacy of his teacher, and asks for that same power to flow through him.

He doesn't just pray once, either. 2 Kings 4:35 tells us, "Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him." He pours his energy, his very being, into this act. He walks back and forth, building up the tension, the anticipation. He stretches himself out on the child again. More identification. More prayer.

And finally, "the child sneezed seven times." Seven times! Life returning, breath by breath. A miracle.

What’s the takeaway here? Is it just about Elisha’s power? I don't think so. It's about the power of belief, the necessity of empathy, and the corrosive effect of doubt. Gehazi's skepticism became a self-fulfilling prophecy. He couldn't perform the miracle because he didn't believe it was possible. Elisha, on the other hand, threw himself completely into the task, body and soul.

So, the next time you're facing a seemingly impossible situation, ask yourself: Are you approaching it with the faith of Elisha, or the skepticism of Gehazi? And what "staff" are you holding that needs a little more belief to work its magic?