Repairing the Destroyed Altar/2
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Repairing the Destroyed Altar
Exegetical Approaches
Old Altar
The altar had been made much earlier, in one of the eras in which it was permitted to erect private altars.
Recent Altar
The altar was built after the Beit HaMIkdash was constructed, but was permitted since the Mikdash was inaccessible to those living in the Northern Kingdom.
New Altar
The altar was erected by Eliyahu himself, earlier in the day, but was destroyed by the Baal prophets.
Sources:Malbim
"וַיְפַסְּחוּ עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה" – Malbim understands this verse to mean that the Baal prophets trampled on an altar built by Eliyahu (hence the singular "אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה"). He assumes that at the beginning of the contest, both sides erected altars, and when the false prophets failed to get a response after offering their cow, they blamed the presence of Eliyahu's altar and set out to destroy it.
Altars after the Beit HaMIkdash – According to this approach, the nation as a whole had not been making private altars after the prohibition was in effect. Eliyahu's action was a one time-event, sanctioned by Hashem, as he later says, "[וּבִדְבָרְךָ] (ובדבריך) עָשִׂיתִי אֵת כׇּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה".
Nature of the contest – Malbim's reconstruction adds an element of violence to the story, suggesting that the face-down between the two sides was not a peaceful one.
"עַד מָתַי אַתֶּם פֹּסְחִים עַל שְׁתֵּי הַסְּעִפִּים" – In using the same language that Eliyahu used to question the people's dual belief (פוסחים) to convey the prophets' trampling on Eliyahu's altar, the text might be suggesting that each side actually wanted the people to abandon belief in a second god. Eliyahu aims to teach the people that there is only one god, Hashem, while the Baal prophets destroy his altar, to express that Hashem is nothing.
Fix or build – Malbim claims that the verses are a "כלל ופרט". They open with an introduction that Eliyahu reparied his altar and then detail how that was done, via taking twelve new stones etc. The assumption is that the stones originally used t build tthe altar had been dispersed by the Baal prophets.
No Altar
Eliyahu's fixing of the destroyed altar is a metaphor for his repairing the nation's relationship with Hashem.
