רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הֲוָה שְׁכִיחַ קַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, וְהֲווּ עָסְקֵי בְּהַאי קְרָא דִּכְתִיב, (מלכים א י״ח:ל׳) וַיְרַפֵּא אֶת מִזְבַּח ה' הֶהָרוּס. מַאי וַיְרַפֵּא. תָּא חֲזֵי, בִּימֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ, יִשְׂרָאֵל כֻּלְהוּ שָׁבְקוּ לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְשָׁבְקוּ בְּרִית קַיָּימָא דִלְהוֹן. כַּד אֲתָא אֵלִיָּהוּ וְחָמָא דְקָא שָׁבְקוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַאי בְּרִית קַיָּימָא וְאַעֲבָרוּ מִנַּיְיהוּ הַאי בְּרִית. R. Judah studied regularly with R. Simeon. On one occasion they discussed the verse: And he repaired (lit. healed) the altar of the Lord that was thrown down (I Kings 18, 30). ‘What’, they asked, ‘is meant by the term vayrappe (and he healed)?’ ‘The answer is this. In the days of Elijah, all Israel forsook the Holy One, blessed be He, and neglected the holy covenant. When Elijah became aware that the children of Israel had entirely neglected the covenant,

כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא אֵלִיָּהוּ כָךְ אֲתָא לְאַתְקָנָא מִלָּה לְדוּכְתֵּיהּ. כֵּיוָן דְּקָרִיב מִלָּה לְדוּכְתֵּיהּ אִתְּסֵי כֹּלָּא. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיְרַפֵּא אֶת מִזְבַּח יְיָ הֶהָרוּס. דָּא בְּרִית קַיָּימָא (ד"א ל"ג דאתא לאתקנא מזבח יי ההרוס ברית קיימא) דְּהֲוָה שָׁבִיק מֵעָלְמָא. וּכְתִיב, (מלכים א י״ח:ל״א) וַיִּקַּח אֵלִיָּהוּ שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה אֲבָנִים לְמִסְפַּר שִׁבְטֵי בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב. דָּא הוּא תִּקּוּנָא דְּמִזְבַּח יְיָ. he set himself to rectify the evil and to restore the covenant to its former vogue. Hence the expression, “And he healed the altar of the Lord that was thrown down”, to wit, the established covenant that was utterly neglected. It is further written: “And Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob” (this being the appropriate means of repairing the altar of the Lord),

אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְּבַר יְיָ אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר יִשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיֶה שְׁמֶךָ. מַאי טַעְמָא אִדְכַּר הָכָא יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶלָּא וַדַּאי יִשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיֶה שְׁמֶךָ וַדַּאי לְאִסְתַּלָּקָא לְעֵילָא וְלְאֲתָבָא בְּרִית קַיָּימָא לְאַתְרֵיהּ. וְהַיְנוּ דִּכְתִיב כִּי עָזְבוּ בְּרִיתְךָ בְּנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אֶת מִזְבְּחוֹתֶיךָ הָרָסוּ. “unto whom the word of the Lord came saying, Israel shall be thy name” (Ibid. 31), implying that Israel was to be the name by which he could ascend on high and restore the covenant in its place. It is for this reason that Elijah said expressly, “for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant” (Ibid. 19, 10), and, as a consequence, “thrown down thine altars” (Ibid.).

תָּא חֲזֵי, כָּל זִמְנָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל נָטְרוּ קְיָימָא קַדִּישָׁא כְּדֵין עָבְדֵי קִיּוּמָא לְעֵילָא וְתַתָּא. וְכַד שָׁבְקֵי לְהַאי בְּרִית כְּדֵין לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח קִיּוּם לְעֵילָא וְתַתָּא דִּכְתִיב, (ירמיהו ל״ג:כ״ה) אִם לא בְרִיתִי יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה חֻקּוֹת שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ לא שָׂמְתִּי. וּבְגִין כָּךְ וַיְרַפֵּא אֶת מִזְבַּח יְיָ הֶהָרוּס. וְכִי רְפוּאָה אִיהוּ. הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי דְּהָא מְקַיֵּים לְהַהוּא אֲתַר דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא תַּלְיָא בֵּיהּ. Take note that as long as Israel observe the holy covenant, they thereby effect the stabilisation of the world above and below, as it is written: “If my covenant be not (observed) day and night, the ordinances of heaven and earth were as if I had not appointed them.” (Jer. 33, 25). The repairing, then, of the shattered altar was truly a healing, as it had for its purpose the reintegration of the spot to which faith attaches itself.

תָּא חֲזֵי, אוּף הָכִי פִּנְחָס בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְקַנֵּי לְעוֹבָדָא דְזִמְרִי אַתְקִין לְהַאי בְּרִית בְּאַתְרֵיהּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב, (במדבר כ״ה:י״ב) הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם. וְכִי סַלְקָא דַעְתָּךְ דִּבְגִין פִּנְחָס הֲוָה. וּמַה קְטָטָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ לְפִנְחָס בְּהַאי בְּרִית. אֶלָּא הָכָא אִתְקְשַׁר מִלָּה בְּדוּכְתֵּיהּ. הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי. וּמָה אֶתֵּן לוֹ שָׁלוֹם (לאתחברא כל חד בדוכתיה) לְאִתְחַבְּרָא בְּרִית בְּאַתְרֵיהּ. וְעַל דָּא הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי (שלום). וּמַה (נ"א איהו) שָׁלוֹם דְּאִיהוּ אַתְרֵיהּ לְאִתְחַבְּרָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ. מַה דְּאִתְפָּרַשׁ מִנֵּיהּ בְּחוֹבַיְיהוּ. בְּגִינֵיהּ אִתְחַבַּר בֵּיהּ. וְעַל דָּא הוֹאִיל וְהוּא אַתְקִין מִלָּה בְּדוּכְתֵּיהּ, מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה וְהָיְתָה לוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם, תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר קִנֵּא לֵאלֹהָיו וְגו'. Similarly with Phineas at the time when he was filled with zeal to punish the crime of Zimri: he also re-established the covenant in its place, and hence God said to him, “Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace” (Num. 25, 12). This does not mean that the covenant was on account of Phineas, or that he was in conflict with the covenant, but that now it was firmly attached to its place. This is shown by the combination of the words “covenant,’ and “peace”, as if to say, “Behold I give to him the peaceful confirmation of the covenant in its place”, from which it had been torn by the transgressors. Hence, too, “and it shall be unto him and to his seed after him the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God”.’ (Ibid. 13).

וְאִית דְּאָמְרֵי דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּלִים קִסְטַיְיהוּ אֶלָּא בְּחוֹבָא דְּחָמָס דְּהֲווּ מְקַפְּחִין דָּא לְדָא דְּהֲווּ בִּישִׁין לַשָּׁמַיִם וְלַבְּרִיּוֹת. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה אִנּוּן מְמַנָּן מִלְּעֵילָא דְּאִתְפָּקְדָן עַל קָלֵי דְאִנּוּן דְּמָסְרֵי דִינָא עַל חַבְרֵיהוֹן עַל מַה דְּעָבְדֵי לוֹן. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב כִּי מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ חָמָס מִפְּנֵיהֶם. וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב וְהִנְנִי מַשְׁחִיתָם אֶת הָאָרֶץ: According to another view, it was the sin of violence which finally completed the measure of their guilt, as they used to overreach one another and were thus wicked both towards Heaven and towards their fellow men. For many are the guardians on high charged to lend ear to those who cry out for justice against their oppressors. Hence the words FOR THE EARTH IS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE THROUGH THEM are immediately followed by the words AND BEHOLD I WILL DESTROY THEM WITH THE EARTH.