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Eden Hess- Authority of Halacha in the Classical Sources, Bava Metzia 59b…
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Bava Metzia 59b
This text shows that God's role is to give Torah, but after God has given it to humans, the heavenly voice has no longer has a say. The people are who constitutes a majority, not God. The Torah is not in heaven and therefore we do not take the word of heaven or rely on miracles, instead our role is to debate and talk amongst the people.
Pshat: Rabbi Eliexzer and the Sages debate about what is ritually pure according to halakha, and despite being the minority, Rabbi Eliezer fighst for his opinion and resorts to miracles to defend his point. Rabbi Joshua said, "It is not in heaven", and after a vote, Rabbi Eliezer was excommunicated.
This image represents religion in politics. I think the idea of Rabbi Eliezer using miracles and heaven to prove his points instead of debating or listening to the majority is similar to when political candidates use religion to back up ideas that the majority does not agree with. "It is not in the heavens" and some issues in the world are also not in the heavens and God/religion should not have a say in them.
Shabbat 88a
God's role is forceful and dominant because God knows what is good for the people. The humans originally had a powerless role in which they needed to accept Torah and halakha in order to keep their lives. Now, people have a free-will and our role is to follow halakha and appreciate the torah's teachings even if we are not being forced.
Pshat: God commanded the Jewish people to accept Torah and its teachings, or they would be killed by God. The people were angry and protested against the Torah, but eventually the people began to accept the torah and its teachings.
This image represents the text because the parent knows what is best for the young child and is forcing him to study. When the child grows, he will no longer need his parents to force him to work, but instead he will understand the benefits and do it on his own. This is the same as how God forced the people to accept Torah, but with time, the people were able to learn to follow it by themselves with their own will.
Eruvin 13b
Pshat: Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel argue about halakha and each house has its own truth about what is halakhically correct or acceptable. A heavenly voice came and said that the House of Hillel is correct because they were humble, and they taught both their own words and the words of the House of Shammai.
This situation can relate to a quadratic equation with two solutions, or two x-intercepts, because in both situations there are multiple correct answers. A student who writes down just one solution (like the House of Shammai) is correct, but he/she is not demonstrating the full concept. A student who writes down both solutions (like the house of Hillel who teaches multiple perspectives) is showing a full understanding and acknowledging the fact that there are multiple truths, and therefore this student would likely be considered more accurate, like the House of Hillel was.
Even though there can be multiple truths in determining halakha, humans have the role to be humble and recognize other truths besides their own. God is present in all interpretations of halakha, so people need to learn multiple perspectives. More than one idea can be valid and halkha is always growing and evolving.
Seder Eliahu Zuta 2
God is represented by the king, which portrays that God's role is to give us the Torah, which can be seen as the ingredients to make something greater (such as bread or cloth). Humans role is to be like the sensible servant take what God has given us to make and use it to create something even better and more useful than what we started with.
Pshat: A king gives two servants wheat and flax. The sensible servant used the wheat and flax to make bread and cloth, while the foolish servant left the wheat and flax untouched.
This picture of a seed represents this idea because the seed by itself can not do much, but if we put time and effort into planting, watering, and caring for the seed, it can grow into a tree. This tree can grow fruit and provide nutrition or sustenance that can help humans live and survive. This is like the Torah, because when we put time and energy into it, it can aids and guide us in living and surviving.
Berakhot 5a
God's role was giving Moses the Torah. Humans have the role to see all Torah as equally important, and to follow Torah, no matter the form, because all Torah came from God and was given to Moses and the Jewish people.
Pshat: The Torah was received by Moses from God on Mount Sinai. All torah comes from the same source and is in the words of God, therefore all torah (written and oral) has equal authority.
This image of a mother and father represents the idea of all Torah holding equal authority because even though a mom and dad are different, they have the same roles and need to be treated with equal respect.