VII. ELIJAH Vol. IV, (pp. 195-235). 1 Popularly he is always called Elijah the Prophet (N’3n UtVn) ; but in the talmudic-midrashic literature Elijah alone, without any qualification, is of more frequent occurrence. The eulogy 3H31? "1131 “remembered to good” is often added to his name; comp. Berakot 3a; Yerushalmi Terumot 1, 40a; PK 18, 136a; PR 22, 111b; Tan. B. I, 20; 11,7 and 28. In Ecclus. 45.1 this eulogy is added to the name of Moses. See Zunz, Zur Geschichte, 321, seq. 3 Elijah was one of the original inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead who escaped the war of annihilation waged against this city by the rest of Israel (see Jud. 21.10, seq.), and who called themselves “the inhabitants of Gilead” when they returned to their native city after the war, to indicate the difference between themselves and the new settlers. See T osafot Ta‘ anit 3a (beginning ~IDN’l) , and, without giving his authority, Bahur, Tishbi, s. v. ’3E>n. Elijah never married, and therefore nothing is said in Scripture concerning his family. Zohar Hadash Ruth 2.1 (beginning jru '*1); ps. -Matthew 7. Comp, (against it?) the responsum of R. Judai Gaon in □’lltun rvoiltfn (Lyck edition, 19, No. 45); Mishle 30, 105. s Baba Mezi'a 114b and Tosefta-Targum 1 Kings 17.13 consider Elijah to have been a priest, but do not identify him with Phinehas. This view is shared by several Church Fathers; comp. Aphraates, 314; Epiphanius, Haereses, 55.3; ps.-Epiphanius, De Vitis Prophetarum, s.
v.; the Armenian pseudepigraph in Apocrypha Anecdota II. 164. The identification of Elijah with Phinehas is first met with in ps.Philo. 48; 48 1-2, and this view prevails in the later Midrashim; comp. PRE 44; Targum Yerushalmi Exod. 6.18; Num. 25.12; Deut. 30.4; BaR 21.3; Tan. Pinehas 1. Comp. Buber on Tan. B. Ill, 151, note 19. This identification is very liekly presupposed in Sifre N., 131. Comp. vol. Ill, p. 458; vol. IV, pp. 53-54, and the notes appertaining to them. The tribes of Gad and Benjamin compete with the tribe of Levi for the honor of counting Elijah as theirs; see BR 71.9; ShR 40. 4; ER 18, 97 ; EZ 15, 199. See the full discussion on this point by Friedmann, introduction to ER 2-12, and Ginzberg, Haggada bei den Kir316 Elijah [4-7 chenv., 76-80. The designation of Elijah as “the disciple of Moses” in talmudic literature (Tosefta Sotah 4.8 and Eduyyot, end; Mekilta Beshallah NiUTHS, 24b) is not to be taken literally, since all prophets may aptly be described as the disciples of Moses, “the father of prophecy”; see note 68 on vol. II, p. 276. The real teacher of Elijah was Ahijah the Shilonite; see Yerushalmi ‘Erubin 5, 22a, in accordance with Seder ‘Olam 1 and Baba Batra 121b; comp, note 4 on vol. IV, p. 180. The description of Elijah as ny1?! ’3IW10 ’3®nn in 1 Kings 17.1 is said in PRE loc. tit., to mean: Elijah whose name was changed (from Phinehas) and who is destined to bring Israel back to their heavenly Father.
The identification of Elijah with Phinehas is also known to Origen, John 6.7; Petrus Damascus (Migne’s edition CXLV, 382B); ps.-Jerome on 1 Sam. 2.27. Comp. Ginzberg, op. cit. On the identification of Elijah with Khadir by the Arabs, see Friedlaender, Die Chadhirlegende, index, s. v. “Elias”. 4 Phinehas is “the angel of God” mentioned in Jud. 2.1, as well as the prophet in Jud. 6.8. See Seder ‘Olam 20; WR 1. Comp, also Ratner’s remark on the Seder ‘Olam passage referred to. See also Josephus, Antiqui., V, 2.1; note 22, on vol. IV, p. 29. 5 Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 10, 28b; Babli 113a; Tosefta-Targum 1 Kings 16.34; EZ 8, 185-186; 2 Alphabet of Ben Sira 36a-36b (Addenda); Midrash ‘ Aseret Melakim 41. It was love for his people that prompted Elijah to request God for the famine; he hoped that the sufferings of the people would turn God’s wrath from them; PR 44, 183a. The people mocked at Elijah, not only on account of the unfulfilled threat hurled at them by him because of their wickedness, but they also derided him for his looks. Elijah was a hairy man (2 Kings 1.8), and when they saw him they would say: “Behold, Elijah curls his locks” PR 26, 129a. Comp. vol. VI, p. 358, note 32. 6 Some early rationalists, however, deny that Elijah was fed by ravens; they explain □,3"iy (1 Kings 17.4) to mean “the inhabitants of the city of Oreb;” BR 33.5; Hullin 5a; Jerome on Is. 15.7 (who gives it as a Jewish tradition).
Comp, also Kimhi on 1 Kings, loc. cit., who quotes the opinion according to which D’^iy denotes “merchants.” i Tan. B. IV, 165; Tan. Mass'e 8; BaR 23.9; WR 19.1. In opposition to this view it is said in Sanhedrin 113b and Hullin 5a, as well as in BR 33.5, that the ravens brought the meat from the slaughter house of Ahab. According to Aphraates, 314, the ravens brought Elijah his priestly portion (comp, note 3) from the Temple of Jerusalem. Aphraates very likely follows a Jewish tradition. 317 8-12] The Legends of the Jews 8 Sanhedrin 113 b. When God sent Elijah to inform Ahab of the impending rain (1 Kings 18.1), the prophet exclaimed: ‘‘How could rain come, when Israel did not repent of his sins?” God replied: “I sent rain upon the earth when Adam was the only man on it.” See Tehillim 117, 480. » Yerushalmi Sukkah 5, 55a; PRE 33; Jerome, introduction to his commentary on Jonah (he gives the midrashic interpretation of the name Amittai ’IVON, as being connected with nD« in 1 Kings 17.24); BR 98.11. Koheleth R. 8.10 maintains, on the other hand, that the son of the widow at Zarephath was a sinner. Comp, also Luke 4.26, where emphasis is laid on the fact that this widow was not a Jewess. The sources cited at the beginning of this note are of the opinion that she belonged to the tribe of Asher and her deceased husband to that of Zebulun. As to the view that the son of the widow was the future “ Messiah of the tribe of Joseph”, see note 38 on vol.
IV, p. 253. The midrashic basis for this statement is found in the words of Elijah addressed to the widow to the effect that he should receive his portion first and afterwards her son should receive his (see 1 Kings 17.13). By this he wished to convey that at the end of time he would appear as the forerunner of the ‘‘Messiah of the tribe of Joseph”. According to Tosefta-Targum, ad loc., however, Elijah told the widow that he, being a priest, must receive his priestly portion first (see Num. 15.20), before she and her son could partake of the bread. See ER 18, 97-98 (read "IC’D1?, instead of *733^), where both explanations of 1 Kings, loc. cit., are given. 10 BR 50.11 ; PR 3, 10a. Comp., however, PRE 33, which mentions the insinuating reproaches made by the widow of Zarephath to Elijah for having taken his lodging with her, a single and unprotected woman. 1 1 A man owes his life to one who opens his door hospitably for him to enter. Hence Elijah exercised his resuscitating powers not upon his own dead parents, but upon the child of the hostess; ShR 4.8. 1 1 Yerushalmi Berakot 5, 9b; Ta'anit 1, 63d. There is a different version of this Haggadah: God entrusted the “key of rain” to Elijah who asked for it, and God Himself retained the “keys of quickening the dead” and the “key of birth”. When Elijah further requested that the “key of quickening the dead” should also be given to him, God said that it was not seemly that the master should hold only one key and the servant two.
Whereupon Elijah returned the “key of rain”. See Sanhedrin 113a; DR 7.6; PR 42, 178a; Tehillim 78, 346; BR 73.4; Ta'anit 2b; Tan. B. I 106 (which says: There are four 318 Elijah [I3-I7 keys with which God does not part: the key of sustenance, the key of rain, the key of graves, and the key of the womb of a barren woman), 139, and 135; Targum Yerushalmi Deut. 28.12; 2 Targum Yerushalmi Gen. 30.22; BHM VI, 62. Comp, note 177 on vol. I, p.364. On the dew of resurrection of the dead, see vol. I, pp. 10, 336; vol. IV, p. 333. As to the similarity of the “reviving of the soil by rain ” and the quickening of the dead, see Ta'anit 7a; vol. V, p. 119, note 113. 13 Tehillim 68, 318. Comp. vol. Ill, p. 84. The altar upon which Elijah sacrificed had been erected by Saul on his victorious return from the war against Amalek, but was destroyed by the sinful inhabitants of Samaria, and Elijah “repaired the altar of the Lord” (see 1 Kings 18.30). See quotation from an unknown Midrash by Kimhi on 1 Sam. 15.12. Comp, note 64 on vol. IV, p. 68. The law forbidding to sacrifice outside the Temple of Jerusalem was suspended temporarily by Elijah at the command of God. Prophets have no right to abrogate the law, but only to suspend it temporarily; Yebamot 90b; Yerushalmi Ta'anit 2, 65a; WR 23.9; Shemuel 13 (end); BaR 14.1, 113a; Tan. B. IV, 41. Comp, also the references cited by Buber on Shemuel, loc.cit.
and note 8, on vol. IV, p. 4. According to an unknown Midrash quoted in Midrash Aggada Deut. 12.9, Elijah permitted himself the temporary suspension of this law on the strength of the words of God spoken to Jacob when He announced to him the approaching birth of Benjamin. He said: “A nation among a multitude of Gentiles shall be of thee (Gen. 35.11; ^iTpl“l7np3'i; □,13= Gentiles, i. e., idolatrous and sinful Jews). By these words God revealed to Jacob that Benjamin would have a son (Elijah belonged to this tribe, see note 3), who would perform a great deed among a multitude of Gentiles (= sinful Jews) and would erect an altar outside the holy place. 14 Tan. B. IV, 165; Tan. Mass'e 8; BaR 23.9. On the talking of animals, see vol. I, pp. 17, 39. 15 Yalkut II, 214 on 1 Kings 18.26, giving EH7D as source (see the first edition) ; ShR 15.15; PR 14, 13a. This Haggadah is also known to Christian authors; see Ephraem, 1 Kings 18.19; Chrysostomus, InPetram et Eliam I, 765 (edition Fronto Ducaeus); Armenian pseudepigraph, Apocrypha Anecdota, II, 164. Comp. Ginzberg, Haggada bei den Kirchenv. I, 80-82. 16 ShR 29 (end). On a similar “silence of nature”, see vol. Ill, p. 97. 17 Aggadat Bereshit 76, 148, and from there in Yalkut II, 215, on 1 Kings 18 (first inserted in Leghorn edition, and accordingly R. 319 18-22] The Legends of the Jews Elijah ha-Kohen in his Midrash Talpiyyot, s.
v. quotes this Haggadah from Yalkut). 1 8 ER 17, 87. Here it is also stated that the miracle or rather the miracles (besides the fire, the small quantity of water poured by Elisha over the hands of Elijah caused ten springs to gush forth) performed by Elijah brought Israel back to God; they gave up their idolatry, and became God-fearing with all their hearts. The afternoon prayer (Minhah) is the most acceptable to God, and it was therefore in this Minhah prayer that Elijah besought God to grant his wishes. See Berakot 6b and Aggadat Bereshit 76, 147, with reference to nrUDH (1 Kings 18.36). He began his prayer with the words: “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel”. He did not employ the liturgical formula: “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob” ( = Israel), that the people should not be misled to believe that there are three gods (anti-Christian). He therefore did not repeat the word God. Elijah further said: “If Thou grantest not my request for the merits of the fathers, do it for the merits of the tribes.” See Aggadat Bereshit 76, 148-149. On the merits of the tribes see note 3, on vol. II, p. 187. Elijah, in his great love for Israel, spoke the very bold words: “For Thou didst turn their heart backward” (1 Kings 18. 37), as if God were the cause of Israel’s apostasy. See Berakot 31b-32a (which reads: God admitted that He was partly the cause of man’s sin, by having created the evil inclination); Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 10, 28c (top); Tan.
B. IV, 96; BaR 18.12. Comp, note 571, on vol. III, p. 292. Other explanations of 1 Kings 18.37 are given in Targum and Kimhi, ad loc. 1 o Berakot 9b. It is an interpretation of Elijah ’s double exclamation, “Hear me, hear me!” (1 Kings 18.37). Another interpretation of the double exclamation is found in Yerushalmi Ta’anit 2, 65d: Elijah said: “Hear me for my own merits; hear me for the merits of my disciples.” Targum, ad loc., and Aggadat Bereshit 76, 149 offer still other explanations. As to Elijah ’s desire not to have the miracle misinterpreted by the people, see also Josephus, Antiqui., VIII, 13.5. 20 Midrash Shir 25a; Aggadat Bereshit 76, 149. 21 Yoma 21b, where six different kinds of fire are enumerated; comp. vol. I, p. 16. “The majority decides everything”; the fire would never have fallen from heaven, were it not for the fact that the majority of Israel exclaimed on mount Carmel: “The Lord, He is God;” Yerushalmi Ta’anit 3, 66c (towards the end). s* WR 31.4; Shir 7.6; PK 30, 192a, and Koheleth 11.2, which 320 Elijah [23-25 read: Elijah prayed that God might remember to Israel the merits of observing the commandments of circumcision and of Sabbath. The words: “and Elijah put his face between his knees’’ (1 Kings 18.42), are thus explained to mean that he besought God to remember the sign of the covenant, comp. WR loc. cit. As to the observance of the Sabbath by the “generation of Ahab”, see note 35 on vol.
IV, p. 187. Elijah did not for a moment forget the honor due to a king, and he ran before Ahab’s chariot as a precursor; Mekilta Bo 13, 14a, with reference to 1 Kings 18, 46. Comp., on the other hand, Josephus, Antigui., VIII, 13.6, which reads: And the prophet was under a divine fury, and ran along with the king ’s chariot. Against this interpretation of T, see Targum ad loc. 3 3 Yelammedenu in Yalkut II, 219; they are identified with Gideon warriors (their descendants? Jud. 7.5) in Tan. B. I, 138. Comp, also Jerome, Obadiah 1.1, who quotes a Jewish tradition that the hundred prophets hidden by Obadiah (1 Kings 18.4) did not “bow unto Baal”, and belonged to the seven thousand whom “Elijah is accused of having ignored”. On this rather obscure statement, see Rahmer, Die Com mentarii zu den XII Propheten, Obadja, 2-3. 24 WR 36 (end); Shabbat 55a; Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 10, 27d; Aggadat Bereshit 10, 24. These sources quote different views as to the time when the “ merits of the fathers ” ceased to be effective. The times of Elijah, Hosea, Jehoahaz, and Hezekiah are mentioned in this connection. On the different explanations given by the medieval authorities of the statement about the “end of the merits of the fathers”, see Tosafot Shabbat, loc. cit. (beginning ^NWi); Or Zarua I, 39, No. 106, and II, 12b, No. 23. Comp, also Index, s. v. “Fathers, Merits of”. * s PRE 29. On the zeal displayed by Elijah for the observance of the law of circumcision, see note 103.
Elijah was zealous for the honor of God, and hence was ready to appear as the accuser of Israel before God (comp., however, note 18). Jonah was zealous for the honor of Israel, but less so for the honor of God (see note 27 on vol. IV, p. 274). Jeremiah, however, was as zealous for the honor of God as for the honor of His people. Jeremiah therefore remained a prophet all his life, while Elijah was commanded to appoint Elisha as his successor, and Jonah received but two revelations from God. See Mekilta Bo (ttnrrns), 2a; ARN 47, 129. Elijah had no fear of man, and did not flee to the desert to escape Jezebel, but to ascertain his fate at the holy mount of Horeb. for he had noticed that the angel of death had no power 321 26-32] The Legends of the Jews over him, and was anxious to know what God had decided concerning his person. See Zohar I, 209a. 26 Megillah 19b; Josephus, Antiqui., VIII, 13.7. Comp. vol. Ill, p.137. 27 Shir 1.6; Aggadat Shir 8, 45; EZ 8, 186; Zohar I, 209a-209b; II. 90b; Zohar Hadash, Noah (towards the end, beginning 'T yitnrp ?-ii). 28 Shir 1.6. 2 4 This wind was so strong that it nearly brought about the ruin of the entire world, which was swept by it. Of the same violence, but limited to certain places, were the winds which God sent on the sea when Jonah was on his way to Tarshish (Jonah 1.4), and the wind which “smote the four corners of the house” in which Job’s sons were (Job.
1.19; vol. II, p. 234). Yerushalmi Berakot 9, 13c; BR 24.4; WR 15.1; Koheleth 1.6; Koheleth Z., 87. 30 Tan. Pekude 2; Yezirat ha-Walad 155. According to Targum 1 Kings 19.11, seq., God first showed Elijah three different classes of angels (“angels of wind”, “angels of storm”, and “angels of fire”), and then appeared Himself. Comp, also Zohar I, 16; 2 Alphabet of Ben Sira 22a; Berakot 58a. On the four worlds through which man must pass, see Ginzberg, Hazofeh IV, 27, and 98. Comp, also 4 Ezra 3.19, which reads: And Thy glory went through the four gates of fire, earthquake, wind, and cold. It is obvious that this author, in describing the theophany at Horeb on the occasion of the revelation of the Torah, uses as his pattern the theophany at Horeb in the time of Elijah. Accordingly, gelu ‘ ‘ cold ” is out of place here, and vox “ voice ’ ’ must be one of the four gates. The misreading of bp “voice” for "lf> “cold” in the Hebrew original is responsible for the present text. 31 Seder ‘Olam 17. On the day on which Elijah was taken from this world, the first king of Edom was appointed; Shir 1.6; Yerushalmi ‘ Abodah Zorah 1 .39c. 3 2 Septuagint, as well as Targum, on 2 Kings 2.1, seems to oppose the popular view of Elijah ’s translation to heaven. Josephus, Antiqui., IX, 2.2, explicitly states: Elijah disappeared from among men. . .It is written in the Sacred Books that they ( i . e. Elijah and Enoch) disappeared, but so that nobody knew that they died.
R. Jose, living a generation after Josephus, definitely states that neither Moses (at the time of the revelation on Sinai) nor Elijah ascended to heaven (Mekilta Bahodesh 4, 65b; Sukkah 5a) , and according to the Talmud, it is the opin322 Elijah [33-34 ion of this Tanna that the temporary abode of Moses and the permanent one of Elijah are to be looked for in the close vicinity of heaven but not in heaven itself. In ‘Erubin 45a it is unqualifiedly assumed that Elijah “dwells on high ”, which refers to heaven, or the vicinity thereof. Paradise is often spoken of as the abode (permanent?) of Elijah (comp., e. g., Derek Erez Z. 1, and the numerous parallel passages cited by Tawrogi concerning Elijah and the others who entered paradise alive; vol. IV, pp. 205, 219), but in view of the confused notions of the location of paradise prevailing in the midrashic and talmudic writings, this does not give us any clue as to whether these passages assume Elijah’s translation to heaven or not. That Elijah never “tasted death” (on this phrase see BR 21.5; Mark 9.1; Hebrews 2.9), but continued “to live for ever”, is the almost unanimous opinion of the talmudicmidrashic literature and (disregarding a few rationalists; see e. g., Kimhi on Malachi 3.23) also of the medieval Jews; see Seder ‘Olam 2 and 17; Mo'ed Katan 26a; BR, loc. cit.; PK9, 76a; WR 27.4; Koheleth 3.16; Tan. B.
Ill, 90; Tan. Emor 9. Comp, also the references cited by Friedmann, introduction to ER 14-20. His statement that some of the old sources refer to the translation of Elijah’s soul, but not to his body, is a rationalistic conception entirely alien to the old sources, and there can be no doubt that Elijah was considered to have been translated, body and soul, to a place beyond the earth, that is, to heaven or paradise, or in the vicinity of heaven. Zohar II, 197a, asserts that Elijah received a celestial body which enabled him to ascend to heaven; but when he descends to earth to reveal himself, he resumes his terrestrial body. Comp. Index, s. v. “Celestial Garments”. See also notes 34 and 37. For Christian views concerning Elijah’s translation, see Bollandi, Acta Sanctorum, July 20, V, 1.9. There is no cogent reason for assuming that the view of R. Jose mentioned above was prompted by an anti-Christian tendency, to combat the Christian doctrine of the ascension of Jesus. This view seems to be shared not only by Septuagint but also by Ecclus. 48.9, where the Hebrew text has nVyD and D11D but not 0’DB> “heaven”, and there can hardly beany doubt that the substitution of the words “upwards” and “on high” for D’DP “heaven" was intentional. Comp. vol. V, p. 59, note 58. 3 3 Zohar Hadash Ruth 1.1 (beginning V’DPD ’3T TBK). On the struggle between Elijah and Sammael on the Day of Judgment, see note 275 on Vol.
I, p. 394, and comp, also the struggle between Moses and Sammael in Vol. Ill, pp. 466, seq. 3 4 Seder ‘Olam 1; Baba Batra 121b; 2 ARN 38, 103. See the 323 35-381 The Legends of the Jews full discussion on Elijah’s immortality in note 32, and comp, further the words quoted from ps.-Philo in Vol. IV, pp. 53-54. 3 6 WR 34.8; Ruth R. 2.14, which reads: Elijah and the Messiah Write down the good deeds of man, and God affixes His seal to this record. See also Kiddushin 70a, which says: Every marriage is recorded in writing by Elijah (Rashi’s explanation of the contents of the writing is unacceptable, as may be seen from the parallel passages cited further below; the sentence 17 ’IK, etc. is a remark by the author of the Baraita and not the text of the writing of Elijah), and God affixes His seal to the marriage record. He who marries a woman not worthy of him ( i . e., not of pure descent) will be put in stocks on the pole by Elijah, and flogged by God. Some quote a similar statement from Abot 5 (end; comp. Taylor, Appendix to Sayings of the Jewish Fathers, 172), but this addition to Abot is found in none of the extant texts of Abot. See also Derek Erez R. 1, which reads: He who marries a woman worthy of him is loved by God and kissed by Elijah; but he who marries an unworthy woman is hated by God and flogged by Elijah. For the correct text of Derek Erez see Halakot Gedolot 52b (Hildesheimer ’s edition, 254).
That Elijah in these passages is not the prophet Elijah, but an angel called Elijah, is maintained by Rashi to Kiddushin, too. cit. But there is no good reason for this assumption. Elijah’s zeal for the purity of the family is perhaps connected with the view that he is identified with Phinehas who slew a man and a woman for their unchastity. Comp, also note 107. 36 Seder ‘Olam 7. It is possible that the phrase nvmn 73 nt£>yD means : * ' the deeds of all living ’ ’ . Comp, the quotations from WR and Ruth R. in the preceding note. 37 PRE 15, which reads: Elijah sits at the crossways; one road is that of justice, the other of love. On the arrival of a righteous person, Elijah calls out: “Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation that keepeth faithfulness may enter in.’’ 38 Yalkut Reubeni (Addenda), s. v. See also MaHaRil, hilkot shabbat (end; Frankfort edition, 76b), where it is said that Elijah is seated under the tree of life and records the good deeds of those who observe the Sabbath. MaHaRil cites Tosafot (or Tosefta?) as his source; but in Tosafot on the Talmud and Pentateuch (and still less in the Tosefta) no such passage can be found. I doubt whether he is right in connecting the popular belief as to Elijah’s occupation at that hour with the custom of reciting piyyutim in his praise at the con324 Elijah [39-45 elusion of the Sabbath. For further details, see Kohn, Monatsschrift, XII, 287-288.
39 R. Moses De Leon quoted by Cordovero, Pardes, 24.4, whence Yalkut Reubeni, Gen. 1.26, 9d (Amsterdam edition). This conception cannot be found in any old source, but its resemblance to the teaching of the Melchizedekites is so striking that one is warranted in assuming a connection between them. It must be borne in mind that Ambrosius {De Fide, III, 11.88; Migne’s edition XVI, 607) assigns a Jewish origin to the doctrine of the Melchizedekites. It is also noteworthy that Epiphanius, in his polemic against this sect {Haer. 15; Migne’s edition XLI, 976), uses the expression “As for Elijah, we have the following tradition about his descent, etc.” Epiphanius, as may be seen, deemed it necessary to prove, in opposition to the Melchizedekites, that Elijah was not an angel sent from heaven. The designation of Elijah as an “angel in heaven” D’DEO “I^D (in Zohar Hadash Ruth 2.1, beginning jriJ ’31) refers to his state after his translation. The celestial body of Elijah spoken of in Zohar II, 197, likewise refers to his body after his translation. 40 ‘ Emek ha-Melek, 175c. Sandalphon is explained as a compound of 46-55] The Legends of the Jews ** Berakot 4b, which reads: Michael traverses the world with one stroke, Gabriel with two, Elijah with four, the angel of death with eight (this is only in ordinary cases, but in the time of plague with one). Comp, also Zohar I, 13a.
47 On the ability of the angel to assume the most varied appearances and forms, see vol. I, p. 16 (bottom). In the note appertaining thereto it is pointed out that an angel never assumes the form of a woman, and in this respect Elijah is their superior, as he, at least once, appeared as a harlot; see ‘Abodah Zarah 18b. On Elijah as an angel comp, notes 34 and 39-40. i a miD1? If 03. This favorite expression of the Rabbis was supposed to have given rise to his appellation Gamzu (1TD3). But in fact it is the name of his birthplace. 49 Ta'anit 21a; Sanhedrin 108b. Comp. vol. I, p. 232. 60 Berakot 58b. 11 ‘Abodah Zarah 18b. In the legend given ibid. 17b, concerning R. Eliezer b. Parata, Elijah assumed the appearance of a high official for the purpose of silencing the accusers of the Rabbi in court. F ailing in this, he made the Rabbi disappear (the Rabbi suddenly found himself in a place four hundred parasangs away from court). 62 Shabbat 33b, and, with additions, Zohar Hadash Ki-Tabo (beginning). In the Zohar, which claims to be the work of this Rabbi and saint, Elijah ’s conversations with the pious, particularly the masters of the Kabbalah, are frequently referred to. Friedmann, introduction to ER, 38-40, gives an almost complete list of these Zohar passages. Comp, note 98. 5* Kiddushin 40a. Palestine, as well as Egypt, extends over four hundred parasangs (Pesahim 94a ; Index, s.
v.“ Palestine ”, Egypt”), and therefore the expression “four hundred parasangs” is often used to describe a great distance. Comp, note 51. 64 Baba Mezi'a 114a-114b. rVD1?^ in this passage, as well as MoVy1? in Gittin 68b means: “he used up his share in the world to come during his life-time.” Grunbaum, Gesammelte Aufsatze, 49, and many other scholars misunderstood the passage in Gittin. On the fragrance of paradise, see vol. I, p. 21. 66 Hibbur Yafeh, 57-59, and hence in later sources; comp., e.g., BHM V, 140-141. The relation of this Jewish legend to the Christian one, as elaborately set forth in the A da Thomae, ought to be examined. A poetic version of this Elijah legend by R. Jesse b. Mordecai was incorporated in the liturgy and is sung at the conclusion of the Sabbath. 326 Elijah [56-58 Comp. Zunz, Literaturgeschichte, 486 and Gaster, Exempla, No. 415. Ruth Z., 55; Hibbur Yafeh 82—84. On Elijah assuming the guise of an Arab, see also note 62. Another legend about Elijah as the one to bring succor to the needy is found in Hemdat ha-Yamim III, 14b, and hence in Oseh fele II, 52, seq. Once upon a time there lived a pious and learned Rabbi in J erusalem, who was in the habit of providing the poor with food and other necessities for Passover. But it happened once that he entirely forgot to provide for the needs of a very poor but worthy scholar, who on the day before Passover had neither mazzot nor wine for the feast.
In his miserable state he decided to leave his home rather than see his family dying of hunger. Walking aimlessly in the streets, he was addressed by a venerable looking old man with the following words: “I am a stranger in this place; I beg of you to take me to your house for the days of the festival, and here is the money to furnish us with all our needs. The poor scholar, though depressed by his inability to be the host to the stranger without payment, did as he was requested, and with the ample funds now at his disposal prepared a really supmtuous meal for the first night of Passover. But when the time of the Seder arrived, the stranger did not appear; all the searching was in vain, as no trace could be found of him. The poor scholar then realized that the stranger was none other than Elijah the prophet who came to his assistance. On the very same night Elijah appeared to the Rabbi of the place, and awakened him by seizing him by his throat and nearly choking him to death. Elijah chided him for having neglected the poor scholar, and told him that if it were not for his quick action, God would have destroyed the entire community for not having taken care of the worthy man. He then commanded the Rabbi to hasten to the poor scholar and beg his pardon for not having provided him with the necessities of life. 67 Nedarim 50a. Comp. Ginzberg. Jewish Encyclopedia, s. v. “Akiba in Legend”.
68 Luzzatto, Kaftor wa-Ferah, 7b; collection of Ma'asiyyot published from MS. in R.E.J., XXXIII, 58—60. A shorter form of this legend is found in Ruth Z. 50. Four other versions of this legend are found in Gaster, Exempla, Nos. 301, p. 193, and 307, pp. 206-207; Comp, also No. 334. On Elijah assuming the guise of an Arab, see note 62. The following is a widespread legend about Elijah as a helper in need. Shortly before the arrival of the Sabbath a man came to a town where he had no friends at all, and did not know what to do with his money, as it is prohibited to carry money on the 327 The Legends of the Jews day of rest (see the same motive vol. IV, p. 133, top). He betook himself to the synagogue, where he found a man praying with his phylacteries on his forehead and arm. Deeming him a pious man, he entrusted the money to him. At the termination of the Sabbath the stranger asked him for the money. But the hypocrite denied that he had ever received any money from him. In his distress he prayed to God as follows: “O Lord, I did not trust that man, but Thy name (the letter 'V as an abbreviation of ’*W “almighty”, is written on the phylactery for the forehead), believing that a man who bears Thy name on him would not defraud people.” After praying he fell asleep, and in his dream Elijah appeared unto him, saying: “Go to the wife of this man and tell her that Her husband commands her to return the money to you.
That she may believe your words, say unto her : Your husband, to show his confidence in me, revealed unto me the secret that you both ate the meat of a swine on the Day of Atonement.” The stranger did as he was advised by Elijah, and the woman returned the money to him. See PR 22, 111b; Yelammedenu in Or Zarua 1, 149; Ma'asiyyot, ed. Gaster 83. For the later version of this legend, see Ma'asiyyot ed. Araki, Nos. 96 and 105; Hebraische Bibliographic, XIII, 129-130; Gaster, Exempla No. 123. In the profuse legend concerning the “two faithful friends” (‘ Oseh Fele II, 44a, seq.), Elijah appears in a dream to the Rabbi, and informs him of the fraud perpetrated by one of the “two faithful friends” against the other. s» The legend concerning R. Shimi is found in Shabbat 109b; that about R. Judah is in Yerushalmi Kil’ayim 9, 32b; BR 33.3 and 96.5; Tan. B. I, 215; Tan. Wa-Yehi 3. Elijah plays the r61e of a physician also in the legend about the “woman with the animal face” in ‘Oseh Fele II, 36a, seq. The medicine given by him changes the monstrosity into a beauty. Comp, also Ginzberg, Hagoren, IX, 34 seq. 6 0 DR 5 (end). The parallel passages in Yerushalmi Sotah 1,198a; WR 9.9 and BaR 9.30 have “the holy spirit” instead of Elijah. Comp, also Gaster, Exempla No. 145, the text of which is different from those of the Midrashim and Jerushalmi. On spittle as a remedy for sickness, see also Mark 8.22 and John 9.6.; Comp.
Ginzberg, Journal Bibl. Literature, XLI, 123, note 20. 61 Ma'aseh-buch, No. 157, 47d, and No. 169, 52c. The animals notice the presence of Elijah ; when dogs bark gleefully it is a sign that Elijah is not far from them; when they whine, the angel of death is near them. See Baba Kamma 60b; comp. Imre No' am, Bo (end) and note 328 Elijah [62-65 on vol. I, p. 294. On a different version of this legend, see Gaster, Exempla, No. 355. 61 Mishle 9, 62; Elleh Ezkerah 68; Ma'aseh Haruge Malkut 2728. Mishle is the source of MHG (Ms.), whence Gaster, Exempla No. 245. On the cave in the vicinity of Caesarea, see vol. IV, p. 222, and on the furniture thereof see vol. Ill, p. 325; comp, also 2 Kings 4.10. 6 3 Berakot 6b, where it is also stated that on this account Elijah assumed the guise of an Arab. Comp, note 56. He often took the opportunity to point out the importance of prayer and devotion to the saints and scholars to whom he revealed himself. R. Eleazar the son of R. Jose once met Elijah driving four thousand camels heavily laden, and at his question concerning the nature of the load, he received the following answer from the prophet: “These camels are laden with wrath and fury for those who talk during their prayers”. He further informed this Tanna that prayers of this kind are never granted, whereas those who pray with devotion and do not talk in their prayers will be heard by God.
To the father of this Tanna Elijah once gave the same piece of information. The legend is quoted by many medieval authors from the Yerushalmi or Midrash respectively but is not found in the extant Midrashim and not in the Yerushalmi. See the references cited by Buber, Yerushalayim ha-Benuyah, No. 33, 18, and Friedmann, introduction to ER 32. This legend is further quoted from the Midrash by Shu aib, 33b; R. Bahya, Kad ha-Kemah II, 57b rwnp; Abudrahim ron®’ ; Treves, Kimha Dabishuna rDntP’. To his friend R. Jose (comp, note 74) Elijah imparted the following piece of information : As often as Israel, in the houses of worship, praise God, He exclaims: Happy the King who is praised in His house; but woe unto the father (17 HD is a euphemism for 1^ ’IN) who exiled his children, and woe to the children who were exiled from their father ’s table.” See Berakot 3a. 64 Tendlau, Spruchworter, 14-15, who took down this legend in the form he found it current among German Jews. It is the Jewish version of a widespread legend among European nations. Comp. Dahnhardt, Natursagen, II, 140. seq. Comp, also Gaster, Exempla , No. 435. 65 Baba Mezi'a 84a. A contemporary of this Rabbi, who subsequently became famous under the name of R. Eleazar b. R. Simeon, was in his earlier days very ignorant, but of a very strong physique. On account of sturdiness he was appointed overseer of the laborers employed by the government.
Elijah appeared to him once as an old man, and after convincing him of the uselessness of his life, advised 329 66-70] The Legends of the Jews him to take up the profession of his fathers and to study the Torah. R. Eleazar objected, as he had no teacher to instruct him, and Elijah became his master for thirteen years. See PK 10, 92b-93a (for the text use Gaster, Exempla, No. 94), and with additional embellishments Zohar Hadash, Lek (end of yDt£>’l). 6 Yerushalmi Terumot 8, 96b; BR94 (end). According to the law, the Rabbi was permitted to surrender one man, that all the inhabitants of the place might be saved; but a pious man is expected to do more than the strict law requires of him. On another occasion this Rabbi, to his great humiliation, had found out that too much rigor in ceremonial matters was far from being commendable. Elijah pointed out to the disciple of the Rabbi the unpleasant consequences of a too rigorous decision by the master. See Yerushalmi Shabbat 9, 39a; Dammai 2, 22c. 6 i Ketubot 61a. Comp. Rashi, who has a somewhat different interpretation of this passage. 68 Baba Batra 7b. 6» Makkot 11a. ? 0 Ketubot 106a. The conclusion of this narrative is: Hence the titles “the great order of Elijah’’ and "the small order of Elijah”, that is, the collection of teachings imparted by Elijah to R. Anan before this occurrence is called the “great order”, and that imparted after is called “the small order.” The nature of these works attributed to Elijah is entirely unknown, as there can be no doubt that the extant Midrashim Seder Eliyyahu Rabba and Seder Eliyyahu Zutta date from post-talmudic times, and may have nothing in common but the titles with the works referred to in the Talmud.
The nine haggadic Baraitot cited by the Talmud from Tanna de be Eliyyahu (see the references in Friedmann, Introduction to ER 45) are very likely taken from a haggadic compilation by a Tanna called Elijah. On the use of this name in the time of the Tannaim and Amoraim, see Ratner, Ahabat Ziyyon, Pesahim, 61. In the above-mentioned Midrashim attributed to Elijah these nine Baraitot are incorporated (see Friedmann, loc. cit.), and in three passages the talmudic in’Vw ’31 Bin is changed to ’31 DIC’D K’3jn liT^N by the author (authors?) of these Midrashim. This shows that at a comparatively early date liT^N ’31 of the Talmud was misunderstood to refer to the prophet Elijah. These Midrashim quite often introduce the prophet as narrating events and incidents of his life, but they lack the simplicity of legend, and one immediately sees that the author puts into the mouth of Elijah his own views concerning 330 Elijah [71-76 God, Israel, and the Torah. Another work by Elijah is llT^N "1BD, an apocalyptic book, in which Elijah reveals the secrets made known to him by the angel Michael concerning the Messianic times. Closely related to it is the apocalyptic writing ITIPD I’lpis, in which Elijah imparts to R. Jose more valuable information about the Messiah and the Messianic redemption. These two apocalyptic works were very likely composed about the middle of the eighth century.
71 Alphabet of Ben Sira 9b-10a. Comp. Ginzberg, Jewish Encyclopedia, s. v. “Ben Sira, Alphabet”, and Levi, R.E.7.,LIII, 66. The pious custom to say: “If it please God” is known to the New Testament (1 Corinth. 4.19; Heb. 6.3; James 4.15) and to Plato; see the references cited by Neumark, Geschichte der jiidischen Philosophic, II, 292. On the use of the familiar DE>n TOT ON, “If it please God”, and DPH iryB, “with God’s help” in medieval writings, see Zunz, Gesammelte Schriften, III, 268. 73 Aramaic np’1 “Reka”; but Ma'asiyyot (Gaster’s edition 139) has nptn as in Matth. 5.2. 73 Ta'anit 20 (below); 2 ARN 41.131; Derek Erez R. 4, where the Tosafists (Ta'anit, loc. cit.) read that the " ugly man” was Elijah; Kallah 6.13a. 74 Sanhedrin (end). Comp. James 5.17. 75 ‘Erubin 43a. On the basis of this and similar passages of the Talmud, where Elijah appears as the teacher of the wise, it was thought that he is alluded to wherever the Talmud speaks of a “certain old scholar”, KBD Kirn. Comp. Responsen der Geonim (Harkavy’s edition, No. 23) and Tosafot on Hullin 6a. As to Elijah assuming the apperance of an “old man”, see also PK 10, 92b-93a. Elijah used to appear daily to R. Joseph, the Gaon of Pumbedita, but nobody knew of it until this Rabbi became very old and absent-minded (this is how fj'WKl is to be understood), so that he once remarked to the scholars of the academy: “Leave some room next to me for the ‘old man’ who comes to see me.” They did not see anybody come, and knew that he meant Elijah.
See Iggeret R. Sherira Gaon 37, lines 7-5 (from bottom.) 7 6 Yebamot 63a, and more fully ER 9, 61. On certain regulations concerning prayer imparted by Elijah to this Rabbi, see Berakot 3a, and note 63. Elijah pointed out to another Rabbi that “poverty is the most precious gift which God could have bestowed upon Israel.” as it leads them to be kind, self-sacrificing, and God-fearing. See Hagigah 9b; EZ 3, 176, and 6, 181. 331 77-87] The Legends of the Jews n Yerushalmi Berakot 9, 13c; ER 1, 15; Tehillim 18, 140-141, and 104, 447-448. Comp, also quotation from Yerushalmi (not in our texts) in Yalkut I, 836, on Deut. 6.4, and Yelammedenu in Yalkutll, 862, on Ps. 104. On the causes of earthquakes and other phenomena, see also Sibyll. 4.130-135; Enoch 59.1-5; Berakot 59a. On the relation of Elijah to R. Nehorai, see Ruth R. 2.21, and Friedmann, introduction to ER 33, note 2. ^ 8 Berakot 29b (bottom). The correct reading of the second maxim is to be found only in MHG I, 175, whereas all the other texts have ’tann instead of ’170, which is used as a play on the preceding ’170. It is to be observed that the first two maxims are in Aramaic and the third in Hebrew. This very likely points to the use of different sources by the Talmud. The third maxim means: “ Pray before thou settest out on a journey.” 7» The “heavenly academy”, in which the pious who departed this life and the angels study the Torah with God, is frequently mentioned in the Haggadah, as for instance Gittin 68a and Baba Mezi'a 86a.
80 Megillah 15b. 8 1 Gittin 6b; comp, note 134 on vol. IV, pp. 51-52. 82 Baba Mezi'a 59b. R. Nathan received from Elijah the wise counsel never to fill himself with food and drink, but to leave one third of his stomach unfilled, one third thereof filled with food and one third! with beverages. See Gittin 70a. 83 For a similar function of Elijah, see Esther R. 4.9. 84 Baba Mezi'a 85b. In a similar legend (Ma'aseh-buch No. 157) it is Jeremiah who performs the function dl the Hazzan in the congregation of the pious who departed this life. On the view that the dead pray, see also note 97 on vol. I, p. 23. In Baba Mezi'a, loc. cit., it is also stated that Elijah showed to a scholar the fiery chariots in which the pious ascend to the heavenly academy. The scholar, however, lost his eye-sight, because, notwithstanding Elijah ’s warning, he looked at the chariot of R. Hiyyah, the lustre of which blinded him. As to the nature of the punishment inflicted upon Elijah, see note 896 on vol. Ill, 495. That prayer combined with repentance will bring about the Messianic redemption of Israel is also stated by Philo, De Praemiis et Poenis 8. 85 Hagigah 15b. 8 6 PRE 1 ; Bet Eked ha-Aggadot 8 and 14; 2 ARN 13, 30. 8 7 EZ 14, 195-196; Tan. Wa-Yelek 2. 332 Elijah [88-93 11 ER 18, 95 (read "mrp--IVTDp instead of TTip), and EZ 1, 167. Comp, also Kinyan Torah 9; Mekilta RS, 98; quotation from the Midrash in Steinschneider- Festschrift, Hebrew section, 55.
89 ER 14—15, 70-80, and EZ 2, 171—175 give Elijah’s conversation with people who accepted the “written Torah”, but not the “oral Torah , and his arguments in favor of the binding power of both, the written and the unwritten Torot. Comp, note 70. 90 PK 18, 136; PR 32, 148b (this passage has the rare description of the prophet as “Abba Elijah” “father Elijah”; comp. Sanhedrin, (end) ; Ma asiyyot, ed. Gaster 135. These stones were at the bottom of the “great sea”, and the shipwreck was necessary to enable the Jewish lad to lift them and show them to the Rabbi. As to the cave where the stones were placed, see note 62. A confusion of Caesarea and Lydda seems to prevail in the sources. On the stones to be used in the Messianic times, see vol. IV, p. 24, and Jerome on Joel 4.4-12. 9 1 Sanhedrin 98a. In the Hebrew the reply made by the Messiah contains a play on words, which cannot be reproduced in another langguage. 99 PK 10, 87b; BR 35 (beginning). The question addressed to R. Joshua was whether he had seen a rainbow. His affirmative answer implied that his piety did not suffice to ward off the extreme punishment due to a wicked generation. For a rainbow appears only to remind God of His promise to Noah not to destroy the world on account of the iniquity of its inhabitants. Comp. Ketubot 77b and Zohar I, 72b. 8* Ketubot 77b. In the numerous legends concerning the intercourse of Elijah with the sages and saints it is presupposed that these men knew his identity when he appeared to them.
Other mortals, on the other hand (even those who were found worthy to be helped by Elijah in time of need and distress), were not aware of the great distinction conferred upon them until he had disappeared from among them, and sometimes did not find out at all about the supernatural company granted to them. Comp., for instance, the legend given in vol. IV, pp. 211-212 and 215-216. A third form of communication between Elijah and certain people is known as liT^N the “appearance of Elijah, ” in dreams to give advice and counsel. In the old literature this is very rarely mentioned, and besides the legend quoted from PR and Yelammedenu in note 58, there is only one other in which Elijah is said to have appeared to a “Roman ruler” in a dream, and warned him against squandering the treasures left him by his ancestors; 333 94] The Legends of the Jews BR 83.4. On the other hand, this “appearance of Elijah” is very frequently referred to in later literature. Comp, note 103. They favored this form of communication with wicked and cruel rulers to make them change their evil designs against the Jews. The Calif Al-Mutadhid (892-902), a veritable Haman, became a friend and protector of the Jews after Elijah had appeared to him in a dream and threatened him with a cruel death if he did not immediately change his attitude towards the Jews. See Arabic fragment published by Harkavy in Berliner Festschrift, 35, seq.
The same thing happened to the Sultan Sulaiman I (1545); Elijah not only prevented him from carrying out the cruel persecution of the J ews upon which he had decided, but changed him into their staunch friend. As a reward for this he was visited by Elijah (in a dream) every month. That the Sultan should have no doubt as to the reality of the appearance, Elijah first revealed himself to R. Moses Hamon, the physician-in-ordinary of the Sultan, and told him to prepare his majesty for the visit he (Elijah) would pay him. See Sambari in Neubauer’s Medieval Jewish Chronicles , I, 147-149. Sambari, ibid., 121, is the only source for the statement that Elijah was born in a village near Cairo. In view of the prevalent opinion that Elijah is none other than Phinehas (comp. vol. IV, p. 195), it was quite natural that some locality in Egypt should claim the distinction of being the birthplace of the prophet. 94 Hibbur Yafeh 8-11 (reprinted by Jellinek in BHM V, 133-135). A different version is found in Ma'asiyyot 12 (reprinted by R. Elijah ha-Kohen in Me' il Zedakah, No. 439, and by Jellinek in BHM VI, 131-133. The latter did not know that R. Elijah ha-Kohen used Ma'asiyyot for his text). Comp, also Ma'asiyyot ed. Gaster 96-97. For Judeo-German and later German versions, see Zunz, Gottesdienstliche Vortrdge (second edition, 138). A version agreeing with neither of the two just mentioned is given by Peter Venerabilis; comp., R.E.J., XLIII, 284; See also ibid.
VIII, 64-73 and Gaster, Exempla, No. 393. The antiquity of the legend is attested by Mohammed who reproduces it in the Koran (18.59-82) in his anachronistic fashion. There is no valid reason to doubt the Jewish origin of this legend, especially if one considers the fact that Elijah appears as the “vindicator of God’s justice” in the old Haggadah, preceding the Koran by centuries. It may not be out of place to quote a few examples of this r61e, played by Elijah. At the destruction of Jerusalem Elijah walked about among the inhabitants of the city, who were dying of starvation, to find out whether they deserved their sad fate. Coming across a young child, he said to him; “Repeat the 334 Elijah [95-96 words I am going to recite to you, and thou shalt live.” But when the child heard the Shema1 recited by Elijah, he preferred death to proclaiming God’s unity. And the child died hugging and kissing his idol. See Sifra 26.30; Sanhedrin 63b. It is noteworthy that in these passages Elijah received the attribute p’"TCn, literally “the righteous one”, but it very likely means: “he who acknowledged God ’s justice.” Elijah once remarked to a great saint: “You are astounded why the Messiah has not come yet. To-day is the Day of Atonement, and on this day of repentance many a virgin is deflowered in your city of Nehardea.” See Yoma 19b. The young widow of a promising scholar was inconsolable at the premature death of her husband, and exclaimed all the time: “God said of the Torah: ‘It is thy life and the length of thy days’ (comp.
Deut. 30.2); Where is the length of my husband’s days, who devoted his life to the study of the Torah?” None of the great scholars could explain the premature death of their young disciple. But Elijah went to see the widow, and in his conversation with her led her to admit certain failings of her deceased husband and consequently to acknowledge that his death was a deserved punishment. See Shabbat 13a-13b; ER 15, 76; ARN 2, 8, and parallel passages cited by Schechter. Most of the incidents narrated of Elijah’s life in the Midrashim ER and EZ (comp, note 70) have no other purpose but to vindicate God’s justice in the history of nations and in the lives of individuals. Comp. Friedmann, introductoin to ER 31-32. For the dependence of the Arabic Khadhir legend on the Jewish Elijah Haggadah, see Friedlaender, Die Chadhirlegende, 255, seq. 95 Ta anit 22a. A similar lesson on the impossibility to judge things by appearances was given by Elijah to another wise and pious Rabbi when they were walking together. Passing by a carcass, the Rabbi put his hand to his nose in order not to inhale the awful stench, whereas Elijah walked hard by the carcass without taking the slightest notice of it. Shortly after a proud and haughty man passed by them, whereupon Elijah put his hand to his nose. Astonished at this strange behavior, the Rabbi asked him to explain it. Elijah replied: “The proud man is worse than the carcass; if one touches a carcass, he becomes defiled only until sunset (Lev.
11.24); but contact with the proud generates impurities lasting for a long time. Kab ha-Yashar 7, whence Ma'asiyyot (Bagdad edition, No. 89). Comp. WR (end). 96 Tan. Haazinu 8. It is difficult to determine with certainty the relation of this legend to the story of Tobit, as it would be a rash conclusion to consider the former directly dependent upon the latter 335 97l The Legends of the Jews The legend about R. Akiba’s daughter (Shabbat 156b) has obviously influenced our legend. The astrologers predicted that the daughter of this famous Rabbi would die on the day of her wedding. This prophecy would have been fulfilled, had she not, at the moment when the serpent was to sting her, hastened to the door to give alms to a beggar, and instead of being killed by the serpent, it was killed by her. As to the angel of death assuming the appearance of a beggar, see vol. I, pp. 33-34. The motive: “Charity delivereth from death” (Prov. 10.2; according to the interpretation of the Rabbis, np"IX in this verse means “charity”, not “justice”; comp. Shabbat, loc. cit.) is also found in the legend about the youth who was saved by Elijah from the gallows as a reward for his having been very generous to his parents (‘ Oseh Fete II, 21, seq.; it is of very late origin); also in the diffuse legend about R. Phineas, ibid., 23, seq. Comp, also the references in next note. 97 Ma'asiyyot, No.
1, and, with some additions, Ma'asiyyot (Gaster’s edition, 139, 100); comp, also BHM V, 152-154, where this legend is republished from Me' it Zedakah, No. 434. Jellinekdidnot know that the author of this book reproduced this legend from Ma'asiyyot. Another version of this legend occurs in Midrash ‘Aseret ha-Dibrot 83-84, where, however, Elijah does not play any part at all. — Elijah 's activity is not limited to the helping of the pious to save them from death, poverty, and physical pain ; he sometimes comes to relieve mental pain and anguish. A very saintly man was once punished for his excessive self-consciousness by being misled to sin by a female demon. God wished thus to humiliate him for his pride in his continence. Long and intense were the mental sufferings of this pious man, who could not (or a moment forget his sin. But having been humiliated for a sufficiently long time, he was visited by Elijah who informed him that the beautiful woman who misled him to sin was not a human being but a spirit, and his sin was accordingly not a real one. Tan. B. I, 20. Comp. Yerushalmi Shabbat 13b. Sometimes Elijah himself inflicted punishment upon the pious for their frailities and failings, that they might mend their ways. A rich and learned young man once decided to take up some trade and profession, but not knowing what to choose, he resolved to look around before making up his mind.
He first visited the market-place to study the life of the merchants, and when he saw that commerce was carried on by lying and cheating, he gave up the idea of becoming a merchant. Finally he noticed a man tilling the soil (it was none else but Elijah), and asked him what his business was. Elijah replied: “ I till the soil to provide food for myself, my wife, and 336 Elijah [98-99 children, the poor and the needy, the animals of the fields, the fowl of the air, and the beasts of the earth.” The young man thereupon decided to stay with Elijah, and became a tiller of the soil. The latter took him to his house, and promised to fulfil all his wishes. The young man, however, had only one wish : to be married. Elijah knowing who was destined to become this man ’s wife, took him to her (she lived in a place a three-days’ journey distant from them; but Elijah brought the young man to her in a second), and they were married. In his new happy state the young man entirely forgot his resolution to become a tiller of the soil. At the end of seven days Elijah appeared to him, and informed him that as a punishment for his having neglected his duty for seven days, he would spend seven years in slavery. Elijah's prediction came true. On his way to his family is not to be taken literally; his father was dead), with his wife, her slaves and bondwomen, the caravan halted near a big river.
While the young man was trying to wash his feet in the river, Elijah appeared, seized him, and carried him off to a distant country, where he sold him into slavery. The young man ’s wife did not complain, but was convinced that ‘‘whatever God did was for the best.” She settled down in the place where her husband disappeared, and opened a store for the sale of corn, in the hope that her husband would turn up in the course of time. After five years she recognized her husband as a slave of a corn merchant. Their joy was great, and also their trust in God. When the young man told his wife that heaven decreed seven years of slavery against him, of which two years were still lacking, they parted without a murmur. At the termination of the seventh year Elijah brought the young man to his wife, and henceforth they lived happily together. See ‘Aseret ha-Dibrot, 85-86. 98 Zohar Hadash Ki-Tabo (beginning); Zohar Shir beginning ’"TTI V'l; Tikkune Zohar (beginning). Friedmann, introduction to ER, 38-40, gives a list of all the passages in the Zohar dealing with Elijah 's relations to R. Simeon and his son R. Eleazar. Tikkune Zohar, No. 17, contains an expose of the Zoharic Kabbalah by Elijah. This expose found its way into the Sefardic prayer-book. Comp, also note 52. 9 9 As for Elijah ’s being the teacher of R. Jacob and R. Abraham b. Isaac, see Shem ha-Gedolim, 3-4; Jellinek, Auswahl Kabbalistischer Mystik, 4-5.
Comp, also Ginzberg, Jewish Encyclopedia, I, s. v. ‘‘Abraham ben David of Posqui^res”. As to the relation of Elijah to Elkanah, see introduction to Peliah; Jellinek, BHM III, 38 (German part); Graetz, Geschichte, VII, note 3. 337 100-103] The Legends of the Jews 100 ‘Emek ha-Melek, introduction, 10a. Elijah is often conjured to give aid to women at childbirth against Lilith and the machinations of witches. 1 0 1 n«nV D'P ’Dip*? 55a-59a, which is the oldest printed source of the legend about R. Joseph della Reyna found in many Hebrew, as well as Judeo-German, collections of legends. Vital, Sha'are Kedushah (end) refers to this legend in a few words. 1 0 3 Formerly the ceremony of circumcision was performed in the synagogue, as it still is to-day in some Oriental countries. 1 0 J Shibhe ha-Ari (beginning) and comp, the references in Schechter’s Studies in Judaism, II, 323, note 117. A similar story about R. Phinehas is found in ‘Oseh Fete II, 22b-23a. During the persecution of the pious by the wicked Jezebel, Elijah displayed great zeal for the observance of the Abrahamic covenant (comp, note 25), and as his reward God promised him that he should be present at every ceremony of circumcision. Accordingly the “chair of Elijah” must not be forgotten at the ceremony of circumcision, as he is always present on these occasions, though not visible to the eyes of the ordinary man.
See PRE 29; Halakot Gedolot, according to the text of Shibbale ha-Leket, 376, No. 6. Comp. Jewish Encyclopedia, s. v., “Elijah ’s Chair”. A child was once brought in for circumcision, and all present greeted him with the customary formula of Baruk 7m-.Ba( Elijah [ 1 04-1 09 I0* Ma'asiyyot Peliot 24-25. Comp, also Shibhe ha-Besht (beginning). The admirers of the Gaon, R. Elijah Wilna, the great opponent of R. Israel Baal Shem Tob, tell of their hero’s intercourse with Elijah as well. Comp. ‘ Aliyyot Eliyyaku, 35. I remember to have heard a temptation legend, similar to the one given in the text, told in Wilna of R. Moses Krammer, the great grandfather of the Gaon; see Saarat Eliyyahu, 18; ‘ Ir Wilna, 10. Comp, also the similar legend in Ma'asiyyot (Gaster’s edition, 161, 115-116), where 1V3N is to be read instead of IIDIH; the angel who tempted the saint assumed the appearance of a beggar. Comp, note 15 on vol. II, p. 233 and vol. IV, pp. 227, 228-229. 106 Ecclus. 48.10-11. This is more than a free rendering of Malachi 3.25 ; to the author of Ecclus. Elijah is very likely the promised Messiah. Traces of this view are found in rabbinical sources, see Friedmann, introduction to ER, 25-37; Ginzberg, Unbekannte Sekte, 346 seq. The statement that Elijah is one of the names of the Messiah is inferred from Malachi, loc. cit.; Mishle 19, 87. This shows that even later this biblical passage was taken to refer to the Messiah.
But since it later became a fixed conception that the Messiah must be a “son of David”, there is no other way out of the difficulty than to give the name Elijah to the son of David. On the four Messiahs (that is: Messiah the son of David, the Messiah of the tribe of Joseph, Elijah, and the priest of righteousness), see Ginzberg, ibid. i°6 PRE 43 and 47. This was probably the prevalent notion in the early formative period of Christianity, as may be inferred from the New Testament account of John the Baptist ( = Elijah), the alleged precursor of the Messiah. On repentance as the conditio sine qua non of the "final redemption”, see Sanhedrin 97b; Yerushalmi Ta'anit 1, 63d; PRE43;Tan. B. Ill, lll;Tan. Behukkotai3; Philo, De Praemiis et Poenis, 8. Comp, also note 84. 107 Mishnah and Tosefta at the end of ‘Eduyyot, where different views are cited concerning the means by which Elijah will restore peace and harmony in Israel. All these views presuppose that Elijah’s chief activity will consist in restoring the purity of the family. See the thorough discussion on this point by Friedmann, introduction to ER, 20-24. Comp, also note 35. 108 Mishnah and Tosefta at the end of ‘Eduyyot. Comp, the following note. 108 Menahot 45a. The phrase, “This must remain undecided until Elijah comes”, is of frequent occurrence in tannaitic literature. 339 Ha-114] The Legends of the Jews Comp, the references given by Ginzberg, Unbekannte Sekte, 304, seq.
where the meaning of this expression is also fully discussed. 110 Zohar III, 27b-28a. 111 PR 35, 161. This passage also gives him the designation of “Harbinger of good tidings”, which later became his favorite appellation; see Ginzberg, Geonica, I, 55, note 1. See also the Messianic Midrash in Lekah IV, 259, and Tefillat R. Simon, 123 (top). 112 Otot ha-Mashiah, 62; Tefillat R. Simeon, 125. It is noteworthy that according to a widespread belief, Elijah, with the ‘‘rest of the righteous”, will flee into the desert, whence they will return after a stay of forty-five days, led by the Messiah, who will then begin his work of redemption. PK 5, 49a-49b (rnro*= Elijah; see note 105); PR 15, 72a-73a; Pirke Mashiah, 72;ShR5.2; BaR 11.2; Shir 2.9; Aggadat Shir 5, 38; Ruth R. 2.14; Rev. 12.6. Comp. Friedmann, introduction to ER 25-26; Bousset, Antichrist Legende, 212-213 and 203-208. The part ascribed to Elijah in the work of Messianic redemption in Zerubbabel, 56, and Otot ha-Mashiah, 62, is rather an unimportant one compared with that assigned to him in the other Midrashim cited above. Christian authors (comp. /. i. Justin Martyr, Dialogue, 49) mention the Jewish belief that Elijah will anoint the Messiah; but the old rabbinic writings know nothing of this function of Elijah’s, and the prevalent opinion in these works is that the Messiah will not be anointed at all. Only later Jewish writers, as the Karaite Joseph ha-Levi (in Neubauer, TheLIII Chapter of Isaiah 1.21) and Nahmanides, Wikkuah, mention the anointing of the Messiah by Elijah, and one may be permitted to question whether these writers represent an original Jewish view or not.
See Ginzberg, Unbekannte Sekte, 349, note 4. 1 1 3 Aggadat Shir 7, 44. In Christian legendary lore it is Elijah who demands the same sign from the anti-Christ as his credential; comp. Bousset, Antichrist Legende, 203. In the Jewish version of this belief it is presupposed that the resurrected dead will have the same appearance and form as they had before their death. See Apocalypse of Baruch 50.2-4; Pesahim 68a. 114 Pirke Mashiah, 72; Pirke R. Yoshiyyahu, 115. On the view that Moses will lead the “generation of the wilderness”, see vol. II, p. 373. As to Korah ’s rising from the earth, see vol. I, p. 23. On the revealing of the three holy vessels which were hidden for a long time, see vol. Ill, p. 48. On the sceptre of the Messiah, see vol. Ill, p. 307. On the view that the mountains will disappear in Messianic times, see vol. I, p. 80, and note 116; vol. V, p. 142, note 31. According to a Midrash 340 Elijah [115-119 quoted in Rimze Haftarot, Nahamu, Elijah and Jeremiah will hasten to the Holy Land, seize it, and give it to Israel as a possession. Jeremiah 's part in the work of redemption is presupposed in Matth. 16.14. Comp, also vol. VI, p. 386, note 13. 115 It is Elijah who, during the long exile, consoles the Messiah for the suffering inflicted upon him for the atonement of Israel's sins. See Konen 29; Ma'aseh R. Joshua, 50.; vol. I, pp. 22-23. 1 1 6 Apocalypse of Daniel (towards the end).
In other (earlier) sources it is God who blows the Shofar; see vol. I, p. 283 and Alphabet R. Akiba 31. Comp, also Otot ha-Mashiah 61—62, where it is said that Michael will blow the Shofar twice. On the primeval light, see vol. I, p. 86. On the levelling of the mountains, see note 114. 117 Sukkah 52b. On the eight princes see note 142 on vol. I, p. 102. 1 1 8 Koheleth 4.1. As to the doctrine that the death of young children is due to the sins of the fathers, see Hashkem 3b, and vol. Ill, p. 98. Opinions differ as to the age of the children who will have a share in the world to come. According to some, all children, even those who only lived a moment, have a share, while others maintain that children are not entitled to a share, unless they died at an age when they could speak ( i . e., say Amen after a prayer). Other authorities think that male children are entitled to a share as soon as they are circumcized. One Rabbi is very generous, and puts embryos on equal footing with grown up children. See Yerushalmi Shebi'it 4, 45c. The custom, first referred to by the Babylonian Gaon R. Nahshon (comp. Sha'are Zedek, 22a, No. 5) , of circumcizing children who died before their eighth day, has its origin in the above-mentioned view that only children after circumcision are entitled to a share in the world to come. On the status of the children of the wicked and of the idolaters in the world to come, see Yerushalmi Shebi'it, loc.
cit.\ Berakot 9, 13b; Tosefta Sanhedrin 13.1, Babli 110b. Connected with the conception that God in His mercy would not have the children suffer for the sins of the fathers is the view that in the time to come “the bastards”, that is, the offspring of forbidden marriages, will not be excluded from the community of Israel. See Kiddushin 72b; Tosefta 5.4; WR 32.8; Koheleth, loc. cit. Against this view comp. ARN 22, 53, and Wisdom 4.6. 1 1 » Abkir in Yalkut I, 153. Comp. vol. I, p. 394; vol. IV, p. 201; note 33. Comp, also the statement: "Happy is he who met Elijah or sat next to him; such a man is destined for the world to come; Talmud Kallah 3 (end). This is probably a praraphrase of Ecclus. 48.11, where 341 The Legends of the Jews 1 19] the author of Kallah very likely read IT IT ITfl ’3 nDl 1K1, and, according to a well-known hermeneutical rule of the Haggadah, explained the phrase TIT H’n in the sense of eternal life, or, as the Rabbis express it, “life in the world to come.” Comp., e. g., the midrashic explanation of 2 Kings 20.1 in Berakot 10a. The old versions of Ecclus. have similar interpretations of the text; see Smend, Die Weisheit des Jesus Sirach, ad loc. The old piyyut N’3r! ln’Vs, sung at the termination of the Sabbath, closes with the stanza : “ Happy is he who saw his (Elijah ’s) face in a dream; happy is he whom he offered the greeting of peace, or to whom he responded the greeting of peace.” It is safe to assume that the Paitan made use of Kallah, loc.
cit., or of a source akin to it. As to seeing Elijah in a dream, see note 93. 342
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