Dear Rabbi Kornfeld,
In your Answers to Review Questions you say
>>(b) Rebbi Meir interpreted the Pasuk in Koheles "Gam es Zeh Le'umas Zeh Asah ha'Elokim" to mean that when Hash-m created mountains, he also created hills, and when He created seas, He also created rivers. Rebbi Akiva quoted by Acher interprets it to mean - that whenever Hash-m created one extreme, He created the opposite extreme to keep the balance: He created Tzadikim, so He also created Resha'im, He created Gan Eden, so He also created Gehinom.<<
I don't have a proof, but I learned that Acher gave the first p'shat (this is supported by an extra "omar lei" in the dialog), which was neutral and that Rabi Meir interpreted it to show Acher that there was hope for him. Same for the rest of the psukim discussed. Am I wrong?
Gershon
From the words, "Rabbi Akiva Rabcha Lo Kach Amar" we can infer that it is Acher speaking (as Rav Chrysler wrote in the Review notes); he was speaking to Rabbi Meir, who was a student of Rabbi Akiva. (Acher was a colleague of Rabbi Akiva, and not a student, as is evident from the Gemara on 14b about going into Pardes.)
According to this Acher made the Derasha from the verse that indicates that a Rasha can reform. Nevertheless, he did not return (to the fold) "because he heard from behind the 'Pargod'...."
If so, it was Acher who dragged Rabbi Meir to the 13 Batei Midrash -- as Rabeinu Chananel writes. He wanted to prove, from the words of the children, that it was impossible for him to do Teshuvah.
-Mordecai