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281 PONTIFICAL BIBLICAL INSTITUTE ATs AIoON jis e PONTIFICAL BIBLICAL INSTITUTE Malachi—the last biblical Prophet—in his final prophecy. Because tradition held that the Mount Sinai cave where the angel took Elijah was where God had revealed himself to Moses, Elijah has been expected to reappear at the start of the Passover festival, when the Exodus is commemorated. To this day the Seder, the ceremonial evening meal when the seven-day Passover holiday begins, requires the placement on the meal table of a wine-filled cup for Elijah, to sip from as he arrives; the door is opened to enable him to enter, and a prescribed hymn is recited, expressing the hope that he will soon herald “the Messiah, son of David.” (As is the case with Christian kids being told that Santa Claus did sneak down the chimney and bring them the gifts they see, so are Jewish kids told that though unseen, Elijah did sneak in and took a tiny sip of wine.) By custom, “Elijah’s Cup” has been embel- lished to become an artful goblet, a chalice never used for any purpose other than for the Elijah ritual at the Passover meal. The “Last Supper” of Jesus was that tradition-filled Passover meal. Though retaining the semblance of choosing its own high priest and king, Judea became for all intents and purposes a Jerusalem: A Chalice, Vanished FIGURE 124