Many times during our youth we heard stories of the greatness that our Avos and Imahos possessed. Yet even though our overall concepts of life mature with our age, unfortunately our understanding who the Avos really lags behind and sometimes remain frozen in time. We still view them only as exceptional people who attained higher intense spiritual levels than us folks. However our Chazal describe them as a Merkavah to the Shechinah, a chariot for Hashem to reside on every day of their lives as they were in contact with Olam Habah a different world than our habitat (Baba Basra 16b).
The same holds true with Aliyahu Hanavi. He was a prominent figure in Tanach. But his novelty was also that even today he plays an active role in our daily lives. Who doesn't remember the stories of him appearing to people throughout the generations as an aged person with a long white beard making the individual whom he meets privy to some secrets or future news. We sing zemiros about him and his achievements on Motzai Shabbos, he comes to every Bris, we mention him in Benching, we set aside a special goblet of wine for him during our Pesach Seder. On a deeper level Chazal tell us the Aliyahu Hanavi is the gilgul of Pinchos in our parsha.
Let us introduce now another deep aspect of his life which I myself was unaware of until the writing of this maamar.
ב"שם משמואל" (כי תצא תרע"ז) מביא את דברי המדרש (דברים רבה ו ז) כי על ידי שילוח הקן מחיש האדם את פעמי הגאולה בזו הלשון "שלח תשלח את האם" (דברים כב ז) ואם קיימת מצוה זו את ממהר לבוא מלך המשיח שכתוב בו שילוח ואתה ממהר את אליהו הנביא ז"ל שיבוא שכתוב בו שילוח שנאמר (מלאכי ג כג) הנה אנכי שולח לכם את אליה הנביא והוא יבוא וינחם אתכם מנין שנאמר (שם כד) והשיב לב אבות על בנים" עכ"ל.
The Shem Mishmuel continues
ויש להוסיף ולומר שלא סוף דבר שעל ידי שקיים אחד מישראל מצות שילוח הקן יבואו אליהו ומלך המשיח שהרי בוודאי כבר נזדמנה מצוה זו לפני כמה בני אדם וקיימוה ומכל מקום עדיין בן דוד ואליהו הנביא לא באו? אך יש לומר על פי מה דאיתא בספרים הקדושים בענין גילוי אליהו שיש בכמה אנפי: יש בפועל ממש ויש שהוא רק בהארת השכל שמתנוצץ באיש הזוכה לזה וכך יש לפרש שסגולת מצות שילוח הקן לזכות באמצעותה להארה נפשית ושכלית מאליהו הנביא ומלך המשיח עכ"ל
Chazal write that by fulfilling the mitzvah of Shiluach Hakan one brings about the revelation of Aliyahu Hanavi. The question is that many people over the generations have fulfilled this mitzvah and Aliyahu nevertheless has not yet come? The answer is that Aliyahu does not have to appear in a physical form but rather in the form to enlighten the person who merits it, for instance through the mitzvah of Shiluach Hakan. His appearance to individuals of merit can take the form of דעת - Torah knowledge as well. To bring an allusion to this interpretation we have the gematriah of אליהו being equal to בן 52. The word בן is from the word בינה understanding.
Rav Tzadok from Lublin also agrees with this concept
(פרשת וישב אות ה) בחינת התגלות אליהו כדאיתא (מנחות מה) פרשה זו אליהו עתיד לדורשה ובחידושי הרשב"א שם כתב שאליהו יתגלה לאחד בבית המדרש לדרוש הפרשה והיינו שיופיע בליבו התגלות התחדשות בדברי תורה והוא בחינת התגלות אליהו.
The gemarah (Menachos 45) says on a particular parsha that Aliyahu Hanavi will come and interpret it. On the spot the Rashbah learns that this means that Aliyahu will "appear" in a heart of an individual in this Beis Medrash to explain this parsha with a novel interpretation.
Likewise in the Teshuvos of the Chasam Sofer he writes
חתם סופר ליקוטי שו"ת צח שאליהו לא נגלה לחכמים בגופו אלא רק בבחינת נשמתו, וגופו נמצא בגן עדן התחתון ואע"פ שלומד תורה ומגלה דינים אין לקבוע הלכה על פי דבריו דה"ל רק כמו חלום ורוח נבואה ואין משגיחין בבת קול.
The beginning of the parsha relates the greatness of Pinchus who later was a gilgul in Aliyahu known as the person who השיב את חמתי מעל בני ישראל who drew back my anger with the intent to destroy Am Yisrael after the horrific episode of Zimri and Kazbi. The Avnei Neizer writes that the word חמתי which means my wrath also contains the letters חתמי my seal which refers to "emes" as Chazal says חותמו של הקב"ה אמת (Shir Hashirim 46).
To try to understand the role of the lack of middas emes in the act of this Chillul Hashem with Pinchus we will review the episode of Yosef with the wife of Potifar in which occurred the opposite effect and his actions that proclaimed emes. Yosef is the continuation of Yaakov who possessed the outstanding middah of emes. תתן אמת ליעקב. Emes is necessary for שמירת יסוד – ברית. For the middah of emes is continuity ואמת תכון לעד and for tikkun middas yesod one must never cease from being vigilant. This is why when the malach of Aisav fought with Yaakov he hit him in the ירך which the Zohar says was middas yesod. For Yaakov never spilled a drop of zera until he got married.
The passuk says אלה תולדות יעקב יוסף , these are the off spring of Yaakov – Yosef. The Igra D'kallah writes the word תולדות also hints to the hidden letters (the offspring) of Yaakov the middah of אמת -אלף מם תו gematriah יוסף. Yosef was the continuation of Yaakov and his midda of emes. Therefore he was tested with the wife of Potifar who attempted to seduce him and blemish his yesod like the Malach of Aisav. However Yosef overcame her seduction and thereby protected all of Yisrael not to sin by having relations with the Egyptians.
In the scenario of Pinchus he sacrifices his life by rising up with zealousness to Hashem's name and the desecration of middas yesod and emes by killing them both. He returned the anger of Hashem which also hints to that he brought back the חותם the middah of emes of the middas hayesod in Yisrael .על בריתך שחתמת בבשרינו
Therefore Aliyahu who was the gilgul of Pinchas also was known for his middah of emes as it states כמ"ש דבר ה' בפיך אמת (מלכים א יז). Another passuk also calls Ailiyahu emes שלח אורך ואמיתך (Yeshaya 34) upon which the Medrash says
על כן שלח אורך ואמתך המה ינחוני וגו'. שלח אורך זה מלך המשיח. ואמתך זה אליהו שכתוב (מלאכי ב) תורת אמת היתה בפיו
Therefore Ailiyahu who is the gilgul of Pinchus שהשיב חותמי של אמת is to partake at every bris in order to aid the newborn baby to have the segulah to be shomer habris.
The passuk says Tehillim 85,12 that אמת מארץ "תצמח" וצדק משמים נשקף that truth will grow from the earth. Even on the earth where earthly seductions and pleasures roam without reins everywhere, seeking their prey, the emes will still always grow and be accessible to those who truly seek to find it. This passuk can be referring to Aliyahu who is both in shamayim and on the earth. He also appears in two forms one as an earthly person and the other is a heavenly person in the form of shamayim without the presence of a body, yet still impressing in one's heart a new interpretation to derive from the Torah.
This idea is hinted in the gematriah of האמת with its inner letters ה"א אל"ף מ"מ תי"ו which is gematriah תריג 613 which conveys that every mitzvah of the Torah possesses the absolute emes of Hashem ונתן לנו תורת אמת. It is also gematriah בתורה. This hints that Ailiyahu who embodies the Torah of emes, will reveal himself in the hearts of lomdei Torah with a new emes and interpretations which is also considered .גילוי אליהו
Also hinted in the letters of אמת are the two forms in which Aliyahu reveals himself. The aleph of אמת means "learning". Or he can reveal himself as a תם the last two letters of emes, which portrays an entire person as if he never מת died. This concept is also hinted in the gematriah of the word תצמח עה"כ which equals כאדם (like an old man with a long white beard) or by enlightening you with דעת (תורה) (together 539).
With the above we can say that there is a mesorah that the word תיקו is used in the gemarah after a machlokes in which we could not come to a final psak who is correct.
בספר אגרת הטיול חלק הדרוש עמ' קט כתב וז"ל תשבי אנו אומרים על כל הקושיות הנשארות בלי תירוץ תיקו ורצה לומר ת'שבי י'תרץ ק'ושיות ו'אבעיות רמז לדבר הואיל משה באר את התורה (דברים א ה) הואיל אותיות אליהו אמר להם משה מי שיש בשמו אותיות הואיל דהיינו אליהו הוא יבאר לכם כל ספיקי התורה עכ"ל.
They say that the word תיקו is the acronym תשבי יתרץ קושיות ואיבעיות Ailiyahu Hanavi will come and answer all the questions that were undecided or unanswered. Now I am beginning to wonder will Ailiyahu come and give a massive shiur heard by all Yidden via electric communication equipment similar to watching live the Siyum Hashas? Or maybe it will be like the Rashba's interpretation that Aliyahu won't physically have to present himself for with his דעת alone it will enter into every Yid's heart and he will be programmed with all the questions and all their answers. After writing this mamar I came up with the answer. I suggest it will be both, Ailiyahu will come appearing as an אדם and he will give over into everyone's hearts the דעת תורה that was missing up until now. The proof is from the very word תיקו which is gematriah 520 including the four letters. The words אדם דעת with the kollel also equals 520. Now at least, we solved one problem that this תיקו doesn't have to be added to Ailiyahu's already long list.