רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן פָּתַח, (משלי ל׳:ד׳) מִי עָלָה שָׁמַיִם וַיֵּרַד מִי אָסַף רוּחַ בְּחָפְנָיו מִי צָרַר מַיִם בַּשִּׂמְלָה מִי הֵקִים כָּל אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ מַה שְּׁמוֹ וּמַה שֶּׁם בְּנוֹ כִּי תֵדַע. הַאי קְרָא הָא אוֹקִימְנָא, וְכַמָּה סַמְכִין אִית בֵּיהּ. וְכֹלָּא בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְּמַר, דְּאִיהוּ כֹּלָּא. (ע"ט ע"א) וְאִתְּמַר, מָה שְׁמוֹ וּמַה שֵׁם בְּנוֹ כִּי תֵּדַע, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. מָה שְׁמוֹ יְדוָֹ"ד. וּמַה שֵׁם בְּנוֹ, יִשְׂרָאֵל דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות ד) בְּנִי בְּכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא. מִי עָלָה שָׁמַיִם. הָא אוּקְמוּהָ, דָּא מֹשֶׁה, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות כ״ד:א׳) וְאֶל מֹשֶׁה אָמַר עֲלֵהּ אֶל יְיָ'. R. Simeon here expounded the verse: “Who hath ascended into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garments? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou knowest?” (Prov. 30, 4). ‘This verse’, he said, ‘has already been explained. “Who hath ascended up into heaven?”: this alludes to Moses, of whom it is written, “And unto Moses he said, Come up unto the Lord” (Ex. 24, 1).

דָּבָר אַחֵר מִי עָלָה שָׁמַיִם, דָּא אֵלִיָּהוּ, דִּכְתִּיב בֵּיהּ (מלכים ב ב׳:י״א) וַיַּעַל אֵלִיָּהוּ בַּסֳּעָרָה הַשָּׁמָיִם. וְכִי הֵיךְ יָכִיל אֵלִיָּהוּ לְסַלְּקָא לַשָּׁמַיִם. וְהָא כֻּלְּהוּ שָׁמַיִם, לָא יַכְלִין לְמִסְבַּל, אֲפִילּוּ גַּרְעִינָא כְּחַרְדַּל מִגּוּפָא דְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְאַתְּ אַמָרְתּ וַיַּעַל אֵלִיָּהוּ בַּסֳּעָרָה הַשָּׁמָיִם. According to another interpretation, “Who ascended up into heaven” alludes to Elijah, of whom it is written, “and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2, 11). It may be asked, How could Elijah have ascended into heaven, seeing that the heavens cannot endure even so much as a mustard seed of the matter of this world? How, then, can Scripture say, “and he ascended up by a whirlwind into heaven”?

אֶלָּא כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר, (שמות י״ט:י״א) וַיֵּרֶד יְיָ' עַל הַר סִינַי. וּכְתִיב (שמות כ״ד:י״ח) וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה בְּתוֹךְ הֶעָנָן וַיַּעַל אֶל הָהָר. וְכִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּהֲוָה בְּטוּרָא דְּסִינַי, וּכְתִּיב (שמות כ״ד:י״ז) וּמַרְאֶה כְּבוֹד יְיָ' כָּאֵשׁ אוֹכֶלֶת בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר, אֵיךְ יָכִיל מֹשֶׁה לְסַלְּקָא לְגַבֵּיהּ. אֶלָּא בְּמֹשֶׁה כְּתִיב, וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה בְּתוֹךְ הֶעָנָן וַיַּעַל אֶל הָהָר. דְּעָאל גּוֹ עֲנָנָא, כְּמַאן דְּאִתְלָבַּשׁ בִּלְבוּשָׁא. הָכִי נָמֵי אִתְלָבָּשׁ בַּעֲנָנָא, וְעָאל בְּגַוֵּיהּ. וּבְעֲנָנָא אִתְקְרִיב לְגַבֵּי אֶשָּׁא, וְיָכִיל לְמִקְרָב. אוּף הָכִי אֵלִיָּהוּ, דִּכְתִּיב וַיַּעַל אֵלִיָּהוּ בַּסֳּעָרָה הַשָּׁמַיִם, דְּעָאל בְּהַהִיא סְעָרָה, וְאִתְלָבַּשׁ בֵּיהּ בְּהַהִיא סְעָרָה, וְסָלִיק לְעֵילָּא. But it was with Elijah as with Moses. In connection with Moses it is first written: “And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai” (Ex. 19, 20), and further on it is written, “And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount” (Ibid. 24, 18). Now, inasmuch as the Holy One, blessed be He, was on Mount Sinai, regarding which it is written, “And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount” (Ibid. 24, 17), how could Moses have entered into His presence? The answer is found in the words, “and Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mount”. This shows that Moses enveloped himself in the cloud as in a garment, and, having thus wrapped himself round, he was able to draw near to the “fire of the glory of the Lord”. In a similar way, Elijah, of whom it is written, “And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven”, entered into that whirlwind and enveloped himself in it as in a garment, and in this way ascended on high.

וְרָזָא אַשְׁכַּחְנָא, בְּסִפְרָא דְּאָדָם קַדְמָאָה, דְּאָמַר בְּאִינּוּן תּוֹלְדוֹת דְּעָלְמָא, רוּחָא חֲדָא יְהֵא דְּיֵּחוֹת לְעָלְמָא בְּאַרְעָא, וְיִתְלַבָּשׁ בְּגוּפָא, וְאֵלִיָּהוּ שְׁמֵיהּ. וּבְהַהוּא גּוּפָא יִסְתָּלַק, וְאִשְׁתְּלִיל מִגוּפֵיהּ, וְיִשְׁתְּאַר בַּסֳּעָרָה. וְגוּפָא דִּנְהוֹרָא אַחֲרָא יִזְדָּמַן לֵיהּ, לְמֶהוֵי גּוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי. וְכַד יֵחוּת, יִתְלַבָּשׁ בְּהַהוּא גּוּפָא, דְּיִשְׁתְּאַר בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא, וּבְהַהוּא גּוּפָא יִתְחָזֵי לְתַתָּא, וּבְגוּפָא אַחֲרָא יִתְחָזֵי לְעֵילָּא. וְדָא אִיהוּ רָזָא, דְּמִי עָלָה שָׁמַיִם וַיֵּרַד. לָא הֲוָה בַּר נָשׁ דְּסָלִיק לִשְׁמַיָּא רוּחָא דִּילֵיהּ, וְנָחִית לְבָתַר לְתַתָּא, בַּר אֵלִיָּהוּ, דְּאִיהוּ סָלִיק לְעֵילָּא וְנָחִית לְתַתָּא. The following recondite passage is found in the Book of Adam the First Man, in describing the generations of mankind: “A certain spirit will one day come down to earth and will clothe itself in an earthly body and will bear the name of Elijah. Whilst in that body he will soar aloft and, divesting himself of that body, enter within a whirlwind, where another and luminous body will have been prepared for him, so that he will be as an angel among angels’ But whenever he will come down to earth he will invest himself again in the material body, which will remain in the lower world; and it is in this body that he will make himself visible on earth, whilst it is in the other body that he will appear on high.” This is thus the recondite meaning of the words, “Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended”. There was no other man whose spirit ascended to heaven and then descended to earth except Elijah.

דָּבָר אַחֵר מִי עָלָה שָׁמַיִם, דָּא אֵלִיָּהוּ. וַיֵּרַד, דָּא יוֹנָה, דְּנָחַת לֵיהּ נוּנָא גּוֹ תְּהוֹמֵי, לְעִמְקֵי יַמָּא. יוֹנָה מֵחֵילָא דְּאֵלִיָּהוּ קָא אָתָא, אֵלִיָּהוּ סָלִיק, יוֹנָה נָחִית, דָּא שָׁאִיל נַפְשֵׁיהּ לְמֵימַת, וְדָא שָׁאִיל נַפְשֵׁיהּ לְמֵימַת, וּבְגִין כַּךְ אִקְרֵי בֶּן אֲמִתַּי. וּכְתִיב, (מלכים א י״ז:כ״ד) וּדְבַר יְיָ' בְּפִיךָ אֱמֶת. According to another interpretation, “who hath ascended up into heaven” is an allusion to Elijah, whereas “and descended” alludes to Jonah, whom the fish caused to sink into the nethermost depths of the sea. Jonah was only made possible by Elijah. Elijah ascended and Jonah descended, and the one as well as the other “requested for himself that he might die”.