Eliyahu HaNovi knew it was his time to go up to Shamayim. He had lived a long life. He had lived many years as Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon, and many years as Eliyahu. Now it was time to leave the world.
Eliyahu did not tell anyone about it.
Elisha, his main student, knew anyway. He could feel the extra holiness in the air.
Before leaving the world, Eliyahu had to say goodby to his students in Beis El and Yericho. But Beis El and Yericho were far away.
"Hashem has sent me to Beis El," Eliyahu told Elisha. "You must stay here."
But Elisha did not want to leave the side of his master. Not on the last day of his Rebbe’s life. He wanted to stay with him as long as he could.
"I swear I shall not leave you!" Elisha cried out. And though Beis E-l was far away, master and student soon were there.
Nobody told the students in Beis El that Eliayhu was departing this world. But, like Elisha, they felt the special holiness in the air. They knew it was their master’s last day on this world. With heavy hearts they came out to say goodby.
"Did you know," they asked Elisha, "that today Hashem is taking your master away from you and that you will be our next master?"
"Yes, I know. Shaa!" Elisha, being modest, did not want to hear about being the next Navi.
Yericho, the next stop, was also far away. Yet master and student arrived there quickly.
There too Eliyahu HaNovi’s students came out to see their master one last time.
Eliyahu and Elisha went to the Yarden. On the opposite side of the Yarden, Pinchas had done the act of courage which had stopped Hashem’s anger and saved the Jewish people. Now Hashem would take His precious servant up to Him from that same place.
The river rushed swiftly by. How would they get across? Eliyahu’s students watched from afar to see what their Rebbe would do. Eliyahu took off his cloak, wrapped it up, and struck the Yarden with it. Lo and behold, a path of dry land appeared in the middle of the water. Prophet and student passed over the dry path to the other side of the river.
The time was drawing closer for the Navi to go up to the Heavens. "What can I do for you before I am taken up?" he asked his beloved student.
"Please, give me double the prophecy you have," his favorite student answered.
"That is a difficult thing to do," Eliyahu said. "But if you see me go up to Shamayim, then you will get it."
Eliyahu, as his time to depart came closer, was getting holier and holier. Soon Eliyahu would be so holy that he would be able to give his student twice the prophecy he had had in his lifetime.
There was just a short time before Eliyahu would leave. They walked on. Who can say what the two Tzaddikim spoke of at such a time, the last minutes of Eliyahu’s life? Holy, important matters no doubt!
The time had come. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there appeared a chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire. It came between the two men and rose upwards, taking with them Eliyahu HaNavi. "My father, my father," Elisha cried out as he saw him master leaving, "the chariot of Israel and its riders!"
Elisha watched as his master ascended higher and higher into the blue Heavens. Soon Elisha could see his master no longer.
Elisha was very sad to be without his beloved Rebbe. He tore his clothing in mourning. He would miss his Rebbe so much! But he had seen his master go up to Shamayim. That meant he would get what he had asked for—twice the amount of Eliyahu’s prophecy.
At his feet he noticed Eliyahu’s cloak. Eliyahu had dropped it as he went up. He had left it for Elisha who would now be the next leader.
Elisha turned to go back. The flowing waters of the Yarden stopped him. How would he get across? "Let me try to do what my master did," he said to himself.
He did what his master had done. He took the cloak, wrapped it up, and struck the water. Once again the river split and Elisha walked across to the other side.
The students had been waiting the whole time. They saw Elisha returning alone. Their master was gone. But he had left them a new leader. Elisha could do miracles like Eliyahu had! They had just seen him split the Yarden!
"Eliyahu’s spirit rests on Elisha," they said, bowed down before their new Rebbe.
by Sterna Citron
based on Sefer Melachim II, chapter 2, and the commentary of the Alshich HaKodosh
Miracles Begin
Elisha’s first miracle was to split the Yarden and cross it. The students all saw the miracle and bowed down to him. "The spirit of Hashem rests on Elisha," they said. Elisha would now be their new Rebbe. He would do twice as many miracles as Eliyahu had done, just as Eliyahu had promised.
But what had happened to Eliyahu? The students had not seen their former Rebbe go up to Shomayim in a chariot of fire. Only Elisha, who was on a much higher level then they were, had seen it. The students were sure that their master had died. They wanted to bury him.
The students said to Elisha, their new leader, "Please let us go look for him."
"Don’t go," said Elisha. He knew they would not find Eliyahu HaNovi’s body. Elisha was too modest to tell them that he had seen the Navi ascend to Heaven. He did not want the students to know what a high level he was on.
The students continued to beg their Rebbe. "We want to go," they asked over and over.
The Tzaddik got tired of saying no. Finally, he said, "Okay, go."
So the students went. They searched for three days and then they gave up. They came back and told their Rebbe. "Didn’t I tell you not to go?" he said.
The people of Yericho then told the new Navi about their problem. "We have a wonderful city," they said, "but the water is bad and the people are dying."
"Hmmm," thought Elisha, "how wonderful can a city be if its people are dying?
Still, the Navi wanted to help them. "Bring me a new jar and some salt," he told them.
"How will a new jar and salt help us?" the people of Yericho wondered. But they did what the Tzaddik said. They brought him a brand –new jar with salt.
"Come," said Elisha, "let us go to the place where the river begins." They went to the source of the water. There, in front of the surprised people, the Tzaddik made his second miracle. Throwing the salt into the water, he said, "So said Hashem, ‘I have cured the water. People will not die from it anymore.’"
From that time on, the waters of Yericho were fine, just like the Navi had said. After that, nobody died from drinking it. The people of Yericho were very happy. They were very thankful to Elisha for helping them.
There were some people though who were not happy. The water carriers. They were angry at Elisha for curing the water. They used to bring water to Yericho and sell it there. Now that the water in Yericho was fine, the young men could not sell water anymore.
On the way from Yericho to Beis El, Elisha met the 42 young men. The water carriers made fun of the Navi and called him "Baldie." "Why don’t you go up to Shomayim like Eliyahu did?" they yelled after him. They hated Elisha for taking away their livelihood.
Elisha was shocked at how rude and disrespectful the water carriers were. He turned around and took a good look at them. With his ruach hakodesh he could see that the young men were wicked people without any Mitzvos.
He cursed them in the name of Hashem. Then a miracle happened –Elisha’s third miracle. Two bears rushed out of the forest and tore them apart. All the water carriers died. That was their punishment for mocking a man of Hashem.
Some chachomim say it was really a great miracle because that forest never ever had any bears in it before. Other chachomim say it was even a greater miracle because before then there wasn’t any forest. A forest with bears had miraculously appeared just then.
Even though the young men had done something very bad, Hashem was not happy that Elisha had been so harsh with them. He could have punished them more lightly. Because of that, Elisha would get a sickness later on in his life.
After going to Beis El, Elisha went to Mount Carmel. From there he went to Shomron. Shomron was the capital of the ten tribes of Israel, and Yoram, son of Achav, was the king.
From Melachim II, 2, and commentaries
By Sterna Citron