Introduction: The Chapter of Parting
Chapter 2 of Melachim Bet describes the final days of Eliyahu HaNavi in this world, up to the moment when he ascends in a whirlwind to the heavens. Eliyahu and Elisha walk together, for Elisha was Eliyahu's foremost disciple and accompanied him at every step. As is our way, we will follow the order of the pesukim and delve into them primarily according to the explanation of the Malbim.
וַיְהִ֗י בְּהַעֲל֤וֹת יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ בַּֽסְעָרָ֖ה הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וַיֵּ֧לֶךְ אֵלִיָּ֛הוּ וֶאֱלִישָׁ֖ע מִן־הַגִּלְגָּֽל׃ - And it came to pass, when Hashem was about to take Eliyahu up to heaven in a whirlwind, that Eliyahu went with Elisha from Gilgal.
When the time came for Hashem to take Eliyahu up in a whirlwind to the heavens, Eliyahu and Elisha went together from Gilgal. From there begins the chain of journeys described in the chapter.
"Please stay here" - What Lay Behind the Request
וַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ אֵלִיָּ֨הוּ אֶל־אֱלִישָׁ֜ע שֵֽׁב־נָ֣א פֹ֗ה כִּ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ שְׁלָחַ֣נִי עַד־בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלִישָׁ֔ע חַי־יְהֹוָ֥ה וְחֵֽי־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ אִם־אֶעֶזְבֶ֑ךָּ וַיֵּרְד֖וּ בֵּֽית־אֵֽל׃ - And Eliyahu said to Elisha: Please stay here, for Hashem has sent me as far as Beit El. And Elisha said: As Hashem lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Beit El.
According to the plain meaning, and so Rashi explains: Eliyahu knows that he is about to spread wings and fly, that a chariot of fire is destined to take him up in a whirlwind to the heavens, and he does not want Elisha to see him at the moment he is taken, lest some concern of pride become involved in it. Therefore he asked to do the matter with modesty.
But as is our way, we will delve into the depth of the verses according to the Malbim. In his words: "It is the way of the complete ones, and their desire, to bestow of their completeness upon others in the fullest possible manner." The complete tzaddikim have no stinginess in what they give to others; on the contrary, the completeness within them they yearn to bestow in the greatest measure. So we see throughout all the generations: how greatly Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai wished to influence Rabbi Abba and the disciples, how greatly the Arizal wished to influence Rabbi Chaim Vital and to give him more and more, more than the calf wishes to nurse the cow wishes to suckle. And so too Moshe Rabbeinu, who wished to bestow upon Israel and upon the seventy elders, and when Yehoshua told him that Eldad and Meidad were prophesying in the camp, he answered: "Would that all of Hashem's people were prophets." This is the aspiration and inner desire of the complete people: to give and to bestow as much as possible.
And behold, says the Malbim, as long as Elisha was with Eliyahu, the sons of the prophets, those apprentices in prophecy, could not receive the flow from Eliyahu except through Elisha. Eliyahu was an immense conduit, and Elisha was a sort of narrowing of the conduit, and through that narrowing they all received the flow. But at this stage, before he leaves the world, Eliyahu wished to bestow upon all his disciples a flow without limit, a flow in the most holy and most complete form. For when a person is about to depart from the world it is in the category of "You take away their spirit, they perish," for before a person perishes there is an increase of spirit, and from this immense flow Eliyahu wished to bestow upon everyone without narrowing. Therefore he asks Elisha to keep his distance from him: Hashem has sent me as far as Beit El, and there the sons of the prophets are found, and I wish to bestow upon them to the fullest possibility and capacity.
Elisha, by contrast, was not interested in this. Heaven forbid, not because he was stingy regarding the flow to the other prophets, but because he wanted the flow to reach him as well, that he too should attain that same spiritual attainment and that same immense flow which Eliyahu bestows before his death. Therefore: "As Hashem lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." Eliyahu, I do not intend to leave you, I intend to remain attached to you so that the flow you are now bestowing will flow upon me as well. And why did Eliyahu wish to go specifically to Beit El and to Yericho? Because in these two places the sons of the prophets were concentrated. Ovadyah hid fifty men and another fifty men in a cave, and the Malbim says that these were apparently the places where he hid them, Beit El and Yericho. And Elisha, who had plans to attain a double portion of Eliyahu's spirit, knew that if he left Eliyahu now he would have no chance. He had immense aspirations, and therefore: "As Hashem lives, I will not leave you."
"Do you know that today Hashem is taking your master" - The Heart and the Limbs
וַיֵּצְא֨וּ בְנֵי־הַנְּבִיאִ֥ים אֲשֶׁר־בֵּֽית־אֵל֮ אֶל־אֱלִישָׁע֒ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלָ֔יו הֲיָדַ֕עְתָּ כִּ֣י הַיּ֗וֹם יְהֹוָ֛ה לֹקֵ֥חַ אֶת־אֲדֹנֶ֖יךָ מֵעַ֣ל רֹאשֶׁ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֛אמֶר גַּם־אֲנִ֥י יָדַ֖עְתִּי הֶחֱשֽׁוּ׃ - And the sons of the prophets who were at Beit El came out to Elisha and said to him: Do you know that today Hashem is taking your master from over your head? And he said: I too know it; be silent.
According to the plain meaning: the sons of the prophets in Beit El come out to Elisha and ask him whether he is aware that Eliyahu is about to leave him today, and he answers them that he too knows, "hecheshu" - be silent.
The Malbim explains: the masters of truth explain that the man of God among his disciples is like the heart that gives life to the body. The heart is the center, the pump that circulates the blood and gives life to all the limbs. So too the man of God, and all the prophets and disciples around him are like limbs, receiving from what the heart sends to them through its constant activity. And when the heart grows weak, all the limbs feel it. That is exactly what happened here. Therefore they ask "hayadata" - did you too notice that the heart has begun to beat slowly? Do you too feel that this heart is about to be taken from us, that Eliyahu is about to leave? And he answers: I too knew, I too felt this sensation, hecheshu.
Two reasons for the taking of the righteous one
The Malbim further explains: the gathering in of the man of spirit from among the people can be for one of two reasons. One reason is the sins of the generation: the generation is not worthy of such a righteous man, and therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, takes him. In such a case Hashem does not reveal it to us in advance, because He does not want us to pray and beseech. Hashem, as it were, wants our feet to stumble in the wake of the death of the righteous one, for it is due to our sins, and therefore He takes him suddenly. The second reason is that the righteous one has already completed his rectification and his time has come to depart from the world, and Hashem wants those who come after him to continue and to receive for themselves the crown of leadership.
On this matter it is told of a certain sage who came to the rabbi and asked him for a blessing, and he blessed him with a modest blessing. He said to him: is that all? He answered him: "and shall your sons be cattle herders?" That is to say, what do you want, that you should rule for a hundred and twenty years and your children should die at the age of ninety without ever having received any authority? Rather, you receive it, and your children after you will also merit authority and leadership. So there are times when Hashem takes the righteous one because his time has come, and also because the time has come for another righteous one whose sun should shine. In such a case the prophets need not pray, for this is not a punishment upon them, but rather his time has come, and there is no man whose time does not come in the end.
According to this, the sons of the prophets come and ask "do you know that today Hashem is taking your master from over your head" out of doubt: for which reason is he being taken? Is it because of the sins of the generation, in which case we need to pray, or has his time come, in which case there is no place for prayer? To this he answers: "I too knew, hecheshu" - know that Hashem is taking him because his time has come, and therefore there is no point in praying.
The Radak brings in the name of his father an additional explanation: one can interpret "hecheshu" as a command, be silent, and one can interpret that the word describes what they did. That is to say: Elisha said to them "I too knew," and they, in response, hushed and fell silent. And he derives this precisely because if it were a command it would have been fitting to write it as "tehecheshu," and since it is written "hecheshu" - its meaning is what they did.
The journey to Yericho and to the Yarden
וַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ ל֨וֹ אֵלִיָּ֜הוּ אֱלִישָׁ֣ע ׀ שֵֽׁב־נָ֣א פֹ֗ה כִּ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ שְׁלָחַ֣נִי יְרִיח֔וֹ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר חַי־יְהֹוָ֥ה וְחֵֽי־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ אִם־אֶעֶזְבֶ֑ךָּ וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ יְרִיחֽוֹ׃ - And Eliyahu said to him, Elisha, stay here please, for Hashem has sent me to Yericho. And he said, as Hashem lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And they came to Yericho.
וַיִּגְּשׁ֨וּ בְנֵי־הַנְּבִיאִ֥ים אֲשֶׁר־בִּֽירִיחוֹ֮ אֶל־אֱלִישָׁע֒ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלָ֔יו הֲיָדַ֕עְתָּ כִּ֣י הַיּ֗וֹם יְהֹוָ֛ה לֹקֵ֥חַ אֶת־אֲדֹנֶ֖יךָ מֵעַ֣ל רֹאשֶׁ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֛אמֶר גַּם־אֲנִ֥י יָדַ֖עְתִּי הֶחֱשֽׁוּ׃ - And the sons of the prophets who were in Yericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, do you know that today Hashem is taking your master from over your head? And he said, I too knew, be silent.
וַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ ל֨וֹ אֵלִיָּ֜הוּ שֵֽׁב־נָ֣א פֹ֗ה כִּ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ שְׁלָחַ֣נִי הַיַּרְדֵּ֔נָה וַיֹּ֕אמֶר חַי־יְהֹוָ֥ה וְחֵֽי־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ אִם־אֶעֶזְבֶ֑ךָּ וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ שְׁנֵיהֶֽם׃ - And Eliyahu said to him, stay here please, for Hashem has sent me to the Yarden. And he said, as Hashem lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And the two of them went.
When Eliyahu saw that Elisha was not willing to leave him, he thought to himself: at least I will see to it that it not be just me and Elisha alone, but that the other sons of the prophets be with us as well. This way I will indeed influence Elisha, but in the presence of the other sons of the prophets, and then there is a greater chance that they too will receive from the abundance and from a portion of his spirit, which would not be possible if they were to distance themselves. But Elisha was not interested in this either, and again: not out of begrudging the other prophets, but because he wanted to receive a double portion of Eliyahu's spirit.
There is another explanation of how all the other prophets knew about Eliyahu's being taken away. Some commentators say that when a spirit of prophecy reaches a prophet, it actually reaches all the prophets. They all know and receive that same prophecy, only that its transmission was entrusted to that particular prophet alone. And since there was a prophecy that Eliyahu was about to depart from the world, all who were connected to that same "channel" received that prophecy. Therefore, what Elisha knew, the rest of the sons of the prophets knew as well.
וַחֲמִשִּׁ֨ים אִ֜ישׁ מִבְּנֵ֤י הַנְּבִיאִים֙ הָֽלְכ֔וּ וַיַּעַמְד֥וּ מִנֶּ֖גֶד מֵרָח֑וֹק וּשְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם עָמְד֥וּ עַל־הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃ - And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, and the two of them stood by the Jordan.
In the situation that arose, the fifty sons of the prophets are forced to remain far off, standing opposite at a distance, while Eliyahu and Elisha draw near to the Jordan, since they need to cross it.
Crossing the Jordan and the Separation of the Elements
וַיִּקַּח֩ אֵלִיָּ֨הוּ אֶת־אַדַּרְתּ֤וֹ וַיִּגְלֹם֙ וַיַּכֶּ֣ה אֶת־הַמַּ֔יִם וַיֵּחָצ֖וּ הֵ֣נָּה וָהֵ֑נָּה וַיַּעַבְר֥וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם בֶּחָרָבָֽה׃ - And Eliyahu took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water, and it was divided this way and that, and the two of them crossed over on dry land.
"Vayiglom" is from the language of wrapping or rolling, like "bundles of blue wool" ("gilmei techelet"), something folded and wrapped. Eliyahu rolls up his mantle, strikes the water with it, and the water splits in two. According to the plain meaning: by the power of the holiness of Eliyahu's cloak the water was divided.
But the Malbim sees here an additional depth, by way of hint. Our Sages explained that Eliyahu became refined. As is known, a person is composed of four elements: fire, air (ruach), water, and earth (aish, ruach, mayim, afar, as mentioned in the holy books). When a person is able to leave his body and cleave to the higher spirituality, the two lighter elements remain in him: fire and air, and therefore it is written that he ascended to heaven in chariots of fire. Earth and water, which express physicality, are the ones that remain here. And we already saw that when the angel fed Eliyahu "a cake baked on coals and a jar of water," it was there that the element of earth separated from his body: eating the cake baked on coals, which is baked upon embers in the ground, separated the element of earth by means of fire. And now he wishes to separate from his body the element of water as well.
The Malbim says: "It has been explained by me that the miracle a person performs in his small world gives him greater strength to perform it also in the great world." We have already explained the idea that when the prophet performs an earthly act, the act has an effect in the spiritual realm. That is why we saw that Elisha was told to strike arrows into the ground, and according to the number of strikes so would he succeed in conquering Aram. And that is why Tzidkiyahu son of Kenaanah also made himself iron horns, to show as it were that the prophecy would be fulfilled. And such was the way of the prophets: Yirmeyahu who placed a rope and yoke upon his neck, and likewise the flask that was broken, and all similar acts. All of these were meant to bring the matter down into the world of action.
It follows, then, that Eliyahu wished to nullify the element of water in his body, which is like a small world, and in order to do this he needed to nullify the element of water in the great world, that is, in the Jordan River passing before him. Therefore he splits the waters of the Jordan, which are the waters of the great world, and this itself brings about that the waters split and the forces in his body are separated. For water is the main component of the body, seventy or eighty percent of the human body is water, and blood too is a compound of water. Therefore a physical act had to be performed upon the water, so that it would affect his body and the element of water would separate from him, and through this he would be able to ascend to heaven in a storm.
"Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me"
וַיְהִ֣י כְעׇבְרָ֗ם וְאֵ֨לִיָּ֜הוּ אָמַ֤ר אֶל־אֱלִישָׁע֙ שְׁאַל֙ מָ֣ה אֶעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ בְּטֶ֖רֶם אֶלָּקַ֣ח מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלִישָׁ֔ע וִ֥יהִי נָ֛א פִּֽי־שְׁנַ֥יִם בְּרוּחֲךָ֖ אֵלָֽי׃ - And it came to pass as they crossed over, that Eliyahu said to Elisha: Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you. And Elisha said: Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.
Eliyahu wants to give Elisha a parting gift: "Ask what I shall do for you," I am willing to bestow upon you a certain flow of blessing before I am taken from you. And Elisha requests: "Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me."
The great difficulty that all the commentators address is simple: a person cannot give double what he has. If I have one, I cannot give you two, simply because I do not have it. How can one ask Eliyahu to give double what he has, when Eliyahu himself does not possess that double? It recalls the man who said: if I were Rothschild, I would be richer than Rothschild. They asked him: how? He answered: after all, I already have five shekels in my pocket right now, and if I were Rothschild, I would be Rothschild plus five shekels. In any case, from a spiritual standpoint the tzaddik has a power of influence along the lines of "one candle lights a hundred," as we saw that Moshe influenced Yehoshua and the elders. Now let us see how the commentators explain it.
The Radak says: "a double portion of your spirit upon me" means that I will perform double the miracles that you performed. And so it was: Eliyahu revived one dead person, and Elisha revived two, one in his lifetime and one after his death. He also healed the leprosy of Naaman, and a leper is considered as dead, and there are many more miracles, for from the next chapter we will begin to see a whole series of miracles that Elisha performs.
The Radak brings an additional explanation in the name of his father: "a double portion of your spirit" does not mean double what you have, for that is not within his power, but rather a portion twice that of others. Just as we said that the firstborn takes a double portion, which does not mean he takes double what the father has, but rather two shares of the estate. So too Elisha said: do not give me one portion of your whole, but two portions. If we were to arbitrarily divide Eliyahu's spirit into five parts, do not give me a fifth but two fifths. Exactly how it is divided we do not know, but the idea is like the firstborn who receives a double portion relative to all the other shares.
The Ralbag explains: you placed of your spirit upon all the disciples of the prophets, and I ask for double what the other disciples of the prophets received. It is quite possible that this is also the meaning of the explanation of the Radak's father, that the intent is a double portion relative to what the other prophets received.
The Malbim explains: after all, I already have my own spirit of prophecy until today, and I ask that you give me your spirit as well, so that I will automatically have double. Your spirit will join my spirit, and this is "a double portion," like the parable of the man who was richer than Rothschild. The Malbim further explains that the meaning is double the other prophets, and this can be better understood according to what the kabbalists wrote, that Eliyahu is Pinchas, and that the souls of Nadav and Avihu were incorporated in Eliyahu. There is endless discussion of this in the Shaar HaGilgulim of the holy Arizal and in other places, which speak at length about Nadav and Avihu being incorporated in Eliyahu and about their rectification. Pinchas became a kohen in place of Nadav and Avihu, that is, he took, as it were, their level, and received peace and life. And this is "a double portion of his spirit": that same portion of the two, Nadav and Avihu, which Eliyahu gave you a high and lofty level, transfer to me as well.
"You have asked a difficult thing" - a power of giving above the physical
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר הִקְשִׁ֣יתָ לִשְׁא֑וֹל אִם־תִּרְאֶ֨ה אֹתִ֜י לֻקָּ֤ח מֵֽאִתָּךְ֙ יְהִי־לְךָ֣ כֵ֔ן וְאִם־אַ֖יִן לֹ֥א יִהְיֶֽה׃ - And he said: You have asked a difficult thing. If you see me taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if not, it shall not be.
Chazal say that Elisha asked for literally double. And how is that possible, for a person cannot bestow more than his power? The Malbim explains: all this is when I am within the physical, and then I am limited, and one who is limited cannot give more than he has. But the moment I rise above the physical and exist in a spiritual reality, that spiritual reality is a reality without limit and without measure. All the limitations of mass, energy, space, place and time are bound up with the physical; in a reality above the physical there is no time and no place and no limitation whatsoever, and in a single moment one can see from one end of the world to the other. The physical is the thing that limits a person.
This is why the Holy One, blessed be He, is called "Shaddai," for He said to His world "enough" (dai), meaning the world is measured and bounded. But in the World of Truth there is no "dai," but rather shin-yod worlds, that is, without end, for each world includes more and more, just as each sefirah includes within it detail upon detail without end. So too in the supernal spiritual worlds. Therefore Elisha said: right now you cannot, but when you separate from the body there will be no limitation, and so I ask that you give me a double portion of your spirit upon me.
To this Eliyahu answers: there is no problem, but for this you will need to be here when I separate from the body. "You have asked a difficult thing," for one cannot ask a person for more than he has, and certainly not double; but if you ask me to give you from the state in which I will be after separating from the body, you must be there and see me taken from you. For if you do not see me being taken, it means you are not connected at all to that level, and how could I form a connection with you and give you double after I have been taken? But if you see me taken, it is a sign that you are still connected to me, and if you are connected to me then I am connected to you, and I will be able to bestow upon you a double portion. And if the moment I am no longer here you are already not connected and will not merit to see me, there is no connection between us.
Sight testifies to one's level
The very ability to see testifies to one's level. So we saw at the funeral of the Ramak, when the holy Arizal asked if anyone saw anything, and no one saw a thing. There was a young man there who said he saw a pillar of fire in the shape of myrtles. The Gemara says that such a thing happens to one or two people in a generation. The Arizal was greatly impressed that this young man was able to see this, and he said to him: come to me tomorrow and I will teach you Torah. Imagine, we would have had another Rabbi Chaim Vital, whom the Arizal designated himself to teach Torah. The young man came the next day, and the Arizal saw upon him that a nocturnal incident had befallen him. As soon as he looked at his face, he said to him: go, you have lost your level, and he sent him away. God forbid it was against his will, but apparently some exceedingly subtle trace of pride caused it, and he lost his entire level.
We also spoke about the Chafetz Chaim, who at the age of thirteen was able to see the fire surrounding Rabbi Nachum of Horodna while he was engaged in the secrets of the Torah. To see such a thing at the age of thirteen is a lofty and tremendous level. Thus one who is able to see, his very seeing testifies to his level. So too with Avraham Avinu, who asked his two lads: Do you see light on Har HaMoriah? And they answered him: No, we see nothing but myrrh, we see no light and nothing at all. He said to them: Stay here with the donkey. One who is unable to see should sit with the donkey, for he is bound to the material (chomer). And this is what Eliyahu says to Elisha: If you are able to see me at the moment I am separated, it is a sign that you are connected to the spirit, and if you are connected to the spirit, there is no problem for me, as spirit, to have the power to bestow upon you a double portion.
The Malbim further explains: as long as Eliyahu is here, Elisha who receives from him is like the moon that receives from the sun, and the light of the moon is always lesser, for it reflects less light than the light itself. Eliyahu said to him: if you see me taken from you, that is, when I am at the level where I have completely separated from physicality, you will no longer be in the category of a receiver, nor in the category of the moon, but you yourself will be in the category of light, in the category of the sun. For as long as I am here you only reflect light, receiving from something physical present here, and one who receives from the physical is lesser than the giver. But once I am taken from you, you receive from the spiritual, and the spiritual is without end, and therefore you will be able to receive a double portion of my spirit.
A Chariot of Fire and Horses of Fire
וַיְהִ֗י הֵ֣מָּה הֹלְכִ֤ים הָלוֹךְ֙ וְדַבֵּ֔ר וְהִנֵּ֤ה רֶֽכֶב־אֵשׁ֙ וְס֣וּסֵי אֵ֔שׁ וַיַּפְרִ֖דוּ בֵּ֣ין שְׁנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיַּ֙עַל֙ אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ בַּֽסְעָרָ֖ה הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ - And it was, as they went on, walking and talking, that behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Eliyahu went up in a whirlwind to heaven.
"As they went on, walking and talking" - it is said that they were walking and speaking words of Torah. And what is the meaning of the chariot of fire and horses of fire? According to what we explained, here the verse comes to express the separation of the elements. The spiritual elements with which Eliyahu could ascend to heaven are fire and wind (spirit), and these are what remained with him. Corresponding to the element of fire, Elisha sees a chariot of fire, and corresponding to the element of wind, Elisha sees the whirlwind, a storm-wind carrying him to heaven. These two are light elements, that can exist in the air. But as long as there was physicality in him he could not ascend in the whirlwind to heaven, and therefore he had to strip his mantle from upon himself, for the mantle symbolizes the body, and only then could he ascend in the whirlwind to heaven.
The Malbim adds that the aspect of fire and wind is what consumed the physical portion of water and earth, and through this Eliyahu's body was refined and he ascended in the whirlwind to heaven. And just as with the upper Merkavah it is written that there is a whirlwind and flashing fire surrounding the radiance (nogah) all around, so too Eliyahu, in order to ascend, needed to have around him the aspect of fire and whirlwind encompassing him, so that he could reach the supernal spiritual reality.
In summary:
The chapter teaches us about the way of the complete ones (shelemim), whose entire desire is to bestow all their perfection upon others in the most complete manner, and therefore Eliyahu sought to separate from Elisha in order to bestow abundance without limitation upon all the sons of the prophets; and about the way of a true disciple, who does not let go: "As Hashem lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you," because he sought a double portion of his spirit. We learned the parable of the heart and the limbs regarding the bond between the man of God and his disciples, the two reasons for the taking of the righteous and when there is room for prayer, the separation of the four elements in the crossing of the Yarden and in Eliyahu's ascent, and the great principle: as long as a person is in the material he is limited, but above the material there is no limit and no measure, and therefore it was specifically after being taken that Eliyahu could bestow a double portion. And all this on one condition: "If you see me taken from you" - that the seeing itself is the testimony that a person is connected to the spirit and not to the material.