Haftarah of Pinchas

Melachim I 18:46 - 19:21

This Haftarah takes place after the events at Har HaCarmel, where Eliyahu had arranged a controlled experiment proving to all of Israel that it is Hashem that has power in this world, and not the pagan god Ba'al. They exclaimed "Hashem is G-d!", they helped Eliyahu kill Queen Jezebels prophets of Ba'al; and then, for the first time in several years, the rains came. Eliyahu was jubilant - finally, finally, the Jewish People would go back to serving Hashem! Charged with divine inspiration and strength, he ran before King Achav's chariot all the way back to his palace in the Jezre'el valley.

The hand of Hashem was with Eliyahu.

He girded his loins,

and he ran before Achav

until they approached Jezre'el.

וְיַד־ה' הָֽיְתָה אֶל־אֵלִיָּהוּ

וַיְשַׁנֵּס מָתְנָיו

וַיָּרָץ לִפְנֵי אַחְאָב

עַד־בֹּֽאֲכָה יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה׃

But Achav did not rule alone. He reported to his wife, Queen Jezebel, everything that happened on that momentous day, and she was neither impressed nor deterred. As the queen, she would be the one to control the state religion, not some rogue prophet. Eliyahu was a wanted man before Har HaCarmel, and he would be a wanted man after. Nothing had changed.

1) Achav told Jezebel

of everything that Eliyah did,

and that he killed all those prophets, by the sword.

א וַיַּגֵּד אַחְאָב לְאִיזֶבֶל

אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֵלִיָּהוּ

וְאֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר הָרַג אֶת-כָּל-הַנְּבִיאִים בֶּחָרֶב.

2) Jezebel sent a messenger

to Eliyahu, saying:

"I swear by the gods,

that this time tomorrow I will make your life

like the lives of one of them."

ב וַתִּשְׁלַח אִיזֶבֶל מַלְאָךְ

אֶל-אֵלִיָּהוּ לֵאמֹר:

כֹּה-יַעֲשׂוּן אֱלֹהִים, וְכֹה יוֹסִפוּן

כִּי-כָעֵת מָחָר אָשִׂים אֶת-נַפְשְׁךָ

כְּנֶפֶשׁ אַחַד מֵהֶם.

The fight goes out of Eliyahu. He leaves the country, goes south past Be'er Sheva, the last outpost of civilization, and keeps walking, deep into the desert. He says that he has accomplished absolutely nothing in his life, and asks G-d to put him out of his misery.

3) He saw. He got up and went for his life.

He came to Be'er Sheva which is in Yehuda,

and he left his servant there.

ג וַיַּרְא, וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶל-נַפְשׁוֹ

וַיָּבֹא בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע אֲשֶׁר לִיהוּדָה;

וַיַּנַּח אֶת-נַעֲרוֹ שָׁם.

4) But he walked into the desert, a day's walk.

He came, he sat under a desert bush.

He wished for his life to end.

He said, "Enough now, Hashem, take my life!

I am no better than my forefathers."

ד וְהוּא-הָלַךְ בַּמִּדְבָּר דֶּרֶךְ יוֹם

וַיָּבֹא, וַיֵּשֶׁב תַּחַת רֹתֶם אֶחָד

וַיִּשְׁאַל אֶת-נַפְשׁוֹ לָמוּת

וַיֹּאמֶר רַב עַתָּה ה' קַח נַפְשִׁי

כִּי-לֹא-טוֹב אָנֹכִי מֵאֲבֹתָי.

G-d did not cooperate. Instead, He sent an angel with food and water, to break through Eliyahu's despair.

5) He lay down and he slept

under a desert bush.

Suddenly, there was an angel touching him.

He said, "Get up and eat."

ה וַיִּשְׁכַּב, וַיִּישַׁן

תַּחַת רֹתֶם אֶחָד

וְהִנֵּה-זֶה מַלְאָךְ נֹגֵעַ בּוֹ

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ קוּם אֱכוֹל.

6) He looked up,

and near his head was travel bread and a canteen of water

He ate and drank;

he sat and he lay down.

ו וַיַּבֵּט

וְהִנֵּה מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו עֻגַת רְצָפִים וְצַפַּחַת מָיִם

וַיֹּאכַל וַיֵּשְׁתְּ

וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּשְׁכָּב.

Once he had decided to choose life, a second angel was sent to give him a reason to get up and start walking. He went to Chorev, also known as Har Sinai, where Moshe spent forty days and forty nights receiving the Torah. When he got there, G-d asked to hear what was on his mind.

7) The angel of Hashem came back again and touched him

He said, "Get up and eat;

you have a long way ahead of you."

ז וַיָּשָׁב מַלְאַךְ ה' שֵׁנִית וַיִּגַּע-בּוֹ

וַיֹּאמֶר קוּם אֱכֹל

כִּי רַב מִמְּךָ הַדָּרֶךְ.

8) He got up; he ate and drank;

he walked on the strength of that eating

for forty days and forty nights,

up to the Mountain of G-d, Chorev.

ח וַיָּקָם, וַיֹּאכַל וַיִּשְׁתֶּה

וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּכֹחַ הָאֲכִילָה הַהִיא

אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה

עַד הַר הָאֱ-לֹהִים, חֹרֵב.

9) He came there, to the cave, and he camped there.

And then, there was a prophecy from Hashem for him,

He said to him,

"What are you doing here, Eliyahu?"

ט וַיָּבֹא-שָׁם אֶל-הַמְּעָרָה, וַיָּלֶן שָׁם

וְהִנֵּה דְבַר-ה' אֵלָיו

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ

מַה-לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ

Eliyahu answered by expressing his outrage and frustration with the Jewish People. In response, G-d showed him a vision of all the destructive forces that He uses to destroy civilizations, ending with the sound of silence.

10) He said,

"I am outraged on behalf of Hashem, the G-d of Tzva'ot.

For the People of Israel abandoned Your covenant,

Your altars, they destroyed;

Your prophets, they put to the sword.

I was left all alone -

and they tried to take my life."

י וַיֹּאמֶר

קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַה' אֱ-לֹהֵי צְבָא-וֹת

כִּי-עָזְבוּ בְרִיתְךָ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

אֶת-מִזְבְּחֹתֶיךָ הָרָסוּ

וְאֶת-נְבִיאֶיךָ הָרְגוּ בֶחָרֶב

וָאִוָּתֵר אֲנִי לְבַדִּי

וַיְבַקְשׁוּ אֶת-נַפְשִׁי לְקַחְתָּהּ.

11) He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before Hashem."

And there was Hashem passing, and a great, strong wind

tearing apart mountains and breaking rocks, before Hashem.

Not in the wind was Hashem.

After the wind, an earthquake.

Not in the earthquake was Hashem.

יא וַיֹּאמֶר, צֵא וְעָמַדְתָּ בָהָר לִפְנֵי ה'

וְהִנֵּה ה' עֹבֵר וְרוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה וְחָזָק

מְפָרֵק הָרִים וּמְשַׁבֵּר סְלָעִים לִפְנֵי ה',

לֹא בָרוּחַ ה';

וְאַחַר הָרוּחַ רַעַשׁ,

לֹא בָרַעַשׁ ה'.

12) And after the earthquake, fire.

Not in the fire was Hashem.

And after the fire -

the sound of refined silence.

יב וְאַחַר הָרַעַשׁ אֵשׁ

לֹא בָאֵשׁ ה'

וְאַחַר הָאֵשׁ

קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה.

When the vision ended, Eliyahu walked out of the room. G-d asked him again what he has to say, and Eliyahu's answer was unchanged.

13) When Eliyahu heard, he covered his face with his cloak.

He left and stood at the opening of the cave.

And there was a voice, for him.

He said, "What are you doing here, Eliyahu?"

יג וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ אֵלִיָּהוּ וַיָּלֶט פָּנָיו בְּאַדַּרְתּוֹ

וַיֵּצֵא וַיַּעֲמֹד פֶּתַח הַמְּעָרָה

וְהִנֵּה אֵלָיו, קוֹל

וַיֹּאמֶר מַה-לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ

14) He said,

"I am outraged on behalf of Hashem, the G-d of Tzva'ot.

For the people of Israel left Your covenant,

Your altars, they destroyed;

Your prophets, they put to the sword.

I was left all alone -

and they tried to take my life."

יד וַיֹּאמֶר

קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַה' אֱ-לֹהֵי צְבָאו-ֹת

כִּי-עָזְבוּ בְרִיתְךָ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

אֶת-מִזְבְּחֹתֶיךָ הָרָסוּ

וְאֶת-נְבִיאֶיךָ הָרְגוּ בֶחָרֶב

וָאִוָּתֵר אֲנִי לְבַדִּי

וַיְבַקְשׁוּ אֶת-נַפְשִׁי לְקַחְתָּהּ. {ס}

G-d shares with Eliyahu His plan for reforming the Jewish People. There will be a new enemy, a new king, and a new prophet. Eliyahu wants G-d to punish them? There are only 7,000 people in Israel who did not betray Him; if G-d does what Eliyahu demands, that would be the population of Israel.

15) Hashem said to him,

"Go, back on your path through the desert to Damascus.

When you arrive, anoint Chazael to be king over Aram.

טו וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלָיו

לֵךְ שׁוּב לְדַרְכְּךָ מִדְבַּרָה דַמָּשֶׂק

וּבָאתָ, וּמָשַׁחְתָּ אֶת-חֲזָאֵל לְמֶלֶךְ--עַל-אֲרָם.

16) and Yehu ben Nimshi

anoint to be king of Israel,

and Elisha ben Shafat of Avel-Mechola

anoint to be a prophet in your stead.

טז וְאֵת יֵהוּא בֶן-נִמְשִׁי

תִּמְשַׁח לְמֶלֶךְ עַל-יִשְׂרָאֵל

וְאֶת-אֱלִישָׁע בֶּן-שָׁפָט מֵאָבֵל מְחוֹלָה

תִּמְשַׁח לְנָבִיא תַּחְתֶּיךָ.

17) It will be, whoever escapes the sword of Chazael,

Yehu will put to death.

Whoever escapes the sword of Yehu,

Elisha will put to death.

יז וְהָיָה הַנִּמְלָט מֵחֶרֶב חֲזָאֵל--

יָמִית יֵהוּא

וְהַנִּמְלָט מֵחֶרֶב יֵהוּא

יָמִית אֱלִישָׁע.

18) And I will leave in Israel, seven thousand.

Each pair of knees that did not kneel to Ba'al,

and each mouth

that did not kiss him."

יח וְהִשְׁאַרְתִּי בְיִשְׂרָאֵל, שִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים

כָּל-הַבִּרְכַּיִם, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-כָרְעוּ לַבַּעַל

וְכָל-הַפֶּה

אֲשֶׁר לֹא-נָשַׁק לוֹ.

Eliyahu fulfilled only the last of the three missions. He located Elisha, the son of a wealthy farmer, and signaled to him that he can be his apprentice. Elisha dropped everything to follow Eliyahu, and became his servant, his apprentice, and, eventually, his successor.

19) He went from there, and found Elisha ben-Shafat,

who was plowing

with twelve pairs of oxen before him,

and he was at the twelfth.

Eliyahu passed by him,

and threw his cloak at him.

יט וַיֵּלֶךְ מִשָּׁם וַיִּמְצָא אֶת-אֱלִישָׁע בֶּן-שָׁפָט

וְהוּא חֹרֵשׁ

שְׁנֵים-עָשָׂר צְמָדִים לְפָנָיו

וְהוּא בִּשְׁנֵים הֶעָשָׂר

וַיַּעֲבֹר אֵלִיָּהוּ אֵלָיו

וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ אַדַּרְתּוֹ אֵלָיו.

20) He left the oxen, and ran after Eliyahu.

He said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother,

and I will go follow you!"

He said, "Go back.

What have I done to you?"

כ וַיַּעֲזֹב אֶת-הַבָּקָר, וַיָּרָץ אַחֲרֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶשְּׁקָה-נָּא לְאָבִי וּלְאִמִּי

וְאֵלְכָה אַחֲרֶיךָ

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ לֵךְ שׁוּב

כִּי מֶה-עָשִׂיתִי לָךְ

21) He turned away from him,

he took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them,

he cooked their meat in the yoke of the oxen,

and gave it to the people. They ate.

He got up, he followed Eliyahu, and served him.

כא וַיָּשָׁב מֵאַחֲרָיו

וַיִּקַּח אֶת-צֶמֶד הַבָּקָר וַיִּזְבָּחֵהוּ

וּבִכְלִי הַבָּקָר בִּשְּׁלָם הַבָּשָׂר

וַיִּתֵּן לָעָם, וַיֹּאכֵלוּ

וַיָּקָם, וַיֵּלֶךְ אַחֲרֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ--וַיְשָׁרְתֵהוּ. {פ}

It will be Elisha that anoints the new king of Israel who will wipe out Achav's dynasty and destroy the temples of Ba'al. It will be Elisha that makes Chazael the next king of Aram. Eliyahu will go up to Heaven in a fiery chariot.