The Gemara speaks of Rebbe Yose learning three halachos from Eliyahu Hanavi. Rav Yitzchok Isaac Chover asks that we know that Halacha is not dependent on heavenly rulings or prophecy, but only on Torah study. Why would we then learn Halachos from a prophet such as Eliyahu? He explains that Eliyahu has two roles. In his role as a prophet he cannot be a teacher of Halacha. However, if he explains a Mitzvah in a manner that makes sense, or if he shares a Halacha that he heard from a different Sage then his words have Halachic validity.
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Why do we often add the words זכור לטוב, remembered for good, to the name of Eliyahu? Nitzozai Ohr explains that we find in Sefer Melachim when the son of the woman from Tzorfas died she said to Eliyahu וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ מַה־לִּ֥י וָלָ֖ךְ אִ֣ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים בָּ֧אתָ אֵלַ֛י לְהַזְכִּ֥יר אֶת־עֲוֺנִ֖י וּלְהָמִ֥ית אֶת־בְּנִֽי that she felt that his presence in her life had brought calamity upon her. That because he was so righteous and she less so his presence reminded God of her shortcomings and her son's death was the result. In order to remind us that the presence of the prophet is a blessing, and not a curse as she maintained, we add the words זכור לטוב to his name.
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The Gemara say that we only say in the presence of one who is dead words of the dead. Rav Yitzchok Meir Morgenstern explains this allegorically that it refers to someone who is down in terms of his religious connection; the spiritual connection within him is dead. Don't try to inspire him with words of Torah, they will fall on deaf ears as he is dead to them at the moment. You have to meet him where he is and speak to him from within the framework of where his Torah-disconnected self is holding at this time. If you can meet him there you can bring him back.
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The Gemara speaks of the harp that hung above Dovid HaMelech each night that would begin playing when it was time for him to wake up. Rashb"a quotes Rav Hai Gaon that this was not some miraculous harp, but that there was a mechanical clock system that caused the harp to play at the appropriate time.
This opens up an interesting discussion among the poskim. Did Dovid have this harp set to wake him up on Shabbos morning as well? Is it halachically permissible to set an alarm to go off on Shabbos morning?
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