The long baraita on the top of this amud is just terrific. I love the image of the fire surrounding them, and the sounds of son and praise coming from the flames. The rabbis really seem to feel, deep-down, the power of the Chariot, and contemplation from the chariot. I have been much of a mystical guy (duh) but I have to say, these amudim have been quite eye-opening to me. There really is a strong aggadic strand here which pushes the boundaries of exegesis beyond the normal realm of earthly concerns. At the same time it is coupled with a real worry about such boundary breaking, as evidenced by the story of pardeis and Acher.
I wonder, where are the boundaries in our world, if any? What is dangerous to discuss, but yet can not be ignored? What topics or subjects lead some people astray, but leave some with a deeper, fuller understand of God and God's world? Evolution? Cosmology? Modern Biblical scholarship?
What is our pardeis?
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Is there a pardes for us? By that I mean, has the value of academic freedom, with the assumption of its positive consequences, eclipsed the concerns presented in this story? Does it matter that modern biblical scholarship most likely turns off more young Jews (because it is taught arrogantly) than it turns on?
What's interesting is that the story doesn't end with an admonition not to ever even try for the Pardes, it just presents the consequences for those that entered. What also struck me about the story is that R Akiva, the only one who emerges with his health, tries to warn the others at the beginning. Does he know to warn them not to say "water water" b/c of what he has studied, or had he been there before? Either way, he clearly was more prepared for the experience than the rest of them were. Perhaps, then, the lesson is not to avoid learning certain things, but to make sure that you are thoroughly prepared for them (the importance of "scaffolding" in educational parlance) and that you are learning/teaching them in the right context.
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