The chapter before us is one of the most dramatic climaxes in all of Sefer Melachim: Eliyahu the prophet stands the people of Israel before a sharp decision - if Hashem is the God, follow Him, and if the Baal, follow it. In this lesson we will proceed through the pesukim of the test itself: how Eliyahu grants the prophets of the Baal every possible advantage, how they fail, how Eliyahu builds the altar of Hashem and prays, and how in the end it is revealed that Hashem is the God, and the rain descends. We will focus mainly on the explanations of the Malbim, alongside the words of Chazal, the Midrashim, and the other commentators.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ לִנְבִיאֵי הַבַּעַל בַּחֲרוּ לָכֶם הַפָּר הָאֶחָד וַעֲשׂוּ רִאשֹׁנָה כִּי אַתֶּם הָרַבִּים וְקִרְאוּ בְּשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְאֵשׁ לֹא תָשִׂימוּ׃ - And Eliyahu said to the prophets of the Baal: Choose for yourselves the one bull and prepare it first, for you are the many, and call in the name of your god, but set no fire.
Up to this point Eliyahu had presented the rules of the test. Now he turns to the prophets of the Baal directly, and grants them three advantages: first, "Choose for yourselves the one bull" - you take the choicer bull. Second, "and prepare it first" - you will begin. And third, he gives them a reason: "for you are the many" - the very abundance is an advantage. Eliyahu removes from himself any advance claim, and now let us see what will come of all these advantages.
וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־הַפָּר אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן לָהֶם וַיַּעֲשׂוּ וַיִּקְרְאוּ בְשֵׁם־הַבַּעַל מֵהַבֹּקֶר וְעַד־הַצָּהֳרַיִם לֵאמֹר הַבַּעַל עֲנֵנוּ וְאֵין קוֹל וְאֵין עֹנֶה וַיְפַסְּחוּ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃ - And they took the bull that was given to them and prepared it, and they called in the name of the Baal from the morning until noon, saying: O Baal, answer us! But there was no voice and none who answered, and they leaped about the altar that was made.
One must ask: Eliyahu told them "Choose," and if they chose, then they took it themselves, so why does the verse call this "that was given to them"? Chazal say: when Eliyahu sent them to take the bull, the bull would slip away and turn back. They came to take it, and it would not move, digging its feet into the ground and refusing to be dragged. What, shall I be offered as a sacrifice to the Baal? By no means. Until Eliyahu came and whispered in its ear: Know that through you too the name of Heaven will be sanctified, for when all see that no fire descends upon the Baal's bull and only upon mine, the name of Heaven will thereby be sanctified, and you too are a partner in this sanctification of the Name. But how do you explain such a thing to a bull? It neither understood nor agreed, and in the end Eliyahu had to take it and hand it over to them personally - "that was given to them."
We have already explained several times what Tosafot and other commentators write: one must not err and think that Eliyahu spoke with the bull itself, for a bull has no intellect or understanding, and it cannot possibly comprehend anything. Rather, wherever we see a personification of an inanimate object or an animal, that is, that one speaks to it as to a person, its meaning is that one speaks with the spiritual force within it. For over every single plant and over every single thing in the world there is an angel that strikes upon its head and says to it: Grow. It is with the spiritual force, with its heavenly minister, that one speaks. Moshe too, who spoke with the sea and asked it to split, did not speak with the water but with the minister of the sea. So too the Ginnai River: not with the river but with the minister of the river. And so it is in every place where we see something of this kind.
The Malbim explains "that was given to them" according to the plain meaning: the bulls were not equal, one was choice and one was inferior, and since Eliyahu told them "Choose," he had already directed them what to take. When I place before you a fine item and a plain item and tell you to choose whatever you wish, it is as if I have handed you the fine one. Therefore the prophet calls this "that was given to them." And the Chatam Sofer explains that this was indeed a matter of choice.
They call out "O Baal, answer us," and there is no voice and none who answers. And I once said in jest that there are women who to this very day serve their husband (baal) and shout all day "O Baal, answer us"...
Why does the prophet emphasize that they called out until noon? It is written in the sefarim that the worship of the Baal was the worship of the sun; they were sun worshippers. This is what is meant by the verse "their backs toward the Heichal of Hashem and their faces eastward" - they would go to the eastern side of the Temple Mount and bow to the sun immediately at sunrise, and thus their backs were turned toward the Beit HaMikdash, Rachmana litzlan. And when is the sun at its strongest and most powerful? At midday. Therefore "they called out... until noon," for they understood that this was the most opportune hour to receive influences from the sun, when it is in its fullest dominion. For this same reason they also agreed to a test specifically by fire: their god is the sun, and the sun is of the element of fire, and therefore they were certain they would be able to bring down fire from heaven upon their sacrifice. What they did not know is that all these forces have no power of their own at all, but everything comes from Hashem Yitbarach.
What does "they leaped" mean? In its plain sense they were jumping and dancing upon the altar, as is the way of all idol worshippers, who, when they wished to arouse their idol, would dance. The Native Americans too have a rain dance and all sorts of dances, through which they attempt, as it were, to arouse the higher spiritual forces. Yonatan translates "and they acted foolishly upon the altar" - they acted foolishly upon the altar, performing acts of folly in order to bring down the higher influence. Some explain that they made themselves as though lame and in pain, like a man limping from pain, for they said: perhaps when the god sees our pain he will be aroused. And some explain "they leaped" as an expression of going back and forth, jumping from here to there and from there to here.
And the Malbim explains a new approach: while they were building their altar, Eliyahu also began to build the altar of Hashem, in order to be ready for the moment when he would need to bring down the influence from Hashem. And when they saw that they were not succeeding in bringing down fire, they said: ah, we have found the cause! Eliyahu's altar is the one that is snatching away all the good that our god wishes to bestow. He wants to give, and he sees here a competing altar, and this angers him - how dare they set up rivals to him here? Therefore they went and "leaped upon the altar which was made" - they destroyed Eliyahu's altar. According to this the wording of the verse is settled, for if it referred to their own altar it should have said "which they made," so why does it say "which was made" in the singular? Rather the intent is to Eliyahu, that they came to nullify and destroy the altar that Eliyahu had made. And as we shall see, the words of the Malbim also fit the continuation of the verses.
וַיְהִי בַצָּהֳרַיִם וַיְהַתֵּל בָּהֶם אֵלִיָּהוּ וַיֹּאמֶר קִרְאוּ בְקוֹל־גָּדוֹל כִּי־אֱלֹהִים הוּא כִּי שִׂיחַ וְכִי־שִׂיג לוֹ וְכִי־דֶרֶךְ לוֹ אוּלַי יָשֵׁן הוּא וְיִקָץ׃ - And it came to pass at noon that Eliyahu mocked them, and said: Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; perhaps he is conversing, or he is pursuing something, or he is on a journey; perhaps he is asleep and will awaken.
Eliyahu mocks them: call out with a loud voice, for you claim that he is a god. "For he is conversing" - perhaps he is speaking with someone right now. "Or he is pursuing something" - perhaps he is occupied with some spiritual attainment, with a special thought that grips him at the moment. "Or he is on a journey" - perhaps he has just returned from a long trip and is unavailable; there were no cell phones for everyone back then, so try again later. And Rashi explains "or he is on a journey" - he went to the bathroom; he had needs, what do you want? Wait for him a bit. "Perhaps he is asleep and will awaken" - perhaps he has been working hard lately and went to sleep, so shout and try to rouse him.
And this is what Chazal say: all mockery is forbidden except for mockery of idolatry. All mockery is forbidden except for mockery of idolatry, in which case, on the contrary, it is praiseworthy. Why? Because with idolatry we must nullify it in every way, and if the power of nullification comes through mocking it, this too is a fit tool. Eliyahu was not truly speaking to the prophets, who as we shall see were already beyond remedy, but rather to the people: see in whom you believe and in whom you trust, see what a vanity this is and what a faith with no substance to it. All this mockery came to soften the heart of the people.
וַיִּקְרְאוּ בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל וַיִּתְגֹּדְדוּ כְּמִשְׁפָּטָם בַּחֲרָבוֹת וּבָרְמָחִים עַד־שְׁפָךְ־דָּם עֲלֵיהֶם׃ - And they called out with a loud voice and gashed themselves according to their custom with swords and spears, until blood gushed out upon them.
They actually accept Eliyahu's suggestions: perhaps he does not hear, perhaps he is on a journey, perhaps he is far away - and therefore they shout with a loud voice, and if he is asleep let him awaken. And they did not suffice with this but went further and gashed themselves according to their custom, for it was their way, when they called upon their god, to stab and cut themselves. This is what the Torah says, "Lo titgodedu," that a person is forbidden to stab and cut himself as part of the worship of Hashem, for this was the manner of worship of idol worshippers. And the reason for it: perhaps the god will see their distress, see how much his worshippers are suffering, and decide to answer them.
וַיְהִי כַּעֲבֹר הַצָּהֳרַיִם וַיִּתְנַבְּאוּ עַד לַעֲלוֹת הַמִּנְחָה וְאֵין־קוֹל וְאֵין־עֹנֶה וְאֵין קָשֶׁב׃ - And it came to pass, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
The Radak explains "and they prophesied" as a term of speech, the utterance of the lips: they continued and spoke mocking words as was their custom, as the Targum renders "and they acted foolishly." "Until the time of the offering of the minchah" means until the time of the evening offering, the daily sacrifice of the afternoon. And why specifically until the offering of the minchah? The Malbim explains: the sun is at its full strength at midday, and from there on it begins to descend and wane. They said: if until now, while the sun is at its strength, we have not been answered, then from here on there is surely no point, for the sun is only turning back.
But the Malbim adds that "and they prophesied" is not merely a term of speech, but actual prophecy - not from Hashem, heaven forbid, but false prophecy. For now they had to produce explanations: the whole nation stood and asked, what do you have to say, why did the Baal not answer you? And each one stood up and said: the Baal told us in prophecy that he is very angry at his worshippers, for at the last festival they did not bring enough sacrifices. In short, each one gave a reason and explanation why the Baal is angry and therefore does not respond. And according to this, "there was no voice" means that no voice was heard answering them from heaven, and "nor any that regarded" means that no one from the nation paid attention to the empty words they brought as excuses, that is, the people did not buy their excuses.
And in the Yalkut, Chazal say that the prophets of the Baal made their altar hollow, and hid there Chiel of Beit HaEli, so that he would be a backup for a time of emergency: if the Baal decided not to bring down fire, Chiel would be there with flammable materials, and he would take care of arranging matters. But the Holy One, blessed be He, summoned a snake that bit Chiel, and thereby their scheme was foiled. And according to this, the word "and they made" stated above is also explained - what was that special making? That they made the altar hollow, so that Chiel could hide inside it. And this is also the hint in "nor any that regarded": they cry out to Chiel - hello, now you need to get into action - and there is no response, he does not react. And some connect to this also "perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened": they cried aloud, perhaps Chiel had fallen asleep and forgotten what he was supposed to do.
And Eliyahu certainly knew all of this, for he was a prophet of Hashem. And the Vilna Gaon says: there is a verse in the book of Amos, "And though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out from there; and though they be hidden from My sight in the bottom of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them," and this verse was written many years later, and it hints at what happened here with Chiel of Beit HaEli: "though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel" - in the place where Eliyahu's test took place, if he hides there under the altar, "I will search and take them out from there." "And though they be hidden... in the bottom of the sea" - that he would hide in an earthen tunnel they made below the altar, which reaches, as it were, to the bottom of the world, "from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them" - from there I will send a serpent to bite him.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ לְכָל־הָעָם גְּשׁוּ אֵלַי וַיִּגְּשׁוּ כָל־הָעָם אֵלָיו וַיְרַפֵּא אֶת־מִזְבַּח יְהֹוָה הֶהָרוּס׃ - And Eliyahu said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of Hashem that was thrown down.
Why "come near to me"? So that it would be clear to all that there is no deception here: I have not hidden any man inside the altar and there is no one to ignite anything from below, and this can only be seen from up close. One of the things magicians dislike most is people standing close to them, and even more they dislike someone standing behind them, and therefore they ask everyone to move forward and keep their distance. One who wants to deceive does not want you beside him, but one who does the truth says: come near! Let everyone be close, so that it be clear to all that there is no trickery here.
"And he repaired the altar of Hashem that was thrown down" - according to the Malbim that we explained, there is no question here at all, and the matters fit like a glove: the worshippers of the Baal saw Eliyahu's altar, understood that it was causing them "reception problems" with their god, and destroyed it. And now, when Eliyahu comes to bring down fire, the first thing he must do is repair the altar that the prophets of the Baal destroyed. And the term "repair" here is by way of extension, for repair applies primarily to bodily health, and it is used also for other things.
And Rashi explains according to the plain meaning: he built an altar and reminded Israel of the altar that should be familiar in their mouths, since until now the altar had been destroyed from among them. In simple words: he built a new altar, and it is called "thrown down" because "in my heart I will build a sanctuary" - the altar needs to be in a person's heart, and since the altar and the sanctuary and all matters of the service of Hashem had grown distant from them, they are damaged and thrown down in their hearts, and one must rebuild the destroyed altar of Hashem that is in their hearts. And Rashi further brings a midrash: regarding Shaul it is said, upon his return from the war of Amalek, "and behold, Shaul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up for himself a monument," and one of the explanations (and we already expanded on this in Shmuel Aleph chapter 15 verse 12) is that he set up an altar for himself and gave thanks to Hashem with it. And when the kings of Israel who worshipped idols came, they destroyed all the altars and high places that were before them for the service of Hashem, and among them Shaul's altar, and now Eliyahu comes and repairs Shaul's altar that was thrown down. And there is no contradiction here: it may be that both this and that are true - Eliyahu began to build it, the prophets of the Baal destroyed it, and he built it again anew.
וַיִּקַּח אֵלִיָּהוּ שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה אֲבָנִים כְּמִסְפַּר שִׁבְטֵי בְנֵי־יַעֲקֹב אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר יִשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיֶה שְׁמֶךָ׃ - And Eliyahu took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Yaakov, to whom the word of Hashem came, saying, Israel shall be your name.
Why is it important to stress here the number of stones and what they correspond to? So that you do not err and think that Eliyahu made twelve stones in order to draw down abundance from the twelve stars and constellations, in the manner of idol worshipers, for the number twelve always symbolized for them the stars and constellations from which abundance descends. Therefore the verse emphasizes: corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. And it adds "to whom the word of Hashem came, saying, Israel shall be your name" - "Israel" is a term of dominion. The stars indeed rule over the nations, and they are the forces through which the nations of the world are influenced, but "not like these is the portion of Yaakov" - for Hashem is the lot of His inheritance. This is hinted at in the name Israel: you are above the stars, and not the stars above you. If so, when Eliyahu makes twelve, it is surely not corresponding to the twelve stars but corresponding to the tribes of Israel, for we have dominion over them.
Our Sages expound: Yaakov Avinu built an altar, and the Shechinah appeared to him at Beit El, and on that same day Hashem said to him "Israel shall be your name," and He also said to him "a nation and a company of nations shall come from you." And what is "a nation and a company of nations"? The Midrash says: Hashem told him - your children are destined to gather like other peoples and to build an altar and offer upon it at a time when private altars are forbidden, and I consent to the matter. The Holy One, blessed be He, hinted to him with that altar that there would be another altar in the future, and all the people would gather there, and He said to him: and I consent to the matter.
And why does He consent? Because Eliyahu is the example of the fact that a prophet may issue a command that contradicts what is written in the Torah, when it is a temporary directive. If a prophet comes and says that from now on it is permitted to offer on private altars, we tell him this cannot be, we have verses against it. But if a prophet comes and says that Hashem commanded that tomorrow, as a one time act, one should offer on a private altar for a particular need, and that prophet is known and famous for his greatness, his piety, his fear of Heaven, and his prophecies like Eliyahu the Prophet, we must accept it from him, and this is a temporary directive. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, emphasized to Yaakov that He consents to the matter, since this was only for that hour and that time, in order to return the hearts of Israel to the service of Hashem.
וַיִּבְנֶה אֶת־הָאֲבָנִים מִזְבֵּחַ בְּשֵׁם יְהֹוָה וַיַּעַשׂ תְּעָלָה כְּבֵית סָאתַיִם זֶרַע סָבִיב לַמִּזְבֵּחַ׃ - And he built the stones into an altar in the name of Hashem, and he made a trench about the size of two seah of seed around the altar.
"An altar in the name of Hashem" - that he consecrated it to the name of Hashem, that it should be holy with the holiness of an altar, meaning that everything should be for His sake. "And he made a trench about the size of two seah of seed" - and how large is two seah of seed? Fifty by one hundred amot. And what was fifty by one hundred amot? The courtyard of the Mishkan. And what stood in the courtyard of the Mishkan? The altar. Eliyahu knew that the boundary of holiness that extends from the altar is fifty by one hundred amot, and therefore when he built the altar here he bounded it with the boundary of holiness, like that courtyard around the altar in the Mishkan.
וַיַּעֲרֹךְ אֶת־הָעֵצִים וַיְנַתַּח אֶת־הַפָּר וַיָּשֶׂם עַל־הָעֵצִים׃ וַיֹּאמֶר מִלְאוּ אַרְבָּעָה כַדִּים מַיִם וְיִצְקוּ עַל־הָעֹלָה וְעַל־הָעֵצִים וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁנוּ וַיִּשְׁנוּ וַיֹּאמֶר שַׁלֵּשׁוּ וַיְשַׁלֵּשׁוּ׃ וַיֵּלְכוּ הַמַּיִם סָבִיב לַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְגַם אֶת־הַתְּעָלָה מִלֵּא־מָיִם׃ - And he arranged the wood and cut up the bull and placed it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood. And he said, Do it a second time, and they did it a second time. And he said, Do it a third time, and they did it a third time. And the water went around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.
Eliyahu wants to remove all doubt and to magnify the miracle, and therefore he commands to pour water on the burnt offering, for water is the complete opposite of the fire that is supposed to descend, and if that is not enough, also on the wood, and if that is not enough, once, twice, and three times: "do it a second time and they did it a second time... do it a third time and they did it a third time." There is a further matter here: in those days water was a rare and precious commodity, people had nothing to drink and every jar of water was sold for a fortune, and he takes water and pours it out freely. Who could do such a thing? Only one who is certain that shortly there will be enormous quantities of water and no one will give a thought to this water. If there really is a shortage, and perhaps this is the last water we have, how does one pour such a quantity onto the altar without reckoning? In this Eliyahu displays the greatness of his trust that fire will presently descend from heaven, and there will be no complaint against him.
And who poured the water? Our Sages say: Elisha, of whom it is said "who poured water on the hands of Eliyahu." And part of the miracle lay in this very act: our Sages said that Elisha's fingers became like flowing springs and streams of water came forth from them, and this is "who poured water" - that a miracle was performed with water through him. Therefore we also see later that a miracle was performed with water through Elisha, when he sweetened the water, as we will reach.
And why specifically four jars? The Radak explains that he told them to fill four jars three times, together twelve. The three times correspond to the three Patriarchs, in whose merit he prayed, and through three times four the number twelve is completed corresponding to the tribes of Israel. And the Malbim explains according to the way of the hidden: the source of abundance is in the four living beings that bear the upper chariot, and through them the abundance passes, and therefore he filled four jars, to bring the abundance from the four corners of the upper earth in the world of Atzilut, which is the highest world with which we engage, for it is the first world emanated from Him, blessed be He, after Adam Kadmon. And from there he draws the abundance down from the four living beings to the world of the Throne, and from there to the world of the angels. And "a third time" - to bring it down from those four living beings that Yechezkel saw in the lower chariot to the ofanim, which is the lowest world. In simple terms: everything done here was with a lofty intention to bring the abundance down from its upper source all the way to this world, and as we learned in Nefesh HaChaim, in order to draw down abundance one must reach its source, and when the abundance comes from its source we know that it will reach here below.
וַיְהִי בַּעֲלוֹת הַמִּנְחָה וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלִיָּהוּ הַנָּבִיא וַיֹּאמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם יִוָּדַע כִּי־אַתָּה אֱלֹהִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַאֲנִי עַבְדֶּךָ וּבִדְבָרְךָ עָשִׂיתִי אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה׃ - And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the afternoon sacrifice, that Eliyahu the prophet drew near and said: Hashem, God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yisrael, today let it be known that You are God in Yisrael, and that I am Your servant, and that by Your word I have done all these things.
"Today let it be known that You are God in Yisrael" - for until now they thought the Baal ruled over them, and from now on they will know that there is no God but Hashem. And what is meant by "and that by Your word I have done all these things"? Our Sages say: so that they should not come to say that Eliyahu transgressed here, for he offered a sacrifice during the time when the bamot (private altars) were forbidden, and it is prohibited to offer a sacrifice on a bamah except in the Mishkan and in the Beit HaMikdash. Therefore he said: Master of the Universe, let them know that by Your word I have done all these things - You commanded me to do this. And furthermore: "by Your word I have done" - so that they should know that everything I have done is not by my own power, so they should not say that the worshippers of the Baal are simply not strong enough sorcerers, and that Eliyahu is a chief magician, a more serious enchanter and sorcerer, and that is why he succeeded in bringing down fire from heaven. I want it to be clear to all that by Your word I did it, and all the credit is given to the Creator of the world, which is really the whole point.
עֲנֵנִי יְהֹוָה עֲנֵנִי וְיֵדְעוּ הָעָם הַזֶּה כִּי־אַתָּה יְהֹוָה הָאֱלֹהִים וְאַתָּה הֲסִבֹּתָ אֶת־לִבָּם אֲחֹרַנִּית׃ - Answer me, Hashem, answer me, that this people may know that You, Hashem, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.
The main content of his request is "that this people may know that You, Hashem, are God" - You alone are God, and there is no other power in creation besides You. And what is the meaning of the doubling, "Answer me, Hashem, answer me"? On the simple level of the text, repeating something twice comes to strengthen it, as in "Hashem, He is God, Hashem, He is God." But our Sages expounded that Eliyahu made two requests here: one, that Hashem accept his prayer with fire that would descend from heaven; and the second, that after the fire descended and the people believed, rain would also fall. For everything we came here for was for the sake of the rain, and what use is the fire if afterward I do not succeed in bringing rain? Then they will say: if so, it is because of the Creator of the world that the rain has stopped, and they will return to the Baal. Therefore he asked: answer me that fire should descend, and answer me that rain should fall, and then the whole connection will be clear to all, that in His anger Hashem withheld the rain from us, and now that we have repented, He pardons and forgives and brings down rain for us.
Another exposition: "answer me" that fire should descend, and "answer me" that they should not say it is an act of sorcery - place in their hearts that they should receive the correct impression from these events and not say, God forbid, that Eliyahu did this through sorcery. And our Sages further expounded: answer me by my own merit, and answer me by the merit of my students. From here we see that a person must be careful not to mention only his own merit, but always to ask also by the merit of others.
"That this people may know" - that from here on, every time You send me to rebuke them, they will accept that these words come from Hashem the God, for by Your word I speak them.
The Ralbag explains: when they would pray to the Baal, it seemed to them that the Baal answered. The Gemara already asks how it is possible that the Baal answered, and it answers: when it was time for rain to fall, would Hashem withhold rain just because they prayed to the Baal? Would the Holy One, blessed be He, ruin His world because of fools?! Therefore rain fell, and they were certain: behold, yesterday we prayed to the Baal and rain fell.
Do you know the story of the chazzan about whom unfavorable rumors circulated regarding matters of modesty? They came to the rabbi, and the rabbi ruled that he be removed from his post. The chazzan came to him and argued: honored rabbi, how can this be? Does the rabbi know what kind of prayers I pray? Does the rabbi remember, half a year ago, during a drought, that I passed before the ark, and the moment I said "He causes the rain to fall," the rains began to fall! The rabbi said to him: I am not surprised at all; people like you in the past also brought a flood.
And if so, this is the meaning: Master of the Universe, You turned their heart back again in that, as it were, You granted their request and brought down rains, and it seemed as though You had answered the Baal, and from this arose the confusion of understanding among those worshippers who thought the Baal brought down rain. And since, as it were, the confusion was created through You, now, by causing rain to fall when I pray to You, their understanding will be set straight and they will comprehend that rain falls only through the Creator of the world and not through the Baal.
Rav Saadia Gaon explains that this is not past tense but rather in the sense of future: "You have turned" is from the root meaning "turn around" - their heart which was facing backward, turn it now for the good so that it looks forward. And this is really the whole matter of being "stiff-necked": one goes in the opposite direction, one calls to him and he does not turn his head, because his neck is hard as cast metal and does not move right or left, going headfirst into the wall against the direction. Like the fellow who once drove on the highway against the traffic, and all the oncoming cars are honking at him, and just then he hears on the radio: danger on the highway, a car is driving against the traffic. He said: one car? There are dozens of cars here driving against me! Here too Eliyahu asks: let them know that the mistake is theirs, that it is they whose hearts are turned backward, and now turn their hearts to be straight so that they will believe in Hashem.
There is another explanation, that there is here as it were a claim: Master of the Universe, You should have turned their hearts, and why did You not turn them? But the Radak rejects this interpretation, since there is free will, and one cannot say that Hashem prevented them from believing in Him or changed their heart, for everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven.
The Rambam explains it according to its plain meaning: You withheld repentance from them because of the abundance of their sins, so that they would receive their punishment. And the Rambam's explanation of the reason for Pharaoh's punishment is well known and famous: Pharaoh fulfilled Hashem's decree, as it says "and they shall enslave them and afflict them," and he should have received reward - I was merely a contractor carrying out the will of the Creator of the world! Many reasons have been given on this, and the Rambam's reason is that since they had rebuked Pharaoh and he was not willing to accept it, therefore Hashem hardened his heart. And where is the justice in Hashem hardening his heart and then striking him? Rather, know that at first the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him an opportunity to repent, and when he did not repent, there is a stage at which Hashem locks the door. And according to this you will understand the verse here: from a certain stage You already locked their heart, so that even if they wanted to repent they could no longer do so. And why does Hashem do this? So that each one receives what is coming to him, and so that a person should not think that he can do evil all his days and in the end say "I have sinned, I have transgressed, I have rebelled, forgive me Master of the Universe" and be accepted. And from here comes Eliyahu's claim: if You locked their heart, how will they repent? Only if You perform for them an open miracle. Therefore I ask - perform for them an open miracle, for You turned their hearts backward.
And there is another midrashic reading: "Answer me, Hashem, answer me" - Eliyahu said, Master of the Universe, if You do not answer me, as it were I too will be a heretic and say "You turned their hearts backward," meaning I too will claim that Hashem withheld repentance from me and does not want me to return, for here is an opportunity to correct them, and as it were You are not giving them the chance to correct themselves.
וַתִּפֹּל אֵשׁ־יְהֹוָה וַתֹּאכַל אֶת־הָעֹלָה וְאֶת־הָעֵצִים וְאֶת־הָאֲבָנִים וְאֶת־הֶעָפָר וְאֶת־הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר־בַּתְּעָלָה לִחֵכָה׃ - And the fire of Hashem fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
The fire falls and consumes first of all the burnt offering, to tell you that it came intentionally for the sake of the burnt offering. And only afterward the wood - for according to the natural way the wood should have caught first, since it is what is ready to receive the fire, and this is the miracle: that the fire descended first upon the burnt offering and afterward upon the wood, and finally upon the stones and the dust, until even the water in the trench it "licked up" - like licked, that the fire consumed them too.
וַיַּרְא כָּל־הָעָם וַיִּפְּלוּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ יְהֹוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים יְהֹוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים׃ - And all the people saw and fell on their faces and said, Hashem is God, Hashem is God.
One explanation, as mentioned, is that the repetition comes for emphasis. But the Malbim explains: the first "Hashem is God" is a positive statement - behold, Hashem brought down fire from the heavens, and this proves that He is God, that He possesses the power. However, from the first statement one could still say that the Baal too has some power, and therefore comes the second statement, which is a statement of negation: Hashem is God - and the Baal is not God.
And what is the word "hu" (He) in the middle? It says "for a hand is upon the throne of Yah, Hashem is at war with Amalek from generation to generation," and Chazal say: the Name is not complete and the throne is not complete until the memory of Amalek is erased. And let us note: in Hashem's Name here the letters vav and heh are missing, and in the throne (kissei) the letter aleph is missing. And when will it be "and Hashem will be King over all the earth, on that day Hashem will be one and His Name one"? When will it be "Hashem is God"? When there will be "Hu" - when these letters are completed for Hashem's Name, then the Holy One, blessed be He, will rule over the entire world, and truly "every creature will know that You created it and every being will understand that You made it." And this is what is said "for Hashem has chosen Zion, He desired it for His dwelling place": when will the rectification come? When the letters of "desired" (ivvah) combine - the aleph of the throne and the vav and heh of Hashem's Name - and through this His kingship, blessed be He, will be revealed in the world.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ לָהֶם תִּפְשׂוּ אֶת־נְבִיאֵי הַבַּעַל אִישׁ אַל־יִמָּלֵט מֵהֶם וַיִּתְפְּשׂוּם וַיּוֹרִדֵם אֵלִיָּהוּ אֶל־נַחַל קִישׁוֹן וַיִּשְׁחָטֵם שָׁם׃ - And Eliyahu said to them, Seize the prophets of the Baal, let not one of them escape. And they seized them, and Eliyahu brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.
When the prophets of the Baal saw that they had come out of the test in utter failure, they tried to flee, and Eliyahu immediately commanded: seize them, let not one escape. These prophets were liable to death: first, they were the ones who had killed the prophets of Hashem; and second, they prophesy in the name of the Baal and cause Israel to sin. And what is the meaning of "and he slaughtered them there"? Two explanations: some say that they were slaughtered by his command, and this is considered as though he slaughtered them; and some say that Eliyahu slaughtered them himself, for Eliyahu was a great zealot for the name of Hashem. And who was Eliyahu? Pinchas. The one who rose up and took action and stabbed Zimri ben Salu and Kozbi bat Tzur, he is the one who rises up and takes action and slaughters the prophets. And so too we find with Yehu, who gathered the worshippers of the Baal and told them that the king before him had served it a little and Yehu would serve it much, and he assembled them all into one hall and slaughtered them all. And so too we saw with Shmuel, who was the one who dealt with Agag: "and he hewed him in pieces."
And from here we learn a great moral lesson: the whole matter of killing and bloodshed, the refined soul recoils from it, and especially a person of great gentleness, and all the more so a prophet, who is on a lofty and immense level of closeness to Hashem, and we have no conception of what delicacy of soul and what purity of soul is involved. To tell such a person to take a knife and slaughter a man, this is contrary to his nature. But the prophet does not do what his nature dictates; the prophet does what Hashem wants, and if Hashem wants him to kill, this is what must be done, and he acts against his nature and does it. And the one who, as it were, followed his nature was Shaul, and there lay the mistake: "and Shaul and the people had pity." But according to the Torah, just as the Torah tells you to have pity even when you want to be cruel, so too it tells you to be cruel even when naturally you think one should have pity. For all our character traits must be founded upon the Torah, and not upon what seems right to me or what my soul inclines toward. Therefore Eliyahu rises up and slaughters the prophets of the Baal, and Shmuel rises up and hews Agag in pieces: even though emotionally this is not the type from whom we would expect that he would take a sword and slaughter human beings, since this is the command of Hashem and His will, a person is not meant to act according to his nature but according to His blessed will.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ לְאַחְאָב עֲלֵה אֱכֹל וּשְׁתֵה כִּי־קוֹל הֲמוֹן הַגָּשֶׁם׃ - And Eliyahu said to Achav: Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the rushing of rain.
"Go up": get up onto your chariot and go to eat and drink. And another possibility: the city he needed to reach was higher than the place where they stood on Mount Carmel, and therefore "go up": go up to your city, where you will eat and drink. "For there is the sound of the rushing of rain": in a little while you will hear the sound of the rushing of rain. "Hamon" is an expression of murmuring, and therefore a large crowd is called a hamon, because it has murmuring, whispering and rustling. Eliyahu, in his great trust in Hashem, was certain that the rain was already right at the edge of the gutters and would arrive in a moment.
And why did he need to command him "eat and drink," is he concerned about his lunch? Says the Malbim: Eliyahu had already accomplished what he needed to accomplish. For Hashem had said to him "go show yourself to Achav and I will give rain," and we explained that the meaning is: they are not worthy of rain, go and bring it about that they repent and become worthy. And now, after they returned and confessed "Hashem is the God," the barrier was removed and they are worthy of rain. Moreover, the prophets who had been leading the people astray and corrupting them had already been slaughtered, and consequently the proper time had come for rain to fall.
And the Malbim adds: in their times, when there was a calamity, and especially a lack of rain, they would decree a fast, as is explained in the Mishnayot in Tractate Taanit. And when rain fell in the middle of the fast, if it was after midday they would complete the fast. And Eliyahu came and said to Achav: know that from the very fact that Israel said "Hashem is the God" and accepted His divinity, it is as though the fast has already ended. "The sound of the rushing of rain": the sound of the crowd that cried out "Hashem is the God" is as though rain had already fallen. And when was this? Even earlier: the very gathering of themselves to acknowledge His blessed divinity is considered as though they had already acknowledged Him retroactively, and this was still before midday. And if so, you are not obligated to complete the fast, for that entire crowd that gathered is already the whole rain. And Chazal say, and we will see this further on, that Achav was in the balance.
וַיַּעֲלֶה אַחְאָב לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְאֵלִיָּהוּ עָלָה אֶל־רֹאשׁ הַכַּרְמֶל וַיִּגְהַר אַרְצָה וַיָּשֶׂם פָּנָיו בֵּין בִּרְכָּו׃ - And Achav went up to eat and to drink, and Eliyahu went up to the top of the Carmel, and he bowed down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
Achav got up onto his chariot to travel to Yizrael to eat and drink, but when he saw that Eliyahu was going up to the top of the Carmel he decided to wait and see what would happen. And Eliyahu "bowed down to the ground," bending down to the ground, and put his face between his knees in prayer.
And seemingly, why does he need to pray, for Hashem told him "go show yourself to Achav and I will give rain"? But as we explained: there is natural rain and there is providential rain. Natural rain does not come through providence: if it needs to fall, it falls, and if not, then not; if there are clouds, it falls, if there are no clouds, it does not fall. That is, Hashem places you in the hand of nature, as with the nations of the world, who have no providential rain, and suddenly enormous quantities fall and all the houses are flooded, and suddenly for a whole period there is no rain, for they are not placed in the hand of supernal providence. But Israel, when they do the will of Hashem, merit providential rain: through providence exactly as much as they need falls. And when they do not do His will: if they merely stopped doing His will, Hashem watches over them and stops the rain; and if they entirely hid their faces from Him, He leaves them in the hand of natural rain.
And here they had reached a state where Hashem was watching over them not to give rain, in accordance with Eliyahu's decree. Hashem said to him: go show yourself to Achav and I will give rain. Eliyahu thought: what kind of rain will be given, perhaps natural rain? And if so, in terms of the precipitation, the humidity in the air and the clouds, it is possible that right now, from a natural standpoint, there is no need for rain to fall, and consequently it would not fall. Therefore he comes and prays: Master of the world, let rain fall now through providence, and not as natural rain that falls only if needed, but through complete providence. And therefore he put his face between his knees and prayed that Hashem would perform a miracle and bring down rain.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־נַעֲרוֹ עֲלֵה־נָא הַבֵּט דֶּרֶךְ־יָם וַיַּעַל וַיַּבֵּט וַיֹּאמֶר אֵין מְאוּמָה וַיֹּאמֶר שֻׁב שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים׃ - And he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." And he went up and looked and said, "There is nothing." And he said, "Go back seven times."
"Go up now" - go to a place higher than where Eliyahu was standing. "Look toward the sea" - one possibility is that this means westward, and a second possibility is that Carmel overlooks the sea, and therefore he told him to look toward the sea, which is also the direction of west. And so he told him seven times: go and see whether you see anything, and each time he came back and said there was nothing, until the seventh time.
The Ralbag explains that all those times he had to send his servant came to teach that it was the delay of Eliyahu's prayer that held back the rain, and this was in order to demonstrate to the people that it was their sins that stopped the rain: see how many prayers Eliyahu needs to bring back the rain, seven times he sends the servant until the rain falls. Understand from this that your sins are what caused it, and now that Eliyahu is pleading on your behalf, behold the rain returns and falls.
The Malbim explains according to the hidden dimension that the upper sea toward which all the rivers flow has seven seas - that is, in the upper reservoir of spiritual bounty there are, as it were, seven rivers leading into it. And the Shechinah, which due to the sin of the generation had ascended to the seventh heaven, needed to be brought back down here, and therefore he had to send seven times, corresponding to the seven heavens through which she had ascended to the seventh, and now she needed to be brought back down.
וַיְהִי בַּשְּׁבִעִית וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה־עָב קְטַנָּה כְּכַף־אִישׁ עֹלָה מִיָּם וַיֹּאמֶר עֲלֵה אֱמֹר אֶל־אַחְאָב אֱסֹר וָרֵד וְלֹא יַעֲצָרְכָה הַגָּשֶׁם׃ - And it came to pass on the seventh time that he said, "Behold, a small cloud like a man's palm is rising from the sea." And he said, "Go up, say to Achav, 'Harness and go down, that the rain not stop you.'"
On the seventh time he sees a small cloud "like a man's palm." And what does this come to hint? That all this rain, and the descent of the Shechinah from those levels to which they had raised her through their deeds - with each prayer she comes back down a level, and on the seventh it appears "like a man's palm," to hint to you: in whose merit? Only in the merit of the man, in the merit of Eliyahu. For the people in themselves were not worthy, but rather in the merit of one man. And then, when he saw that the rains were fit to fall, he sends to Achav "harness and go down" - harness your chariot and go down, "that the rain not stop you," for in a little while so great a rain would fall that there was concern he would not be able to reach his place because of all the puddles and mud.
And in Ma'ayanah shel Torah another idea is brought as to why Eliyahu was not answered immediately: since Eliyahu caused Israel distress for a long time, measure for measure the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were delayed His answer, corresponding to that distress by which he had held back the rain from Israel.
וַיְהִי עַד־כֹּה וְעַד־כֹּה וְהַשָּׁמַיִם הִתְקַדְּרוּ עָבִים וְרוּחַ וַיְהִי גֶּשֶׁם גָּדוֹל וַיִּרְכַּב אַחְאָב וַיֵּלֶךְ יִזְרְעֶאלָה׃ - And it came to pass in the meanwhile that the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Achav rode and went to Yizre'el.
"In the meanwhile" - while the messenger went and while he harnessed the chariot. "Grew black" is from the language of darkening, like faces turning black as the bottom of a pot: the kadeirah is a pot that they would place on the coals, and its bottom is black from all the soot, and so the heavens were blackened with clouds. And it is implied here that Achav did not go down immediately, for it first says "and the heavens grew black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain" and only afterward "and Achav rode" - that is, Achav does not move until he sees things actually happening; only after he saw that the rain was really falling did he go on his way.
וְיַד־יְהֹוָה הָיְתָה אֶל־אֵלִיָּהוּ וַיְשַׁנֵּס מָתְנָיו וַיָּרָץ לִפְנֵי אַחְאָב עַד־בֹּאֲכָה יִזְרְעֶאלָה׃ - And the hand of Hashem was upon Eliyahu, and he girded his loins and ran before Achav until you come to Yizreel.
In those days, the practice of kings, officers, and important people was to have a horse to ride upon and a servant who ran before them, to arrange matters and for their honor. This is the source of what we see today, that motorcyclists ride before the limousine of important ministers; every generation and its own kind of honor. And here, apparently there were no motorcyclists in the area, and the one who did this in their place was Eliyahu - a wonder of wonders: Eliyahu girds his loins and runs before Achav.
"And he girded his loins" - he tightened his belt around his loins. And by the way, this is one of the identifying signs of Eliyahu: if a person wishes to know whether the one he saw was Eliyahu, let him notice whether there is a leather belt around his loins - a thick leather girdle. And if not, then good morning, you did not see Eliyahu but merely a destroying angel. And by the way, even if he has the signs one should not get excited, for it could be that he appears to be Eliyahu but is a destroying angel, and I have already brought such an account in the book. And why did he tie his loins? Because he wanted to run, and their practice was that before running they would gird their loins in order to hold in place the internal organs, so that they would not shake from all the running and no harm would come to them.
And Chazal learned from here: the awe of the kingdom should always be upon you, for behold, Eliyahu girded his loins and ran before Achav out of awe of the kingdom. But the Malbim explains the true meaning of the matter: from the moment Eliyahu saw that Achav was turning his heart toward him - for behold, he agreed that Eliyahu should kill all the prophets of the Baal before his eyes, and Achav was silent, meaning there was a seal of approval here; and behold, Achav was fasting that day as we explained; and behold, he had come to that gathering and saw with his own eyes how the Holy One, blessed be He, is the One who brings down the rain - Eliyahu was certain that a change was about to take place here, that the situation was about to change. And as we said, Achav was not a completely wicked person but rather balanced. Therefore Eliyahu said: here is the opportunity to turn his heart toward the good. And he did not make calculations of honor, but ran before him in order to draw him close to the service of Hashem, for he was certain that when he would show him that he was giving him satisfaction, he would draw even closer and would begin to believe in Hashem and to change everything that had been until this day. As is known this was an illusion, but from here we see what effort Eliyahu made in order to draw Achav close.
And the Me'am Lo'ez brings another reason for his running: that wherever Eliyahu ran there was, as it were, an umbrella above him, for in the place where Eliyahu was, rain would not fall. Therefore he ran before Achav, so that the rain would not strike the king.
In this chapter Eliyahu sets up the test in a manner that leaves no room for any claim: he gives the prophets of the Baal the choice bull, the right to go first, and the advantage of the majority, mocks them as befits the derision of idolatry, and all the advantages and tricks - including Chiel of Beit HaEli who was hidden inside the hollow altar - do not help. And on the other hand Eliyahu draws the people close to him so that they should see there is no deception, repairs the ruined altar of Hashem, builds it with twelve stones corresponding to the tribes and not corresponding to the constellations, marks off a boundary of holiness like the courtyard of the Mishkan, pours water out of complete confidence, and prays that it should be clear to all that everything was "by Your word I have done" - that the credit should be given to the Creator of the world alone. And when the fire falls and the people call out "Hashem, He is the God," the seducers are slaughtered and the rain comes down through Divine providence, and Eliyahu still runs before Achav out of hope to draw his heart close. And from here two great foundations: that all the forces in creation are but messengers from Hashem, and that a person's traits and deeds must be founded upon the will of Hashem and not upon the inclination of his nature.