Yossie Newfield asked:
1) Why was Rabbi Eliezer not buried?
2) Whose Idea was it to put him in the attic? Was his wife the one to put him there, or the city?
Please respond!
Yossie Newfield, Brooklyn, New York
The Kollel replies:
The Gemara states that it was actually his idea. He told his wife that he was scared that his funeral would not go well, as there were important Rabanim who were upset at him. Rashi (DH "d'Risichi") states that as he was a policeman who used to give over thieves to the government (where they would be dealt with harshly, sometimes put to death), and some of the thieves were related to the Rabanim, they weren't too happy with him. He therefore requested that his wife put him in the attic.
All the best,
Yaakov Montrose