Tag: Elijah

motzei Shelach 5783

motzei Shabbos: parasha Shelach 5783 – First of the Dough

“Ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on thy house.” – Ezekiel 44:30, JPS 1917 Tanach

Sforno notes the extraordinary way the commandment, “of the first of your dough ye shall set apart a cake for a gift” (Numbers 15:20) was fulfilled, when Elijah requested of the widow of Zarephath, “make me thereof a little cake first” (1 Kings 17:13, JPS). He promised: “The jar of meal shall not be spent, neither shall the cruse of oil fail” (17:14). And, it was so, for her and her son, as well as Elijah whom she provided for as well (7:15). Thus, we can see the blessings bestowed upon her, for having honored Elijah the prophet.

Jewish tradition assigns to Elijah the role of testing others kindness, by asking them to go out of their way to help a stranger, whom is actually Elijah in disguise. In our own lives, we may never know the significance of a unique opportunity to help out others, who depend on our kindness for their very survival. Neither can they reward us, like Elijah rewarded the widow. Yet, H’Shem will bestow blessings upon us, especially for going out of the way to help strangers.

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motzei Shabbos: Sukkot Chol haMoed 5782

And Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba also said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Had there been left open a crack so much as the size of small sewing needle in the cave in which Moses and Elijah stood when G-d’s glory was revealed to them, as it is written: “And it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock” (Exodus 33:22), and: “And he came there to a cave…and, behold, the L-rd passed by” (I Kings 19:9–11), they would not have been able to endure due to the intense light that would have entered that crack, as it is stated: “For no man shall see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20).

– Megillah 19b; sefaria.org