That’s the kind of pressure Elijah was under.
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Elijah needed to rebuild an altar, dig a trench, and get everything ready in a single day. An impossible task, right? So, what did he do? He spoke to the sun itself! Not for personal glory, mind you. As the story goes, Elijah commanded the sun to stand still, reminding it that it had obeyed Joshua long ago so the Israelites could triumph. This time, it wasn’t for him, or even for Israel, but “that the Name of God may be exalted.” And, unbelievably, the sun obeyed.
Can you imagine the scene? Evening approaches, and Elijah calls upon his disciple Elisha to pour water over his hands. And then, a miracle! Water springs forth from Elijah’s fingers, filling the entire trench. It’s a moment brimming with divine power.
But Elijah wasn't done. He prayed to God, asking for fire to descend, but with a very specific request. He wanted the people to know, beyond any doubt, that this was a wonder from heaven, not some illusion or magician's trick. His prayer, as related in Legends of the Jews, is so poignant. He reminds God that he will be sent as a messenger "at the end of time" and that if his words don't come to fruition in this moment, how can the people be expected to believe him in the future?
And then, it happened. Fire, a roaring, consuming fire, fell from heaven. It didn't just burn the offering on the altar; it licked up every drop of water in the trench. Imagine the awe, the sheer disbelief of the onlookers!
But the miracles didn't stop there. Elijah then prayed for rain. The text recounts him saying, "Though we have no other merits, yet remember the sign of the covenant which the Israelites bear upon their bodies." This is a clear reference to brit milah, ritual circumcision, a physical reminder of the covenant between God and the Jewish people. And just as the words left his lips, the rain came, a torrential downpour that cleansed the land and renewed the people's faith.
What does this story teach us? It’s more than just a tale of miracles and divine intervention. It's a story about faith, about standing up for what you believe in, and about the power of prayer, even when the odds seem insurmountable. It reminds us that sometimes, the most extraordinary things can happen when we dedicate ourselves to a higher purpose, when we act not for ourselves, but for something greater than ourselves. It makes you wonder, what impossible task might you be able to accomplish if you just asked the sun to stand still?