This week’s Torah Portion called Ki Sisa; which describes the sin of the Golden Calf

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17And it was when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the one who brings trouble upon Israel?”

18And he said, “I have not brought trouble upon Israel, but you and your father’s house, since you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you went after the Baalim.

19And now, send and gather for me all of Israel to Mount Carmel, and the prophets of the Baal four hundred and fifty and the prophets of the Ashera four hundred who eat at Jezebel’s table.

20And Ahab sent among all of the Children of Israel, and he gathered the prophets to Mount Carmel.

21And Elijah drew near to all the people and said, “Until when are you hopping between two ideas? If the Lord is God, go after Him, and if the Baal, go after him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

22And Elijah spoke to the people, “I have remained a prophet to the Lord by myself, and the prophets of the Baal are four hundred and fifty men.

23And let them give us two bulls and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it up and place it on the wood, but fire they shall not put, and I will prepare one bull, and I will put it on the wood, and fire will I not place.

24And you will call in the name of your deity, and I will call in the name of the Lord, and it will be the God that will answer with fire, he is God.” And all of the people answered and said, “The thing is good.”

25And Elijah said to the prophets of the Baal, “Choose for yourselves the one bull and prepare it first since you are the majority, and call in the name of your deity, and fire place not.”

26They took the bull that he gave them and prepared [it]. And they called in the name of the Baal from the morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice and no answer, and they hopped on the altar that they had made.

27And it was at noon that Elijah scoffed at them, and he said, “Call with a loud voice, for he is a god. [Perhaps] he is talking or he is pursuing [enemies] or he is on a journey; perhaps he is sleeping and will awaken.

28And they called with a loud voice and gashed themselves as was their custom, with swords and lances, until blood gushed on them.

29And as the afternoon passed and they feined to prophesy until the time of the sacrifice of the [evening] offering, and there was no voice and no answer and no one was listening.

30And Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me,” and all the people came near to him and he repaired the torn down altar of the Lord.

31Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”

32He built the stones into an altar in the name of the Lord and he made a trench as great as would contain two se’ah of seed, around the altar.

33And he arranged the wood, and he cut up the bull and placed [it] upon the wood.

34And he said, “Fill me four pitchers of water and pour them on the burnt-offerings and on the wood.” And he said, “Repeat it,” and they repeated it. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.

35And the water went around the altar, and also the trench he filled with water.

36And it was when the evening sacrifice was offered that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and at Your word have I done all these things.

37Answer me, O Lord, answer me, and this people shall know that You are the Lord God, and You have turned their hearts backwards.”

38And the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offerings and the wood and the stones and the earth, and the water which was in the trench it licked up.

39And all the people saw and fell on their faces, and they said, “The Lord is God, the Lord is God.”

There are so many ways to understand this reading from Kings.
However, our Translators from Hebrew to English have bowdlerized the common meaning of verse 27 which, according to most, actually reads something like:

”And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said: Cry with a louder voice, for he is a god, perhaps he is having a conversation or he is going to the bathroom, or he is on a journey; perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”

One can reflect that the more things change… the more they stay the same.

Elijah was obstreperous, rude, condescending and downright disrespectful of ALL the Elite of that day – from the King to all the powerful cadre of those who shaped the popular opinion of the Official Doctrines of the King!

Today, there is no one, not even the far Left Wing nutjobs (admittedly, many of them would not know what is the Torah or who is Elijah) who would dispute that Elijah was right and Ahab and the “prophets” of Baal were evil and wrong.

Yet, the Ruling Elite is unable to grasp that they are indeed the corrupt “prophets” of Baal and that those who champion G-d and morality and Justice are the descendants of Elijah.

Even unto today, the corrupt Elite focuses on how Rude and insulting is Elijah and, that means – Prophet Man Bad!

Good Shabbos!