Eliyahu's Death/2

Eliyahu's Death

Exegetical Approaches

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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?

Where is Eliyahu now?

"מִכְתָּב מֵאֵלִיָּהוּ"

Malakhi 3:23

Why didn't Eliyahu die?

Resurrection of the dead

What did בני הנביאים know and think?

"סְעָרָה"

לקיחה

Pinchas

Polemics

Philosophical motivation

Eliyahu Died

Sources:R. Saadia GaonCommentary Bereshit Appendix 1About R. Saadia Gaon, RadakMelakhim II 2:1Melakhim II 2:11Melakhim II 2:16Malakhi 3:23Divrei HaYamim II 21:12About R. David Kimchi,¹ BiurMelakhim II 2:1Melakhim II 2:14About the Biur (Netivot HaShalom), Hoil MosheMelakhim II 2:1About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi

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

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

Where is Eliyahu now?

"מִכְתָּב מֵאֵלִיָּהוּ" – These commentators disagree whether the letter was sent by Eliyahu while he was still alive or not:

• Eliyahu was dead – Radak explains that after Eliyahu died he came to one of the prophets ברוח הנבואה and told him to write the letter in the name of Eliyahu.²
• Eliyahu was still alive – The Biur holds that Eliyahu only died during Yehoram's kingship and so was still alive when he sent the letter.³  It is possible that R. Saadia also holds that Eliyahu was still alive when he sent the letter, and he wrote it during Yehoram's kingship after he was taken בסערה but before he died.

Malakhi 3:23 – Radak holds that there is going to be resurrection 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 Eliyahu.⁴

Why have a unique process?

Resurrection of the dead

What did בני הנביאים know and think? Radak says that בני הנביאים thought that maybe Eliyahu didn't die but rather disappeared (like he did regularly) and so they were looking where he was hiding.  In contrast, Hoil Moshe explains that בני הנביאים did know that Eliyahu was going to die and they were just looking for his body so they can bury it (not knowing that his body was burnt).

"סְעָרָה"

לקיחה

Polemics

Philosophical motivation

¹ Radak also brings chazal's approach that Eliyahu lived forever.

² Ibn Ezra brings the possibility that Eliyahu wrote the letter ברוח הנבואה before he died and then gave it to one of בני הנביאים to give to Yehoram although rejects it since then it should say "ויובא אליו".

³ The Biur explains that the story in Melakhim II 2 of Eliyahu's disappearance happened later (and is probably told since chapter 1 is the last story of Eliyahu's prophecies).  During the time between Achazyahu's death and Yehoram's kingship Eliyahu did not act as a prophet (but rather was secluding) and Elisha had taken over already.

⁴ 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.