Rabbi Yehoshua clearly stated the well known principle that Torah is “Not in Heaven.” Halachic decisions must be made by humans and not by Divine intervention.
In this class and the next, we will see that Rabbi Yehoshua’s principle was not accepted by all, and in fact may be a minority opinion.
This class focuses primarily on the Talmudic sources that show the origins of the principle and earliest examples, and conversely, that the Judaism of today, which follows Beit Hillel and not Beit Shammai, is based on relying on a voice from Heaven.
I also briefly mention other supernatural halachic mechanisms, such as asking Elijah the prophet, relying on dreams and ruling by smell.