It’s a question that’s plagued humanity for millennia, and Jewish tradition grapples with it head-on. We find one fascinating perspective in the stories surrounding the prophet Elijah (Eliyahu in Hebrew), a figure known for his fiery spirit and his role as a messenger of God.
One of the most compelling of these tales involves Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, a respected scholar and friend of Elijah. According to Legends of the Jews, Rabbi Joshua asked Elijah for just one wish: to accompany him on his travels through the world. Elijah agreed, but with a strict condition: Rabbi Joshua couldn't question any of Elijah's actions, no matter how strange they seemed. If he asked "why," their journey would end.
So, off they went. They arrived at the home of a poor couple who owned nothing but a single cow. This kind couple welcomed Elijah and Rabbi Joshua with open arms, offering them food, drink, and a comfortable place to sleep. They showed them incredible generosity. But the next morning, as Elijah and Rabbi Joshua prepared to leave, Elijah prayed that the cow would die. And it did.
Can you imagine Rabbi Joshua's shock? He was beside himself! "Is that how the Almighty repays kindness?" he surely wondered. But he remembered his promise and bit his tongue.
Next, they came to the house of a wealthy man who was utterly inhospitable. He barely acknowledged their presence and offered them nothing. This man needed a wall repaired, but before they left, Elijah prayed that the wall would rebuild itself. And miraculously, it did! Again, Rabbi Joshua was bewildered, but he kept his word and remained silent.
Their travels continued, leading them to an ornate synagogue, lavishly decorated with gold and silver. But the congregants were stingy and unwelcoming. They grudgingly offered the travelers a place to stay and some meager provisions. As they departed the next morning, Elijah offered a peculiar blessing: "May God make you all heads!"
Rabbi Joshua struggled to contain himself, but he managed.
Finally, they arrived in a town where they were received with warmth and generosity. The people showered them with hospitality, providing them with everything they needed. In return, Elijah offered this blessing: "May God grant you but a single head."
That was the last straw. Rabbi Joshua could hold back no longer. He demanded an explanation for Elijah's seemingly bizarre behavior.
Elijah, seeing that their journey had reached its end, relented. "The poor man's cow," he explained, "was sacrificed to avert a greater tragedy. The man's wife was destined to die that day, but my prayer caused God to accept the loss of the cow as a substitute."
As for the wealthy, inhospitable man, "There was treasure hidden beneath the dilapidated wall. Had he rebuilt it himself, he would have discovered it. I repaired it miraculously to prevent him from profiting."
And the blessings? "The inhospitable people in the synagogue," Elijah said, "I wished that they be made ‘heads’ because too many leaders will cause only disputes and the community's ultimate ruin. But in the town where we were so well received, I wished for them a single head so that the town may have success."
Elijah concluded with a profound lesson: "Know, then, that if thou seest an evil-doer prosper, it is not always unto his advantage, and if a righteous man suffers need and distress, think not God is unjust." As we find in Midrash Rabbah, these things are not always as they seem.
With that, Elijah and Rabbi Joshua parted ways, each to continue on his own journey.
This story, found in Legends of the Jews, reminds us that we often lack the full picture. What appears to be unfair or unjust on the surface may be part of a larger, more complex divine plan. It challenges us to trust in a higher wisdom, even when we can't understand the reasons behind the events that unfold in our lives. It invites us to consider that sometimes, what we perceive as blessings and curses may be the very opposite. And perhaps, most importantly, it encourages us to act with kindness and generosity, regardless of what we receive in return. Because ultimately, it's not about the reward, but about the kind of person we choose to be.
Among the many and various teachings dispensed by Elijah to his friends, there are none so important as his theodicy, the teachings vindicating God's justice in the administration of earthly affairs. He used many an opportunity to demonstrate it by precept and example. Once he granted his friend Rabbi Joshua ben Levi the fulfilment of any wish he might express, and all the Rabbi asked for was, that he might be permitted to accompany Elijah on his wanderings through the world. Elijah was prepared to gratify this wish. He only imposed the condition, that, however odd the Rabbi might think Elijah's actions, he was not to ask any explanation of them. If ever he demanded why, they would have to part company. So Elijah and the Rabbi fared forth together, and they journeyed on until they reached the house of a poor man, whose only earthly possession was a cow. The man and his wife were thoroughly good-hearted people, and they received the two wanderers with a cordial welcome. They invited the strangers into their house, set before them food and drink of the best they had, and made up a comfortable couch for them for the night. When Elijah and the Rabbi were ready to continue their journey on the following day, Elijah prayed that the cow belonging to his host might die. Before they left the house, the animal had expired. Rabbi Joshua was so shocked by the misfortune that had befallen the good people, he almost lost consciousness. He thought: "Is that to be the poor man's reward for all his kind services to us?" And he could not refrain from putting the question to Elijah. But Elijah reminded him of the condition imposed and accepted at the beginning of their journey, and they travelled on, the Rabbi's curiosity unappeased. That night they reached the house of a wealthy man, who did not pay his guest the courtesy of looking them in the face. Though they passed the night under his roof, he did not offer them food or drink. This rich man was desirous of having a wall repaired that had tumbled down. There was no need for him to take any steps to have it rebuilt, for, when Elijah left the house, he prayed that the wall might erect itself, and, lo! it stood upright. Rabbi Joshua was greatly amazed, but true to his promise he suppressed the question that rose to his lips. So the two travelled on again, until they reached an ornate synagogue, the seats in which were made of silver and gold. But the worshippers did not correspond in character to the magnificence of the building, for when it came to the point of satisfying the needs of the way-worn pilgrims, one of those present said: "There is not dearth of water and bread, and the strange travellers can stay in the synagogue, whither these refreshments can be brought to them." Early the next morning, when they were departing, Elijah wished those present in the synagogue in which they had lodged, that God might raise them all to be "heads." Rabbi Joshua again had to exercise great self-restraint, and not put into words the question that troubled him profoundly. In the next town, they were received with great affability, and served abundantly with all their tired bodies craved. On these kind hosts Elijah, on leaving, bestowed the wish that God might give them but a single head. Now the Rabbi could not hold himself in check any longer, and he demanded an explanation of Elijah's freakish actions. Elijah consented to clear up his conduct for Joshua before they separated from each other. He spoke as follows: "The poor man's cow was killed, because I knew that on the same day the death of his wife had been ordained in heaven, and I prayed to God to accept the loss of the poor man's property as a substitute for the poor man's wife. As for the rich man, there was a treasure hidden under the dilapidated wall, and, if he had rebuilt it, he would have found the gold; hence I set up the wall miraculously in order to deprive the curmudgeon of the valuable find. I wished that the inhospitable people assembled in the synagogue might have many heads, for a place of numerous leaders is bound to be ruined by reason of multiplicity of counsel and disputes. To the inhabitants of our last sojourning place, on the other hand, I wished a 'single head,' for the one to guide a town, success will attend all its undertakings. Know, then, that if thou seest an evil-doer prosper, it is not always unto his advantage, and if a righteous man suffers need and distress, think not God is unjust." After these words Elijah and Rabbi Joshua separated from each other, and each went his own way.
