The Heretic — BT Chagigah 15a, b (part 1) — #104

The Rabbis taught [in a baraita]: An incident concerning Acher [sobriquet for Elisha b. Abuya) who was riding a horse on shabbat as R. Meir walked behind in order to learn Torah from his mouth. [Elisha] said to [R. Meir], “Meir, turn back for I have calculated by the footsteps of my horse that the shabbat boundary is here.” [R. Meir] said to him, “You, too, turn back!” [Elisha] said to him, “Haven’t I already told you that I have heard from behind the partition, ‘Return, rebellious children (Jeremiah 3:14, 22)—except Acher.’” [R. Meir] grabbed hold of him and thrust him into a bet midrash (study house). [Elisha] said to a young child, “Tell me your verse.” [The child] said to him, “There is no peace for the wicked, says Adonai (Isaiah 48:22).” [R. Meir] brought him to another synagogue. [Elisha] said to a young child, “Tell me your verse.” [The child] said to him, “Even if you wash with niter and much soap, your iniquity remains a stain before Me (Jeremiah 2:22).” [R. Meir] brought him to another synagogue. [Elisha] said to a young child, “Tell me your verse.” [The child] said to him, “And you who are doomed to ruin, what do you accomplish by wearing crimson, by decking yourself in jewels of gold, by enlarging your eyes with kohl? You beautify yourself in vain: [Lovers despise you, they seek your life!] (Jeremiah 4:30) [R. Meir] brought [Elisha] to another synagogue until he had brought him into thirteen synagogues.

INTRODUCTION

It is common fare for cultural and political groups to establish boundaries concerning what is appropriate in-group behavior or thinking by telling stories about those who transgress the norms. The classic Jewish example is Elisha b. Abuya, the teacher of R. Meir, who is said to have left the rabbinic circle and become a heretic or an apostate. Early rabbinic literature uses his name, but the Babylonian Talmud refers to him by the pejorative “Acher” (the Other, or Outsider). Explanations abound concerning why Elisha turned away from Judaism: he became an atheist; he became a gnostic; he was swayed by Greek philosophy—each highly speculative and without historical foundation. Tractate Chagigah spends a good deal of time telling stories about Elisha, but goes beyond excoriating him to ask: What about the Torah he taught? If the community rejects Elisha, must it turn its back on his Torah, as well? The stories about Elisha broach another serious question: Does Elisha’s sin wipe away the merit of his study of Torah and the portion in olam ha-ba he earned through study?

COMMENTARY

The Gemara preserves a highly symbolic and meticulously composed story about an interaction between R. Meir and his beloved teacher Elisha b. Abuya. One shabbat, Elisha is riding a horse in violation of a Torah commandment. What is more, he travels beyond the shabbat techum (travel limit of ~.6 mile from the city border), a violation of a rabbinic commandment. In a scene redolent with contradictions and irony, although Elisha has left the rabbinic circle and no longer adheres to halakhah, he is nonetheless keenly aware of its limits and warns R. Meir lest he violate them. Apparently, R. Meir is distracted by the Torah he is learning from the mouth of “Acher,” who still teaches his favorite student despite his own personal lack of faith and commitment.

When Elisha warns R. Meir to “turn back” and not transgress the physical shabbat boundary, R. Meir uses the same words metaphorically to implore his beloved teacher to spiritually “turn back” to Judaism. Elisha responds that he has already heard from beyond the Divine screen that separates heaven and earth that Jeremiah’s promise that Israel would return to God does not include him. R. Meir, unwilling to accept Elisha’s application of the verse from Jeremiah to himself, hauls Elisha into a nearby school where young children are studying. What follows is a long passage, from which I have excerpted the initial anecdotes, which follow the same pattern: Elisha asks a random child to recite the verse he is learning, which turns out to be prophetic for  him. This is called cledonism, a form of divination common in classical antiquity, that is based on chance events or encounters, including words uttered (in this case, verses). The passage recounts that R. Meir took Elisha to thirteen different schools, in each of which Elisha asks a random child what he is learning. The verses mentioned (Isaiah 48:22 and Jeremiah 2:22 and 4:30 above, and further on Psalm 50:16) are all understood to condemn Elisha as wicked and assert that there is no hope of his returning to the rabbinic fold or reconciling with God. In the final anecdote (not included above), the child mumbles and Elisha mishears the child’s recitation of Psalm 50:16. Rather than hearing V’la’rasha (“But to the wicked”), Elisha hears V’le-Elisha (“But to Elisha”), confirming for Elisha that there is no path back to God and the rabbinic community.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AND DISCUSS

1. How is it possible for Elisha, who rejects the theological premises of Judaism, to continue to teach Torah to his beloved student, R. Meir? How is it possible for R. Meir to accept Elisha’s teachings as legitimate Torah? Is the righteousness of the source the measure of wisdom’s value? Can a highly imperfect vessel convey wisdom? How should we think about and treat the art, music, inventions, and scientific research of people we deem morally repugnant? (Consider the music of Wagner and the research data of Nazi scientists.)
2. Elisha considers himself beyond repentance. Do you think his statement that when Jeremiah proclaimed in God’s name, Return, rebellious children that an exception was made for him reflects Elisha’s emotional and spiritual state, Talmud’s way of saying that God has deemed Elisha beyond return, or the Rabbis’ judgment of Elisha? Does the way Elisha mishears Psalm 50:16 support one or another of these possible interpretations? 
3. Is there anyone who is beyond repentance? If so, how would you know when to give up on a person? What is the danger of giving up on people? The context of the story of Elisha b. Abuya is the religious realm—it involves heresy or apostasy. Consider  prisoners convicted of violent crimes: Are people who commit acts of violence beyond redemption? Should we constrict prisons to sequester, punish, rehabilitate, or some combination?