Eliyahu at Chorev/2

Eliyahu at Chorev

Exegetical Approaches

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Reward

The revelation at Chorev was a reward for Eliyahu's sanctification of Hashem on Mt. Carmel and his returning the Children of Israel to worship of Hashem.

Sources:RadakMelakhim I 19:7-21About R. David Kimchi

Why Sinai? Radak claims that Hashem revealed Himself to Eliyahu in exactly the same place that He had revealed Himself to Moshe, identifying Eliyahu's cave with the "crevice in the rock" from which Moshe saw Hashem.¹  The choice serves to heighten the honor bestowed upon Eliyahu as it equates him with Moshe, the greatest of prophets.²

Miraculous journey – The miraculous sustenance was also part of Eliyahu's reward. In this, too, there is a comparison to Moshe who survived for forty days and nights without food.³

"מַה לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ" – Radak suggests that this question is simply a way of entering into conversation with Eliyahu.

'"קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַה" – Radak reads Eliyahu's response not as a cry against the Children of Israel, but against Izevel and her Ba'al prophets who caused Israel to go astray, destroyed God's altars, and killed the prophets of Hashem.⁴

Wind, earthquake and fire – Radak does not explain the individual significance of each of the natural phenomena, nor of the contrast to the "small, still voice,"⁵ suggesting only that together they were a show of honor to the prophet.

"מַה לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ" take two – This position could explain that when rewarding Eliyahu, Hashem did not suffice with a revelation, but asked the prophet to request something of Him.  The question "מַה לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ" is not accusatory in tone, but a straightforward question meaning "what is it that you would like".⁶ Eliyahu responds that he would like vengeance.

Appointments: "הַנִּמְלָט מֵחֶרֶב חֲזָאֵל יָמִית יֵהוּא" – Hashem's directives to appoint Chazael, Yehu and Elisha represent His acquiescence to Eliyahu's request.  Through them there was to be vengeance on all who worshiped the Baal.⁷ 

"וְאֶת אֱלִישָׁע... תִּמְשַׁח לְנָבִיא תַּחְתֶּיךָ" – This position does not see Elisha's appointment as a sign that Eliyahu's tenure as prophet had ended,⁸ but rather as a preparation for the future. Hashem recognized that Eliyahu had enough, and suggested that he train someone to eventually take his place.

Biblical parallels – Our story is not the only one in which Hashem reveals Himself to man as a show of honor.  Ramban suggests that Hashem's appearance to Avraham after being circumcised and to Israel after consecrating the Mishkan serve the same purpose.

Rebuke

Hashem's revelation constituted a rebuke of Eliyahu and termination of his tenure as prophet.  This position divides regarding the reason for the rebuke:

Overly Zealous

Hashem chastised Eliyahu for his overly harsh and accusatory attitude towards the nation.

Sources:Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot12About Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot, Shir HaShirim Rabbah1:6About Shir HaShirim Rabbah, Seder EliyahuZuta 8About Seder Eliyahu, RashiMelakhim I 19:9-16About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki,⁹ RalbagMelakhim I 19:3-17Melakhim I Toalot 19:11About R. Levi b. Gershom, R. Moshe AlshikhMelakhim I 19About R. Moshe Alshikh,Melakhim I 19About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel MetzudotMetzudat David Melakhim I 19:13-18About R. David Altschuler, MalbimMelakhim I 19:3Melakhim I 19:9-16About R. Meir Leibush Weiser,

Eliyahu's flight and request to die – Malbim maintains that Eliyahu's flight was prompted not just by his fear of Izevel, but by his failure to bring the nation to a lasting recognition of Hashem and rejection of idolatry.¹⁰ It represented an abandonment of the nation whom he had despaired of ever changing.¹¹

"מַה לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ"

• Malbim views the question as a critique of the prophet and his forsaking of the nation.  Hashem asks why Eliyahu is in the Wilderness ("פֹה") rather than among the people; he should be teaching and chastising them, not wandering off alone.
• R"M Alshikh adds that, in the word "פֹה", Hashem alludes to the fact that in this very place, Mt. Sinai, Moshe had asked that Hashem display compassion to the people, and Hashem had revealed to him the 13 attributes of mercy.  Hashem, thus, questions Eliyahu: if your intention is to ask for vengeance, then what are you doing specifically here, in a place marked by mercy? Hashem hints to Eliyahu that he should be praying on behalf of the nation, asking that they be saved not destroyed.¹²

'"קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַה" – Eliyahu responds to Hashem that he is not prepared to ask for mercy; the people deserve vengeance, not compassion.  According to Ralbag, Eliyahu's words are actually a request that Hashem punish the people. Malbim, instead, reads them as a desire to resign from his mission; in his zealousness, he no longer sees himself as fit to chastise them.

Hashem's revelation – According to these sources, through the revelation Hashem tells Eliyahu that He is not found in the destructive forces of wind, earthquake and fire, but in the soft still voice, symbolic of love and compassion.¹³ He, thus, tries to teach Eliyahu that the role of the prophet should not be solely to prosecute, but also to defend. He should not wish for the nation's destruction, but for their repentance and salvation.

"מַה לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ" take two – After Hashem's rebuke, He asks Eliyahu whether his position has changed.

'"קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַה" take two – Eliyahu repeats his request for vengeance, expressing that Hashem''s demonstration had not changed his stance.¹⁴

"וְאֶת אֱלִישָׁע... תִּמְשַׁח לְנָבִיא תַּחְתֶּיךָ" – These sources view the appointment in one of two ways:

• Acceptance of resignation – Ralbag¹⁵ and Malbim understand the appointment of Elisha as Hashem's acceptance of Eliyahu's resignation. Since he had asked to die and stop prophesying, Hashem replaced him with a new prophet.
• Termination of prophecy – The Mekhilta and Seder Eliyahu present Hashem as acting more harshly, and suggest that Hashem actively "fired" Eliyahu from his job, telling him that if prosecuting the nation was his goal, then Hashem no longer wanted him to prophesy: אֵי אֶפְשִׁי בִנְבוּאָתָךְ.

Other appointments: "הַנִּמְלָט מֵחֶרֶב חֲזָאֵל יָמִית יֵהוּא" – The fact that Hashem tells Eliyahu to appoint Chazael, Yehu, and Elisha,  who are to decimate Israel and its Baal worshipers, is difficult for this position.  If Hashem has been promoting bringing the nation back to God through love and compassion rather than through fiery wrath, why does He now seem to adopt Eliyahu's position and the use of destructive forces?¹⁶

Biblical parallel – The parallels to the revelation to Moshe at Chorev are meant to serve as a contrast to Eliyahu.

Overstepped Authority

Hashem was angry at Eliyahu for independently declaring drought, reviving the boy, and enacting the ceremony on Mt. Carmel.  These actions were performed without Divine sanction and against Hashem's will.

Sources:AbarbanelMelakhim I 19About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

Flight to Sinai – Eliyahu heads to Sinai specifically in the hopes of receiving prophecy. As Hashem had not appeared to him both during and after the demonstration on Mt. Carmel, he went to a place where God's spirit was abundant.

"מַה לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ" – According to Abarbanel, Hashem was angry at Eliyahu for entering the very cave in which Moshe had received revelation.  The spot was holy from his presence, and it was not fitting for any prophet to enter it thereafter.

"קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַי"י" – Eliyahu responded that he was there since his life was in danger (due to his zeal for God) and he had hoped that Moshe's merit and the holiness of the place would serve to protect him. 

The revelation: wind, earthquake, fire – Abarbanel suggest that the revelation served to rebuke Eliyahu for three actions which he had undertaken without Divine command,¹⁷ the calling of drought, reviving the boy and the spectacle at Mt. Carmel. 

• The wind represented the spirit (רוח) of anger which led Eliyahu to declare drought.  It is described as strong enough to break rocks, because the drought caused much destruction to the world. [It is also possible that the wind is ment to recall a storm, but without the rain.]
• The "רעש" symbolized the resurrection of the boy.  Abarbanel points to Yechezkel's vision of resurrection which also mention רַעַשׁ, as he describes, "וְהִנֵּה רַעַשׁ וַתִּקְרְבוּ עֲצָמוֹת עֶצֶם אֶל עַצְמוֹ".
• Finally, the fire stood for the fire which Eliyahu called down to the altar on Mt. Carmel. 

Hashem announces that He was not present in any of these phenomena, for He had commanded Eliyahu to perform any of these actions. 

קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה – Abarbanel suggests that this phrase represents Eliyahu's punishment:  silence, meaning lack of prophecy and God's voice.¹⁸

"קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַי"י" take two – Abarbanel claims that Eliyahu's second response has a totally different meaning than the first, as it is a direct response to the revelation just received. The prophet apologizes, explaining to Hashem that none of his actions were done for his own glory, but only for the glory of Hashem.  He called drought since the people had abandoned Hashem's covenant. He brought fire on the altar and killed the Baal prophets because they had destroyed Hashem's altars and killed Hashem's prophets. Finally, it was because his life was in danger that he stayed by the Tzarfatite woman, so he could not repay her kindness by allowing her son to die.

The appointments – Hashem tells Eliyahu to appoint messengers to punish Israel since He agrees that they are deserving of punishment.  Hashem was not upset at Eliyahu for accusing Israel, only for acting on his own initiative.

"וְאֶת אֱלִישָׁע... תִּמְשַׁח לְנָבִיא תַּחְתֶּיךָ" – This position could suggest that Eliyahu is told to anoint Elisha as his replacement, as part of his punishment and loss of prophecy.¹⁹

Encouragement

Through the revelation, Hashem renewed the appointment of Eliyahu, encouraging him to continue in his mission.

Sources:Prof. U. Simon

¹ He points to OnkelosAbout Targum Onkelos BereshitAbout Shemuel Iwho translates "נִקְרַת הַצּוּר" as "מְעָרַת טִנָּרָא".

² The two stories have a number of similarities including the locale, revelation, forty day period without food, and covering of the face.  For a comparison of the stories, see Moshe and Eliyahu at Sinai.

³ Radak notes one difference: while Eliyahu was given miraculous food that then sustained him for the duration of his trek, Moshe simply survives without any food or drink at all.

⁴ Cf. the opinion below which presents him as accusing the nation.

⁵ He writes, "וצריך להתבונן ברוח וברעש ובאש ובקול דממה דקה".

⁶ It parallels Achashverosh's words to Esther, "מַה לָּךְ אֶסְתֵּר" which are explained in the continuation of the verse, as: "וּמַה בַּקָּשָׁתֵךְ".

⁷ Melakhim 10 explicitly describes Yehu's killing of the Baal prophets, priests and worshipers. Chazael, too, is described as fighting against the nation.  Elisha, however, is never said to have killed or even punished any idolaters.  Radak explains that since Elisha rebuked the people and they refused to listen, they were punished more severely than they would have been had they never been chastised.  As such, Elisha indirectly caused more people to be punished.  Alternatively, he suggests that the verse means that with Elisha's death, Aram and Moav began to attack the land.

⁸ This is supported by the fact that Eliyahu does not stop prophesying with this story, and displays an active role in the next few chapters of the book.

⁹

¹⁰ Though the verse themselves do not share that the people had reverted to idolatry, Eliyahu's words later "כִּי עָזְבוּ בְרִיתְךָ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" would suggest that Eliyahu's demonstration on Mt. Carmel produced only a short-lived recognition of God, and that soon afterwards the people once again left the covenant.

¹¹ R. Samet, "", compares this to Yirmeyahu's similar desire to go off to the wilderness and leave his people who have sinned: "וְאֶעֶזְבָה אֶת עַמִּי וְאֵלְכָה מֵאִתָּם כִּי כֻלָּם מְנָאֲפִים עֲצֶרֶת בֹּגְדִים"(Yirmeyahu 9:1). He suggests that Eliyahu's request to die stemmed from this same despair.

¹² This idea is alluded to in Seder Eliyahu Zuta as well, "עמד הקב״ה ודחפו לאליהו למקום שבקשו אבותיהם של ישראל רחמים על בניהם."

¹³ One could add that Hashem was further teaching Eliyahu that his methods were problematic. Change does not come as a result of dramatic or sensational events, but through soft chastisement.

¹⁴ Ralbag suggests that in his anger over the people's sins, Eliyahu had not been prepared to hear the lesson of Hashem's vision.

¹⁵ This is what emerges from Ralbags comments on the verse, but in his תועלות, it sounds as if he thinks that Hashem is more actively terminating Eliyahu's position as prophet.

¹⁶ Malbim suggests that, despite the rebuke, Hashem nonetheless decided to acquiesce to Eliyahu's desire for vengeance, since it stemmed from his zealousness to uphold Hashem's honor. If so, the phrase "לֵךְ שׁוּב לְדַרְכְּךָ" could be read as "if that is waht you want, go, return to your old ways"
according to this reading, the three appointees now represent the destructive forces of the vision, and come to punish the people for the three sins mentioned by Eliyahu. Chazael , who is not an ally (בן-ברית), attacks those who have forsaken Hashem's ברית, Yehu destroys the altar of the Baal as vengeance on those who destroyed Hashem's altars, and Elisha the prophet is to kill those who killed Hshem's prophets.

¹⁷ He suggests that the phrase, "וְהִנֵּה י"י עֹבֵר" means "And Hashem reviewed his transgressions".

¹⁸ He points out that most of the other commentators assume that Hashem is saying that He is not present in the wind, fire and earthquake, but that He is present is the small still voice.  Yet, the verse itself does not say that Hashem is in the voice; it simply mentions that quiet came after the fire.

¹⁹ Abarbanel himself does not say this and he might maintain that Eliyahu was only unable to receive prophecy from the time of the demonstration on Mt. Carmel until the revelation at Chorev, but that afterwards he once again received God's word as before.