מלכים ב, פרק ו׳, פסוק ה׳

As the disciples of the prophets work together to gather materials, a sudden accident disrupts their progress and causes deep distress. The student involved in the mishap is the very same individual who had earlier urged Elisha to join their journey. This connection offers two ways to view the unfolding events [חומת אנך]. On one hand, the student's intense sorrow may have stemmed from a feeling of guilt, realizing he had troubled the prophet to come along only to be burdened by this accident. Alternatively, the sequence of events can be seen as an act of God's providence. His soul may have subconsciously sensed that he would soon require a miracle, and because of his pure desire to remain in the prophet's presence, he ultimately merited having that miracle performed for him.

The accident takes place as the student is chopping down a tree, intending to drop the heavy wooden beam into the Jordan River so it can float down to their destination [מצודת דוד]. Suddenly, the iron falls into the water. Commentators differ on the exact nature of this loss. One approach suggests that the entire wooden beam fell into the water, dragging the iron ax down with it [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Another perspective describes a technical failure with the tool itself: as the student struck the tree, the heavy iron blade slipped off its wooden handle and plunged alone into the river [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Overcome with panic, the student lets out a wailing cry [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He immediately turns to his master, Elisha, to explain his despair. The primary approach among commentators is that his severe distress is not merely about losing a piece of equipment, but rather the fact that the ax was borrowed. Had the tool belonged to him, he would not have been so devastated. However, because it was borrowed from someone else, he is strictly obligated to return it or pay for its replacement, and he completely lacks the financial means to do so.