Excerpt of a shiur given over on Monday, the week of Parshat Yitro 5785

(See part 1 HERE)

==

Here, Chapter 17 [of Pirkei Di Rebbe Eliezer], it’s talking about Jezebel, that she used to dance.

Whoever dances, they don’t decay in the grave. When you jump, dance, so you won’t decompose.

So, she used to dance [for brides on their wedding day] so the dogs didn’t eat the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet, and her head.

She used to do like this with her head, movements like this – all this is [written in] Chapter 17. Here, Jezebel, who used to dance before the groom and bride, so the dogs didn’t eat [the parts of her body that danced], because the palms of her hands she used to clap, [to make noise] with the palms of the hands, and to jump with the legs, so the dogs didn’t eat them.

The dogs didn’t rule over these [parts of Jezebel’s body], because she used to dance.

==

And this is what the Chiddush HaRim asked[1]:

Why didn’t Eliyahu kill Jezebel?

A captain [of King Ahaziah] came to him with 50 soldiers.[2]

Eliyahu HaTzaddik, the Man of God, come! Dina de’malchuta [the law of the land is the law], the king is calling you, he’s inviting you.

Eliyahu haNavi said, who is this king? What does he want?

HaMelech Ahaziah, the son of Ahab.

He was the king over the whole world, [but] Eliyahu said, who is this king, what is this king, what are you talking about, ‘the king’?!

He’s calling for you! He loves you, he just wants to kiss you.

What are you talking about, ‘he just wants to kiss me’?!

Now, fire came down and burnt up everyone.

What words!

(There’s a hearing about this in the Hague tomorrow – tomorrow, all of you are coming. They making a case against him, they are taking him out of his grave, Eliyahu HaNavi…..So tomorrow, he has a court hearing in the Hague, he burnt 50 soldiers.)

==

The king was a Breslover – he didn’t despair!

He said, I am not going to give up! He sent him another captain with fifty [soldiers].

[The second captain] said, Man of God, come down! The king is calling you, he wants to kiss you and embrace you!

Eliyahu said, I’m a ‘man of God’?! So then fire should come down from shemayim, to burn all of you!

Wow. Poor guys.

(I was at their funeral, what weeping! Tomorrow, there is also a court hearing about this, two court cases, there are videos, there are photos, that fire came down from the heavens and burnt everyone up.)

==

The third [captain], he already fell upon [Eliyahu’s] legs and started to weep.

Eliyahu! Have mercy, what am I guilty of? The king sent me! If [I didn’t come], then he would kill me!

[Eliyahu said], OK, with you, I will go. You wept, you entreated.

He came to the king, [who said to him] what did Hashem say to you?

That you will die! You will die within a day, you will die.

==

So, Eliyahu wasn’t afraid of the king.

And he wasn’t afraid of the captain, so why would he be afraid of Jezebel? [Did] he [really] run away? Rather, he went to receive, he entered the cave.

There is a cave that whoever enters into this cave, they ascend to shemayim with a chariot of fire, they are transformed into fire. Everything is fire, in that cave, or haganuz.

If there would be single hole [in the cave] – the world would be incinerated.[3]

Only Moshe and Eliyahu entered that cave, nobody else can enter the cave, it’s a cave of nobody [else]. Even if you would make a hole in the cave, you wouldn’t be able to get in.

You need to shed the body completely, you need [to fast] 40 days, and 40 nights.

==

Translated from Shivivei Or, 400.

==

FOOTNOTES:

[1] See the Chiddushei HaRim, BeMidbar, Pinchas.

[2] See Kings II:1-15:

“[King] Ahaziah fell through the balustrade of his upper chamber in Shomron and took ill. He sent messengers saying to them, ‘Go inquire of Ba’al Zevuv, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this illness.’ An angel of Hashem then said to Eliyahu HaTishbi, ‘Arise and go up towards the messengers of the king of Shomron and speak to them, ‘Is there no God in Israel that you go to inquire of Beezlebub, the god of Ekron?! Therefore, thus said Hashem [to the king]: The bed onto which you have climbed – you shall never go down from it, for you shall surely die.’” Eliyahu then went off.

The messengers returned to [Ahaziah] and he asked them, ‘Why have you returned?’

They answered him, ‘A man came up towards us and said to us, ‘Go and return to the king who sent you and speak to him: Thus said Hashem: Is there no God in Israel that you sent to inquire of Ba’al Zevuv, the god of Ekron? Therefore, the bed onto which you have climbed – you shall never go down from it, for you shall surely die.’

He asked them, ‘What was the appearance of the man who came up towards you, and spoke these words to you?’

They said to him, ‘He was a hairy man, with a leather belt girded around his waist.’ [Ahaziah] said, ‘He is Eliyahu HaTishbi!’

So [Ahaziah] dispatched to him a captain of fifty, along with his fifty [men]….”

[3] See Tractate Megillah 19.