Language:
Hebrew
Year of publication:
2013
Titel der Quelle:
מכלול; עיונים ביהדות, בחינוך ובמדע
Angaben zur Quelle:
כט (תשעג) 59-86
Keywords:
אלישע בן אבויה
;
מאיר,
;
Talmud Bavli Philosophy
;
Talmud Bavli. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
;
Sin in rabbinical literature
;
Talmud Torah (Judaism)
Abstract:
One of the most fascinating figures in rabbinic literature, 'Aher' – Elisha ben Abuya – lived among the third generation of Tannaic sages. He was one of the four who entered the Pardes but, unlike his colleague Rabbi Akiva, did not emerge whole from the experience. The numerous midrashic descriptions of his alienation from Jewish tradition and attempts to clarify the causes of his apostasy attest to the intense interest his story has aroused, both in the eyes of Hazal and in contemporary scholathis paper, the author considers the effect that the apostasy of Aher may have had on the views formed by his prime student, R. Meir, concerning Torah study. R. Meir held that a person must serve three Torah scholars, "For you cannot know which will succeed" (Eccl. 11.6). To have only one master – if his destiny proves to be like that of Elisha ben Abuya – may leave one "orphaned" and bereft of support. Moreover, R. Meir stipulated that those three scholars must be individuals of status "comparable to that of R. Eliezer, R. Yehoshua and R. Akiva." The author demonstrates that the choice of these particular figures is deliberate; each of the three corresponds with one of the reasons offered (JT Hagigah) as the catalyst of Aher's apostasy. In effect, that Talmudic account seeks to identify the root cause of his downfall in the particular point of dissonance that arose between Aher and each of those figures – R. Eliezer, R. Yehoshua and R. Akiva. Locating and analyzing the critical point in each of these three interpersonal relationships serves both to clarify the vital cause of his apostasy and to suggest ways that such dire consequences may be averted. The second part of paper weighs the issue of Torah learning versus deeds and the question whether it is permissible, and under what conditions, to study Torah from a teacher whose loyalty to Judaism has lapsed. To what extent did R. Meir actually fulfill the description made of him: "A pomegranate he found; he consumed its fruit and discarded the husk"? rship. In
URL:
אתר את הפרסום בקטלוג המאוחד של ספריות ישראל
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