Acher chopped the saplings, and about him the verse says, "Do not let your mouth cause your body to sin (Ecclesiastes 5:5)."
What is this? He saw [the angel] Mitatron, who had permission to sit and write the merits of Israel. He said, "There is a tradition: Above (ie. in heaven), there is no sitting, no copying, no turning one's back, and no tiredness [among the angels, yet Mitatron was sitting]. Maybe-- Heaven Forbid!-- there are two powers." They took Mitatron out, and gave him sixty lashes of fire. They said to him, "What is your reason, that when you saw him, you did not stand before him?" He had permission to erase the merits of Acher. A heavenly voice went out and said, "'Return, rebellious children (Jeremiah 3:14)-' except for Acher." He said, "Seeing as that man (ie. himself) was banished from the World [to Come], he should go and enjoy himself in this world."
Acher became ill-cultured. He went and found a harlot, and asked [to have intercourse with] her. She said to him, "And are you not Elisha the son of Avuyah?" He uprooted a radish from a patch on Shabbat and gave it to her. She said, "He is another (heb. Acher)."
Acher asked Rabbi Meir after he had went out to an ill culture[d lifestyle]. He said to him, "What is the meaning of the verse, 'Also this opposite that, G-d created (Ecclesiastes 7:14)'? He said to him, "Everything that the Holy One, Blessed be He created, He created something opposite it. He created mountains; He created valleys. He created seas; He created rivers." He said to him, "Rabbi Akiva, your teacher, did not say like that. Rather [he said], 'He created righteous; He created wicked. He created the Garden of Eden; He created Gehinnom. Everyone has two parts: One in the Garden of Eden, and one in Gehinnom. If he merited [to be judged] righteous, he takes his share and his fellow's share in the Garden of Eden. If he was found guilty [of being] wicked, he takes his share and his fellow's share in Gehinnom.'" Rav Mishrashya said, "What is the [meaning of the] verse? About the righteous it is written, 'Therefore, in their land they shall inherit double (Isaiah 61:7),' [And] about the wicked it is written, 'And their destruction shall be two-fold (Jeremiah 17:18).'"
Acher asked Rabbi Meir after he had went out to an ill culture[d lifestyle]: "What is the [meaning of the] verse: 'Gold and glass cannot equal it, and its value is not fine gold (Job 28:17)?'" He said to him, "These are the words of Torah, which are hard to acquire like vessels of gold and easy to lose like vessels of glass." He said to him, "Rabbi Akiva, your teacher, did not say such. Rather [he said], 'Just like gold and glass vessels, although they are broken, have a way to be fixed, so too a scholar, even though he has rotted [with sin], he has a way to be fixed.'"
He said to him, "You too, return [and repent]." He said to him, "I have already heard from behind the [divine] curtain: 'Return, rebellious sons- except for Acher.'"
The Rabbis taught: It once happened that Acher was riding on a horse on Shabbat, and Rabbi Meir was walking behind him to learn Torah from his mouth. He said to him, "Meir, turn around. I have calculated with my horse's steps [that] until here is the Techum Shabbat (area in which it is permissible to walk on Shabbat). He said to him, "You, too, return [and repent]." He said to him, "Have not I already told you? I have already heard from behind the [divine] curtain: 'Return, rebellious sons- except for Acher.'" He brought him to a house of study. He said to a child, "Tell me your verse [that you learned today]." He said to him, "There is no peace, G-d has said, for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22)." He brought him to another house of prayer. He said to a child, "Tell me your verse [that you learned today]." He said to him, "Even if you wash with natron, and you use much soap, your sin is stained before me (Jeremiah 2:22)." He brought him to another house of prayer. He said To a child, "Tell me your verse." He said to him, "And you, brazen one, what do you do when you wear scarlet and adorn golden jewelry, when you enlarge your eyes in kohl? In vain you beautify yourself... (Jeremiah 4:30)." He brought him to another house of worship, until he had brought him to thirteen houses of worship; all of them told him [verses] like this. To the final one, he said, "Tell me your verse." He said, "And to the wicked (heb. La'Rasha), G-d has said, 'What [use is it] to you to tell my laws... (Psalms 50:16).'" That very child had a stutter in his tongue. It sounded as if he had said to him, "And to Elisha (heb. La'elisha), G-d has said...". There are those who say,"He had a knife with him, and he tore the child [into thirteen pieces] and sent him to the thirteen houses of worship. And there are those who say, "He said, 'If I had a knife in my hand, I would have torn him.'"
When Acher died, they said, "We cannot judge him to punishment [in Gehinnom], but we cannot enter him into the World to Come. We cannot judge him to punishment, because he toiled in Torah; we cannot enter him into the World to Come, because he sinned." Rabbi Meir said, "It is better that they sentence him [so as to purge him of his sins], and he should go to the World to Come [afterwards]. When I die, I will raise smoke from his grave." When Rabbi Meir passed away, smoke came out from the grave of Acher. Rabbi Yochanan said, "Is it a feat to burn one's teacher!? There was one between us [Torah scholars]; can we not save him? If I took him in the hand [and lead him out of Gehinnom], who would stop me?" He said, "When I die, I will douse the smoke from his grave." When Rabbi Yochanan passed away, the smoke ceased from the grave of Acher.
A eulogizer opened [his remarks] upon him, "Even the entrance guard [of Gehinnom] did not stand in front of you, our Master." The daughter of Acher came before Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi]. She said to him, "Rabbi, support me." He said to her, "Whose daughter are you?" She said to him, "I am the daughter of Acher." He said to her, "There is still of his seed in the world? But isn't it written, "Not a great-grandson, and not a grandson, among his people, and there is no remainder in his dwelling (Job 18:19)." She said to him, "Remember his Torah, and do not remember his deeds." Immediately, fire came down from heaven and singed the bench of Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi]. He wept. And Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi] said, "And for those who revile [Torah], such; how much more so for those who praise it!"
And Rabbi Meir- how did he learn Torah from the mouth of Acher? And didn't Rabba the son of the son of Chana say, "Rabbi Yochanan said, 'What is [the meaning of] the verse, 'For my lips, a priest shall guard; knowledge and instruction they shall ask from his mouth, for he is an angel of Hashem of Legions (Malachi 2:7)'? If the teacher is like an angel of Hashem of Legions, they should ask instruction from his mouth; And if not, they should not ask instruction from his mouth.'"
Reish Lakish said, "Rabbi Meir found a verse and expounded it: 'Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise ones; and put your heart to my knowledge (Proverbs 22:17).' 'To their knowledge' was not said, but rather 'to my knowledge'." Rav Chanina said from here: "Listen, daughter, and see, and incline your ear and forget your nation and your father's house... (Psalms 45:11)." The verses contradict each other! There is no contradiction. This one (ie. when there is no need for a teacher like an angel) is with an adult, and this one (ie. when there is a need for a teacher like an angel) is with a child. When Rav Dimi came [from Israel], he said, "They say in the west (ie. Israel): 'Rabbi Meir ate a date and threw away the kernel.'"