The Recording
The Summary
Melakhim Bet Chapter 2
Eliyahu and Elisha are together in Gilgal. Eliyahu informs Elisha that Hashem has commanded him to travel to Bet El, and he tells Elisha to remain behind; Elisha, however, insists on accompanying him. Once in Bet El, a group of young prophets approach Elisha and ask him if he is aware of the fact that this is the day that Eliyahu will finally disappear. Elisha responds that he is, indeed, aware of this, but tells them to be silent about it.
Eliyahu again attempts to leave Elisha behind in order to fulfill a divine command he has received to travel to Yeriho; Elisha, once again, refuses to part from his master and goes as well. The young prophets in Yeriho have the same exchange with Elisha that their counterparts in Bet El did.
Finally, Eliyahu announces his plan to head to the Jordan River and to leave Elisha behind; Elisha, still standing his ground, escorts Eliyahu to his destination. Eliyahu removes his cloak and strikes the waters of the Jordan with it; they split and allow the two prophets to cross, in clear view of a group of young prophets who are watching the event from afar.
Eliyahu asks Elisha what he can do for him before he departs. Elisha requests a double portion of the spirit that has rested upon his master. Eliyahu comments that this is a tall order. However, he tells Elisha that if he witnesses Eliyahu’s final ascent to heaven, this is a sign that the spirit he seeks will indeed rest upon him.
As they are walking and talking, a chariot of fire driven by horses of fire appears between them, and Eliyahu is whisked away in a whirlwind. His mantle falls to the ground and is retrieved by Elisha, who uses it to miraculously split the waters of the Jordan once again.
Once back on the mainland of Israel, he is greeted by the younger prophets who recognize that he has inherited the spiritual power of Eliyahu. Nevertheless, they wish to organize a search party to find Eliyahu; at first, Elisha protests, but at their repeated urging, he relents. Unsurprisingly, Eliyahu is not found.
The young prophets in Yeriho share with Elisha that their city is very pleasant but the water is bitter and induces illness. Elisha requests a new container with salt inside, and he pours it into the water, permanently “healing” it. Retracing the steps of his teacher, Eliyahu,
Elisha proceeds to Bet El, where he is taunted by a group of youths who hurl insults at him, calling him “bald one”. Elisha curses the boys and forty two of them are mauled by bears. Elisha then travels to Mount Carmel, the site of the famous showdown between Eliyahu and the prophets of the Baal, and ultimately returns to Shomron.
This chapter is shrouded in a considerable amount of mystery. We won’t be able to dispel or even explore all of it, but we must touch upon at least a few points. What is the nature of Eliyahu’s ascent to heaven, and why is he the only prophet in our history to have concluded his career in such a dramatic and remarkable manner? Moreover, what is the significance of the lead up to his departure – his visit of various communities, crossing of the Jordan, and dialogue with Elisha?
The commentaries are divided on the precise nature of Eliyahu’s “ascent”. Some, like Radaq, interpret it in purely spiritual terms and explain the story as the death of Eliyahu and his entry into the World-To-Come. Others, like the Ralbag (and, seemingly, most of the mainstream Sages of our tradition), understand that Eliyahu continues to live in the physical world in a secret location where he awaits the future redemption.
Of course, there are difficulties with both approaches. On a fundamental level, Radaq’s interpretation basically amounts to saying that Eliyahu died but that his remains – like those of Moshe Rabbenu – were not buried by human hands. While this downplays the supernatural aspects of Eliyahu’s ascent, it does little to explain how is fate is much different than that of an ordinary person who passes away. On the other hand, the view that Eliyahu continues to live for eternity in this world can be hard for us to imagine and accept; it would be the most extraordinary and long-lasting miracle Hashem has ever performed!
The reason behind the ascent of Eliyahu can be found not in these differences of opinion but in the common denominator between the two schools of thought. Both agree that Eliyahu will one day reappear as the harbinger of the Messianic Age, preparing the way for the arrival of the Mashiah. So, one way or another, his unusual departure conveys the message that his career is not over – the idea that he “lives forever”, whether in this world or the next, means that his mission as a prophet is “on pause” but has not yet reached its conclusion. In his own era, Eliyahu did all he possibly could to bring the Jews back to the way of Torah, but his efforts were ultimately not successful. We know that he will have another opportunity to achieve his goal under better circumstances, in the future…And, in one way or another, he is waiting for it.
We can best understand the travels of Eliyahu as a farewell tour; he visits each community of prophets and repeatedly attempts to bid farewell to his own protégé, Elisha, before departing from the world. Fascinatingly, the route that Eliyahu takes – from Gilgal to Bet El to Yeriho to the opposite side of the Jordan River – is a reversal of the path taken by the Jewish people when they entered the Land of Israel by crossing the Jordan River, conquering Yeriho, passing through Bet El, and camping in Gilgal.
Symbolically, Eliyahu is taking leave of his students, his people, and his role in Jewish history – he is exiting the stage, at least temporarily. Elisha, who grasps the mantle of his master and crosses back over the Jordan to retrace the journey to Yeriho and Bet El and ultimately Mount Carmel, demonstrates his assumption of the role of Eliyahu and his “reentry” onto the scene as the new prophet of the generation.
Until the very end, Eliyahu seemed like he was not quite sure if Elisha would be able to “fill his shoes” after his departure. Elisha’s stubborn insistence upon accompanying his teacher was evidence of his determination to serve as a worthy successor to Eliyahu. Unlike the way Yehoshua succeeded Moshe – as a “second choice” because the ideal, Moshe himself, was unavailable – Elisha asked to have the capability to continue the legacy of his great master fully and authentically. His witnessing of the ascent of Eliyahu – his participation in the prophetic experience of his teacher – was proof that he had, in the eyes of Hashem, reached a level of development that qualified him to take Eliyahu’s place.
Nevertheless, if Elisha is to gain the respect of the nation, the community must also embrace him as the “new Eliyahu”. The younger prophets, although they saw the power of Elisha in his splitting of the Jordan, were not convinced that he was the official replacement for Eliyahu until they conducted a search and determined that Eliyahu was no longer among them.
Similarly, the young boys who taunted Elisha as “bald” – in contrast with Eliyahu, who was known as a hairy fellow (as reported by Ahazya’s messengers) – were essentially stripping him of his credibility, accusing him of being a usurper or a pretender to the “throne” of the great prophet. When all was said and done, in the eyes of Hashem and in the eyes of the community, Elisha emerged as the preeminent prophet of his generation, filling the shoes of Eliyahu but enriching and improving his teacher’s educational methods with his softer, gentler and more compassionate style.