Eruvin 26a, b

Not only do the rabbis disagree with each others' rulings, they go behind each others' backs to remove an eruv!  After Rav Huna Bar Chinina erected the eruv in the Exilarch's garden, Rav challenged that ruling and Rav's students removed the eruv.  

As an aside, I wonder how old these students might have been. How much they must have believed either in the truth of Rav's interpretation, or how much they would be 'rewarded' in some way for that passion and loyalty.  In the high school where I work, I find it hard to imagine any student standing up to defend the ideas of a teacher, or a parent, or a religious leader.  It would be embarrassing somehow to throw oneself into a grown-up's cause.

After removing the eruv, it is understood that Rav Huna bar Chinina was correct after all.  The Exilarch tells us that "they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge" (Jeremiah 4:22).  This Exilarch specifically asked for a ruling that would allow carrying in his garden on Shabbat for a party. The party did not happen.  Trouble...

What would be the social, financial, and other consequences for this kind of halachic error?  As this story is captured in the Talmud, we can be sure that it has taught lessons to rabbis over the ages.  But are the lessons along the lines of  "be careful to make the right decision when you're dealing with a politically powerful person," or "don't chase to enact the rulings of your rabbi until the conversation is complete," or "students can be foolish"?  Or perhaps the intended lesson is something altogether different, such as "it is required to erect an eruv when a garden is less than two bet se'as and even when another partition is present".  Probably the latter.

When Hezikiah took ill, his students established a study hall at the door of the sick rabbi.  One lesson is that yeshivot should be set up at the doors of those who are ill so that the merit of Torah study will help him survive.  However, another lesson taken from this story is that students should NOT establish yeshivot by the rooms of ill rabbis, as Satan might be close at hand, waiting for wrong interpretations to be shared by the rabbis, and somehow encouraging the dissemination of incorrect halacha.

Whenever we feel out-of-control in our lives (which I believe is most of the time, at an existential level), it is helpful to create a system of thought that allows us to feel as though we are in fact in control.  All of religion, on a larger level, can be explained by this theory.  But the idea of Satan's presence when a rabbi is ill; the belief that we might be able to have the ultimate power over life or death because of our studying or our invitations to Satan... well, to me it seems incredibly tough to grasp.

I fear that human development is stuck.  My own, as a human, included.  It is so tempting to believe in something, to feel as though we have control over things that are far beyond our comprehension.  I am drawn to this learning, but I cannot believe that the 'secret to life' is contained in any one book or teaching.  I am fascinated by how we think.  How similar we are to our ancestors, despite the obvious differences.  But none of us know whether it is better to study outside of a sick person's door, or whether it is better to study somewhere else.  We aren't in control of when people die.  And we will do just about anything to believe that we are.