Moses and Elijah

The sounds replayed themselves in his mind. A crash of lightening and the crackling of fire had broken the oppressive silence. The sudden gasp of all those assembled was followed by the soul-stirring chorus -- "The Lord alone is God. The Lord alone is God." As he stood atop Mount Carmel, Elijah, nostalgically, identified with Moses at Horeb, beaming, as the people of Israel exclaimed, "We will do and we will listen".

Recovering from an exhilarating, yet exhausting day, Elijah settled in for the night when suddenly he heard a rapping at his door. Messengers of Queen Jezebel had arrived with a threat, sealed by an oath to her pagan gods; "Elijah, tomorrow you shall die".

Overcome by disbelief at his staggering reversal of fortune, Elijah realized he must flee for his life. Where should he go? He must run to Beer Sheba in the far reaches of the Southern kingdom of Judah. There he would be out of harm's way. From there he would leave everything behind, and wander into the desert to die.

Elijah set out on the journey thinking it was his last, however, God had other plans. Weary, he fell asleep and was miraculously awakened by an angel who encouraged him to eat and drink. This meal nourished him with the energy necessary to walk forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb. Unbeknownst to Elijah, he was being taken to Moses' mountain of revelation.

Midrashic literature is replete with numerous examples of Elijah's actions echoing those of Moses:

You will find that Moses and Elijah are equated on all levels. Moses was a prophet as was Elijah, Moses was called the man of God and Elijah was called the man of God, Moses made a heavenly ascent and Elijah made a heavenly ascent... Moses had God pass all His glory before him and so too Elijah had God's glory pass before him... Moses was shielded in a cave (in the cleft of the rock) and Elijah was hidden in a cave, Moses came to the Mountain of God and Elijah came to the Mountain of God, Moses went to the desert and Elijah went to the desert, Moses went forty days and forty nights without eating or drinking so too Elijah walked with the strength of a meal for forty days and forty nights...Moses inspired Israel to accept the love of God; "All that God has spoken, we shall do and we shall listen", Elijah inspired Israel to love God; "The Lord alone is God."
(Pesikta Rabbati 4:3):

Despite the many similarities there was one essential difference between these two leaders. Moses pleaded with God not to destroy the people of Israel after the sin of the golden calf. He prayed for God to remit their sins, demonstrate mercy and attenuate punishment. Elijah, on the other hand, was not able to summon compassion. He held fast to his position, maligning the people for their intransigence rather than defending them.