Elijah's purely human relations to the world revealed themselves in
their fulness, neither in his deeds of charity, nor in his censorious
rigor, but rather in his gentle and scholarly intercourse with the
great in Israel, especially the learned Rabbis of the Talmudic time. He
is at once their disciple and their teacher. To one he resorts for
instruction on difficult points, to another he himself dispenses
instruction. As a matter of course, his intimate knowledge of the
supernatural world makes him appear more frequently in the role of
giver than receiver. Many a bit of secret lore the Jewish teachers
learnt from Elijah, and he it was who, with the swiftness of lightning,
carried the teachings of one Rabbi to another sojourning hundreds of
miles away. (75)
Thus it was Elijah who taught Rabbi Jose the deep meaning hidden in the
Scriptural passage in which woman is designated as the helpmeet of man.
By means of examples he demonstrated to the Rabbi how indispensable
woman is to man. (76)
Rabbi Nehorai profited by his exposition of why God created useless,
even noxious insects. The reason for their existence is that the sight
of superfluous and harmful creatures prevents God from destroying His
world at times when, on account of the wickedness and iniquity
prevailing in it, it repents Him of having created it. If He preserves
creatures that at their best are useless, and at their worst injurious,
how much more should He preserve human beings with all their
potentialities for good.
The same Rabbi Nehorai was told by Elijah, that God sends earthquakes
and other destructive phenomena when He sees places of amusement
prosperous and flourishing, while the Temple lies a heap of dust and
ashes. (77)
To Rabbi Judah he communicated the following three maxims: Let not
anger master thee, and thou wilt not fall into sin; let not drink
master thee, and thou wilt be spared pain; before thou settest out on a
journey, take counsel with thy Creator. (78)
In case of a difference of opinion among scholars, Elijah was usually
questioned as to how the moot point was interpreted in the heavenly
academy. (79) Once, when the scholars were not unanimous in their views
as to Esther's intentions when she invited Haman to her banquets with
the king, Elijah, asked by Rabba bar Abbahu to tell him her real
purpose, said that each and every one of the motives attributed to her
by various scholars were true, for her invitations to Haman had many a
purpose. (80)
A similar answer he gave the Amora Abiathar, who disputed with his
colleagues as to why the Ephraimite who cause the war against the tribe
of Benjamin first cast off his concubine, and then became reconciled to
her. Elijah informed Rabbi Abiathar that in heaven the cruel conduct of
the Ephraimite was explained in two ways, according to Abiathar's
conception and according to his opponent Jonathan's as well. (81)
Regarding the great contest between Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus and the
whole body of scholars, in which the majority maintained the validity
of its opinion, though a heavenly voice pronounced Rabbi Eliezer's
correct, Elijah told Rabbi Nathan, that God in His heaven had cried
out: "My children have prevailed over Me!" (82)
On one occasion Elijah fared badly for having betrayed celestial events
to his scholars. He was a daily attendant at the academy of Rabbi Judah
ha-Nasi. One day, it was the New Moon Day, he was late. The reason for
his tardiness, he said, was that it was his daily duty to awaken the
three Patriarchs, (83) wash their hands for them, so that they might
offer up their prayers, and after their devotions lead them back to
their resting-places. On this day their prayers took very long, because
they were increased by the Musaf service on account of the New Moon
celebration, and hence he did not make his appearance at the academy in
good time. Elijah did not end his narrative at this point, but went on
to tell the Rabbi, that this occupation of his was rather tedious, for
the three Patriarchs were not permitted to offer up their payers at the
same time. Abraham prayed first, then came Isaac, and finally Jacob. If
they all were to pray together, the united petitions of three such
paragons of piety would be so efficacious as to force God to fulfil
them, and He would be induced to bring the Messiah before his time.
Then Rabbi Judah wanted to know whether there were any among the pious
on earth whose prayer possessed equal efficacy. Elijah admitted that
the same power resided in the prayers of Rabbi Hayyah and his two sons.
Rabbi Judah lost no time in proclaiming a day of prayer and fasting and
summoning Rabbi Hayyah and his sons to officiate as the leaders in
prayer. They began to chant the Eighteen Benedictions. Then they
uttered the word for wind, a storm arose; when they continued and made
petition for rain, the rain descended at once. But as the readers
approached the passage relating to the revival of the dead, great
excitement arose in heaven, and when it became known that Elijah had
revealed the secret of the marvellous power attaching to the prayers of
the three men, he was punished with fiery blows. To thwart Rabbi
Judah's purpose, Elijah assumed the form of a bear, and put the praying
congregation to flight. (84)
Contrariwise, Elijah was also in the habit of reporting earthly events
in the celestial regions. He told Rabba bar Shila that the reason Rabbi
Meir was never quoted in the academy on high was because he had had so
wicked a teacher as Elisha ben Abuyah. Rabba explained Rabbi Meir's
conduct by an apologue. "Rabbi Meir," he said, "found a pomegranate; he
enjoyed the heart of the fruit, and cast the skin aside." Elijah was
persuaded of the justness of this defense, and so were all the
celestial powers. Thereupon one of Rabbi Meir's interpretations was
quoted in the heavenly academy. (85)
Elijah was no less interested in the persons of the learned than in
their teachings, especially when scholars were to be provided with the
means of devoting themselves to their studies. It was he who, when
Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, later a great celebrity, resolved to devote
himself to the law, advised him to repair to Jerusalem and sit at the
feet of Rabban Johanan ben Zakkai. (86)
He once met a man who mocked at his exhortations to study, and he said
that on the great day of reckoning he would excuse himself for his
neglect of intellectual pursuits by the fact that he had been granted
neither intelligence nor wisdom. Elijah asked him what his calling was.
"I am a fisherman," was the reply. "Well, my son," questioned Elijah,
"who taught thee to take flax and make nets and throw them into the sea
to catch fish?" He replied: "For this heaven gave me intelligence and
insight." Hereupon Elijah: "If thou possessest intelligence and insight
to cast nets and catch fish, why should these qualities desert thee
when thou dealest with the Torah, which, thou knowest, is very nigh
unto man that he may do it?" The fisherman was touched, and he began to
weep. Elijah pacified him by telling him that what he had said applied
to many another beside him. (87)
In another way Elijah conveyed the lesson of the great value residing
in devotion to the study of the Torah. Disguised as a Rabbi, he was
approached by a man who promised to relieve him of all material cares
if he would but abide with him. Refusing to leave Jabneh, the centre of
Jewish scholarship, he said to the tempter: "Wert thou to offer me a
thousand million gold denarii, I would not quit the abode of the law,
and dwell in a place in which there is no Torah." (88)
By Torah, of course, is meant the law as conceived and interpreted by
the sages and the scholars, for Elijah was particularly solicitous to
establish the authority of the oral law, (89) as he was solicitous to
demonstrate the truth of Scriptural promises that appeared incredible
at first sight. For instance, he once fulfilled Rabbi Joshua ben Levi's
wish to see the precious stones which would take the place of the sun
in illuminating Jerusalem in the Messianic time. A vessel in mid-ocean
was nigh unto shipwreck. Among a large number of heathen passengers
there was a single Jewish youth. To him Elijah appeared and said, he
would rescue the vessel, provided the boy went to Rabbi Joshua ben
Levi, and took him to a certain place far removed from the town and
from human habitation, and showed him the gems. The boy doubted that so
great a man would consent to follow a mere slip of a youth to a remote
spot, but, reassured by Elijah, who told him of Rabbi Joshua's
extraordinary modesty, he undertook the commission, and the vessel with
its human freight was saved. The boy came to the Rabbi, besought him to
go whither he would lead, and Joshua, who was really possessed of great
modesty, followed the boy three miles without even inquiring the
purpose of the expedition. When they finally reached the cave, the boy
said: "See, here are the precious stones!" The Rabbi grasped them, and
a flood of light spread as far as Lydda, the residence of Rabbi Joshua.
Startled, he cast the precious stones away from him, and they
disappeared. (90)
This Rabbi was a particular favorite of Elijah, who even secured him an
interview with the Messiah. The Rabbi found the Messiah among the crowd
of afflicted poor gathered near the city gates of Rome, and he greeted
him with the words: "Peace be with thee, my teacher and guide!"
Whereunto the Messiah replied: "Peace be with thee, thou son of Levi!"
The Rabbi then asked him when he would appear, and the Messiah said,
"To-day." Elijah explained to the Rabbi later that what the Messiah
meant by "to-day" was, that he for his part was ready to bring Israel
redemption at any time. If Israel but showed himself worthy, he would
instantly fufil his mission. (91)
Elijah wanted to put Rabbi Joshua into communication with the departed
Rabbi Simon ben Yohai also, but the later did not consider him of
sufficient importance to honor him with his conversation. Rabbi Simon
had addressed a question to him, and Rabbi Joshua in his modesty had
made a reply not calculated to give one a high opinion of him. (92) In
reality Rabbi Joshua was the possessor of such sterling qualities, that
when he entered Paradise Elijah walked before him calling out: "Make
room for the son of Levi." (93)