And this idea, that one must exert great effort to retain one’s Torah knowledge, is in accordance with what Avdimi bar Chama bar Dosa said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “It is not in heaven…nor is it beyond the sea” (Deuteronomy 30:12–13)? “It is not in heaven” indicates that if it were in heaven, you would have to ascend after it, and if it were beyond the sea, you would have to cross after it.
Rava said: “It is not in heaven” means that Torah is not to be found in someone who raises their mind over it, like the heavens, nor is it to be found in someone who expands their mind over it, like the sea.
Rabbi Yochanan said: “It is not in heaven” means that Torah is not to be found in the haughty, “Nor is it beyond the sea” means that it is not to be found among merchants or traders.
וזה הוא תנור של עכנאי מאי עכנאי אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל שהקיפו דברים כעכנא זו וטמאוהו תנא באותו היום השיב רבי אליעזר כל תשובות שבעולם ולא קיבלו הימנו אמר להם אם הלכה כמותי חרוב זה יוכיח נעקר חרוב ממקומו מאה אמה ואמרי לה ארבע מאות אמה אמרו לו אין מביאין ראיה מן החרוב חזר ואמר להם אם הלכה כמותי אמת המים יוכיחו חזרו אמת המים לאחוריהם אמרו לו אין מביאין ראיה מאמת המים חזר ואמר להם אם הלכה כמותי כותלי בית המדרש יוכיחו הטו כותלי בית המדרש ליפול גער בהם רבי יהושע אמר להם אם תלמידי חכמים מנצחים זה את זה בהלכה אתם מה טיבכם לא נפלו מפני כבודו של רבי יהושע ולא זקפו מפני כבודו של ר"א ועדיין מטין ועומדין חזר ואמר להם אם הלכה כמותי מן השמים יוכיחו יצאתה בת קול ואמרה מה לכם אצל ר"א שהלכה כמותו בכ"מ עמד רבי יהושע על רגליו ואמר (דברים ל, יב) לא בשמים היא מאי לא בשמים היא אמר רבי ירמיה שכבר נתנה תורה מהר סיני אין אנו משגיחין בבת קול שכבר כתבת בהר סיני בתורה (שמות כג, ב) אחרי רבים להטות אשכחיה
רבי נתן לאליהו א"ל מאי עביד קוב"ה בההיא שעתא א"ל קא חייך ואמר נצחוני בני נצחוני בני
אמרו אותו היום הביאו כל טהרות שטיהר ר"א ושרפום באש ונמנו עליו וברכוהו
And this is known as the oven of akhnai. What is the relevance of akhnai? Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: that the Rabbis surrounded it with their statements like this snake and deemed it impure. The Sages taught: On that day, Rabbi Eliezer answered all answers in the world but the Rabbis did not accept his explanations from him. Rabbi Eliezer said to them: If the halakha is in accordance with my opinion, this carob tree will prove it. The carob tree was uprooted from its place one hundred cubits, and some say four hundred cubits. The Rabbis said to him: One does not cite proof from the carob. Rabbi Eliezer then said to them: If the halakha is in accordance with my opinion, the stream will prove it. The water in the stream turned backward. They said to him: One does not cite proof from a stream. Rabbi Eliezer then said to them: If the halakha is in accordance with my opinion, the walls of the study hall will prove it. The walls of the study hall leaned inward and began to fall. Rabbi Yehoshua scolded the walls and said to them: If Torah scholars are contending with each other in matters of halakha, what is the nature of your involvement? They did not fall because of the deference due Rabbi Yehoshua, but they did not straighten because of the deference due Rabbi Eliezer, and they still remain leaning. Rabbi Eliezer then said to them: If the halakha is in accordance with my opinion, Heaven will prove it. A Divine Voice emerged and said: Why are you differing with Rabbi Eliezer, as the halakha is in accordance with his opinion in every place? Rabbi Yehoshua stood on his feet and said: It is written: “It is not in heaven” (Deuteronomy 30:12). What is the relevance of the phrase “It is not in heaven” in this context? Rabbi Yirmeya says: Since the Torah was already given at Mount Sinai, we do not regard a Divine Voice, as You already wrote at Mount Sinai, in the Torah: “After a majority to incline” (Exodus 23:2).
Rabbi Natan encountered Elijah the prophet and said to him: What did the Holy Blessed One do at that time? Elijah said to him: God smiled and said: My children have triumphed over Me; My children have triumphed over Me.
The Sages said: 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 fire, and the Sages reached a consensus in his regard and excommunicated him.
(9) And your God יהוה will grant you abounding prosperity in all your undertakings, in your issue from the womb, the offspring of your cattle, and your produce from the soil. For יהוה will again delight in your well-being as in that of your ancestors, (10) since you will be heeding your God יהוה and keeping the divine commandments and laws that are recorded in this book of the Teaching—once you return to your God יהוה with all your heart and soul.
Torah Within Reach, Part 1 by Rabbi Aviva Richman 2022
R. Moshe Alshikh (16th century) connects these two adjacent passages and explains that the Torah is telling us that doing teshuvah is the thing that is “not in heaven”:
This is important for us to hear because, although the concept of teshuvah is beautiful, it’s also true that confronting our missteps and our blindspots can be daunting. Once we have strayed far from our hopes and ideals, how are we supposed to overcome inertia and redirect ourselves towards God? Teshuvahmay very easily feel beyond us. Nitzavim speaks to exactly this concern by reassuring us that the “mitzvah” of teshuvah is not beyond us; it is within our reach. Suddenly, this passage that is so often deployed to instill confidence in human interpretation of a Torah no longer in heaven instead becomes an insistence on the possibility and necessity to be in the humbling posture of improving our ways.
Yet, R. Alshikh does not entirely abandon the classical rabbinic reading of these verses. Torah remains a critical part of this picture of teshuvah that is within reach:
R. Alshikh brings us to a hybrid interpretation of what exactly is within our reach - a combination of teshuvah and Torah. Learning Torah is what makes teshuvahwithin reach, because Torah “tames” the evil inclination - the habits and inertia that have developed within us that make it feel impossible to change. We might have thought that as mere mortals we need some kind of external divine force to defy the evil inclination. The verse teaches that we don’t need any of that - the power of teshuvah is within us, in our own hearts and mouths. When we direct our passion and energies toward Torah, it functions as the “intermediary” that allows us to transcend our stuckness and break destructive patterns, and this paves the way towards teshuvah.
Torah and teshuvah are intertwined. Every act of teshuvah is rooted in Torah, and every act of learning Torah must be embedded in teshuvah. There is no such thing as a magical moment of teshuvah that did not require some real, hard learning. And, in turn, true Torah study is deeply invested in how it will ultimately bring us a bit further from the destructive forces let loose by our failures, and closer to relationship with God and the vibrancy and integrity of life.