Hebraic
Studies
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Please Note: On this site I will
show the four letter blessed *“Memorial Name” of
the Almighty in Ivrit - 
- Y-H-V-H, which we usually
pronounce as “Adonai” or “HaShem”.
*“This is My Name forever,
and this is My memorial to all generations.” Shemot -
Exodus 3:15.
On this site I will
mostly use a version based on the “Jewish Publication
Society”
Study TWO
Eliyahu -
This
Study is based on 1 Melachim - 1
If you have arrived at this page via a search
engine, I suggest that you first read Eliyahu
Part One.
The previous study covered the first two scenes
of the times of Eliyahu -
We also learned that the word
“Cherith” means a “temporary separation.” It
is the same word Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name,
uses, when He said that He would give
Then Eliyahu was commanded to leave the Brook of Cherith
“And it came to pass after
a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in
the land. And the word of came
unto him (Eliyahu), saying: ‘Arise, get thee
to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon (Sidonia), and dwell
there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain
thee’” 1 Melachim - 1 Kings 17:7-9. (JPS).
Thus Elohim, blessed be He, commanded Eliyahu to leave the brook, and travel to “Zarephath.” The name “Zarephath,” actually means, “refining,” as Elohim would refine Eliyahu there, making him an even greater servant. The Almighty prepared and refined Eliyahu for three and a half years, until he was able to fully rely in his creator, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Throughout our lives, we all need refining as we keep His blessed Torah and learn to wholly rely on Elohim for all our strength! Eliyahu had already witnessed one miracle, being that the ravens came to feed him, but two further miracles now laid ahead of him at Zarephath, but it would be the third one that would be the greatest test given to any man in the Tanakh up to that date!
As we read the next portion, we will discover some amazing details!
“So he (Eliyahu) arose and went to
Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a
widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her, and said:
‘Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel that I
may drink.’ And as she was going to
fetch it, he called to her, and said: ‘Bring me; I pray
thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.’ And
she said: ‘As thy Elohim liveth, I have not a cake,
only a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse;
and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and
dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and
die.’ And Elijah said unto her:
‘Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof
a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward
make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith
,
the Elohim of Israel: The jar of meal shall not be spent, neither
shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that sendeth
rain upon the land.’ And she went and
did according to the saying of , which He spoke by Eliyahu” 1 Melachim -
1 Kings 17:10-16.
The question arises, why would the Almighty
send Eliyahu to Zarephath? The truth is, in our way of thinking
that this city would have been the very last place Eliyahu would
have gone to, remember Zarephath is in Sidonia, which is the
enemy’s territory. Yet the command was, “Go … and
dwell there.” It was only there, Elohim, blessed be
His Sanctified Name, “commanded a widow” to provide for
Eliyahu.
Why would He choose this poor Sidonian woman to take care of Eliyahu? Well Elohim has a plan for everybody, if they will only heed to Him and His servants. This widow was going to receive a great blessing due to Eliyahu’s presence!
Another question would be, why did Elohim send Eliyahu to the very place that was the home of Yezebel? Of course the Almighty knew that the murderous Yezebel would never think of looking in 1. her own country, and 2. in her very hometown. Elohim, blessed be He, had a master plan, and He never fails!
Did you realise, that by going to Zarephath, and residing with this woman, would present six major difficulties for the man Eliyahu.
1… He would have to accept hospitality & charity.
For a man to request help, is to disgrace himself.
2… He would have to depend on a woman.
He was raised with the idea that men must be the dependable providers.
3… Live with a widow. How could a man of Elohim live in a widow’s house?
People would gossip, with innuendos disgracing him, and thus his Elohim.
4… To go and ask help from a pauper.
This would be difficult, for his upbringing would have been to give Tzedakah to the poor.
5… To go to a Gentile, a Sidonian, worshipping pagan gods, for help and lodgings.
The food, especially the environment would not be Kosher, thus technically unfit.
6… To go to the home, and center
of
This one single man would be a single light in a place of darkness.
The above six difficulties would deal with Eliyahu’s pride. Yet, in humility he obeyed Elohim’s Word and went. As he arrived at the gate of the city, he immediately met the widow. When our Heavenly Father sends His chosen prophets to a specific place, He prepares others to meet and care for them, but only when they are at the right place! The widow was there at the appointed place. She was gathering wood to make her final meal, before she and her son would then starve to death due to the severe drought and the lack of food. Yet, this widow gave Eliyahu some water. But he asks her for some bread, and she replies …
“As thy Elohim liveth, I have not
a cake, only a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in
the cruse”.
She saw that he was a Hebrew, and thus knew
that he was a believer in Elohim, and thus used the name thy
Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name.
“For thus saith , the Elohim of Israel:
The jar of meal shall not be spent, neither shall the cruse of
oil fail, until the day that sendeth rain upon the
land.”
All this happened, just as the Almighty had said through His prophet. Each day, as the flour and the oil were used, Elohim replenished it. We do not see Elohim filling her storehouse up to the roof with flour, or adding many barrels of oil. No, He supplied sufficient for each day. Just as it was in the wilderness, Elohim sent sufficient manna for each day. The Almighty knows our needs, He will supply us with those things that we really need, but not necessarily all those things we want, to fill our storehouses, full of gelt and luxuries. All we really need is His Torah, and our daily needs!
In these studies, we have seen Eliyahu rely on
Elohim physically at Cherith, but here at the widow’s
house, he had to rely on His Elohim mentally. However, the
time was approaching Eliyahu had to rely on spiritually
and this happens in the forth scene, something that concerns her
son.
“And it came to pass after these things
that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick;
and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in
him. And she said unto Eliyahu: ‘What
have I to do with thee, O thou man of Elohim? Art thou come unto
me to bring my sin to remembrance and to slay my son?’ And he said unto her: ‘Give me thy son.’
And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the
upper chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own
bed. And he cried unto , and
said: 'O my Elohim, hast Thou also brought evil
upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?’ And he stretched himself upon the child three
times, and cried unto , and said: 'O my
Elohim, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come back into
him.’ And hearkened unto the
voice of Eliyahu; and the soul of the child came back into him,
and he revived. And in thy mouth is truth’” 1
Melachim - 1 Kings 17:17-24.
Here we have seen one of the greatest tests of
any man in history, as we seen a boy becoming so sick, that he
died. The widow in her great sorrow blamed Eliyahu, but more so
his Elohim. Later,
How did Eliyahu handle the situation? Here he
had a dead boy in his arms, and his mother severely blames him
and the Elohim of
Both Eliyahu and the woman were about to see
the greatness and the power of the Elohim of Avraham, Yitzchak
and had never done, thus there was no
precedent for it. Yet, this great prophet, Eliyahu had complete
faith and asks to restore the boy to life again and
As Eliyahu returned the boy to his mother, he
proves to her that the Elohim of Avraham, Yitzchak, and of
Upon the arrival of Eliyahu in Zarephath, the
woman declared, “As your Elohim lives,”
thus saying, he is your Elohim, not mine. But then she sees the
power of Eliyahu’s Elohim, the widow of Zarephath now
declares, “I know that you are a man of Elohim, and that the
Word of in your mouth is truth.”
The world seeks for wealth, their well-being, and all the luxuries they desire. I call this, the “I, me, and myself,” the same attitude Pharaoh revealed.
What then is the message we have learnt today? …
I find it so sad, but it seems that for so many
Jews they just want to live their own lives, not keeping the
mitzvoth, living in the “I, me, and myself.” And as I
said that was Pharaoh’s attitude, “I will, I will
not,” instead listening to the “I, the Me” of ,
“Let MY people go.” calls His people to …
“Return (shuv – t’shuva -
repent) to Me, says of hosts, and I will return to you, saith
of
hosts.”
Many need to make t’shuva, and return to
reading and studying our beloved Torah, but most of all commence
to keep the mitzvoth, as has asked of us. Read the
miracle again, of what Elohim did with a man of faith and how He
answered his prayer. This is a great Elohim, the only Elohim, and
he is our Elohim. Knowing this, would you not wish to obey and
please Him?
“If this study had an effect on your life, and you are going to act upon it, then, I will believe this was a good study. However, if this powerful event in the life of Eliyahu the prophet has no effect on your life and it does not change you, I will feel very sad, for then it was wasted, but I have faith and it is my prayer that it will have an effect, be it now or later!
Eliyahu is a man who gave His life in the service of His Elohim, not living in the self, or the I, me, and myself as so many did then, and still do to this very day. This is a world that is full of the self and so much evil and sin, but as Jews let us strive to uphold the mitzvoth that our beloved Elohim has blessed us with!
I trust that you have gained something powerful from the Eliyahu studies, and I pray that it will bless your life!
May the Shalom (Peace) of Elohim fill you, your
family and your home!
Page
1 … Eliyahu Part One
Page
2 … Eliyahu Part Two … This page.
Page
3 … Eliyahu Part Three
Page
4 … Eliyahu Part Four
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- Y-H-V-H, which
we Jews usually pronounce as “HaShem” or “Adonai”.
*“This
is My Name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.”
Shemot - Exodus 3:15.
