Everything we said is true, but it doesn’t take away the fact that the stubborn ox got the raw end of the deal. Yes, the challenge needs to happen, but why did this ox need to end up on the wrong side? Why couldn’t it be on Elijah’s side?
The answer is that resistance builds strength. When you walk near a pitfall, you watch your step. When you walk on a paved road you can stumble and fall. The closer we skirt to failure, the harder we work to succeed. The iciest spot on the driveway is the safest place to walk because we salt that spot best.
It’s all in the perspective. Being on the wrong side of the divide is not just a stumbling block, it is a wakeup call that inspires people to grow better and even better. So, the stubborn ox refused to go because it didn’t have faith in the people. Elijah handed over the stubborn ox because he had faith in the people.
In the end, the people didn’t worship idols. Instead, they were inspired to return to G-d. The ox remained stubborn until the end, but thanks to Elijah the people saw what the needed to see. And they proclaimed, G-d, as the only true G-d.[3]
[1] I Kings 18.
[2] Bamidbar Rabah 23:9. Radvaz ad loc explains that the angel responsible for the cow did the talking.
[3] Even if on occasion the bacon sandwich is eaten by a Jew, it opens the opportunity for Teshuvah, which raises one to a level even a Tzadik cannot attain. See Likutei Sichos 16, pp. 415–416.
