The sages are sitting around the study house discussing the oven of Akhnai. It’s a new invention, an oven made of baked tiles held together with unbaked mortar. This way, it’s portable; it can easily be taken apart and moved and reassembled. What the sages are trying to figure out is if this oven counts as a vessel, in which case it has to be ritually purified each time it’s assembled. Or does the fact that it’s made up of separate pieces mean it’s not a true vessel and therefore it’s exempt?
“This is the kind of thing the sages could get really into,” Rav Harriett said.
Rabbi Eliezer says it doesn’t count as a vessel, so they don’t need to worry about purifying it. The others all say no, it is a vessel, and therefore requires ritual purification. Rabbi Eliezer explains all the logical, scientific reasons why he’s right, but he can’t get any of the other sages on board. Finally, he resorts to nonlogical, nonscientific reasons. He says, “Look, let me prove it to you. If I’m right, let this carob tree give a sign.” Sure enough, the carob tree gets up and moves to a different spot.
Astonishing as that is, the other sages won’t concede the point.
So Rabbi Eliezer says, “Not good enough for you? Okay: If I’m right, let this stream over here give a sign.” Sure enough, the stream starts flowing in the opposite direction.
Mind-boggling, but the other sages? Still unconvinced.
Then Rabbi Eliezer says, “Really? Wow. Fine. If I’m right, let the very walls of this study house give a sign.” And lo and behold, the walls start to crumble around them.
One of the other sages, Rabbi Yehoshua, scolds the walls. He tells them not to get involved. Chastened, they stop crumbling. But out of respect for Rabbi Eliezer, they don’t go back to their original position, either.
“This,” said Rav Harriett, “is what we call a ‘sight gag.’”
Even so, the sages refuse to believe that Rabbi Eliezer is right.
So he calls in the big guns: “If I’m right, let Heaven prove it!”
On cue, a Divine Voice calls down: “Why are you disagreeing with Rabbi Eliezer when he’s right?”
And Rabbi Yehoshua says—to God, he says this—“With all due respect, please stay out of it. You gave the Torah to us; You left it up to us to interpret for ourselves. So at this point? It’s not really up to You.”
“You know what happens then?” Rav Harriett asked.
Annamae shook her head.
“God smiles this big delighted smile and says, ‘My children! My children have triumphed over me!’”