Chagiga 15: The Value of a Heretic

Before jumping into today's fascinating learning regarding Torah scholars who behave badly, I have to mention the very start of amud (a).  The rabbis are discussing how a woman who says she is a virgin could possibly become impregnated.  We are told that Shmuel states that it is in fact possible to have intercourse with a woman and see no blood; leave her hymen intact.  He has done this several times, he says.  Rather than laughing at him, the Gemara recounts the rabbis acquiescence. Not everyone can do what Shmuel can do, they say. Certainly not!  

The rabbis cite an incident where they consider the distance between the Heavens, the firmament, and the earth.  They think of the face of G-d hovering over the waters; the distance between different waters. The distance between two blurry places is described poetically as the distance between two cups lying together or between two blankets, one atop another.  Such beautiful, soft images.

The remainder of today's daf teaches more about the life of Elisha Acher.  His sins include stating that the angel Mitatron is seated beside G-d, hiring a prostitute and picking a radish on Shabbat (ie. not following Shabbat halacha) and becoming too intimate with the practices of others, including the Gnostics and the Greeks.  He would hum Greek tunes continually.  Small children would tell him of his wickedness, memorizing verses about the incalcitrance of the wicked.  He was shunned from Jewish community and his teachings were silenced

Except that Rabbi Meir continued to learn from him.  Rabbi Meir is one of our most highly respected Sages, and Acher would ask questions of Rabbi Meir after he had turned and ended his halachic practice.  It is almost as if Acher was taunting his student with these questions.  In today's perspective Acher might be diagnosed with ODD, oppositional defiance disorder.  He could not stop himself from creating conflict, particularly with those in power. However, perhaps his questions allowed the rabbis to think more comprehensively and clearly about their interpretations and understandings.

We are faced with the question of how to treat a person who is highly learned in Torah and yet is not practicing halacha; one who knows Torah but does not use that knowledge to maintain the power structures as they stand.  The rabbis wonder whether he should be excommunicated or whether he must be treated with respect for he holds the holy words of Torah.  The soft fruit of a date can be eaten but the skin thrown away, the rabbis argue.  We can treat his deep knowledge of Torah with respect while discarding or ignoring his unwanted behaviours.

This makes me wonder about halachic practice today, both by children who are not interested in halacha and by adults, like me, who learn but do not use that learning to better practice the mitzvot.  Perhaps we should not be thrown away; perhaps we should be of value simply because we are carriers of the words of Torah.  And perhaps we should be valued simply because we are created in the image of what is divine; life itself should be respected.