Changing of the Guard: Passing the Mantle of Leadership from Eliyahu to Elisha

The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash

Shiur #54: Chorev Part 5: Revelation in a "Small, Silent Voice" (11-14)

By Rav Elchanan Samet

Let us now examine the approaches of two commentators whom we quoted in a previous shiur in explaining the first dialogue between God and Eliyahu, and we will see how each of them molds his interpretation of the present revelation in such a way as to adapt it to the interpretation of the previous dialogue.

The Malbim, we recall, interprets God's question as a rebuke to the prophet for being "here" - in the desert - rather than amongst the people, guiding them and prophesy for them. He also interprets Eliyahu's response to mean, "I cannot be a prophet guiding and rebuking this nation, because I am consumed with zealousness in light of their evil deeds." The Malbim pursues the same idea further, interpreting the prophetic revelation here as a rebuke to Eliyahu and as instruction to him as to how to act as a prophet among the people. God's rebuke is already lurking in the question, "What do you seek here, Eliyahu?" In the revelation it becomes overt and explicit, with a response to Eliyahu's preceding words (as interpreted by the Malbim):

He showed him that God is not to be found in the camp of wind, earthquake and fire; [He is to be found] only in a small, silent voice. From this God's emissaries and prophets are to learn that they should not "raise a storm," nor cause the earth to quake, nor cause fire to burn (as Eliyahu did in his zealousness for the Lord of Hosts – by shutting up the heavens and by slaughtering the prophets of Ba'al). God sends His prophets to go to [the people] with a silent voice – (i.e.,) to draw the nation with cords of love and with soft words.

The Ralbag, on the other hand, interpreted Eliyahu's words, "I have been exceedingly zealous…" as a quest for revenge upon Israel for their evil deeds. He, too, continues with the same approach and regards the revelation as a response to this demand on Eliyahu's part:

So the blessed God told him to go out and stand at the mountain, before God… And it would appear that God did this so that Eliyahu would ask for mercy upon Israel, and not pray that they be destroyed for their evil deeds. For it was the will of the blessed God to be patient with them, so that they would return to Him. It was for this reason that He showed him the destructive phenomena, such as the great and strong wind that broke apart mountains and shattered rocks, but God was not in the wind – BECAUSE IT IS NOT GOD'S WAY TO BRING ABOUT EVIL THINGS UNLESS THERE IS SOME POSITIVE RESULT THAT WILL EMERGE FROM THEM. And since it was clear to the blessed God that they would not accept rebuke (after all, we see that the withholding of dew and rain for three years did not lead them to submit themselves to God), He did not wish to punish them for their sins as they deserved, but rather waited for them so they might repent their evil way.

And after the wind came – an earthquake; this was destructive, it is a phenomenon that overturns countries, and once again we are told that God was not in the earthquake, just as we read concerning the wind. And following the earthquake – a fire, which is even more destructive. There, too, we read that God was not in the fire, for the same reason that we discussed above.

The Ba'al ha-Metzudot, who interprets Eliyahu's words, "I have been exceedingly zealous for God", in the same way as the Ralbag does – i.e., as a demand for revenge on Israel – also goes on to understand the revelation in a similar way:

He was shown the Divine glory, which did not pass over in a wind or in the earthquake or in a fire, but rather in a small, silent voice, FOR HE DESIRES KINDNESS AND DOES NOT AROUSE ALL OF HIS ANGER, to come in [the form of] wind or an earthquake or fire.

According to the Malbim, the wind, the earthquake and the fire - and, in contrast to them, the small, silent voice – are a METAPHOR as to the improper and proper attitudes towards Israel. They represent God's approach, and they are also the approach worthy of being adopted by the prophet. The revelation as a whole is a rebuke and guidance to Eliyahu as to how he should go about his role as prophet amongst the nation. According to the Ralbag and the Ba'al ha-Metzudot, on the other hand, the wind, earthquake and fire are to be understood literally. They are the forces of destruction that God unleashes in order to punish His creations – both individuals and entire nations. The purpose of the revelation is to make known God's ways in managing the world, and it provides a response to Eliyahu's demand for revenge: "It is not God's way to bring about evil things unless there is some good that will emerge from them." Therefore it is not proper that the prophet pray for their destruction; rather, "Eliyahu should plead for mercy upon Israel."

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks:

"At the end of his life, Moses recognized one great failure of his leadership. He had taken the Israelites out of Egypt, but he hadn’t taken Egypt out of the Israelites. He had changed his people’s fate, but he hadn’t changed their character. He now realized that for this to happen there would have to be a different kind of leadership, one that handed back responsibility to the people as a whole, and to the elders in particular. So long as there is a Moses performing miracles, the people do not have to accept responsibility for themselves. In order for them to grow, Joshua would have to engage in participative leadership, encouraging diverse views and listening to them, even if that meant going more slowly."

RAV SOLOVEITCHIK’S LECTURE ON LEADERSHIP

Lecture given by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik k’’mz on June 10, 1974 Transcribed by Yitzchak Etshalom

...Basically, “Moshe, had I been looking for a negotiator, I wouldn’t have selected you. But I’m not looking for a negotiator - I can do the art of negotiating by myself. I need a teacher for my people - as a teacher, you yourself will agree that you are the best one - you are a teacher par excellence. And that’s why I selected you: ‘And it shall be your sign’ - and that is the reason ‘that it was I who sent you’; that I selected you and not somebody else (this is how the Sefer haHinukh understands it).” There were many peo- ple in Egypt who were qualified to be negotiators; because the purpose of the Exodus is not political freedom, but the conversion of a slave society into a Kingdom of Kohanim and a holy nation. And for that you are wonderful. Moshe knew this. However, he did not expect, until the Mit’avim, that he would assume the role of a teacher, but of a nursing mother/father - an Omein.

What is an Omein?- it is a nursing mother or father. Of course, a nursing mother teaches the baby. Perhaps the mother is the best and most important teacher in the life of a baby. But she does something else - the Rebbe teaches the talmidim. The nursing moth- er, in addition to teaching, carries the baby in her bosom or in her arms. ...as a nurse carries a sucking child... What does this mean? Usually the father doesn’t do it, the mother does it. The father has no patience for that. It has more meaning than the literal mean- ing of the word. The teacher does teach his disciple, but the disciple very seldom becomes a part of him. When the mother teach- es the baby, the baby becomes a part of her. The mother, when she rears the baby, has one calling, one purpose, to protect the baby. The Omein or the mother basically do not belong to themselves. Many may be very critical of my statement but this is true accord- ing to Yahadut. A mother has no life of her own. She belongs to the infant. At least as long as the infant is helpless and is exposed to the dangers of a hostile environment. She belongs to the infant.

Moshe discovered now that teaching is not enough for a leader of Yisrael. A teacher, no matter how devoted, has a life of his own. That his job is nursing, carrying the baby in his arms, watching every step, guessing the baby’s needs (a baby cannot say what she wants, you have to guess) feeling pain when the baby cries and being happy when the baby is cheerful. Teaching or instructing her good performances, but that is not everything. Moshe, who reconciled with his role as a teacher and leader of adults, began to doubt his ability to play the role of an Omein or mother nurse. Listen to his words:

Did I conceive all these people, did I bear them, that you say to me: Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries an infant?

Moshe discovered something tragic in a mother’s life. That from now on, as an individual, he has no rights at all, no right to rejoice, whenever G-d will be good to him. As a private person, he is not entitled to enjoy life as an individual, to be happy in an ordinary way, like any other human being, because his children will never belong to Moshe. He lost his family. He became the mother nurse of K’lal Yisrael, no family of his own.

This is what our Rabbis say: “he separated himself from his wife.” It isn’t just his wife from whom he separated, it’s the wife and children (two lovely boys), his sister, his brother. He could not share his joy with them, they could not share their joy with him, he is the father of Yisrael, the father of K’lal Yisrael, and that is what he means: the role of as a nurse carries a sucking child was imposed upon him during the rebellion of the Mit’onenim. He separated himself, not only from his mate, but also from his chil- dren. Where are Moshe’s children? Do we ever come across Moshe’s children? There was a census taken in the desert the begin- ning of the 40 years and at the end of the 40 years. Are Moshe’s children mentioned? Not once.

This is the lineage of Aaron and Moses...These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar;