Eliyahu Hanavi Turned on The Flame

ואמרת אליו בעהלתך את הנרות (בהעלתך ח:ב)

When you kindle the lamps…

The Rebbe R’ Shmelka of Nikolsberg zt’’l was known for learning Torah diligently, day and night, never sleeping in a bed.  When his eyes started drooping from tiredness, Reb Shmelka used to kindle a candle and place it between his fingers so that when the flame reached his flesh, the burn would rouse him awake.

One night the candle extinguished, and the tzaddik Reb Shmelka dosed off for a second.  When he awoke, the room was pitch dark, and he tried looking for a fire to reignite the candle.  He stepped out to the porch, and suddenly someone appeared with a stretched-out hand holding a burning candle.  Reb Shmelka ignited his candle, thanked the person, and returned to his room to continue learning. 

When he went to Daven the following day, he realized the porch was three flights up from the street level, meaning it wasn’t an ordinary person who offered him fire. Reb Shmelka was very disturbed that a miracle happened to him, and he had to bother to provide him with light.

Reb Shmelka was so distraught that it was revealed to him from Shamayim (heaven) that Eliyahu Hanavi brought him the fire. Reb Shmelka fasted for months afterward because he exerted Eliyahu Hanavi to bring him fire.

Filed under Parshas Behaaloscha |