Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
Let’s look closer at one important phrase in our parashah: לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִוא (lo va-shamayim hi, it’s not in heaven; Devarim 30:12).
What can we learn from these words?
Here’s a story called תַּנּוּר שֶׁל עַכְנַאי (tanur shel akhnai, akhnai’s oven). In it, the rabbis are disagreeing about whether an oven was טָמֵא (tamei, impure) or טָהוֹר (tahor, pure). R. Eliezer kept trying to prove his point, but nobody else agreed with him. Look for “lo va-shamayim hi” - it’s the punchline!
בְּאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם הֵשִׁיב רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר כָּל תְּשׁוּבוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם וְלֹא קִבְּלוּ הֵימֶנּוּ.
On that day, R. Eliezer gave every possible answer to support his position (that the oven was tahor), but the rabbis there did not agree.
אָמַר לָהֶם, אִם הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתִי חָרוּב זֶה יוֹכִיחַ. נֶעֱקַר חָרוּב מִמְּקוֹמוֹ מֵאָה אַמָּה (וְאָמְרִי לָהּ אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת אַמָּה).
אָמְרוּ לוֹ, אֵין מְבִיאִין רְאָיָה מִן הֶחָרוּב.
R. Eliezer said, “This carob tree will prove I’m right!” The tree uprooted and moved 100 amot. (Some say it was actually 400 amot!)
The rabbis said, “You can’t bring proof from a carob tree.”
חָזַר וְאָמַר לָהֶם, אִם הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתִי אַמַּת הַמַּיִם יוֹכִיחוּ. חָזְרוּ אַמַּת הַמַּיִם לַאֲחוֹרֵיהֶם.
אָמְרוּ לוֹ, אֵין מְבִיאִין רְאָיָה מֵאַמַּת הַמַּיִם.
He said, “This channel of water will prove I’m right!” The water in the channel switched directions.
The rabbis said, “You can’t bring proof from a channel of water.”
חָזַר וְאָמַר לָהֶם, אִם הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתִי כָּתְלֵי בֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ יוֹכִיחוּ. הִטּוּ כָּתְלֵי בֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ לִפֹּל. גָּעַר בָּהֶם רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ. אָמַר לָהֶם, אִם תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מְנַצְּחִים זֶה אֶת זֶה בַּהֲלָכָה - אַתֶּם מָה טִיבְכֶם?
He said, “The walls of the beit midrash (study hall) will prove I’m right!” The walls leaned inward and began to fall.
R. Yehoshua scolded the walls and said, “This is an argument in halakhah between Torah scholars, you stay out of it!”
...חָזַר וְאָמַר לָהֶם אִם הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתִי מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם יוֹכִיחוּ. יָצְאתָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה מָה לָכֶם אֵצֶל רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר שֶׁהֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתוֹ בְּכָל מָקוֹם?!
…He said, “Heaven will prove I’m right!”
A bat kol (miraculous voice) went out and said, “Why don’t you just listen to R. Eliezer, who is always right?!”
עָמַד רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עַל רַגְלָיו וְאָמַר, "לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִיא!" (דברים ל:יב)
מַאי "לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִיא"?
אָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה, שֶׁכְּבָר נִתְנָה תּוֹרָה מַהֵר סִינַי - אֵין אָנוּ מַשְׁגִּיחִין בְּבַת קוֹל. שֶׁכְּבָר כָּתַבְתָּ בְּהַר סִינַי בַּתּוֹרָה, "אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים לְהַטּוֹת" (שמות כג:ב).
R. Yehoshua stood up and said, “Lo va-shamayim hi!” (Devarim 30:12)
What does “lo va-shamayim hi” mean? R. Yirmeyah said: The Torah was already given on Mount Sinai, so we no longer listen to a bat kol. You, God, already wrote in the Torah on Mount Sinai: “follow the majority” (Shemot 23:2).
The Gemara records a lot of disagreements about halakhah. The Torah teaches that one of the most important rules about those disagreements is that we have to follow the majority. From “lo va-shamayim hi” in this story, we learn that, once the majority has ruled, even miracles can’t change their decision!
- What is this story saying about being “right” or “wrong” in halakhah?
- Why do you think God allowed miracles to support R. Eliezer if the Torah says to follow the majority?
- According to this gemara, what is the deeper meaning of God saying that the Torah is “not in heaven”? If it’s not in heaven, where is it? What does that teach us about our connection to Torah here on earth?
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