Ki Tisa | The Battle of Each Generation with Idolatry (Melakhim I 18:1-39)

a. Style of Biblical Text

The extra pesukim added at the start of the haftora according to Ashkenazi custom would seem to be aimed at providing background for the vision at Carmel, like the haftora to parashat Shelach where several pesukim are likewise added in the Ashekenazi custom in order to provide background.

 

But the addition also holds an important lesson. The text describes Ovadia, who "feared God greatly" (18:3). Ovadia bravely hid one hundred prophets in a cave, giving them bread and water to keep them alive in the face of the reign of terror by Izevel, who wished to annihilate all prophets of God. Eliyahu is aware of this act, for Ovadia reminds him: "Was my master not told of what I did when Izevel had the prophets of God killed, and I hid a hundred men of the prophets of God... and gave them bread and water" (18:13). Despite this, Eliyahu declares in public, "I ALONE remain a prophet of God" (18:22), and even to God he declares later on (after the end of the haftora), "Your prophets they killed by the sword, and I alone remain" (19:10). How is it possible that a prophet of truth, declaring the word of God and standing before Him, should utter such an inaccuracy?

 

We are forced to conclude that the text here - Eliyahu himself - adopts an exaggerated style, such that the prophet claims that he alone is left, although there are a hundred other prophets. And on the basis of this conclusion, perhaps we can apply a similar stylistic interpretation for what we are told concerning the episode of the golden calf in the parasha. From the description in the text, it appears as though just about the whole nation participates in the worship of this idol. But a careful examination reveals that only a few thousand people were involved, and this is indeed a small proportion of the entire nation. But the problem is the state of the nation as a whole - for even if they are not all involved in idolatry, they are not wholehearted in their service of God; they are "dithering between two options" (18:21). Most of the haftora describes the battle for the soul of the nation, the soul of the "silent majority," those beset with doubts. Thus, the haftora comes to shed light on the parasha, showing Moshe's actions, too, to be a battle for the soul of the nation. Hence Moshe's initiation of the immediate sentencing of the idol worshippers.

 

1. b. By fire and by water

While the battle against idolatry is common to the parasha and the haftora, the real battle - as we have mentioned - is for the soul of the nation.

 

There are two principles upon which both battles - that of Moshe and that of Eliyahu - are based: fire and water. The golden calf in the parasha is formed from fire ("And I threw it into the fire and this calf emerged" - 32:24), and it is obliterated through fire and water ("And he took the calf that they had made and burnt it with fire and ground it until it was fine, and he sprinkled it upon the water" - 32:20).

 

Likewise, fire and water are the signs from heaven that demonstrate God's displeasure with the worship of Ba'al. Water - rain - is first withheld for a prolonged period and then renewed when the prophets of Ba'al are destroyed and the faith in Ba'al removed from the hearts of the nation. Fire is the immediate and impressive sign: "The God who answers with fire is the real God" (18:24).

 

God's response is the response to the prophet's prayer. Both in the parasha and in the haftora we find the prayers of prophets and leaders: Moshe and Eliyahu. Each prays in his own way and in accordance with the requirements of his circumstances and his generation, but both are spokesmen for the nation and are the nation's representatives before God. Although Moshe and Eliyahu are spokesmen, they are distanced from the people in all matters concerning their connection with idolatry - not only in a spiritual sense but also even physically. Also, both in the parasha and in the haftora, God "invites," as it were, the appeal and the prayer. In the parasha: "And now, leave Me" (32:10). (Rashi, quoting Midrash Tanchuma, points out that we have no evidence of any prayer on Moshe's part prior to this and asks why God tells Moshe to leave Him. The answer is that this was an opening for prayer, a hint to Moshe that the matter now depended on him and that if he prayed for the people, God would not destroy them.) In the haftora: "And God's word came to Eliyahu in the third year" (18:1) - God was commanding him to act.

 

This also demonstrates to us the difference between the period of the desert and the reality of national life in the land of Israel. In the desert, destruction of the nation as a result of idolatry was to be decisive and immediate: "Leave Me alone that My anger may burn against them and I shall consume them" (32:10). In the land of Israel, the Divine punishment was represented by drought, perhaps an expression of the cutting of relations between God and the people, conveying rebuke of the nation. Indeed, the drought - continuing as it did year after year - could also have brought about the nation's physical destruction.

 

1. d. Closing the circle

In a certain sense the vision on Carmel closes a circle that began at the foot of Mount Sinai. In the wilderness of Sinai a harsh cry arose: "This is your god, O Israel" (32:4). And although Moshe prayed and destroyed the idol and its worshippers and those who danced around it, there was still no complete repair for this cry; no opposite cry that came to correct the situation. (The ox offered by Eliyahu on the broken altar that he repairs may represent the atonement for the golden calf, similar to what the Sages suggest is the symbolism of the Red Heifer. It may also be teaching us that the root of idolatry in Israel is the golden calf of the desert, and that any later manifestation of idolatry must be followed by atonement - including atonement for this root damage.) It was only when the roar of the nation at Carmel echoed all around - "The Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God" (18:39) - that finally there was atonement for this catastrophe.

 

1. e. Moshe and Eliyahu

There is a parallel between the two prophet-leaders, Moshe and Eliyahu, as elaborated in the Midrash:

 

"'And Eliyahu took twelve stones, like the number of the tribes of Ya'akov's children' - R. Tanchuma said in the house of R. Abba: "And through a prophet God brought Israel out of Egypt" (Hoshea 12:14) - this refers to Moshe, "And by a prophet they were preserved" - this refers to Eliyahu. We find two prophets of Israel from the tribe of Levi - first Moshe and then Eliyahu... Moshe redeemed them from Egypt... and Eliyahu redeemed them in the future... We find a complete parallel between Moshe and Eliyahu... Moshe gathered the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai and Eliyahu gathered them at Mount Carmel; Moshe destroyed idolators... and Eliyahu destroyed idolators... Moshe prayed for the nation, "Do not destroy Your nation and Your inheritance", and Eliyahu prayed for Israel - "Answer me, God, answer me"... Through Moshe the nation achieved love of the Holy One... and through Eliyahu the nation achieved love of the Holy One, as it is written, "the Lord, He is God"... Moshe brought down fire and Eliyahu brought down fire... Moshe built an altar and Eliyahu built an altar... Moshe, when he built his altar... built it from twelve stones, like the number of the children of Israel, and Eliyahu, when he built his altar, built it according to the number of the tribes of Israel..." (Pesikta Rabati 4).

 

In Eliyahu's era, just as in the era of Moshe, the evil inclination for idolatry was active, and each leader had to address this evil in a way appropriate to his generation and his circumstances. What was suitable in one instance would not necessarily be suitable in a different generation, but the purpose and the ultimate goal is the same: the twelve tribes are first redeemed by Moshe and later on are promised the final redemption by Eliyahu.

Translated by Kaeren Fish