Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation (Jewish Lives)

This is one of many parallels between Elijah and Moses. Whoever composed the early legendary accounts of Elijah (later incorporated into the biblical saga) intended to portray him as a sort of Moses redivivus (reborn).

His eternal zeal now impels him to care deeply for all of Israel—not only those who faithfully keep the Sabbath, but even those suffering in hell.

the zealot is destined to reappear as the ultimate reconciler, restoring harmony between the generations.

In Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, al-Khiḍr is the supreme guide. Nearly every saint’s hagiography describes a visit from the Verdant One, who transmits wisdom or a potent prayer.

this respect, Elijah outshines Moses, for he is the only figure in the Hebrew Bible of whom it is explicitly stated that he went up to heaven. Perhaps

If an innovative teaching came from Elijah, it was automatically acceptable and beyond any suspicion of foreign influence or heresy.

Kabbalah is boldly innovative yet staunchly traditional. Its formulations are a blend of what the Zohar calls “new-ancient words.”

This is the meaning of: Look, I am sending to you [Elijah the prophet]—for the word sending is in the present tense, because it is constantly so, in each person and at all times.

If Elijah eventually enlightened the kabbalists, as the patron saint of the Carmelites he also inspired two of the greatest Christian mystics.