Did Eliyahu Die?

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1. The Storm (Part 13)

   Eliyahu Lives On (I)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Did Eliyahu die or not? The literal text implies that there was no physical death and he ascended with his body to the heavens. However, man, in his human, bodily state cannot cross the barrier into the heavenly world as God discussed with Moshe during the revelation at Horev. Various approaches are suggested by the commentators. 

2. The Storm (Part 14)

   Eliyahu Lives On (II)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   The letter that is sent by Eliyahu to Yehoram King of Yehuda transpires at a point in time in which Elisha is the prophet and Eliyahu has already ascended to the heavens. This episode must draw responses related to the question of whether or not Eliyahu died.

3. The Storm (Part 15)

   Eliyahu Lives On (III)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   As opposed to other deceased biblical characters whose futuristic appearance seems to be either metaphorical or referring to a future offspring of a dynasty, the final prophecy in the last prophet Malachi seems to relate to an actual physical role for Eliyahu in the future. This episode too draws responses related to the question of whether or not Eliyahu died.

4. The Storm (Part 16)

   Eliyahu Lives On (IV)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Eliyahu’s revelation in rabbinical literature is a contrast to the two previous revelations of Eliyahu after his ascent to heaven.  Eliyahu is mentioned, in Talmudic and Midrashic literature as appearing to save individuals from various states of distress, to clear up misunderstandings and quarrels between people, and to fill the role of Israel's great advocate before their Father in Heaven. While Eliyahu remains strict, it is not the same strictness that characterizes him in the Tanakh, directed towards the Israelites.  His sternness is now expressed on their behalf, and it is always directed against the sages and leaders of Israel.

5. The Storm (Part 17)

   Eliyahu Lives On (V)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Why is Eliyahu taken in this surprising manner, remaining alive in order to reappear many times throughout Jewish history, up until his coming as the harbinger of the redemption? Their exists a striking contrast between the image of Eliyahu that arises from Sefer Melakhim and his alternative image, which begins to be formed already at the end of in the final verses of Sefer Malakhi and continues to develop over the course of Eliyahu's many appearances during the times of the Sages and later on.  Eliyahu is kept alive in order to complete his prophetic mission.

6. Healing, Death and Immortality

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Elisha heals the water of Jericho after crossing the Jordan, reminscent of the healing of the waters of Mara after the splitting of the Red Sea. Elisha's first act - healing the water - sharply contrasts Eliyahu's first act of decreeing a draught. Elisha's harsh reaction to the youth who taunted him reflects the message that was said to Elisha regarding his master Eliyahu. The question of Eliyahu's immortatlity is evaluated within the corpus of Tanakh and in the sources of the Sages.  

7. Chronology, Structure, and Two Judean Kings

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   In many of the Elisha stories the king in the story is not identified. While many assume that the anonymous king is Yehoram, Ahav's son, because of the sequence of the chapters, the good relationship between Elisha and the king in some of the stories and the ease in which Aram lays seige to Shomron indicate that the kings in the story belong to Yehu's dynasty. Two possible explanations are offered as to the non-chronological order of the Elisha's stories.

   Yehoram, King of Yehuda, strays from the path of Yehoshafat his father and adopts the path of the House of Ahav, of which his wife Atalya is a daughter. Besides the spiritual turmoil that his rule brings, Yehoram murders all of his brothers who he views as a threat to his rule and loses control over areas that have been under the rule of Yehuda since David's reign. How does Eliyahu send Yehoram a castigating letter long after his disappearance?

8. Did Eliyahu Die?

   Dr. Baruch Alster | Hour and 11 minutes

   The concept of Eliyahu's ascent to heaven (as described in II Kings) was heavily debated among medieval commentaries. Some allowed for the idea that the ancient prophet lives on to this day, as can be understood from the biblical verses, while others prefer to minimize the miracle and claim that the verses describe the prophet's death. By analyzing the various medieval opinions we can learn how each commentator balances the truth of Tanakh with rationalist philosophy.