Elijah From the Seed of Rachel and the Prayer of the Poor

Once our masters and the rest of the sages were sitting in the study house and disputing with one another, saying: From where does Elijah come? This one says from the seed of Rachel, and that one says from the seed of Leah. While they were disputing with one another, I came to them and stood before them and said to them, "My masters, I come only from the seed of Rachel." They said to me, "Give a sign for your words." I said to them, "Is it not written in the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8), 'And Yaareshyah and Eliyah and Zikhri, the sons of Yeroham'?" They said to me, "But are you not a priest, and did you not say to the widow woman, 'Make me a little cake of it first and bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son' (1 Kings 17:13)?" I said to them, "That child was the son of Joseph," and I hinted to the world that I would go down to Babylon first, and afterward the son of David will come. What is "at the beginning of the watches"? Even the poorest in Israel who has Torah and good deeds is more pleasing to the Holy One than Ahab king of Israel, as it is said, "Better is a poor and wise youth" (Ecclesiastes 4:13). And it says, "A prayer of the poor man when he faints and pours out his complaint before the LORD" (Psalms 102:1). David stood in prayer before the Holy One and said before Him: Master of the world, had You not written for us in Your Torah "upon the third and the fourth generations" (Exodus 34:7), no person could live upon the face of the earth and the whole world would be destroyed. But what did You do for us in Your wisdom and understanding? You wrote in the Torah "upon the third and fourth generations" and not until the end of all generations. Surely the LORD is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness. Why? Because You are merciful and gracious. Therefore You are slow to anger and pious and righteous, and You judge people each according to his ways and repay each one according to his deeds, and You uphold over them the measure with which a person measures, for You desire the good and do not desire the evil, as it is said, "For You are not a God who desires wickedness; evil shall not dwell with You" (Psalms 5:5), and it says, "Out of the depths I called to You, O LORD" (Psalms 130:1). David further said before the Holy One: Master of the world, by what shall the poor man's name be called before You? Granted, the rich man's name is called before You by his wealth, by his silver and gold and precious stones and the precious vessels of the world; but the poor man, by what shall his name be called before You? Rather, his name shall be called by his son. How so? If his son stands in the synagogue and the study house and reads in the Torah, and people say, "Whose son is this?" one answers, "The son of so-and-so, who is poor," and so the many bless His great Name on his account. Likewise if his son stands and asks about laws in the study house. From this you have learned that the Holy One gives children who are masters of Torah only to the poor, as it is said, "Do not rob the poor because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted in the gate, for the LORD will plead their cause" (Proverbs 22:22-23).