Parsha Halacha

Parsha Halacha - Parshat Ki Teitze

Elisha Ben Avuyah

History of a Torah Scholar Turned Heretic

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In the Torah portion of Ki Teitzeh, we are taught the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird when taking the eggs from a nest.^[1] One who fulfills this mitzvah is promised long life.

This article will discuss the life of Elisha ben Avuyah, a great Torah scholar who became a heretic as a result of seeing a case in which a boy died just after sending away the mother bird. It is based on the Talmud, Chagigah 14b – 15b, Kiddushin 39b, Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 2:1 and several other sources. We will refer to Elisha both by his name and by his nickname Acher, meaning “the other one,” as he is commonly called in the Talmud (see below).

Family Background

According to the Jerusalem Talmud, Avuyah, the father of Elisha, was one of the important people of Jerusalem.

In Utero^[2]

When Elisha’s mother was pregnant with him, she smelled food being prepared for idol worship and craved it. The halacha states that when a pregnant woman (in days bygone) would have cravings for food that she smelled, it was considered dangerous if she was not given that food to eat. As such, Elisha’s mother was given this (idolatrous) food to eat. This food was rattling in her body like (spiritual) snake poison, impacting her unborn baby negatively.^[3]

Some say that she never ate the food, but the smell entered her body and affected Baby Elisha in the womb.^[4]

At his Brit^[5]

Avuyah invited all of the great people of Jerusalem to the brit of his son Elisha. He also invited Rabbi Eliezer (ben Hurkanus) and Rabbi Yehushua, whom he seated separately. While everyone was celebrating at the brit, the rabbis began to discuss (deep mysteries of the) Torah until a fire came from heaven and surrounded them. Avuyah exclaimed, “Have you come to burn down my house ?” The sages explained that they had been studying Torah in such depth (from Torah to Nevi’im to Ketuvim) that the “fire of Mount Sinai” came down from Heaven. Avuyah then proclaimed that if his son would live, he would dedicate him to Torah. This was seen in a negative light as his intentions weren’t pure. Rather, he wanted his son to achieve the honor and esteem of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yeshoshua. His father’s tainted intention was a contributing factor to Elisha’s eventual departure from Torah.

Seeds of Straying

The Talmud says that even before Elisha became a heretic there were certain behaviors which indicated that he was headed in that direction.

●      Greek Songs

He never stopped singing Greek (heretical) songs.^[6]

●      Heretical Books 

When Elisha would get up after studying in the Beit Midrash, heretical books would fall out of his lap. (He would hide them in his lap but would become so engrossed in his learning that he would forget that they were there, and so when he stood up, they would fall out.)^[7]

Entering the Garden

The Talmud says^[8] that four sages entered the Pardes/Garden (a euphemism for entering the realm of deep mystical secrets pertaining to G-d and His angels). Only Rabbi Akiva escaped unscathed while Ben Zoma went out of his mind, Ben Azzai passed away, and Acher became a heretic.

What he Saw

In the Garden, Acher saw the angel Matatron sitting and recording the merits of the Jewish people. Acher recalled a tradition that in Heaven no angel is able to “sit.” This led him to the heretical idea that Matatron was a deity on par with G-d.^[9]

Return! Besides Acher

As a result of Acher’s heresy, permission was granted in Heaven that Acher’s merits be erased. (Elisha was a great Torah scholar and a teacher of Rabbi Meir, see below.) As such a Heavenly voice announced, “The wayward sons should return except for Acher” (who is beyond repair). This led Acher to believe that he was barred from ever doing teshuvah. From that point on, in addition to his heresy, he proceeded to lead a hedonistic lifestyle. .

Other Factors

The Talmud in Kiddushin recounts two other incidents that contributed to Elisha turning to heresy:

●      A Father, his Child, and the Mother Bird

Elisha once saw how a father instructed his son to climb a tree and bring down chicks from their nest. The boy climbed up the tree, sent away the mother bird, and was on the way down with the chicks when he fell and died. At the time he had been fulfilling two mitzvot for which the Torah promises long life, honoring one’s parents and sending away the mother bird. This led Elisha to question the truth of the Torah.^[10]

Acher’s Mistake

The Talmud concludes that had Elisha known the teaching of his own grandson, Rabbi Yaakov, he would have known that the Torah is speaking about long life in the eternal world of souls and not (necessarily) in this physical world.

●      Tongue of Chutzpit

Elisha once saw the tongue of the great sage Chutzpit,^[11] who had been cruelly executed by the Romans, being dragged in the street by pigs. Seeing the terrible suffering of the righteous in this world caused him to lose his faith.

Called Acher 

According to the Talmud, Elisha then solicited a prostitute who, surprised at the identity of her “suitor,” exclaimed, “Aren’t you [the famous rabbi] Elisha ben Avuyah?” In order to show that he was no longer following the dictates of the Torah, Elisha proceeded to uproot a radish from the ground on Shabbat. The woman proclaimed, “You are acher (someone else).” From this point on he became known as Acher – the other one – to emphasize that he was no longer following the path of the Torah. (From that point in his life, he was known as Acher.)

Reasons for the Name

The name Acher (another) indicates that:

●      He was outside of the pale of holiness where there is only Echad – the one G-d.^[12]

●      He had become (like) a different person. Thus, the (true) expression of the prostitute became his moniker.^[13]

●      He had regretted his earlier good deeds.^[14]

●      The term Acher is used when one doesn’t want to utter someone’s real name.^[15]

Teaching Rabbi Meir

Despite Acher’s heresy, Rabbi Meir continued to study Torah from him. Although the Talmud says that one should study Torah only from a teacher who resembles an angel, Rabbi Meir was of such great stature that he felt he could study from Acher without being influenced by him. Rabbi Meir’s colleagues disagreed with him on this matter. Some say^[16] that the Mishnah refers to Rabbi Meir as Acherim (others) when he is quoting a teaching that he learned from Acher.

Encouraged to Return

Rabbi Meir encouraged his teacher to do teshuvah on various occasions. Each time Acher insisted that his teshuvah wasn’t welcomed, as per the Heavenly voice (bat kol) he had heard (see above). Despite this, Rabbi Meir continued to encourage Acher to come back because the voice meant that G-d would not assist or encourage him in his teshuvah. But if he made his own effort, his teshuvah would be accepted.^[17]

When Rabbi Meir insisted that Acher come with him to the Beit Midrash (hoping that he would be inspired there to do teshuvah) he asked various children to recite the Torah verses that they had learned. All of them recited verses indicating that G-d was rejecting Acher’s teshuvah. The last child unwittingly mispronounced a verse and said, “And to Elisha (instead of Velerasha - and to a wicked person),^[18] G-d says, ‘why would you speak of My laws?’”^[19]

Some say that Elisha then killed the child out of anger. Others say that he proclaimed that, had he had a knife, he would have killed him. Still others say that he sliced up the holy book that the boy was carrying but didn’t harm the child. 

Quotes in the Talmud

Here are some of the teachings quoted in the Talmud from Acher:

●      One who studies Torah when he young is like one who writes on a new paper, whereas one who studies Torah in his old age is like one who writes on a used paper (that was already written on and erased).^[20]

●      Why is the Torah compared to gold and to glass?^[21] Just as gold and glass can be repaired if broken, so too a Torah scholar can be fixed even after he has gone sour (i.e. he can do teshuvah and regain his status).^[22]

●      “G-d has created this corresponding to that”^[23] teaches us that everyone has a portion in both Gehinnom and Gan Eden. If a Tzadik merits, he takes both his portion and that of his (wicked) colleagues in Gan Eden. Whereas if a Rasha (wicked person) is found guilty, he receives both his share and that of his (righteous) colleague in Gehinnom.^[24]

Depth of Evil

According to the Jerusalem Talmud, Acher would kill any great Torah scholar he would see (except for his student Rabbi Meir) using black magic or Divine names.^[25]When he would see young children studying Torah with their teachers he would say, “Why are they sitting here? What benefit is there to their learning? After all, this one will be a carpenter, this one a builder and so on. Upon hearing these comments, the children would become disheartened, leave their Torah studies, and go study a trade.

Passing^[26]

When Acher got sick, Rabbi Meir came to visit him and encourage him to do teshuvah. Acher questioned if his teshuvah would be accepted at that late point in his life, to which Rabbi Meir responded with the verse,^[27] “You return man to dust and say ‘Return, son of man.’” Acher cried and passed away. Rabbi Meir said that it seems that he passed away while doing teshuvah.

Sent to Gehinnom by Rabbi Meir

At first after his passing, Acher’s soul was sent neither to Gan Eden nor Gehinnom. Based on his (later) sinful lifestyle he could not go to Gan Eden, but because he was a great Torah scholar he was also not sent to Gehinnom. 

His student Rabbi Meir proclaimed it would be better for Acher to suffer in Gehinnom so that eventually he could reach Gan Eden. After Rabbi Meir passed away (he presented this argument on High so that) Acher was sent to Gehinnom. From Acher’s grave smoke started to ascend, symbolizing his punishment in Gehinnom.^[28]

Elevated by Rabbi Yochanan

Rabbi Yochanan proclaimed that, when he would pass away, he would succeed in bringing Acher out of Gehinnom and into Gan Eden. Indeed, after he passed (he presented his argument on High, successfully rescued Acher from Gehinnom and brought him to Gan Eden at which time) the smoke stopped ascending from Acher’s grave.^[29]

Descendants 

The Talmud says that Acher had a daughter who was (eventually) supported by Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi during a famine. In addition, his daughter had a son by the name of Rabbi Yaakov who was a great Torah scholar.^[30]

What Can We Learn?

Here are a few lessons we can learn from this story:

●      To be extremely careful to eat only kosher food as this can affect us (and our unborn babies) forever.

●      To not sing gentile songs or read heretical books. These too have a lasting impact.

●      We can always do teshuvah, and we should never give up on trying.

 

May we merit to do a sincere teshuva in this month of Elul!

 

[1] Deut. 22:6 and on

[2] Jerusalem Talmud, quoted in Tosfot D.H. Shuvu, Chagigah 15a

[3] Ohr Zaruah vol.2, Siman 279

[4] Jerusalem Talmud as explained by Korban Ha’eidah

[5] Jerusalem Talmud quoted in Tosfot D.H. Shuvu on Chagigah 15a 

[6] According to Rashi this was forbidden since the sages had decreed not to listen to music since they were in mourning over the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. 

The Maharsha says that these songs contained heretical ideas.

[7] Maharsha

[8] Chagigah 14b

[9] The commentaries explain that Matatron was given permission to sit so that he could write the merits of the Jewish people in a settled manner (Lishmo’a BeLimudim quoted in the Metivta Shas).

[10] According to the version of the story in the Jerusalem Talmud, one day he saw a boy take the birds without sending away the mother bird with no harm done to him while the next day he saw a boy send away the mother bird and then get bitten by a snake.

[11] According to the Jerusalem Talmud, it was the tongue of Rabbi Yehudah HaNachtom, and it was being dragged by pigs. Chutzpit was one of the ten martyrs killed by the Roman government.

[12] Ben Yehoyadah

[13] Tashbetz

[14] Rav Nissim Gaom

[15] Beit Aharon. See end of Tractate Horayot and Gen. 43:14.

[16] Tosfot D.H. Acherim on Sotah 12a

[17] See Tanya chapter 25 and in other sources quoted in the Dirshu Yalkut Bi’urim.

[18] The verse says “Ulerasha” (and to a wicked person). But since that child had a stutter, it sounded like he said “And to Elisha.)

[19] See Psalms 50:16.

[20] Pirkei Avot 4:20

[21] See Job 28:17.

[22] Chagigah 16a

[23] Ecclesiastes 5:5

[24] Chagigah ibid

[25] Korban Ha’Eidah

[26] Jerusalem Talmud quoted in Tosfot ibid. 

[27] Psalms 90:3

[28] This miraculous smoke would teach people a lesson and inspire them to do teshuvah. Rabbi Meir was hoping that this would add merit to Acher and enable him to get into Gan Eden (Kaftor VaFerach).

[29] See Hosfaot on Biurim LePirkei Avot for an explanation by the Lubavitcher Rebbe as to why it was Rabbi Yochanan who saved him.

[30] Kiddushin 39b

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMevorach!