Eliyahu's Death/2

Eliyahu's Death

Exegetical Approaches

Eliyahu is Alive

Sources:BavliMoed Katan 26aBava Batra 121bAbout the Bavli, Bereshit Rabbah21:5About Bereshit Rabbah, Ibn EzraMalakhi 3:24About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, RambanVayikra 18:4About R. Moshe b. Nachman, RalbagShofetim 6:1Melakhim I 22:38Melakhim II 2:1,3,11Melakhim II 12:18Divrei HaYamim II 21:12About R. Levi b. Gershom, AbarbanelMelakhim II 2:12About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

"הַשָּׁמָיִם" - Where did Eliyahu go to?

Where is Eliyahu now?

"סְעָרָה"

Malakhi 3:23

"מִכְתָּב מֵאֵלִיָּהוּ"

Why didn't Eliyahu die?

Resurrection of the dead

What did בני הנביאים know and think?

לקיחה

Polemics

Rationalism

Eliyahu Died

Sources:R. Saadia GaonCommentary Bereshit Appendix 1About R. Saadia Gaon, RadakBereshit 5:24Melakhim II 2:1Melakhim II 2:11Malakhi 3:23Divrei HaYamim II 21:12About R. David Kimchi, Hoil MosheMelakhim II 2:1About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi

"הַשָּׁמָיִם" - Where did Eliyahu go to? These commentators disagree what happened:

•  - R. Saadia Gaon
•  - Radak and Hoil Moshe

Where is Eliyahu now?

"סְעָרָה"

Malakhi 3:23 – Radak holds that there is going to be תחיית המתים for Eliyahu so he can come.  On the other hand, Hoil Moshe says that Eliyahu himself is not going to come.  Malakhi is just saying that there will be a prophets again in Yisrael, and the prophet will be similar to Eliyahu¹.

"מִכְתָּב מֵאֵלִיָּהוּ" – Radak explains that after Eliyahu died he came to one of the prophets ברוח הנבואה and told him to write the letter in name of Eliyahu.  It is possible that R. Saadia Gaon holds that Eliyahu was still alive during Yehoram's kingship and so he wrote the letter himself.

Resurrection of the dead

What did בני הנביאים know and think?

לקיחה

Polemics

Rationalism

¹ Hoil Moshe says it is like the verse "וְעַבְדִּי דָוִד מֶלֶךְ עֲלֵיהֶם" which also refers just to a king like David but not David himself.