TEMPLE HIGHLIGHTS | RABBI'S MONTHLY COLUMN

Elijah and the Season of Hope

From the study of Cantor Cohn

Editor’s note: From time to time throughout the year, in addition to Rabbi David Stern’s columns, other members of our clergy will be contributing columns in this space.

Of the familiar ceremonies included in the Passover seder, one of the most beloved is surely the opening of a door to welcome Elijah the prophet. How many of us ran as children to accomplish this happy and mysterious task, while everyone sang Eiliyahu Hanavi? How many of us still encourage our youngest to verify the slightest diminution of wine in Elijah’s cup?

The influence of Elijah is woven throughout the texture of Jewish life. At a b’ris, a special chair is designated for him. When traditional Jews chant birkat hamazon (the blessing for sustenance recited after meals), Elijah is summoned to herald the coming of messianic times. On Saturday evenings during havdalah, when we bid farewell to the Sabbath, we sing of the famous prophet from Gilead, in the hope that someday there will be an age of peace and wholeness.

Elijah’s transformation from an important historical figure to a powerful spiritual presence is a dramatic one. His prophetic career during the 9th century B.C.E. coincided largely with the reign of Ahab as king of Israel, and Jezebel as its queen. Political, social and economic interests resulted in official sanction for elements of idolatrous practice in the land, principally involving the cult of Ba’al, a Tyrian deity (Jezebel was from Tyre). Elijah led the opposition to Ba’al worship, advocating forcefully against any distraction from service to the one God.

In the First Book of Kings, a great confrontation against idolatry on Mount Carmel is recounted. According to the story, in the presence of all Israel, Elijah challenges four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba’al to call upon their god to consume an offering in fire. Their loud incantations and primitive self-mutilations prove ineffective. Elijah then instructs that his own offering be soaked in water, making it harder to ignite. He turns to prayer, calling upon the God of his ancestors–our transcendent God–to demonstrate the power of the spirit. The altar bursts into flame, and the people exclaim in awe, “Adonai is God; Adonai is God!” To this day, it is with these very words of faith that we conclude the prayers of Yom Kippur, our most holy observance.

This is but one story of many that establish Elijah’s reputation as a spiritual leader. It is also Elijah who teaches us that God may be heard in a voice of infinite stillness, as opposed to the tumultuous sound of a whirlwind, earthquake or fire. In the end, Elijah’s cleaving to God is so great that Scripture envisions him being carried away to heaven in a fiery chariot, exempted from the constraints of death. Thus his spirit is understood to roam freely throughout creation.

The prophet Malachi later declares that it is Elijah who will come once more, turning the hearts of parents and children toward one another in preparation for a great and awesome day, when Godliness and righteousness will triumph over the forces of wickedness and destruction. Every year, on the Sabbath before Passover, we hear Malachi’s prophecy, ushering in a season of redemption and hope. Then, on the fifteenth day of the month of Nisan, we open Elijah’s doors anew.

In Jewish folk literature, more stories have been created about Elijah than about any other figure. He serves repeatedly as a spiritual courier and as a hero of the downtrodden, appearing in various guises and under miraculous circumstances. A fundamental tenet of Elijah’s mystique is that we never know when we may encounter his spirit, gazing out at us from among the least privileged to see if we will act with compassion and generosity. The Festival of Passover beckons us to be inspired anew by Elijah’s vision of a world redeemed through God-centered living. All of our rabbis join me in wishing you blessings of sweetness during this Pesach season, as we turn our hearts toward one another in hope.