Jesus in the Talmud

Healing in the Name of Jesus 55verse: This book of the Torah shall not depart out of your mouth, butyou shall meditate on it day and night (Josh. 1:8). Go then and find atime that is neither day nor night and learn then Greek wisdom!From this story it becomes clear that much as Ishmael disliked pagan culture,his nephew must have had some inclination toward it. This fits invery well with the story about his unfortunate death: Eleazar b. Damakeeps company with a heretic and wants to be healed by him and his potentcharm, but his merciless uncle prefers the beloved nephew to dierather than to be healed by a heretic. The bitter irony of Ishmael’s behaviorcan hardly be missed. Instead of justifying his refusal to accept theheretic’s healing power with an appropriate verse from the Bible, Ishmaelresorts to the authority of the rabbis: what a happy death did you die, BenDama—not because you did not transgress the commandments of theTorah, no, because you did not transgress the commandments of us, yourfellow rabbis. For transgressing the hedge or fence that we erected aroundthe Torah inevitably results in death. We, the rabbis, are much more powerfulthan any of these heretics because it is we who ultimately decideabout life and death.But the irony goes even further. The very verse from the Bible that Ishmaelquotes to prove the bad destiny that awaits the transgressor of therabbinic commandments (he will be bitten by a snake), exposes hishypocrisy: Eleazar b. Dama was bitten by a snake, before he had a chanceto break down the hedge of the rabbis—he did not transgress the rabbiniccommandments and nevertheless was bitten by a snake! The editors ofour story in both the Yerushalmi and the Bavli did not miss the bitter ironybut give different responses. The pious editor of the Yerushalmi answersthe obvious question: “And did not a snake already bite him?” with referringto Eleazar’s salvation in the world to come: Yes, it is true, he was bittenby a snake, but since he did not transgress the commandments of therabbis “a snake will not bite him in the world to come.” 28The Bavli gives a different and much more pungent answer: 29The master said: You did not transgress the words of your colleagueswho have said: He who breaks down a hedge (geder) is bitten by asnake (Eccl. 10:8)?!