מלכים ב, פרק ד׳, פסוק ל״ט

During a time of severe famine and hardship, the desperate search for sustenance in the wild almost ended in a fatal tragedy [מדוד ועד לחורבן]. One of the prophetic disciples went out into the fields to forage for edible wild herbs and greens suitable for a stew. Some identify the plant he intended to gather as a specific herb named for its unique ability to bring light to the eyes [רש"י, רד"ק, אברבנאל].

While searching, the man stumbled upon a wild vine and began gathering its produce. This was not a standard grape vine, but rather a creeping wild plant that yielded small, watermelon-like gourds [רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל]. Though familiar from rabbinic literature as a source for extracting oil, these wild fruits are in fact intensely bitter and contain a deadly poison [מצודת דוד, רלב"ג, אברבנאל]. Alternatively, the gathered items may not have been the fruit of the vine at all, but rather toxic mushrooms that had sprouted close to it [רד"ק]. Another perspective suggests that the man collected these poisonous growths entirely separate from the vine itself [רש"י].

Returning to his companions with his garment full of the wild harvest, the disciple immediately sliced the produce directly into the communal cooking pot, cutting the pieces open much like one splits a pomegranate [מצודת ציון, רד"ק, רש"י]. He did this in complete innocence, entirely unaware that he was handling a lethal toxin. His fellow disciples were equally ignorant of what had just been added to their meal. Had anyone in the group seen what went into the pot, someone surely would have recognized the wild plant and warned the others before the deadly stew could be served [מלבי"ם].