"I won't tell you what Rabbi Eliezer actually said..." - Mishnah Shevi'it

One may not buy servants, land, or an unclean beast with shevi'it money. If one did buy one must [sell it and buy food to] eat for their equivalent. One may not bring the bird-offerings of a zav or a zavah, or of a woman after childbirth with shevi'it money. If one did bring one must [sell it and buy food to] eat for their equivalent. One may not anoint vessels with oil of seventh year produce. If one did annoint one must [sell it and buy food to] eat for their equivalent.

A hide which they oiled with seventh year oil: Rabbi Eliezer says: it must be burnt. But the sages say: he must [sell it and buy food to] eat for its equivalent.

They came before Rabbi Akiba and said, "Rabbi Eliezer used to say, 'A hide which they smeared with seventh year oil must be burnt.' He replied, 'Silence! I won’t tell you what Rabbi Eliezer said on this matter.'"

They also came to Rabbi Akiva and said, "Rabbi Eliezer used to say, 'Whoever eats bread baked by Samaritans is like one who eats the flesh of a pig.' He replied: 'Silence! I won’t tell you what Rabbi Eliezer actually said on this matter.'"

"A hide which they oiled..."

So what did Rabbi Eliezer say?

According to Rabbi Yossi he said: "May the bones of that man be burned!"

But Rabbi Hizkiah, in the name of Rabbi Acha said: He actually permitted this.

"They also came to Rabbi Akiva and said..."

According Rabbi Yossi, this is what he said: "It is forbidden to marry the daughter of an ignorant Jew (am ha-aretz)."

But Rabbi Hizkiah, in the name of Rabbi Acha said: Rabbi Eliezer would permit eating the chametz of the Samaritans immediately after Passover!

[It was taught: If one sliced an oven into separate tiles, placing sand between each tile: Rabbi Eliezer declared it clean, and the Sages declared it unclean.] And this was the Oven of Achnai. Why Achnai? — Said Rab Judah in Samuel's name: They wrapped it with arguments like a snake (achna), and proved it unclean.

It has been taught: On that day Rabbi Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument, but they did not accept them. Said he to them: 'If the Law agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!' Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place — others say, four hundred cubits. 'No proof can be brought from a carob-tree!' they retorted. Again he said to them: 'If the Law 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 Law agrees with me, let the walls of the schoolhouse prove it,' whereupon the walls began to fall. But Rabbi Joshua rebuked them, saying: 'When scholars are engaged in a legal dispute, what have you to interfere?' Hence they did not fall, in honor of Rabbi Joshua, nor did they stand upright again, in honor of Rabbi Eliezer; and they are still standing thus inclined. Again he said to them: 'If the Law agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!' Then a Heavenly Voice cried out: 'Why do you dispute with Rabbi Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the Law agrees with him!'

But Rabbi Joshua arose and exclaimed: “It is not in heaven!” (Deut. 30) What did he mean by this? — Said Rabbi Jeremiah: That because the Torah has already been given at Mount Sinai, we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because, after all, you wrote at Mount Sinai, in your Torah, “After the majority one must incline.” (Exod. 23).

Rabbi Natan happened upon Elijah and asked him, “What did God do when all this happened?” Elijah said, “He laughed and said, ‘My children have defeated me! My children have defeated me!’”

They said that on that day, the Sages brought all the ritually pure items deemed pure by the ruling of Rabbi Eliezer with regard to the oven and burned them in the fire, and they agreed to excommunicated him.

And they said: Who will go and inform him? Rabbi Akiva, said to them: I will go, lest an unseemly person go and he would thereby destroy the entire world. What did Rabbi Akiva do? He wore black and wrapped himself in black, and sat before Rabbi Eliezer at a distance of four cubits.

Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Akiva, what is different about today from other days?

Rabbi Akiva said to him: My teacher, it appears to me that your colleagues are distancing themselves from you.

So Rabbi Eleizer too, tore his garments and removed his shoes, and he dropped from his seat and sat upon the ground. His eyes shed tears, and as a result the entire world was afflicted: One-third of its olives, and one-third of its wheat, and one-third of its barley. And some say that even dough kneaded in a woman’s hands spoiled. The Sages taught: There was great anger on that day, as any place that Rabbi Eliezer fixed his gaze was burned.

When Rabbi Eliezer took ill, Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues came to visit him. He was sitting on his bed, and they were sitting in his waiting room. It was the Shabbat eve, and Hyrcanus entered to remove his tefillin. His father berated him, and he left reprimanded.

Hyrcanus said to his father’s colleagues: It appears to me that father went insane

Rabbi Eliezer said to them: He, Hyrcanus, and his mother went insane. How can they neglect Shabbat preparations with regard to prohibitions punishable by stoning, such as lighting the candles and preparing hot food, and engage in preparations concerning prohibitions by rabbinic decree, such as wearing phylacteries on Shabbat?

Since the Sages perceived from this retort that his mind was stable, they entered and sat before him at a distance of four cubits. He said to them: Why have you come? They said to him: We have come to study Torah. He said to them: And why have you not come until now? They said to him: We did not have spare time. He said to them: I would be surprised if these die their own death. Rabbi Akiva said to him: How will mine be. He said to him: Yours worse than theirs.

Then Rabbi Eliezer raised his two arms and placed them on his heart, and he said: Woe to you, my two arms, as they are like two Torah scrolls that are now being rolled up, and will never be opened again. I have learned much Torah, and I have taught much Torah. I have learned much Torah, and I have not taken enough away from my teachers, like a dog lapping from the sea. I have taught much Torah, but my students have taken away from me only like a paintbrush from a tube of paint....

After the Sabbath, Rabbi Akiva came and found Rabbi Eliezer being taken in a coffin from Caesarea to Lod. Immediately, he tore his clothes and pulled at his hair until blood began to come out and drip onto the ground. And he screamed and cried and said: Woe is me, my master, for I have lost you! Woe is me, my master, for I have lost you! My master, you have left this whole generation like an orphan! At the head of his funeral line, he said, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and all its horsemen!” (II Kings 2:12). You have left money for me, and I have no table [i.e., money changer] to exchange them.