What a strange thing for Eliyahu to tell the King. After all, Ahav just witnessed a major cultural defeat. Everything that he represented as a King was just cast down and overthrown. Yet, the text does not display any animosity on his part. Unlike his wife Jezebel who we shall see in the next chapter is irate about what happened, Ahav's reaction is quite subdued. This might imply that he was not as bad as he is portrayed. It is not like a King has to worry about public opinion. After all, it is not like the public can vote him out of office. There are only two ways kings are removed from office, one is to die a natural death; the other is to be killed, by either friends or foes. Ahav apparently was in no danger of any kind of coup resulting from Eliyahu's display of spiritual power.

Eliyahu's response to Ahav is also not what is expected. Being that Ahav is considered the villain here, one might expect that Eliyahu would have also demanded his blood, but as we see nothing of the sort happened. Instead Eliyahu tells Ahav to celebrate. Celebrations, then as now were expressed with a hearty meal. It is apparent that Ahav must have had the royal caterers with him there at Carmel. Eliyahu tells Ahav now that the great battle of faith has been fought and won by HaShem it is time for the rains to fall.

"So Ahab went to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees." 1 Melakhim 18:42

Now that Eliyahu had said that the rains were coming, he had to make good on his promise. Notice, that the text does not record a prophecy that HaShem told Eliyahu that He was ready to send rain. Rather, Eliyahu is recorded as just announcing it apparently from out of the blue. Now, that Eliyahu has spoken, it is time to put his words into action. Ahav goes to eat and drink as Eliyahu has told him to do. He shows no expression of doubting Eliyahu and again shows him no animosity. The evil idolatrous King of Israel heeds the word of the prophet and does what he is told. This is so not what we are expecting, but this is what happened. Now that the King is busy doing what he should, Eliyahu gets busy doing what he should. Eliyahu now has to bring the rain.

One might think that all Eliyahu has to do is say to HaShem, OK, HaShem, please send the rain, and all of a sudden the skies would magically darken and the rains would after a three year absence miraculously fall. Well, this might sound like how it was supposed to happen, but that is not what the text records as actually happening. No, Eliyahu had a heavy job to do and it entailed much more than saying a mere few words of prayer to Heaven.

The text here reveals one of the great secrets of the schools of the prophets. Without fanfare or revelation of significance we have revealed to us the secret meditative position of the prophet. This position was considered so powerful that one who placed himself in it and then performed specific types of meditations and chants would be able to open inner recesses of the mind/soul that would enable them to physically influence and change the space time continuum surrounding us.

The text says that Eliyahu bowed on the earth and placed his face between his knees. The significance of this position is that it places the human body in such a form that all of the internal ten Sefirot are in proper alignment. This enables the inner spiritual Sefirotic power to channel through the prophet's words, prayers or chant empowering such speech with the power of creation. This is the secret of "abra'ka'dabra", I create what I speak. Although the text does not say it, it is evident that Eliyahu was performing specific visualization techniques to create the coming of rain first in his mind, and this was coupled with his chanting of specific letter/sound combinations that are known from the Sefer Yetzirah. These sounds were augmented and strengthened by his physical body's own life-force (Nefesh) energy to create the physical structure through which his mental imagery could take on physical construct and thus become reality. Essentially, Eliyahu was using the Divine Power entrusted to him to literally form and bring the rains.

"And he said to his servant: 'Go up now, look toward the sea.' And he went up, and looked, and said: 'There is nothing.' And he said: 'Go again seven times." 1 Melakhim 18:43

The process of using Sefer Yetzirah spiritual technology to create forms in physical space/time is both complicated and time consuming. There is no simple magic here. Eliyahu cannot just say "hocus-pocus" and "poof" magic rain begins to fall. Divine design directs that every physical act in this world materialize through the laws of nature; this also includes miracles. G-d is the source of all powers and He alone is responsible for the performance of miracles, nonetheless, the execution of these Divine tasks is often delegated to subordinates, be they an angel or a prophet. Eliyahu knew how to implement the Divine Will and he set about doing just that. He knew what HaShem wanted and more so, he knew how to do it.

"And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said: 'Behold, a cloud is arising out of the sea, as small as a man's hand.' And he said: 'Go up, tell Ahab: Make ready your chariot, and get down, that the rain does not stop you.' And it came to pass in a little while, that the heaven grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel." 1 Melakhim:18:44,45

After the seventh time that the servant ran back and forth to look at the horizon, Eliyahu's endeavors were baring fruit. Once he was informed that a storm cloud was arising, Eliyahu knew that his meditative/prayer/chant technique had worked. He had used his spiritual powers of mind over matter to gather and arrange natural forces that now combined would act autonomously in accordance to the laws of nature. He informs Ahav that the rain is on its way and that it's going to be a big storm. Being that the trip from Carmel to Samaria takes a good while by chariot, Eliyahu advises the King to get moving so that he is not overtaken by the storm and forced to seek shelter. After all they have been through Eliyahu is still respectful of the King.

"And the hand of HaShem was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel." 1 Melakhim 18:46

The Talmud relates that one of the necessary criteria for one to be a prophet is that one had be a "Gibor," a man of great strength. Gibor is the term used to describe the likes of Sampson. Now, there is a difference between Talmudic commentators, one group interprets the term Gibor spiritually and says that the prophet had to be a mighty man in his character and spiritual resolve. The second group defines the term literally and states that prophets all had to be physical fit and physical strong. Now, here we have Biblical proof that the opinion of the second group is true. This is not to say the opinion of the first group is any less true. Of course a prophet had to be on the highest level of spiritual resolve and be of the most refined and disciplined character. Nonetheless, our text is clear; internal spiritual strength had to equally match external physical strength. Only the two combined give one the title Gibor.

Eliyahu must have been a robust and physically strong human being. Eliyahu, without a chariot ran a marathon run and arrived ahead of Ahav who was traveling by chariot. For a human being to be able to beat out a horse-driven chariot is almost a miracle in itself. Like I said above, miracles are channeled through natural forces. The miracle is not that the event occurred, but rather how and when the event occurred. For Eliyahu to have run faster than Ahav's chariot two things must have been required; first, that HaShem would give Eliyahu's physical body the extended stamina needed to accomplish this task; and two, that Eliyahu's physical body was able to receive such stamina and use it. Essentially, if Eliyahu was physically unfit, the Divine power flowing through him would not have sufficed to enable him to move so fast. Internal power must have an equal external vessel through which to flow.

Rabbi Saadia Gaon has written in his book, Emunot V'Deot that when Heaven needs to move through human affairs, HaShem chooses those individuals who are capable of getting the job done. First and foremost they have to be physically able to do the job. As for the level of their spiritual strength, if this is lacking Heaven can work around that. But Heaven still needs the vessels of able bodied physical people. When the spiritually strong are not physically strong, and when the physically strong are not spiritually strong, Heaven uses the physically strong to accomplish physical deeds and then waits for the spiritually strong to get physically strong in order for them to take their rightful places. Without this, then the spiritually weak continue to remain the movers and the doers. This sorry state will continue until it is repaired, not by Heaven, but rather by us.

This more than any other reason should motivate us to get back to the gym, lift weights and exercise daily. Not only is this sound advice for physical health; it is also sound and important for one's mental health as well. Even the Law Code of RaMBaM states in Hilkhot Deot that unless one exercises vigorously on a daily basis one will never achieve full health, and he stated earlier, that without full physical health one can never fully serve Heaven. We really do have our work cut out for us, don't we?

To be continued...