Introducing: Elijah

(34) During his reign, Hiel the Bethelite fortified Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of Abiram his first-born, and set its gates in place at the cost of Segub his youngest, in accordance with the words that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

(26) At that time Joshua pronounced this oath: “Cursed of the LORD be the man who shall undertake to fortify this city of Jericho: he shall lay its foundations at the cost of his first-born, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest.”

(1) Elijah the Tishbite, an inhabitant of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD lives, the God of Israel whom I serve, there will be no dew or rain except at my bidding.”

It is taught in a baraita that this includes a prohibition not to build Jericho even after changing its name to the name of another city, and not to build another city after giving it the name of Jericho, as it is written: “Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; with Abiram, his firstborn, he laid its foundation, and with his young son Segub set up its gates” (I Kings 16:34). It is taught in a baraita: From the death of Abiram, his firstborn, the wicked, it was not incumbent upon him to learn not to build Jericho, as Abiram’s death could be attributed to chance. But with the death of Segub his young son, it was incumbent upon him to learn that it was due to Joshua’s curse that they died.

The Gemara asks: What did Abiram and Segub do that they are characterized as wicked, and what is the baraita saying? The Gemara answers that this is what the baraita is saying: From the death of Abiram, his firstborn, that wicked man Hiel should have learned about the cause of the death of Segub his young son. By inference from that which is stated: “With Abiram, his firstborn,” do I not know that Segub was his young son? Rather, what is the meaning when the verse states: “His young son Segub”? It teaches that he gradually buried all his sons from Abiram through Segub, and he should have suspected that Joshua’s curse caused the deaths.

Ahab was Hiel’s close friend and groomsman. He and Elijah came to inquire about Hiel’s welfare in the house of mourning [bei tamya]. Hiel sat and said: Perhaps when Joshua cursed, this is what he cursed: Not to build Jericho even after changing its name to the name of another city, and not to build another city after giving it the name of Jericho. Elijah said to him: Yes, that is the curse. Ahab said to Elijah: Now the curse of Moses is not fulfilled, as it is written: “And you go astray and worship other gods,” and it is written: “Then the Lord’s anger will flare against you, and He will close the heavens, and there will be no rain” (Deuteronomy 11:16–17). And that man, referring to himself, established an object of idol worship on each and every furrow in the kingdom of Israel, and the rain is so plentiful that it does not allow him to go and worship it; will the curse of his student, Joshua, be fulfilled?

The verse relates Elijah’s reaction: Immediately: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab: As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years, but according to my word” (I Kings 17:1). Elijah prayed for mercy and they gave him the key to rainfall enabling him to dictate when it would rain, and he arose and went.

(2) The word of the LORD came to him: (3) “Leave this place; turn eastward and go into hiding by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. (4) You will drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” (5) He proceeded to do as the LORD had bidden: he went, and he stayed by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. (6) The ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and every evening, and he drank from the wadi.

It is written about Elijah: “And the word of the Lord came to him, saying: Go from here, and turn eastward, and hide yourself by Wadi Cherith…And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning” (I Kings 17:2–3, 6). The Gemara asks: From where did they bring him bread and meat? Rabbi Yehuda says that Rav says: They brought it from the slaughterhouse of Ahab.

“He makes us wise through the birds of the heavens.” (Job 35:11) The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Learn [a lesson] from the ravens who fed Elijah, of whom it is stated (in I Kings 17:4), ‘and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.’ From where did they bring him [it]? From Jehoshaphat's table, because those ravens did not want to enter Ahab's house to take anything from his table for this righteous man. [They would not go there] because his house was full of idolatry.” Ergo (in Job 35:11), “He makes us wise through the birds of the heavens.”

The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of orevim in this context? Ravina said: They were actual ravens. Rav Adda bar Minyumi said to him: And perhaps they were two men whose names were Oreb? Isn’t it written: “And they slew Oreb at the Rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb” (Judges 7:25), indicating that Oreb is a person’s name? Ravina said to him: Did the matter just so happen that the names of both of the people supplying Elijah with food were Oreb? The improbability of this occurrence indicates that they were actual ravens.

And it is written: “And it came to pass after some days, that the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land” (I Kings 17:7). Since God saw that there is suffering in the world and Elijah was insensitive to it, it is written: “And the word of the Lord came to him, saying: Arise, go to Zarephath” (I Kings 17:8–9), to initiate a chain of events that would lead Elijah to return the key to rainfall to God.

(7) After some time the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land. (8) And the word of the LORD came to him: (9) “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there; I have designated a widow there to feed you.” (10) So he went at once to Zarephath. When he came to the entrance of the town, a widow was there gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please bring me a little water in your pitcher, and let me drink.” (11) As she went to fetch it, he called out to her, “Please bring along a piece of bread for me.” (12) “As the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I have nothing baked, nothing but a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am just gathering a couple of sticks, so that I can go home and prepare it for me and my son; we shall eat it and then we shall die.” (13) “Don’t be afraid,” said Elijah to her. “Go and do as you have said; but first make me a small cake from what you have there, and bring it out to me; then make some for yourself and your son. (14) For thus said the LORD, the God of Israel: The jar of flour shall not give out and the jug of oil shall not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the ground.” (15) She went and did as Elijah had spoken, and she and he and her household had food for a long time. (16) The jar of flour did not give out, nor did the jug of oil fail, just as the LORD had spoken through Elijah.

(17) After a while, the son of the mistress of the house fell sick, and his illness grew worse, until he had no breath left in him. (18) She said to Elijah, “What harm have I done you, O man of God, that you should come here to recall my sin and cause the death of my son?” (19) “Give me the boy,” he said to her; and taking him from her arms, he carried him to the upper chamber where he was staying, and laid him down on his own bed. (20) He cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, will You bring calamity upon this widow whose guest I am, and let her son die?” (21) Then he stretched out over the child three times, and cried out to the LORD, saying, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life return to his body!” (22) The LORD heard Elijah’s plea; the child’s life returned to his body, and he revived. (23) Elijah picked up the child and brought him down from the upper room into the main room, and gave him to his mother. “See,” said Elijah, “your son is alive.” (24) And the woman answered Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD is truly in your mouth.”

And it is written: “And it came to pass after these matters, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick” (I Kings 17:17). Elijah prayed for mercy, for God to give him the key to the resurrection of the dead. They said to him from Heaven: Three keys were not typically passed to an agent: The key to a woman in childbirth, the key to rainfall, and the key to the resurrection of the dead. You already have the key to rainfall; do you also request the key to the resurrection of the dead? People will say: Two keys are in the possession of the student and one key is in the possession of the Master. Bring Me this key to rainfall, and take this key to the resurrection of the dead.

Elijah's response to the woman was "please make me a small cake, because this is what God said, 'Thus said the Lord, the jug of flour will not cease', and he didn't require any pleas or prayer to make this happen. However when it came to resuscitating the child, he was very concerned about this child's death, which is why he cried out to God, and three times cried out with full force, and God heard his cry and brought the child back.

AND Isaac sowed in that land" (Gen. 26 12). Rabbi Eliezer said: Did Isaac sow the seed of corn? Heaven forbid ! But he took all his wealth, and sowed it in charity to the needy, as it is said, "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to love" (Hos. 10:12). Everything which he tithed, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him (in return) one hundred times (the value) in different kinds of blessings, as it is said, "And he found in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him" (Gen. 26:12).

(2) Rabbi Simeon said: Owing to the power of || charity the dead will be quickened in the future. Whence do we learn this? From Elijah the Tishbite. For he betook himself to Zarephath, and a woman (who was) a widow received him with great honour. She was the mother of Jonah, and they were eating and drinking his bread and oil; he, she, and her son, as it is said, "And she did eat, and he also" (1 Kings 17:15).

(3) "He and she" (indicate that it was) by the merit of Elijah that they had to eat. After (a period of) days, the son of the woman fell sick and died, as it is said, "And it came to pass after these things that the son of the woman fell sick" (1 Kings 17:17). The woman said to him (Elijah): Thou didst come unto me for coition, and thou wilt bring my sin to remembrance against me, and my son is dead. Now take away all that which thou hast brought to me, and give me my son. Elijah, may he be remembered for good, arose and prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said before Him: Sovereign of all the worlds ! Is it not enough (to endure) all the evils which have befallen me, but also this woman; for I know that out of sorrow for her son has she spoken of a matter which has not occurred, which she has brought against me to vex me. Now let all the generations learn that there is a resurrection of the dead, and restore the soul of this lad within him; and He was entreated of him, as it is said, "And the Lord hearkened unto the voice of Elijah" (1 Kings 17:22). Another Scripture text says, "And Elijah || took the child… See, thy son liveth" (1 Kings 17:23).