• Tag Archives Elisha
  • After the Wind, After the Earthquake, After the Fire

    77  bar steady 29.75  5mph E  dew-point 49  Summer, breezy and pleasant

    Waxing Gibbous Thunder Moon

    “The only tyrant I accept in this world is the ‘still small voice’ within me.” – Mohandas K. Gandhi

    “And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the
    rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake,
    but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the
    fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 KINGS 19:11-12

    After this wonderful passage, Elijah descends to the valley floor from his mountain cave and passes on the mantle of prophecy to his successor, Elisha.  God loves Elijah, but could not countenance his suspicion of the chosen people, so He calls Elijah up into heaven in a whirlwind, forcing him to give up his role on earth.

    Elijah is an incredibly important figure in Judaism.  At the Seder a  cup is set for him at the table, in anticipation of his coming to announce the messiah.  During the bris the patron (me in Gabe’s case) sits in the Elijah seat while the mohel performs the circumcision.  When asked about the Elijah seat, Jay Federer, rabbi and jeweler and mohel, told me this story.  “It is in the Talmud that Elijah, for doubting the chosen people’s willingness to keep the covenant, is required by G-d to witness all the instances in which the people maintain the covenant.”  The seder and the bris are two important moments. “This can be seen,” Jay said, “As a blessing or a curse.”