Siman - Chagigah Daf 15
- What Acher saw that caused him to go astray
The Gemara relates that what caused Acher to choose a life of sin, was his perception of a malach named Metatron, who was sitting and recording the merits of the Jewish people. He was confused since there is a known tradition that there is no one sitting in Shomayim. He concluded that perhaps there are שתי רשויות – two authorities in Shomayim. A Bas Kol went out and said: "שובו בנים שובבים" חוץ מאחר – Return, O wayward sons – except for Acher. Acher said to himself that since he has been banished from Olam Habah, he can go out and indulge in Olam Hazeh. He then went out and strayed. When he asked a harlot for her services, she asked him, ולאו אלישע בן אבויה את – Are you not Elisha ben Avuyah? In response, he uprooted a radish on Shabbos and gave it to her. She said: אחר הוא – This must be someone else.
- Rebbe Meir’s unsuccessful attempts to get Acher to do teshuvah
It was taught in a Baraisa: There was an incident with Acher, who was riding a horse on Shabbos, and Rebbe Meir was walking behind him to learn Torah from him. At a certain point, Acher said to Rebbe Meir, מאיר חזור לאחריך שכבר שיערתי בעקבי סוסי עד כאן תחום שבת – “Meir, go back, for I have already calculated from the footsteps of my horse that the techum Shabbos goes until here. Rebbe Meir responded, אף אתה חזור בך – You too, go back to your previous ways. Acher replied that he had already told Rebbe Meir that he heard behind the pargod, the partition, "שובו בנים שובבים" חוץ מאחר – Return, O wayward sons – except for Acher. Rebbe Meir grabbed Acher and brought him into the Beis Midrash, hoping that he would do teshuvah. Acher said to a young boy standing outside, to recite the passuk he was learning. The child responded, "אין שלום אמר ה' לרשעים" – There is no peace, Hashem said, to the wicked. Rebbe Meir ultimately brought Acher to thirteen shuls and each time a child recited a passuk that indicated that Acher’s teshuvah would not be accepted.
- How Rebbe Meir was allowed to learn Torah from Acher
The Gemara asks, how was Rebbe Meir allowed to learn Torah from Acher, for we learn from a passuk כי שפתי כהן ישמרו דעת ותורה יבקשו מפיהו – For the lips of the Kohen should guard knowledge, and people should seek teaching from his mouth - that אם דומה הרב למלאך ה' צבקות יבקשו תורה מפיהו ואם לאו אל יבקשו תורה מפיהו – If one has a Rebbe that resembles a malach of Hashem, Master of Hosts, one may seek instruction from his mouth, but if not, one should not? Reish Lakish said that Rebbe Meir found a passuk that taught the opposite, which states: "הט אזנך ושמע דברי חכמים ולבך תשית לדעתי" - Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise but set your heart to My daas. It does not say that you should set your mind to their daas, but to My daas. Rav Chanina brought another source. The Gemara clarifies that the earlier passuk, which requires a Rebbe to resemble a malach of Hashem, is for someone who might be led astray, whereas these two pesukim refer to a person who will not follow after a rasha. When Rav Dimi arrived from Eretz Yisroel, he said that there was a saying there that: רבי מאיר אכל תחלא ושדא שיחלא לברא – Rebbe Meir took a date, he ate the edible outside part and threw the pit away. Meaning, that he was able to learn from Acher valuable things and got rid of the rest.
