מלכים א, פרק י״ג, פסוק כ״ז

An old prophet prepares to embark on a solemn journey to bury a man of God who has met a tragic end. However, before he can leave his home, he faces unexpected resistance from his own family. The flow of the interaction reveals that an intense conversation and an effort of persuasion took place before the father could issue any practical orders to his children [אלשיך].

The prophet's sons initially refused to let him go, terrified that the lion responsible for the tragedy would attack their father as well. Their fear stemmed from two distinct concerns. First, there was the obvious natural danger of approaching a wild beast. Second, they feared a divine punishment from God, knowing that their father was the one who had misled the man of God and ultimately caused his death.

To ease their concerns, the father had to explain that the lion's behavior was entirely unnatural. He argued that just as he had recently been granted a true prophecy from God as a reward for welcoming a guest into his home, this same merit of kindness would act as a shield. It would protect him from the beast, allowing him to safely complete the righteous act of burying the dead. Only after this reassuring conversation did the sons finally calm down. With their fears put to rest, the father was able to give the simple order to prepare his donkey for the journey, and his sons willingly obeyed.