More Than One Truth — BT Eruvin 13b — #136

R. Acha b. Chanina said: It is revealed and known before the One who spoke and the world came into being that there was none in the generation of R. Meir equal to him. Then why did they not fix the halakhah according to his opinions? Because his colleagues could not fathom the depths of his mind, for he would declare that which was tamei (ritually impure) to be tahor (ritually pure) and supply a proof, and [he would declare] that which was tahor to be tamei and supply a proof. A tanna taught: R. Meir was not his name; rather R. Nehorai was his name. Then why was he called R. Meir? Because he enlightened the Sages concerning the halakhah. Rabbi [Yehudah ha-Nasi] said, “The reason I am sharper than my colleagues is that I saw the back of R. Meir. Had I seen the front of him, I would have been even sharper for it is written, And your eyes shall see your teacher (Isaiah 30:20). 

R. Abbahu said that R. Yochanan said: R. Meir had a disciple named Sumakhus. With regard to each and every matter of ritual impurity, he would state forty-eight reasons [to declare] tamei and forty-eight reasons [to declare] tahor. 

 It was taught [in a baraita]: There was a distinguished disciple at Yavne who could [declare] a creeping animal tahor with one hundred fifty reasons.

INTRODUCTION

Following on the tail of TMT #136 is another passage that addresses the role of reasoning in the process of determining halakhah, and challenges the notion that there is only one right answer to issues of ritual purity and, by extension, many other matters of Jewish law, practice, and morality.  Matters of ritual purity were important in the biblical period and to the Sages of the Talmud, as well. Although the Temple, by far the largest domain for exercise of the laws of purity, had been destroyed in 70 C.E., the Rabbis discussed purity at length, both in the hope that the Temple would be rebuilt and also because aspects of purity continued to apply to daily life (e.g., family purity laws and kashrut). The term tamei connotes a state of ritual impurity; tahor connotes a state of ritual purity.

COMMENTARY

Tradition holds that R. Meir was an unparalleled scholar in his generation and a halakhic decisor without peer (even God recognized this), so much so that he came to be known by the moniker “Meir” although his given name was “Nehorai.” “Nehorai” comes from the Aramaic for “light,” while “Meir” means “to enlighten” from the Hebrew root meaning “light.” The point seems to be that his name was changed from the noun “light” to the verb “enlighten” to emphasize on his capacity to teach and influence his sages. R. Meir was such a marvel of intellectual reasoning that he could convincingly argue both sides of an issue. Yet his decisions did not always prevail as the final determinations of what the halakhah would be because, despite his overwhelming intellect, his colleagues could not always comprehend his reasoning. This suggests that while he was a rabbinic genius, explaining himself in a manner that his colleagues could comprehend and evaluate was fundamental to the decision-making process in the beit midrash (house of study).

R. Meir the marvel could argue that something that seemed self-evidently tamei was tahor and vice versa. No less than R. Yehudah ha-Nasi, the president of the Sanhedrin and the pre-eminent leader at the time, says that seeing R. Meir from the back was enough to impart intellectual acuity  above others, but had he seen R. Meir from the front, he would have been sharper still. This is a clear reference to Exodus 33: 18-23, in which Moses requests to see the face of God, but is permitted only to see God’s back.

Yet it turns out that R. Meir does not have a monopoly on this extraordinary intellectual skill. His student, Sumakhus, exceeded him in his ability to cite not one reason to declare tamei to be tahor (and vice versa) but an astounding forty-eight reasons. And that is not all. An unnamed student at Yavne could supply one hundred fifty arguments to declare a creeping animal—unquestioningly and repeatedly deemed by Torah tamei (Leviticus 11).

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AND DISCUSS

1. Do you think the passage suggests that there is no “true” or “accurate” decision on matters as fundamental as tum’ah (impurity) and taharah (purity)? Or are the Rabbis warning that  latching onto an absolute “truth” without sound reasoning and considering another perspective is not in consonance with the halakhic process, which welcomes all ideas and arguments?
2. How should we balance the danger of someone clever enough to mount any argument with the danger of someone convinced with 100% certainly that there is only one legitimate viewpoint?
3. The passage is a paean to human intellect and creativity, which the Rabbis admired and fostered. Yet, is there another side that arises from those who think themselves intellectually and therefore morally invincible? Torah forbids a king to possess excessive riches (horses, silver, gold, and wives) and requires him to acquire scroll of Torah to study regularly (Deuteronomy  17:16-20). Yet King Solomon—the wisest man ever to live—did precisely this, as the passage from tractate Sanhedrin explains.

R. Yitzhak says: Why were the rationales or Torah[’s mitzvot] not revealed? Although the rationales of two verses were revealed, the great [king] in the world failed [to adhere to them]. It is written, [A king of Israel] shall not add many wives for himself [lest his heart turn away] (Deuteronomy 17:17). Solomon said: I will add many, but I will not turn away. And it is written, It came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart away (1 Kings 11:4). It is also written, [A king of Israel] shall not accumulate many horses for himself (Deuteronomy 17:16), yet Solomon said: I will accumulate many, but I will not return. And it is written, And a chariot went out of Egypt for [six hundred shekels of silver] (1 Kings 10:29) [thereby violating Torah’s restriction]. (BT Sanhedrin 21b)