אלישע בן אבויה

Elisha ben Abuyah [Avot, Chapter 4. See the words of Rabbi Chutzpit the translator (Nusach of Rabbi Yehuda the Peddler, Rabbi of Kohelet, Chapter "Good is the End of a Matter," and Midrash Ruth, Chapter "Lini the Night," and Jerusalem Talmud, Chagigah, Chapter 2, Halacha 1) who said that a pig dragged him, saying, "Here is the one who produces pearls, may he lick dust," and his sin emerged (Chulin 139b and Kiddushin 39b)].

Abuyah, his father, was a great wealthy man during the time of the Temple, and for the feast of his son's circumcision, he invited Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai and his students, and Nikdimon ben Gurion, and the Tzitzit of the covering, and Kalba Savua. After they had eaten, they ascended to the upper room, and Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai began to teach, and there was a blazing fire around the house, as it was given at Mount Sinai, and he dedicated his son Elisha to the Torah, and because it was not for the sake of Heaven, his Torah was not established [(see there in Rabba Ruth and Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah and Midrash Kohelet mentioned above at length and Tosafot Chagigah 15a)] and Elisha was one of the four who entered the Pardes [(through there to the sky and gazed and was harmed) Chagigah (14)].

He was called "Acher" because of an incident that occurred with a woman, and she said, "Then he is another" [(there 15a)]. And his daughter said to Rabbi, "Provide for us," he said, "There is still a descendant of his in the world," she said to Rabbi, "Remember his Torah and do not remember his deeds" [(and fire descended and burned Rabbi's bench, and Rabbi wept and said, "If for those who are denigrated in it, how much more so for those who are praised in it")].

And he did not repent, for he heard a Divine voice saying, "Return, wayward children, except for Acher, for he saw My glory and rebelled against Me." For after he said, "I will not judge them nor will I come to the world to come because I have sinned," Rabbi Meir said, "It is better that he should be judged and come to the world to come than that I should die and smoke should rise from his grave" [(the lineage is written in Seder HaDoros, although in the tradition of the pious it is explained what Rabbi Meir meant by "I will rise smoke from his grave," that as long as the fire burns, there is no smoke; they poured water on it to extinguish it, the smoke rose and the fire was extinguished)]. And so it was.

Rabbi Yochanan said, "It is a great merit to be saved for his master; one should be between us, and we cannot save him; if I take him by hand, who will throw him away? When will I die and extinguish the smoke from his grave, for without judgment they will bring him to the world to come." And so it was when Rabbi Yochanan died, the smoke ceased [(there 72b). The lineage is written there, and the main point is that this man never caused his students to sin, but he taught Torah even after he went to a bad culture, and he wanted to merit them, as he said to Rabbi Meir, "Until here is the boundary of Shabbat." But he did not see in the Jerusalem Talmud, Chapter 2 of Chagigah, Halacha 1, and in Tosafot Chagigah mentioned above that he killed students, and see how many he caused to sin (see there).

And it is written there by the author of the commentary that he did not want to distress Rabbi Meir, therefore he said, "Until here is the boundary of Shabbat," or to show his wisdom, he said, "So said he").] And he merited the life of the world to come because of his Torah and his students; also our holy Rabbi included him in the Mishnah Avot. And he saw the destruction and praised Rabbi Akiva and lived many days after him.

Rabbi Yaakov, the Tanna, son of his daughter [(see there). Concerning his words, Rabbi Yosi bar Rabbi Yehuda, a man from the Babylonian village (Avot, Chapter 4), and when Rabbi Tzadok's father died, he was informed three years later, and he asked Elisha ben Abuyah and the elders with him, "What is the reason?" (see 20, Section 1) above regarding Eliezer, son of Rabbi Tzadok, the version changed, except that they asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Elisha (see there).

Gehazi was reincarnated in him, and since Elisha caused Gehazi to be rejected, he is called Elisha (Maga'ah, Rosh Hashanah)].