Elijah?

We Jews are a little weird when it comes to Elijah.  We set out a glass of wine for him at Passover, and we save him a seat of honor at circumcision ceremonies.  At Passover at one point we even get up and open the door for him so he (or whoever is wandering around alone on the night of a holiday).  I don't know if you remember, but he didn't get to die.  He's stuck on the planet until the Messiah comes.

Now, here's the condensed version of what happens.  Every generation produces someone who could be the Messiah.  Elijah is wandering around checking out each generation in the meantime.  He disguises himself (or maybe he just naturally is) pathetic, probably smelly, probably crazy.  Who the Christians would call "the least of these my brothers."  He will appear to our generation and if we treat him badly, he'll be back to check out our kids.  When we recognize him and treat him as he deserves to be treated, we all win and the Messianic age can start.

Personally, my own goal is not to screw it up for my generation.  Simple goal.  There are many times I have met someone who is potentially Elijah.  Face it: there are lots of pathetic, smelly, crazy people around.  I just have to remember that these people were created in the image of G-d, that they carry a divine spark.  If I get a danger vibe, I keep my distance, but otherwise, at the very least, I acknowledge their humanity.

I can tell you amazing stories of encounters of my own and others that have lifted my spirits because of very minor acts of kindness.

But the other day I went into a UPS store to overnight some legal documents.  My son was with me.  A homeless looking man came in.  He had a hodgepodge bundle of cardboard wrapped in string.  His clothes were filthy, but he had a clean strip of denim around his neck.  He came in and greeted me and told me about Levi Strauss, the guy who came up with blue jeans.  I knew this story because my father had taken me to see his house on one of our many family road trips.  He told me that he was a Levite like the blue jean maker.  Then he asked me, "Do you recognize me?"

Of course I recognized him.  He's an Elijah, just like a million other Elijahs out there.  So I told him that I did recognize him.  He then taught me some gematria (a Jewish system of numbers associated with letters so that we can mathematically figure out meanings).

I have been overwhelmed by the plight of the homeless this winter.  It has shattered my heart again.  After this man taught me some gematria about 13 (the Gregorian year we're in right now... you know 2013 = '13?)  that doesn't really matter here, he asked me again if I recognized him.

"Yes, I do recognize you," I said.

Then he told me something very important for my life.  He told me that it isn't time for me to give, it is time for me to receive.  That's why he was giving me a teaching and not asking for anything.  (That's what my therapist has told me, but I believe the crazy man more.  It's a sweeter message from Elijah.)

All this time, the UPS staff is apologizing profusely and trying to shoo this guy away.  Then he tells me something else.  He tells me that if I'm ever in Hollywood to look him up.  He says that he has a lot of money and that he'll give me $18,000,000.  He says that he doesn't let people know he has money because then they pester him about it, but since I recognize him, he will give it to me.

Now, for a very short gematria lesson.  The numeric equivalent of the word "chai" (which means "life" in English) is 18.  He was giving me the gift of life times a million.  Cool.

Much to the relief of the staff at UPS, he then left.  They apologized again.  I told them not to apologize, that all people have a need to be recognized.

I am dedicating this post to the memory of our good friend Chris Ung, who was my buddy in Elijah-ness.