{"id":52080,"date":"2019-03-26T00:17:36","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T22:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=52080"},"modified":"2022-10-17T17:40:42","modified_gmt":"2022-10-17T14:40:42","slug":"not-in-heaven-but-in-ourselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/not-in-heaven-but-in-ourselves\/","title":{"rendered":"Not In Heaven But In Ourselves"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A famous passage in the Talmud puts a verse in our chapter to significant use. Baba Metzia 59b reports on a disagreement concerning the status of a particular oven (<\/span>tanur shel akhnay<\/span><\/em>). Rabbi Eliezer marshaled several supports for his idiosyncratic position and each is refuted by Rabbi Yehoshua on behalf of the Sages. Finally, Rabbi Eliezer claimed that heaven will attest to his rightness and, indeed, a heavenly voice proclaimed \u201cWhy are you challenging Rabbi Eliezer whose view always prevails?\u201d Rabbi Yehoshua, citing the verse in question, retorts: \u201cIt [Torah] is not in heaven\u201d (Deut. 30:12).<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, the conundrum of where Torah resides after its revelation at Sinai strikes at the heart of Jewish tradition. If the resolution of Torah questions remains in God\u2019s own hands (so to speak), then it is accessible to only those to whom God has entrusted it. That would seem to favor an elitist view of Torah study. However, if its provenance has been transferred, then it is reachable by anyone who seeks it, and that would support a more egalitarian approach.<\/span><\/p>\n

The latter is favored by the plain meaning (<\/span>peshat<\/span><\/i>) of our verse, which is the prelude to the rhetorical question posed in its continuation: \u201cAs if to say, who would ascend for us to heaven, acquire it [Torah] for us, and proclaim it to us that we may practice it?\u201d The implicit answer, of course, is that since it is not in heaven, no special aptitude or permission is required for access. Rather, \u201cThe matter, indeed, is quite close to you; it is in the capacity of your speech and thoughts to carry it out\u201d (verse 13).<\/span><\/p>\n

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