"And you are standing this day all of you, your elders the leaders of your tribes and every person of Israel, from those who chop the wood to those who draw forth the water, to enter into the Covenant with the Lord your G-d...." (Deuteronomy 29:9-11)
Moses is now establishing the third and final covenant between the Israelites and G-d, immediately prior to their entry into the Land of Israel. Obviously, he wishes to include the entire spectrum of different financial, intellectual and social classes of the Israelites, from the highest to the lowest. This formulation is therefore a strange one; the verse should have stated "from the elders to the choppers of wood, from the heads of your tribes to the drawers of the water" and not "from those who chop the wood to those who draw forth the water," since these last two categories are very much on the same class level. Is Moses' formulation telling us something that we cannot see when we merely read the simple words of the text?
I believe the answer can be found in the very following words of the Biblical text, which declare that the Covenant includes "those who are presently with us standing today before the Lord your G-d, as well as those who are not standing with us today." (Deuteronomy 29:13,14) This very special Covenant includes historic Israel, the people of past, present and future. Since G-d is eternal, it makes sense that he must enter into a relationship with all generations, from the very origins of our nation until its ultimate culmination.
The Bible describes our very first patriarch and the founder of our nation as one who chops wood. When Abraham was commanded by G-d to bring his most beloved son Isaac as a whole burnt offering the text specifies, "And he (Abraham) chopped the wood for the offering," (Genesis 22:3) and Elijah the prophet is Biblically pictured as the one who draws forth water (Kings I 8:44). When Elijah established a contest at Mount Carmel between the prophet of G-d and the prophets of the idol Baal, he instructed, "Fill up four jugs with water and pour them out upon the whole burnt offering."
From this perspective, the Midrash provides a fascinating insight into Moses' formulation. Why did the master prophet Moses use the expression "from the choppers of wood to the drawers of water"? Perhaps he was utilizing a short-hand method of saying from Abraham, the chopper of wood, to Elijah, the one who drew forth the water; from the very first Jew to whom G-d charged with the mission that "all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you" until the very last Jew before Messianic times, the great herald of whom it is said, "Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord." (Malakhi 3:23) In effect, Moses is establishing G-d's covenant with the whole of Jewish history, from its very dawning with the founder of ethical monotheism until its culmination at the realization of a world of peace in Messianic times.
Fascinatingly enough, these two over towering Biblical personalities meet together in a major Jewish life-cycle event, as well as in a major Hebrew calendar event. We begin every male circumcision with the very Biblical verse in which the Almighty began to command the first patriarch to have himself and his household circumcised: "Walk before me and you shall become whole and pure." (Genesis 17:1) And of course, the Chair of Elijah is prominently featured in every circumcision, as well, when - especially in the Oriental traditions - many songs are chanted in praise of the honored guest Elijah.
Both of these great individuals deserve to be honored - and to meet together - at every circumcision. After all, G-d promised Abraham that his progeny would live forever, and that the Divine Covenant - expressed in the flesh of every male Jew by means of the circumcision ceremony - would be an eternal covenant. In effect, G-d's mention of Abraham is also a confirmation that the Almighty is fulfilling His promise made more than 4,000 years ago. And since it was Elijah who - in a moment of anger and frustration at the wayward backsliding of the Jewish nation - cried out to G-d, "(The Israelites) are not keeping Your Covenant," it is only poetically just that the Almighty insist that Elijah be present at every circumcision ceremony, in order to show him that the Jews are far more faithful than he had thought they would be.
Abraham and Elijah meet once again at every Passover Seder celebration. Abraham's initial "Covenant between the Pieces" is cited at the very beginning of our retelling of the Exodus from Egypt, and a special goblet of wine for Elijah - which Jewish legend insists he himself comes to drink a little bit of - is prepared as we open the door to greet him before our closing Grace after the Meal.
The golden chain of Jewish history is punctuated by moments of travail and sacrifice, as symbolized by the blood of the circumcision rite, as well as by exalted expressions and experiences of redemption, as symbolized by our seder celebration. It is only fitting that Abraham, the chopper of the wood, and Elijah, the drawer of the water, should be featured when Moses presents the Covenant that will span Jewish history from beginning to end.
Moses is now establishing the third and final covenant between the Israelites and G-d, immediately prior to their entry into the Land of Israel. Obviously, he wishes to include the entire spectrum of different financial, intellectual and social classes of the Israelites, from the highest to the lowest. This formulation is therefore a strange one; the verse should have stated "from the elders to the choppers of wood, from the heads of your tribes to the drawers of the water" and not "from those who chop the wood to those who draw forth the water," since these last two categories are very much on the same class level. Is Moses' formulation telling us something that we cannot see when we merely read the simple words of the text?
I believe the answer can be found in the very following words of the Biblical text, which declare that the Covenant includes "those who are presently with us standing today before the Lord your G-d, as well as those who are not standing with us today." (Deuteronomy 29:13,14) This very special Covenant includes historic Israel, the people of past, present and future. Since G-d is eternal, it makes sense that he must enter into a relationship with all generations, from the very origins of our nation until its ultimate culmination.
The Bible describes our very first patriarch and the founder of our nation as one who chops wood. When Abraham was commanded by G-d to bring his most beloved son Isaac as a whole burnt offering the text specifies, "And he (Abraham) chopped the wood for the offering," (Genesis 22:3) and Elijah the prophet is Biblically pictured as the one who draws forth water (Kings I 8:44). When Elijah established a contest at Mount Carmel between the prophet of G-d and the prophets of the idol Baal, he instructed, "Fill up four jugs with water and pour them out upon the whole burnt offering."
From this perspective, the Midrash provides a fascinating insight into Moses' formulation. Why did the master prophet Moses use the expression "from the choppers of wood to the drawers of water"? Perhaps he was utilizing a short-hand method of saying from Abraham, the chopper of wood, to Elijah, the one who drew forth the water; from the very first Jew to whom G-d charged with the mission that "all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you" until the very last Jew before Messianic times, the great herald of whom it is said, "Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord." (Malakhi 3:23) In effect, Moses is establishing G-d's covenant with the whole of Jewish history, from its very dawning with the founder of ethical monotheism until its culmination at the realization of a world of peace in Messianic times.
Fascinatingly enough, these two over towering Biblical personalities meet together in a major Jewish life-cycle event, as well as in a major Hebrew calendar event. We begin every male circumcision with the very Biblical verse in which the Almighty began to command the first patriarch to have himself and his household circumcised: "Walk before me and you shall become whole and pure." (Genesis 17:1) And of course, the Chair of Elijah is prominently featured in every circumcision, as well, when - especially in the Oriental traditions - many songs are chanted in praise of the honored guest Elijah.
Both of these great individuals deserve to be honored - and to meet together - at every circumcision. After all, G-d promised Abraham that his progeny would live forever, and that the Divine Covenant - expressed in the flesh of every male Jew by means of the circumcision ceremony - would be an eternal covenant. In effect, G-d's mention of Abraham is also a confirmation that the Almighty is fulfilling His promise made more than 4,000 years ago. And since it was Elijah who - in a moment of anger and frustration at the wayward backsliding of the Jewish nation - cried out to G-d, "(The Israelites) are not keeping Your Covenant," it is only poetically just that the Almighty insist that Elijah be present at every circumcision ceremony, in order to show him that the Jews are far more faithful than he had thought they would be.
Abraham and Elijah meet once again at every Passover Seder celebration. Abraham's initial "Covenant between the Pieces" is cited at the very beginning of our retelling of the Exodus from Egypt, and a special goblet of wine for Elijah - which Jewish legend insists he himself comes to drink a little bit of - is prepared as we open the door to greet him before our closing Grace after the Meal.
The golden chain of Jewish history is punctuated by moments of travail and sacrifice, as symbolized by the blood of the circumcision rite, as well as by exalted expressions and experiences of redemption, as symbolized by our seder celebration. It is only fitting that Abraham, the chopper of the wood, and Elijah, the drawer of the water, should be featured when Moses presents the Covenant that will span Jewish history from beginning to end.