Talk:Eliezer ben Hurcanus

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[edit] re eliezar's conservatism

I added references to the Talmudic statements that God and various inanimate objects agreed with Eliezer's interpretation of halakha. It is an important point in Orthodox Jewish theology that a majority vote of the rabbis, and not God's wishes, determines the law. The story of Eliezer's excommunication in Baba Metzia 59 is the only place in the Talmud where this rule is spelled out. To the best of my knowledge, God, the tree, the stream, and the walls were not excommunicated, but I left that out because that is not discussed in the Talmud or any commentaries, to the best of my knowledge.

I also mentioned the various destructive acts that Eliezer committed when he learned that he was excommunicate. This is necessary to provide background for those who would look to archeology and historical records to confirm or refute the Talmudic text on these points. It's also important to describe the power that the writers of the Talmud attributed to Eliezer, which relates directly to the Orthodox Jewish custom of reverence for the rabbis of the Tanakh.

I tried to write these in a manner that takes no position on whether these events occurred, since there's no reliable source.