TheYeshiva.net - Rabbi YY Jacobson

The Holy Heretic

The Story of the Greatest Heretic in Jewish History: Elisha Ben Avuyah

51 min

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Class Summary:

Of all the Rabbis cited in the Talmud, only one became a heretic. His name was Elisha ben Avuya. He was, by all accounts, one of the outstanding Jewish sages of the second-century, a contemporary of Rabbi Akiva and the teacher of Rabbi Meir, the leading scholars of his generation.

Elisha moved so far from Jewish tradition that his colleagues stopped referring to him by his name, but rather called him Acher, “the other”, the outcast, the renegade. Only his student Rabbi Meir remained loyal to the man who had once been his master, sought out his company and still believed that he might one day repent.

Against this backdrop we find a deeply moving scene in the Talmud. It is Shabbat, and Elisha ben Abuya is publicly desecrating the holy day by riding on a horse. Walking alongside him is Rabbi Meir. Heretic teacher and faithful disciple travel together along the road arguing and debating Jewish law. Rabbi Meir, the pious Jew, has become so immersed in the conversation that he has not noticed they are nearing the limits beyond which one may not walk on Shabbat. “Acher”, the apostate, realizes this and says: “Meir, turn back. I have measured the distance we have walked by the paces of my horse, and we have reached the Shabbat limit. Beyond here, you are forbidden to walk.

Meir replied: “You too turn back.”

“I cannot turn back,” says Elisha. “One day I was riding on my horse. It was Yom Kippur, which in that particular year fell on Shabbat. I was roaming behind the Holy of Holies, when I heard a heavenly voice saying: ‘Turn back to me, O lost children, except for Acher... ’”

What is the message of this story? That G-d indeed does not forgive all humans who want to repent? That some must truly be condemned forever? This would contradict a fundamental idea in Judaism that nothing stands in the way of repentance.

Furthermore, if G-d did not want Elisha to repent, why did He communicate with him at all? Why did the heavenly voice begin with words of love and encouragement “Turn back to me, O lost children,” and end with the fearful decree “except for Acher”? And why did Rachel name her long-awaited-for son Joseph, so that “G-d may grant me yet another son!” Why not celebrate this child?

This class will analyze the tragic story of Acher, the mysterious call to him on Yom Kippur, and his misinterpretation of it. It will teach us about the pain and destiny of our own lives, often lost and fragmented.

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Please leave your comment below!

WF
Wells Fargo -3 years ago
Seize Your Own Destiny
All religion, all gods, all religious ideas, all religious rites,and all religious taboos are nothing more than the creation of human minds and primordial human fears. There are no gods in the real universe. It is time that mankind discarded these Bronze Age myths and seized their destiny in their own hands, All else is mere commentary.
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Anonymous -4 years ago
The great Heretic
If Elisha ben Avuyah had been followed by all, ther would be no Jewish religion today, a great loss to civilization. However, that does not mean that he was wrong.
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Y
YL -13 years ago
Inaccurate Information
"out of thousands of rabbis...there was only on heretic, elisha ben avuyah". what about yochanan kohen gadol who after eighty years of service became a tzeduki?
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- A
  Anonymous -13 years ago
  Re: Inaccurate Information
  
  Dear YL:
  
  1) Yochanan was not one of the Rabbis. He was a Kohen Gadol, from the family of the Chashmonaeim. He lived before the era of the Tanaaim.
  
  2) A Tzeduki, who beleived in G-d and in Torah Shebeksav, is not in the same category as Elisah ben Avuyah.
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SC
Shmuli C. -13 years ago
Acher's Final Destination!

TALMUD CHAGIGAH TOSFOS (15a) writes that when Acher's father brought him as a child to learn Torah, his intentions were impure, "Lo Lishmah." Acher's father had seen the great respect afforded to Talmidei Chachamim and he wanted his son to receive the same respect. As a result, all of his life Acher learned Torah "Lo Lishmah."

The Yerushalmi Chagigah (cited by Tosfos) records two possible causes for Acher's waywardness. One opinion says that he saw a young man die while performing the Mitzvah of honoring his father (for which the Torah says one is rewarded with long life), when his father asked him to send away a mother-bird from the nest in order to take the chick (for which the Torah also says one is rewarded with long life).

Another opinion says that he witnessed the tragic scene as the tongue of the martyred Rebbi Yehudah haNachtom was dragged away by a dog. Rebbi Yehudah haNachtom had spent his entire life steeped in the learning and teaching of Torah (see also Kidushin 39b). Since Acher perceived the purpose of learning Torah as a means of gaining respect, when he saw that one could learn Torah all of his life and receive no honor for it and even suffer torture and disgrace for it (in this world), he could not tolerate the incongruence. This incongruity caused him to go astray.

Judgment in Gehinom means that a soul realizes the terrible void that characterized his life in the physical world due to the transgressions he committed. This terrible shame continues until the soul has suffered enough for all of the transgressions that he committed. The soul is then cleansed of the stain of those transgressions and the person is able to receive reward for all of the Mitzvos which he fulfilled Lishmah.

Since Acher had learned so much Torah and had excelled to great heights in his Torah learning (even though it was not Lishmah), his soul could not experience the feeling of void and lacking which characterizes the Gehinom experience. On the other hand, since his soul could not be purged of his transgressions in Gehinom, his soul also could not enter Olam haBa (heaven). Rebbi Meir, therefore, decided that he would help the soul of Acher.

Rebbi Meir excelled in learning Torah Lishmah. It was Rebbi Meir who said, "One who has learned Torah Lishmah merits many things" (Avos 6:1). Since Rebbi Meir's learning was entirely Lishmah, he had the ability to cause Acher's soul a great sense of shame. When Rebbi Meir died and Acher saw the difference between his learning and Rebbi Meir's, the soul of Acher finally felt the shame of the tainted way he had learned Torah while he was alive. Thus, it was through Rebbi Meir that Acher was able to experience Gehinom and be cleansed of his transgressions and, as a result, merit entry to Olam haBa and be rewarded for his Mitzvos.

Rebbi Yochanan, however, sought to bring Acher's soul directly to Olam haBa. Through learning Torah, a student gives merit to his deceased teacher. Rebbi Yochanan often quoted teachings he had heard from Rebbi Meir. It is likely that he also ascribed them to their original source -- Acher, the teacher of Rebbi Meir. (See TOSFOS to Sotah 12a, D"H Acherim Omrim, who says that whenever the Gemara quotes the opinion of Acherim it refers to a teaching taught by Rebbi Meir which he had heard from Acher.) By transmitting the teachings of Acher, Rebbi Yochanan was able to bring merit to the soul of Acher.

When Rebbi Yochanan died, people quoted the teachings he had taught in the name of Rebbi Meir and Acher, and thus he was able to raise Acher out of Gehinom and bring him to Olam haBa. Rebbi Meir, in contrast, could not bring Acher to Olam haba in that manner. Since Rebbi Meir lived in the same generation as Acher, he could not quote Acher and give honor to Acher's teachings because he did not want others to respect Acher and learn from his corrupt conduct (even after Acher's death). Therefore, the only way Rebbi Meir could cause Acher to go to Olam haBa was to cause him to be judged for his transgressions. Rebbi Yochanan lived later, in a generation in which no one could have known Acher personally and learned from his ways, and thus he had nothing to fear by quoting teachings in his name.

Perhaps this concords with the explanation Rabbi that you have presented in the class in the name of Rabbi Solevietchik. Both the Jerusalem and Babolonian Talmuds were correct in the ultimate fate of Acher, albeit two distinct time periods and generations. Immediately following his passing, Teshuva was much harder to complete in Rabbi Meirs generation, but in Rabbi Yochanan's generation, he successfully ensured Acher would merit proper entrance into the Heavenly academy. So in fact in Reb Meir's generation, Yerushaimi's opinion is correct. Elisha Ben Avuyah had ample obstacles and challenges to gain a spot in the celestial academy.

Nevertheless, in R. Yochanan's generation, then Talmud Bavli's opinion, which was authored later, even though not authored by R. Yochanan himself, Acher had no possible entrance into Gan Eden, paradise, but Elisha Ben Avuyah, did finally merit a proper and complete Teshuva.

How dare i speculate such an insolent possibilty, but ultimately, his Teshuva was accepted and all opinions have been concretely acknowledged and reconciled.

Thank you Rabbi for presenting a profound analysis on a millennial sage the way you did, and giving us a deeper glimpse into the life of a great Tzaddik!

Gmar Chasimah Tova!
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ESE
Esther Sarah Evans -13 years ago
Regarding the grit and gravel, etc. - figuratively, maybe, for up to now I had believed as was brought down that Moshe Rabeinu called the coffin up from where it had been lowered into the Nile River - the life-line, so to speak of the Egyptians, and symbolically immersed in Torah. All the history of the Jewish people in Egypt flowed past him - male Jewish babies being thrown into the Nile, Moshe Rabeinu being set afloat there and being rescued by the Egyptian princess, the river's being turned to blood during the plagues (the area around Yosef HaTzaddik's coffin will likely have been, as for all the Jews, miraculously kept in water state, or ? Indeed, his actual burial did not take place until he was brought here, if we follow that through to its culmination. So in a double sense he was mamash immersed in our Torah.

Had he been buried, anybody could have dug up his grave or desecrated it. Secretly lowered into the water, his coffin was accessible only through summons - in this case, the summons being spoken by Moshe Rabbeinu.

His Petira in itself was sad, but he was constantly with us - immersed in what happened to us, immersed in Torah.

Even here beAretz, there is no real rest in a Kever for Yosef HaTzaddik. Just consider the Balagan there has been on the part of the Arabs. Even after finally getting back the land, we have not known how to appreciate it and provide a more or less safe resting place even for a Tzaddik like Yosef to whom we all owe so much. That, I think, is the main reason for shedding tears - tears of shame.

Be well, and take care, Rabbi. Thanks for sharing your experiences of the Rebbe too.

Esther Sarah and Halakha
in Yerushalayim.
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Rabbi YY Jacobson

September 13, 2010
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5 Tishrei 5771
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8902 views

Dedicated by David and Eda Schottenstein in the loving memory of Alta Shula Swerdlov And in merit of Yetta Alta Shula, "Aliya," Schottenstein