Real Reality

Chagigah 15b

Elisha ben Avuyah's (Acher, the Other)father was a very prominent man.

On the day of Acher's bris his father invited all the prominent men of Jerusalem and seated them in one room. He also invited Rabbi Eliezar and Rabbi Yehoshua and seated them in a different room.

After they ate and drank, the people in the first room began to sing, clap and dance. R' Eliezar said to R' Yehoshua, "While they are engaged in their activity let us engage in ours." They sat down and began to engage in the words of Torah.

A fire descended from Heaven and surrounded them. Acher's father came in and said, "Are you trying to burn my house down??"

They said "no, Heaven forbid! We were just sitting and reviewing the words of Torah from the Torah to the Prophets and frm the Prophets to the Writings and the words were so joyous that the fire was lapping them up.

Acher's father said, "If that is the power of Torah I will set this son aside for Torah."Unfortunately the father's desire was not for the sake of heaven, but for the power of Torah.

Acher abandoned the Torah.

Why?

I ask: When the parlor games are over, and the hotshots are wormfood, one wonders why no one can figure out that all this "ego" is for nothing.