Q&A: Why Elijah Is Needed
Why Elijah Is Needed
Question
In the Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 7b, there is a discussion about a gatehouse, etc., and then the Talmud says that he heard this from Elijah, and therefore they did not rule in accordance with him. If it’s possible to explain the plain meaning, what is the reason that Elijah is needed?
Answer
It doesn’t say there that they did not rule in accordance with him because he heard it from Elijah. On the contrary, they challenged the ruling based on what they had heard from Elijah, and it is clear that Elijah’s words were accepted as Jewish law, and therefore they had to reconcile the ruling that a gatehouse is an improvement.
However, see Chazon Ish, sec. 4, subsec. 7, who explained that were it not for this fact, there would have been room to say that a person is not obligated to suffer invasion of privacy for the sake of benefiting the poor, and this is not an obligation under the laws of charity. And that indeed was the opinion of that pious man. The novelty they learned from Elijah was that, as a matter of piety, one should not build a gatehouse (and in fact this is only a pious practice and not a full obligation). And this is what they asked in the Talmud here: since, as a matter of piety, one should not build a gatehouse, one person can no longer force another to share in the cost of a gatehouse. In other words, it is not that they ruled Jewish law in accordance with Elijah, but rather that Elijah taught that this is a pious practice; consequently, as a matter of Jewish law, one cannot coerce someone who does not want to participate in building a gatehouse.
Still, this requires discussion, because if the community decided to build it and will do so anyway, then what does it help that one person does not participate? In practice there will be a gatehouse and the poor will not be heard, and in essence he has only saved himself money without helping at all. Therefore, seemingly he should be obligated to participate even if that runs against the pious practice. But this can be rejected: perhaps if he does not participate, the others will not build it. And if they build it anyway—then it is only fair that it be at their expense.
Discussion on Answer
What did you see there in Ben Yehoyada? He only explains why Elijah was needed for this matter, but there is nothing there at all about not accepting it because it came from Elijah, or the other issues relevant here.
He writes that he was punished by no longer hearing Elijah’s voice, because Elijah stopped revealing himself to him—not that they did not accept Elijah’s words as Jewish law.
Yes, I didn’t understand his explanation of why Elijah was needed.
He explains it in kabbalistic terms. Are you familiar with the concepts? If not, then there’s no point getting into it here.
He says that the rectification of charity belongs to the sefirah of Malkhut, and Elijah also belongs to Malkhut, so Elijah tries to rectify matters of charity and is unwilling to appear to someone who harms them.
There are four expanded forms of the divine name (Y-H-V-H): 72, 63, 45, and 52. 52 is the lowest of them (and apparently for that reason it belongs to Malkhut, which is the lowest sefirah).
Each of these names is built from the letters Y-H-V-H with different spellings-out. The 52-name is spelled out as: Yod Heh Heh Vav Heh Heh (whose numerical value totals 52). Beyond the four root letters, there are five letters in the expanded spelling, and these are the four and five he is talking about. 52 + 4 + 5 = nedavah, “generosity.” Elijah has the numerical value 52, and he belongs to Malkhut, so his theme is generosity/charity.
That’s it.
The Rabbi should look at Ben Yehoyada there, and we’d be happy if he would explain…