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Chagigah 15b

חגיגה ט״ו ע״ב

Learn Chagigah 15b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The end of the story of אחר, whether one may learn תורה from a flawed teacher, and why some great scholars fell while רבי עקיבא came out safely

Overview

The amud finishes the story of אחר (אלישע בן אבויה). רבי מאיר brings him to thirteen בתי כנסת, and each child quotes a harsh פסוק about the wicked. The last child's stutter makes the פסוק sound like it names אלישע himself. After אחר dies, רבי מאיר arranges for him to be judged so he can reach עולם הבא, and רבי יוחנן later gets him released. When אחר's daughter asks רבי for food, a fire from heaven shows that his תורה still deserves honor. The גמרא then asks how רבי מאיר could learn from אחר at all, and answers that an adult may take the good and throw away the bad, while a child may not. אליהו reports that Heaven agrees with רבי מאיר. שמואל explains that great scholars like דואג and אחיתופל fell only because of a flaw in their hearts, and the גמרא shows the same flaw in אחר. The amud ends by returning to the four in the פרדס: רבי עקיבא came out safely because ה׳ protected him.

Opening lines

לְיָנוֹקָא: פְּסוֹק לִי פְּסוּקָךְ.

[He said] to a child: Recite your verse to me.

אֲמַר לֵיהּ: ״וְאַתְּ שָׁדוּד מַה תַּעֲשִׂי

He said to him: "And you, ruined one, what are you doing,

כִּי תִלְבְּשִׁי שָׁנִי

that you dress in scarlet,

כִּי תַעְדִּי עֲדִי זָהָב

that you put on golden jewelry,

The steps (40)

  1. StatementA child recites a harsh verse
  2. StatementThirteen synagogues, the same kind of answer
  3. StatementThe last child's verse about the wicked
  4. StatementThe stutter that made the verse sound like 'Elisha'
  5. StatementTwo versions of אחר's angry reaction
  6. StatementHeaven's decision when אחר died
  7. Statementרבי מאיר: better he be judged and then enter עולם הבא
  8. StatementSmoke rises from אחר's grave
  9. Challengeרבי יוחנן: is burning your teacher really a great deed?
  10. Statementרבי יוחנן's plan: stop the smoke
  11. StatementThe smoke stops
  12. ConclusionThe eulogy: even the gatekeeper couldn't stop you
  13. StatementThe daughter of אחר asks רבי for support
  14. Challengeרבי is surprised that אחר has any children left
  15. ResolutionRemember his תורה, not his deeds, and a fire backs her up
  16. Conclusionרבי's lesson: how much more for those who honor תורה
  17. ChallengeHow could רבי מאיר learn תורה from אחר?
  18. Resolutionריש לקיש: רבי מאיר relied on a פסוק in משלי
  19. Resolutionרב חנינא: a second פסוק from תהלים
  20. ChallengeThe verses seem to contradict each other
  21. ResolutionAdult versus child
  22. StatementIn ארץ ישראל: רבי מאיר ate the date and threw the peel away
  23. StatementTorah scholars are like nuts
  24. Questionרבה בר שילא asks אליהו what ה׳ is doing
  25. Responseה׳ quotes every sage except רבי מאיר
  26. ResponseWhy? Because he learned from אחר
  27. ChallengeBut רבי מאיר ate the pomegranate and threw away the peel
  28. Conclusionה׳ now quotes 'Meir My son'
  29. Questionשמואל finds רב יהודה crying
  30. Responseרב יהודה cites the פסוק about the great scholars
  31. StatementHow great those scholars were
  32. StatementGreat scholars who still lost their share
  33. QuestionWhat hope is there for us?
  34. Responseשמואל: they had mud in their hearts
  35. ResponseWhat was אחר's flaw? Greek songs
  36. ProofHeretical books fell from אחר's lap
  37. QuestionDoes all wool come out dyed?
  38. ResponseOnly wool that was clean from the start
  39. Statementרבי עקיבא went up and came down in peace
  40. Statementה׳ protects רבי עקיבא from the angels