Eliyahu's Letter

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1. The Storm (Part 14)

   Eliyahu Lives On (II)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   The letter that is sent by Eliyahu to Yehoram King of Yehuda transpires at a point in time in which Elisha is the prophet and Eliyahu has already ascended to the heavens. This episode must draw responses related to the question of whether or not Eliyahu died.

2. Chronology, Structure, and Two Judean Kings

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   In many of the Elisha stories the king in the story is not identified. While many assume that the anonymous king is Yehoram, Ahav's son, because of the sequence of the chapters, the good relationship between Elisha and the king in some of the stories and the ease in which Aram lays seige to Shomron indicate that the kings in the story belong to Yehu's dynasty. Two possible explanations are offered as to the non-chronological order of the Elisha's stories.

   Yehoram, King of Yehuda, strays from the path of Yehoshafat his father and adopts the path of the House of Ahav, of which his wife Atalya is a daughter. Besides the spiritual turmoil that his rule brings, Yehoram murders all of his brothers who he views as a threat to his rule and loses control over areas that have been under the rule of Yehuda since David's reign. How does Eliyahu send Yehoram a castigating letter long after his disappearance?

3. Did Eliyahu Die?

   Dr. Baruch Alster | Hour and 11 minutes

   The concept of Eliyahu's ascent to heaven (as described in II Kings) was heavily debated among medieval commentaries. Some allowed for the idea that the ancient prophet lives on to this day, as can be understood from the biblical verses, while others prefer to minimize the miracle and claim that the verses describe the prophet's death. By analyzing the various medieval opinions we can learn how each commentator balances the truth of Tanakh with rationalist philosophy.