Peter Knobel
Make war with Sihon . Even though he does not seek to interfere with you, you must open hostilities against him’; as it says, Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of Aron and contend with him[Sihon ] in battle(Deut. 2:24). Moses , however, did not do so but, in accordance with what 1s written lower down, sent messengers(Deut. 2: 26). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him:“ By your life, I shall cancel My own words and confirm yours;” as it says,“When You draw near unto a city to fight against
»» 8 it, then proclaim peace unto it”(Ibid. 20:10)
An even more dramatic and more directly relevant example is the Oven of Aknai. Professor Fisch sees this famous passage as a dramatic confrontation between R. Eliezer, whom he identifies as a traditionalist, and the antitraditionalists. The excommunication of a
sage of R. Eliezer’s prominence is unprecedented.’
This was the oven of‘Aknai. Why[the oven of]‘Aknai?— Said Rab Judah in Samuel's name:[It means] that they encompassed it with arguments as a snake, and proved it unclean. It has been taught: On that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument, but they did not accept them
Said he to them:“If the halakhah agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!” Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place—others affirm, four hundred cubits.“No proof can be brought from a carobtree,” they retorted. Again he said to them:“If the halakhah agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!” Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards—“No proof can be brought from a stream of water,” they rejoined. Again he urged:“If the halakhah agrees with me, let the walls of the schoolhouse prove it,” whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But R. Joshua rebuked them, saying:“When scholars are engaged in a halahkic dispute, what have ye to interfere?” Hence they did not fall, in honor of R. Joshua, nor did they resume the upright, in honor of R. Eliezer; and they are still standing thus inclined. Again he said to them:“If the halakhah agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!” Whereupon a Heavenly Voice cried out:“Why do ye dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halakhah agrees with him!” But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed:“It is not in heaven.”(Deut . 30:12) What did he mean by this?— Said R. Jeremiah:“That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai: we pay no attention to a heavenly voice, because Thou hast long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai,‘After the majority must one incline.”
R. Nathan met Elijah and asked him:“What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do in that hour?— He laughed[with joy], he replied, saying,‘My sons have defeated Me, My sons have defeated Me.” It was said:“On that day all