In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, clarity.
Rupertus Meldenius
However, how will we burn teruma in abeyance, whose impurity status is uncertain, together with ritually impure teruma? Perhaps Elijah the Prophet will come and establish prophetically that the teruma is not ritually impure, and he will render it ritually pure. The legal status of teruma in abeyance is uncertain. How can one actively render it impure when it might ultimately be determined that it is pure?
אֲבָל הֵיאַךְ נִשְׂרֹף הַתְּלוּיָה עִם הַטְּמֵאָה? שֶׁמָּא יָבֹא אֵלִיָּהוּ וִיטַהֲרֶנָּה!
The Gemara refers to Elijah the Prophet who will one day return in Messianic times and resolve unanswered halakhic questions. Where does this tradition stem from?
The verse in Malachi (3:23-24) states:
הִנֵּ֤ה אָֽנֹכִי֙ שֹׁלֵ֣חַ לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת אֵלִיָּ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם יְהוָ֔ה הַגָּד֖וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא׃
Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of the LORD.
וְהֵשִׁ֤יב לֵב־אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וְלֵ֥ב בָּנִ֖ים עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם
He shall reconcile parents with children and children with their parents
From the inference of returning The hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the father, the Mishna (Ediyos 8:7) discusses various ways Elijah will bring reconciliation, one of which being the resolution of halakhic disputes, although the traditions about what Elijah will accomplish differ in a number of ways.
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, מְקֻבָּל אֲנִי מֵרַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, שֶׁשָּׁמַע מֵרַבּוֹ וְרַבּוֹ מֵרַבּוֹ, הֲלָכָה לְמשֶׁה מִסִּינַי, שֶׁאֵין אֵלִיָּהוּ בָא לְטַמֵּא וּלְטַהֵר, לְרַחֵק וּלְקָרֵב, אֶלָּא לְרַחֵק הַמְקֹרָבִין בִּזְרוֹעַ וּלְקָרֵב הַמְרֻחָקִין בִּזְרוֹעַ. מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית צְרִיפָה הָיְתָה בְעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן וְרִחֲקָהּ בֶּן צִיּוֹן בִּזְרוֹעַ, וְעוֹד אַחֶרֶת הָיְתָה שָׁם וְקֵרְבָהּ בֶּן צִיּוֹן בִּזְרוֹעַ. כְּגוֹן אֵלּוּ, אֵלִיָּהוּ בָא לְטַמֵּא וּלְטַהֵר, לְרַחֵק וּלְקָרֵב. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, לְקָרֵב, אֲבָל לֹא לְרַחֵק. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, לְהַשְׁווֹת הַמַּחֲלֹקֶת. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, לֹא לְרַחֵק וְלֹא לְקָרֵב, אֶלָּא לַעֲשׂוֹת שָׁלוֹם בָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי ג) הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ לָכֶם אֵת אֵלִיָּה הַנָּבִיא וְגוֹ' וְהֵשִׁיב לֵב אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וְלֵב בָּנִים עַל אֲבוֹתָם:
Rabbi Joshua said: I have received a tradition from Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, who heard it from his teacher, and his teacher [heard it] from his teacher, as a halakhah [given] to Moses from Sinai, that Elijah will not come to pronounce unclean or to pronounce clean, to put away or to bring near, but to put away those brought near by force and to bring near those put away by force. The family of Beth Tzriphah was on the other side of the Jordan and Ben Zion put it away by force; and yet another family was there, and Ben Zion brought it near by force. It is such as these that Elijah will come to pronounce unclean or to pronounce clean, to put away or to bring near. Rabbi Judah says: to bring near, but not to put away. Rabbi Shimon says: to conciliate disputes. And the Sages say: neither to put away nor to bring near, but to make peace in the world, for it is said, “Behold I send to you Elijah the prophet”, etc., “and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 3:23-2)
While we are on the topic of Messianic redemption, let me share with you a famous question on two of the Rambam’s Thirteen Principles of Faith that he enumerates in his commentary on Mishna Sanhedrin chapter 10.
Principle number nine states that Torah is from heaven oral and written and will never change. In fact, even on the Mishna Eduyos we just quoted, Rambam is careful to remind us that while Elijah will resolve certain Torah questions, he will not add to or change the Torah. This is a clear statement that even in messianic times, no changes will occur.
The Twelfth principle is that we believe the Messiah will come, and we expect it to come every day.
Now there is an inherent contradiction then between principle nine and twelve. We can see this through the following syllogism:
- The Thirteen Principles of Faith are Torah;
- And, Torah does not change even after the Messiah comes
- Then HOW can one fulfill the Twelfth Principal after the Messiah comes? Meaning, how can one hope for the arrival of the Messiah if it already came? And if you want to tell me that it is no longer relevant then you violated rule (B)!
The logical answer of course is that the 12th principle of faith is the concept of the Messiah, not the commandment to believe and hope that the Messiah will come. Meaning, the 12th Principle speaks of the idea of a Messiah who will accomplish a special end-of-days mission. Therefore, in the era after the Messiah already arrived, the 12th principal will be fulfilled by simply supporting and believing in whatever world peace, transformation and other leadership that the Messiah enacts.
The proof that this answer is correct comes from the words of the Rambam himself on the Mishna in Eduyos that we quoted above. He raises the obvious question as to how can there be a tradition from Moses about Elijah‘s arrival when Elijah was not even born yet in the time of Moses? And he comments that the tradition from Moses was that and Elijah-like figure will arise at the end of days, but not specifically Elijah the prophet himself because Moses did not know Elijah the prophet.
This is very similar to the answer that we offered in regard to the 12th principal.
רמב״ם פירוש המשנה עדיות
לא נשמע ממרע"ה זה הלשון אבל שמע ממנו זה הענין לפי שמשה ספר בביאת המשיח ולשון התורה אם יהיה נדחך בקצה השמים וגו' ושב ה' אלהיך את שבותך וגו' ומל ה' אלהיך וגו' וזולת זה והגיד להם ג"כ מפי הגבורה בהקדמותיו וסבותיו ושיקדים אותו האיש לישר לו הארץ והוא אליהו והודע להם שהאיש ההוא לא יוסיף ולא יגרע בתורה אבל יסלק ויסיר החמסים בלבד
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