The same is true of Elijah. For what do we read concerning him? “And he came and sat down under a juniper tree, and he requested for himself that he might die” (I Kings 19, 4). He said: “Lord of the world, Thou didst send a woman to Israel whose name was Deborah, and she caused them to repent, as it is written: ‘until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel’ (Judges 5, 7); but I came and preached to them but did not succeed.”
As he was thus sitting beneath the tree, the Holy One revealed Himself to him and said: “What dost thou here, Elijah? At first thou didst show zeal on behalf of the Covenant, which when I observed I was glad for the sake of thy jealousy on My behalf, in regard to that Covenant, and so I took it with the consent of Moses and gave it to thee”-for it is written: “Wherefore say, Behold I give unto him (Phineas=Elijah) My Covenant: peace” (Num. 25, 12)-“and now, as this Covenant of peace is thine, it is no longer right for thee to stand forth as an accuser of Israel: thou must let thy zeal lie fallow and leave the punishment of My people to Me, even as in the beginning, when it was mine, I left it in another hand, and did not accuse them.”
We have learnt that at that moment he lost the gift which Moses had given to him, for it says, “He went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb, the mount of God”. Why did he go there? In order to demand the return of the Covenant from him who acquired it of old on the mount of God. Said Moses to him when he made this demand: ‘Thou canst not receive it from me, go to the little ones in Israel (those who are about to be circumcised) and thou wilt benefit from them, and they will give it to thee.” And he did as Moses bade him ‘1The text here seems to be defective.
אֵלִיָּהוּ מָה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ, (מלכים א י״ט:ד׳) וַיָּבֹא וַיֵּשֶׁב תַּחַת רֹתֶם אֶחָד וְגוֹ', אָמַר מָארֵיהּ דְּעָלְמָא, אִתְּתָא חֲדָא שַׁדְרַת לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וּדְבוֹרָה שְׁמָהּ, דִּכְתִּיב, (שופטים ד׳:ה׳) וְהִיא יוֹשֶׁבֶת תַּחַת תֹּמֶר דְּבוֹרָה. דָּא הוּא רֹתֶם, וְאָהַדְרַת לוֹן לְמוּטַב, דִּכְתִּיב, (שופטים ה׳:ז׳) עַד שַׁקַּמְתִּי דְּבוֹרָה. וְאָנָא עָאלִית בֵּינַיְיהוּ, וְאַכְרָזִית קָמַיְיהוּ וְלָא יָכִילְנָא.
The same is true of Elijah. For what do we read concerning him? “And he came and sat down under a juniper tree, and he requested for himself that he might die” (I Kings 19, 4). He said: “Lord of the world, Thou didst send a woman to Israel whose name was Deborah, and she caused them to repent, as it is written: ‘until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel’ (Judges 5, 7); but I came and preached to them but did not succeed.”
עַד דְּהֲוָה יָתִיב, אִתְגְּלֵי עָלֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ מַה לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ, בְּקַדְמִיתָא קָא הֲוֵית מְקַטְרְגָא וּמְקַנֵּי עַל בְּרִית, וּמִדְּחָמֵינָא בָּךְ דְּקַנִּית עָלַי בְּהַהוּא בְּרִית, נַטְלִית לֵיהּ בִּרְעוּ דְּמֹשֶׁה, וְיָהִיבְנָא לָךָ, עַד דְּמֹשֶׁה (רי"ב ע"א) הֲוָה אָמַר (במדבר כ״ה:י״ב) הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם. הַשְׁתָּא דְּאִיהוּ דִּילָךְ, לָא אִתְחָזֵי לָךְ לְקַטְרְגָא עֲלוֹי, הֲוָה לְךָ לְמִשְׁבַּק קִנוּיָיךָ לִי, כְּמָה בְּקַדְמִיתָא דְּהֲוָה דִּילִי, שְׁבַקְנָא לֵיהּ לִידָא אַחֲרָא, וְלָא קַטְרִיגְנָא עֲלוֹי.
As he was thus sitting beneath the tree, the Holy One revealed Himself to him and said: “What dost thou here, Elijah? At first thou didst show zeal on behalf of the Covenant, which when I observed I was glad for the sake of thy jealousy on My behalf, in regard to that Covenant, and so I took it with the consent of Moses and gave it to thee”-for it is written: “Wherefore say, Behold I give unto him (Phineas=Elijah) My Covenant: peace” (Num. 25, 12)-“and now, as this Covenant of peace is thine, it is no longer right for thee to stand forth as an accuser of Israel: thou must let thy zeal lie fallow and leave the punishment of My people to Me, even as in the beginning, when it was mine, I left it in another hand, and did not accuse them.”
מַה לְּךָ פֹה, מַאי פֹה. בְּרִית קַיָּימָא, פֶּה יְיָ' אִיהוּ. כֵּיוָן דְּלָא בָּעָאת לְשַׁבְקָא לִי פּוּמָךְ, יֵתוּב בַּאֲתָר דְּהַהוּא פּוּמָא. תְּנָן, בְּהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא, אִתְעַבָּר מִנֵּיהּ הַהוּא נְבַזְבְּזָא דְּיָהַב לֵיהּ מֹשֶׁה. דִּתְנָן, מַאי דִּכְתִּיב, (מלכים א י״ט:ח׳) וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּכֹחַ הָאֲכִילָה הַהִיא וְגוֹ'. עַד הַר הָאֱלהִים חוֹרֵבָה. לְמִתְבַּע מִתַּמָּן, וְכִי מִתַּמָּן הֲוָה בָּעֵי. אֶלָּא לְמִתְבַּע כְּמִלְּקַדְּמִין, מֵהַהוּא דְּיָרִית בְּהַר הָאֱלהִים, בְּרִית דָּא. פִּנְחָס הוּא אֵלִיָּהוּ, וַדַּאי בְּדַרְגָּא חֲדָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ מֹשֶׁה, לֵית אַנְתְּ יָכִיל לְקַבְּלָא מִנַּאי, אֶלָּא זִיל לְיַנּוֹקַיְּיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמֵאִינּוּן תִּרְוָח, וְאִינּוּן יַהֲבֵי לָךְ, וְכַךְ הוּא עָבִיד. (חסר).
We have learnt that at that moment he lost the gift which Moses had given to him, for it says, “He went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb, the mount of God”. Why did he go there? In order to demand the return of the Covenant from him who acquired it of old on the mount of God. Said Moses to him when he made this demand: ‘Thou canst not receive it from me, go to the little ones in Israel (those who are about to be circumcised) and thou wilt benefit from them, and they will give it to thee.” And he did as Moses bade him ‘1The text here seems to be defective.