{"id":63193,"date":"2019-09-19T11:58:33","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T08:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=63193"},"modified":"2023-04-14T14:34:07","modified_gmt":"2023-04-14T11:34:07","slug":"oh-father-father-israels-chariots-and-horsemen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/oh-father-father-israels-chariots-and-horsemen\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cOh, Father, Father! Israel\u2019s Chariots and Horsemen!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[366,858,931,564,484],"acf":{"old_id":"63193","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34243,"related_cahpter":"311","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Memorable eulogy - but what does this mean?","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Elijah first encountered Elisha, he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen (1 Kings 19:19). When he threw his mantle over him, Elisha left his oxen and ran after him, saying \u201cLet me kiss my father and mother good-by, and I will follow you,\u201d to which Elijah replied: \u201cGo back, what have I done to you?\u201d (20) Small wonder, then, that when Elijah and Elisha parted company permanently, the latter referred to the former as his \u201cfather.\u201d Less obvious is the meaning of \u201cIsrael\u2019s chariots and horsemen\u201d (v. 12). Let us sample what the medievals had to say on the description of this relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rashi, in appreciation of the fact that the relationship between masters and disciples is akin to that of fathers and sons, wrote: \u201cMy endeared teacher who is better for Israel with his prayers than chariots and horsemen.\u201d Radak echoed Rashi, adding that on account of this relationship prophets in training were called \u201csons of prophets\u201d (see vss. 3, 5, and 15 in this chapter).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gersonides (Ralbag) added the explanation that a teacher \u201cfathers\u201d a student\u2019s intellect (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sekhel<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and adduced the balance of the verse\u2014\u201che grasped his garments and rent them in two\u201d\u2014as evidence that a disciple is bound, by Halakhah, to tear his garments on the death of his teacher. Moreover, on close reading, the phrase \u201cin two\u201d seems superfluous (anything that is \u201crent\u201d is in two pieces), implying, to Ralbag, that whereas an ordinary mourner may, eventually, reattach the pieces of his torn garment, the disciple may never do so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Malbim, however, saw an allusion in the chariot (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rekheb<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) to an esoteric notion\u2014called \u201cMerkabah mysticism\u201d by scholars\u2014that alludes to God\u2019s providence (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hashgahah<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) over Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: Giuseppe Angeli: Elijah Taken Up in a Chariot of Fire, c. 1750 \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":63194,"id":63194,"title":"2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire","filename":"2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/oh-father-father-israels-chariots-and-horsemen\/2kings2-elijah_taken_up_in_a_chariot_of_fire\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings2-elijah_taken_up_in_a_chariot_of_fire","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":63193,"date":"2019-09-19 08:58:23","modified":"2019-09-19 08:58:31","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1024,"height":670,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-300x196.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":196,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-768x503.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":503,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-1024x670.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":670,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":670,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","2048x2048-width":1024,"2048x2048-height":670,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","post_full_size-width":1024,"post_full_size-height":670,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-642x420.jpg","home_baner-width":642,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"\u201cOh, Father, Father! Israel\u2019s Chariots and Horsemen!\u201d","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"Memorable eulogy - but what does this mean?","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":63194,"id":63194,"title":"2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire","filename":"2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/oh-father-father-israels-chariots-and-horsemen\/2kings2-elijah_taken_up_in_a_chariot_of_fire\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"2kings2-elijah_taken_up_in_a_chariot_of_fire","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":63193,"date":"2019-09-19 08:58:23","modified":"2019-09-19 08:58:31","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1024,"height":670,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-300x196.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":196,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-768x503.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":503,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-1024x670.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":670,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":670,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","2048x2048-width":1024,"2048x2048-height":670,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire.jpg","post_full_size-width":1024,"post_full_size-height":670,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2kings2-Elijah_Taken_Up_in_a_Chariot_of_Fire-642x420.jpg","home_baner-width":642,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63193"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63193"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63195,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63193\/revisions\/63195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}