Commentary for Kiddushin 78:14
ואיכא דאמרי לישנא דחוצפית המתורגמן חזא דהוה גריר ליה דבר אחר אמר פה שהפיק מרגליות ילחך עפר נפק חטא
R'Joseph said: Had Aher<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Elisha b. Abuyah, a great scholar and R. Meir's teacher, who turned against the Torah, whereupon he was dubbed Aher, a different man, a stranger.');"><sup>34</sup></span> interpreted this verse<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The promise of reward and long life.');"><sup>35</sup></span> as R'Jacob, his daughter's son, he would not have sinned.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He interpreted it literally, as referring to this world, and seeing that the promise was not fulfilled turned unbeliever.');"><sup>36</sup></span>
Daf Shevui to Kiddushin
“Aher” which means “the other one” refers to Elisha ben Abuya, the famous rabbi who left rabbinic Judaism to lead a life of sin. According to our sugya, what lead him to sin was the problem of theodicy. He saw good people’s lives ended in tragic death. He did not realize, as R. Ya’akov would have told him, that the reward for leading a good life was waiting for the world to come.
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