Q&A: What Is Meant?
What Is Meant?
Question
Rabbi, on the one hand we saw that in the story of the Oven of Akhnai, no supernatural proof is accepted and no attention is paid to a heavenly voice, and Jewish law is determined by reasoning and arguments. But in the dispute between the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai, a heavenly voice again came out and declared that the Jewish law follows the House of Hillel. But we said that we do not pay attention to a heavenly voice, except on the merits of the matter itself. How is this resolved? Is there a contradiction here at all?
Answer
I’ve explained this several times here on the site. The dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel could not be decided by the rules of Jewish law, because they were arguing over whether one follows the majority in wisdom, in which case the Jewish law would follow Beit Shammai, or the majority in numbers, in which case the Jewish law would follow Beit Hillel. The rule that “it is not in heaven” was said when you have a way to decide according to the rules of Jewish law. When you do not—precisely for that reason a heavenly voice comes out.
Incidentally, this is my explanation. Tosafot in Eruvin (13b or 6b, I don’t remember) raises this difficulty and gives three answers of its own.