It is in accordance with the opinion of the one who said: The evening prayer is optional. As Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said with regard to the evening prayer. Rabban Gamliel says: It is obligatory. Rabbi Yehoshua says: It is optional. Abaye said: The law is in accordance with the statement of the one who said: The evening prayer is obligatory. Rava said: The law is in accordance with the statement of the one who said: The evening prayer is optional.
The Sages taught: There was an incident involving a student, who came before Rabbi Yehoshua. The student said to him: Is the evening prayer optional or obligatory? Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: Optional. The same student came before Rabban Gamliel and said to him: Is the evening prayer optional or obligatory? Rabban Gamliel said to him: Obligatory. The student said to Rabban Gamliel: But didn’t Rabbi Yehoshua tell me that the evening prayer is optional? Rabban Gamliel said to the student: Wait until the “masters of the shields,” a reference to the Torah scholars who battle in the war of Torah, enter the study hall, at which point we will discuss this issue.
When the masters of the shields entered, the questioner stood before everyone present and asked: Is the evening prayer optional or obligatory? Rabban Gamliel said to him: Obligatory. Rabban Gamliel said to the Sages: Is there any person who disputes this matter? Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: No. Rabban Gamliel said to Rabbi Yehoshua: But was it not in your name that they told me that the evening prayer is optional? Rabban Gamliel said to Rabbi Yehoshua: Yehoshua, stand on your feet and they will testify against you. Rabbi Yehoshua stood on his feet and said: If I were alive and the student were dead, the living can contradict the dead, and I could deny issuing that ruling. Now that I am alive and he is alive, how can the living contradict the living? I have no choice but to admit that I said it. All the time, Rabban Gamliel was sitting and lecturing, and Rabbi Yehoshua all the while was standing on his feet until all of the people assembled began murmuring and said to Chutzpit the disseminator (the man whose job it was to act like a human microphone, repeating Rabban Gamliel's words in a loud voice for the people at the back): Stop! And he stopped.
2] Why does Rabbi Yehoshua not want to repeat his opinion directly?
3] Why do you think the crowd demand that the lecture stops?
They said: How long will Rabban Gamliel continue afflicting him? Last year on Rosh HaShana, he afflicted him; Rabban Gamliel ordered Rabbi Yehoshua to come to him carrying his staff and bag, on the day on which Yom Kippur occurred, according to Rabbi Yehoshua’s calculations. Regarding the firstborn, in the incident involving the question of Rabbi Tzadok, he afflicted him just as he did now, and forced him to remain standing as punishment for his failure to defend his differing opinion. Here too, he is afflicting him. Let us remove him from his position as Nasi.
Who shall we establish in his place? Shall we establish Rabbi Yehoshua in his place? No, Rabbi Yehoshua was party to the incident for which Rabban Gamliel was deposed. Shall we establish Rabbi Akiva in his place? The Sages rejected that option because Rabbi Akiva, who descended from a family of converts, would be vulnerable. Perhaps due to Rabban Gamliel’s resentment he would cause him to be divinely punished as he lacks the merit of his ancestors to protect him. Rather, suggested the Sages, let us establish Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya in his place. He is wise, rich, and a tenth generation descendant of Ezra. He is wise, so if Rabban Gamliel raises a challenge in matters of Torah, he will answer it and not be embarrassed. And he is rich, so if the need arises to pay homage to the Caesar’s court he will be able to go and pay homage. And he is a tenth generation descendant of Ezra, so he has the merit of his ancestors, and Rabban Gamliel will be unable to cause him to be punished. They came and said to Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya: Would the Master consent to being the Head of the Yeshiva? He said to them: I will go and consult with my household.
2] Why do they decide not to install Rabbi Yehoshua in Rabban Gamliel's place?
3] What makes Rabbi Elazar a good candidate? Do you agree with their criteria?
Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya went and consulted with his wife. She said to him: There is room for concern. Perhaps they will remove you from office just as they removed Rabban Gamliel. He said to her, based on the folk saying: Let a person use an expensive goblet one day and let it break tomorrow. In other words, one should take advantage of an opportunity that presents itself and not worry about whether or not it will last. She said to him: You have no white hair, and it is inappropriate for one so young to head the Sages.
That day, he was eighteen years old, a miracle transpired for him and eighteen rows of hair turned white. (That explains that which Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said: I am as one who is seventy years old and he did not say: I am seventy years old, because he looked older than he actually was.)
2] Do you agree with her? Do you think an 18 year old is too young to lead? Does it matter if they look older?
It was taught: On that day that they removed Rabban Gamliel from his position and appointed Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya in his place they dismissed the guard at the door and permission was granted to the students to enter. As Rabban Gamliel would proclaim and say: Any student whose inside, his thoughts and feelings, are not like his outside, i.e., his conduct and his character traits are lacking, will not enter the study hall. On that day several benches were added to the study hall to accommodate the numerous students. Rabbi Yochanan said: Abba Yosef ben Dostai and the Rabbis disputed this matter. One said: Four hundred benches were added to the study hall. And one said: Seven hundred benches were added to the study hall.
Rabban Gamliel was disheartened. He said: Perhaps, Heaven forbid, I prevented Israel from engaging in Torah study. They showed him in his dream white jugs filled with ashes alluding to the fact that the additional students were worthless idlers. That was not the case, but that dream was shown to him to ease his mind so that he would not feel bad.
It was taught: There is a tradition that tractate Eduyyot was taught that day. And everywhere that the Mishna says: On that day, it is referring to that day. There was no law whose ruling was pending in the study hall that they did not explain. And even Rabban Gamliel did not avoid the study hall for even one moment.
2] With whom does the Talmud seem to agree? How can you tell?
3] What were Rabban Gamliel's feelings throughout the day? How does he change as the text goes on?
Rabban Gamliel said to himself: Since this is the situation, let me go and appease Rabbi Yehoshua. When he reached Rabbi Yehoshua’s house, he saw that the walls of his house were black. Rabban Gamliel said to Rabbi Yehoshua in wonderment: From the walls of your house it is apparent that you are a blacksmith, as until then he had no idea that Rabbi Yehoshua was forced to engage in that arduous trade in order to make a living. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: Woe unto a generation that you are its leader as you are unaware of the difficulties of Torah scholars, how they make a living and how they feed themselves. Rabban Gamliel said to him: I insulted you, forgive me. Rabbi Yehoshua paid him no attention and did not forgive him. He asked him again: Do it in deference to my father, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, who was one of the leaders of Israel at the time of the destruction of the Temple. He was appeased...
...Rabbi Akiva said to him: Rabbi Yehoshua, have you been appeased? Everything we did was to defend your honour. Early tomorrow you and I will go to Rabban Gamliel’s doorway and offer to restore him to his position as Nasi. The question arose what to do with Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya? They said: What shall we do? Remove him from his position. That is inappropriate as we learned: One elevates to a higher level of sanctity and does not downgrade. Let one Sage lecture one week and the other Sage one week, they will come to be jealous. Rather, Rabban Gamliel will lecture three weeks and Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya will lecture as head of the yeshiva one week...
2] Why does Rabbi Yehoshua forgive Rabban Gamliel?
3] What solution do the Rabbis come to about who will be in charge?