Elijah Heals Rabbi Judah HaNasi's Tooth in Sepphoris

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayechi 6:7

And he dwelt in Sepphoris seventeen years. For thirteen years he suffered in his teeth, and during all those thirteen years no wild animal died in the land of Israel, and no woman miscarried her fetus in the land of Israel. And at the end of thirteen years Our Holy Rabbi became angry with R. Hiyya the Great. Elijah, remembered for good, came in to Our Holy Rabbi in the likeness of R. Hiyya, and placed his hand upon his tooth, and immediately it was healed. The next day R. Hiyya came in to him. He said to him: "Rabbi, that tooth of yours, how is it doing?" He said to him: "From the moment you placed your hand upon it yesterday, it was healed at that very hour." R. Hiyya said: "Woe to you, wild animals of the land of Israel; [woe to you, pregnant ones of the land of Israel]." Even so, he said to him: "I did not place my hand upon your tooth." Immediately Our Rabbi knew that it had been Elijah. From that hour R. Hiyya began to treat him with honor.

Themes

Biblical References