Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room‖. (1 Kings 19:16). Elijah was strolling through the
countryside and then found Elisha plowing in the field: ―So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of
Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve (pay attention to this number) yoke of oxen before him, and he with
the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle (tallit) upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after
Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said
unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of
oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and
they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him‖. (1 Kings 19:19-21).
Elisha knew exactly what it meant when Elijah the prophet threw his ―tallit‖ on him! What is very interesting is
before Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan when YHWH wanted to take Elijah home, Elijah stood on the
banks of the river Jordan, took his ―tallit‖ by the four corners, the ―tzitzit‖, wrapped it around his hand and hit
the river. (2 Kings 2:2-8a). The Bible says that they crossed then on dry land... (2 Kings 2:8b)
They then went to the Mount Nebo area, the place where Moses was also last seen. (Deut 34:1) These two
great men of YHWH spend the last minutes of their lives at the exact same place.
―And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and
horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw
it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no
more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle (tallit) of
Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan‖. (2 Kings 2:11-13a)
Before Elijah's departure, Elijah asked Elisha what he requested. ―And it came to pass, when they were gone
over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha
said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me”. (2 Kings 2:9)
When Elisha returned to the river Jordan, he hit the river the same way Elijah did with the ―tallit‖, and he
passed through on dry ground (2 Kings 2:13-14). All the prophets from then on knew that Elisha had a
double portion of Elijah's spirit and power (2 Kings 2:15). The moment Elisha received the ―tallit‖ he received
a double portion of Elijah's spirit! A double portion! Check the Scriptures: he performed twice as many
miracles...
Elijah went home in a whirlwind...but when Elisha died, he was still one miracle short of double. During the
course of their lifetimes, each one of them raised a twelve-year old boy from the dead. Scriptures say that
Elisha laid himself on the dead body: ―And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was
dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the
LORD. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his
eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child
waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself
upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes‖. (2 Kings 4:32-35). Please
note, it is not kosher for a Jew to touch a dead body. The custom is to use the ―tallit‖ as insulation between
them, with the four ―tallit‖ wrapped around the hands.
Many years passed and Elisha eventually died. One day, Jewish soldiers came from a battle carrying a dead
comrade and wanted to bury him, not knowing that it was Elisha‘s grave. When they pitched the body, the
body touched the bones of Elisha, and he was raised to life. You see, even in death, YHWH always keeps
His promises; and with that, making it exactly double in miracles.
Elisha was gone and the priests looked for somebody worthy to wear the ―tallit‖ and priestly girdle, but no
one was found...
Jewish history tells us that they took the ―tallit‖ and leather girdle and put it on the right hand side of the
golden incense altar inside the Temple. A special place was made to put it on the right side of the altar,
and they said... ―It will stay here until he whose it is, returns to use it‖.
Judaism firmly believes that Elijah will return to usher in the Messiah: ―Remember ye the law of Moses my
servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn
the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the
earth with a curse‖. (Mal 4:4-6)