The Verdict That Came from Heaven: How Rabbi Yaakov of Mirvèges Decided Jewish Law in a Dream?

The city of Troyes in northern France is famous as a center of textiles and fashion. It's located on the Seine River and hosts several very famous museums. But in the Saint Flaubert district, one of the oldest neighborhoods, lies the Jewish story of this city.

Here, nearly a thousand years ago, the famous Rashi was born; from here he traveled to Worms to study Torah under Rabbi Yaakov ben Yakar; and he returned here with his family, planted a vineyard next to his house, and supported himself by selling wine. In this district, there is a "Rashi Street," and on the path leading to the Rashi University of the city, there's a large monument in his memory.

But today we'll talk about an extraordinary sage who lived in Troyes (the Jewish name for Troyes) two generations after Rashi. His name was Rabbi Yaakov Halevi of Mirvèges. He was born in the fortified city of Mirvèges in southern France (nowadays: Marvejols) and moved to Troyes because there was a well-established Jewish community where he could learn and teach Torah. He was a great scholar and one of the Tosafists, but he was also a master of Kabbalah and mysticism, reaching an amazing level: he would ask questions in Jewish law from heaven and receive answers!

How did it happen? The book of responsa in which he records the questions he asked from heaven is in our possession. Its name is "Responsa from Heaven," as described in the manuscript on the book: "Questions and legal decisions asked by the wise and pious sage known in the gates of the city heights, knocking on the doors of heaven Rabbi Yaakov son of Levi, a man and pious servant of Hashem from the city of Troyes, whose fame spread across all lands, on his piety and sincerity everyone relies, and is worthy to rely on him. This has been his custom all along: whenever he was uncertain about a legal decision, he would command the gates of his study house to be closed, then Hashem would reveal Himself to him in a vision and all his doubts would be clarified to him. This is known and revealed to all: he would not know or see and would not awaken until a certain matter was brought near the entrance of his study house, and immediately he would awake from his sleep. We've heard that previously, Rashi had such a level, but in this pious sage, we have seen great and awesome wonders in his books and while he spoke, and he established testimony in Yaakov, placing Torah in Israel, and some of his words we have recorded".

Rabbi Yaakov would lock the doors of the study house and remain alone. Then he would ask the question that troubled him, and according to the description of the Radbaz, he would also utter holy names related to the matter. After that, a deep sleep would fall on him, and in a dream, he would hear the answer, awaken, and record it. This is "asking in a dream."

The first question appearing in the responsa is: "I asked concerning the women who bless the lulav and those who bless them on the sounding of the shofar, if there is any sin in this matter, and if it constitutes a blessing in vain. And they answered: Is it to legitimize generations if all that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice, and go tell them to return to their tents and bless your Hashem."

The custom of women in Ashkenaz was to bless mitzvot that are time-bound, and this was difficult for Rabbi Yaakov, so he asked from heaven, and the answer was: "All that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice," as was said to our forefather Abraham. The custom of the women – Torah!

Another well-known question concerned the placement of tefillin. In the generation before him, there was a dispute between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam regarding the order of the parchments inside the tefillin. The dispute was very fierce, and there were two kinds of tefillin among the Jewish people. Only hundreds of years later was the law decided according to Rashi, and Rabbeinu Tam remained only a practice for those who are stringent. Rabbi Yaakov was greatly troubled by the question: how could there be two kinds of tefillin among the Jewish people, with half wearing invalid tefillin? And so he asked: "And regarding the order of the parchments of tefillin, this was my question, I beg you, great and awe-inspiring king, wise in mysteries and revealer of secrets, keeper of the covenant and grace, magnify your grace with us today and command your holy angels to inform me of what I am uncertain about in the parchments of the tefillin, for some of the sages say 'havyot' in the middle, and if exchanged, they are invalid, and now king of kings, command the holy angels to inform me whose words are esteemed by you?"

And they answered: "These and those are the words of the living Hashem, and as the dispute below, so is the dispute above; Hashem says 'havyot' in the middle, and all the heavenly hosts say 'havyot' in order."

In other words, there is a dispute even in heaven, therefore these and those are the words of the living Hashem, each fulfills the commandment of tefillin according to their custom.

The last question in the book is question seventy, dealing with the laws of chametz, and Rabbi Yaakov notes at the end: "I also asked about the end of redemption – but I did not find the answer"... the end of redemption was hidden even from the eyes of Jacob our forefather, and it will remain sealed and closed to even the greatest of levels until we merit the redemption itself.

The genius Chida, noting the use of these responsa by legal decisors, raised the question: after all, it is known that "It is not in heaven," halacha is not decided by prophecy or divine inspiration. A prophet is forbidden from defining new laws through prophecy, and when the sages disagreed with Rabbi Eliezer and a heavenly voice was heard, the sages said: It is not in heaven. How, then, can one rely on the answers that were given to Rabbi Yaakov Halevi?

The Chida writes that these words have no force due to the divine inspiration within them, but only because Rabbi Yaakov agreed with them. And so does Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ztz"l rule, that these words are considered as those of other decisors, and are not given greater authority just because they are answers from heaven.