(ח) רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי קִבֵּל מֵהִלֵּל וּמִשַּׁמָּאי. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם לָמַדְתָּ תוֹרָה הַרְבֵּה, אַל תַּחֲזִיק טוֹבָה לְעַצְמְךָ, כִּי לְכָךְ נוֹצָרְתָּ. חֲמִשָּׁה תַלְמִידִים הָיוּ לוֹ לְרַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן הוֹרְקְנוֹס, וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן חֲנַנְיָה, וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַכֹּהֵן, וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן נְתַנְאֵל, וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲרָךְ. הוּא הָיָה מוֹנֶה שִׁבְחָן. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן הוֹרְקְנוֹס, בּוֹר סוּד שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְאַבֵּד טִפָּה. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן חֲנַנְיָה, אַשְׁרֵי יוֹלַדְתּוֹ. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַכֹּהֵן, חָסִיד. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן נְתַנְאֵל, יְרֵא חֵטְא. וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲרָךְ, מַעְיָן הַמִּתְגַּבֵּר. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם יִהְיוּ כָל חַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכַף מֹאזְנַיִם, וֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן הוֹרְקְנוֹס בְּכַף שְׁנִיָּה, מַכְרִיעַ אֶת כֻּלָּם. אַבָּא שָׁאוּל אוֹמֵר מִשְּׁמוֹ, אִם יִהְיוּ כָל חַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכַף מֹאזְנַיִם וְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן הוֹרְקְנוֹס אַף עִמָּהֶם, וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲרָךְ בְּכַף שְׁנִיָּה, מַכְרִיעַ אֶת כֻּלָּם:
(8) Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai received [the tradition] from Hillel and Shammai. He used to say: If you have learned a lot of Torah, do not credit it favorably for yourself, because for this you were created. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had five students: Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkenos, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, Rabbi Yosi the Priest, Rabbi Shimon ben Netanel, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh. He would recount their praises: Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkenos is a pit covered in plaster that does not lose a drop. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya--happy is the one who gave birth to him! Rabbi Yosi the Priest is pious. Rabbi Shimon ben Netanel fears sin. And Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh is an ever-strengthening fountain.
They say of Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai that nobody ever greeted him first, not even the heathen in the street.
Abba Sikra, the head of the thugs of Jerusalem, was the son of Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakai's sister. [Rabban Yochanan] sent him [a message], "Come privately to me." He came. [Rabban Yochanan] said to him, "Until when will you do this and kill the world with famine." He said to him, "What should I do? Since, if I say anything to them, they will kill me." He said to him,"Show me a solution for me, that I should get out; maybe there will be a small salvation [from it]." He said to him, "Act as if you are sick, and have everyone come and ask about you; and [then] bring something putrid and have it lay with you and they will say that you have died. And have your students bring you out and no other men should bring you out, so that we don't become aware that you are light, since they know that a living person is lighter than a dead one." He did this. Rabbi Eliezer went in on one side and Rabbi Yehoshua went in on the other side. When they came to the opening, [the thug gate keepers] wanted to stab him. They said to them, "[The Romans] will say, 'they stabbed their rabbi.'" And [then] they wanted to jostle him. They said to them, "They will say, 'they jostled their rabbi.'" They opened the gate. He went out. He got there [and] said, "Peace to you, O king, peace to you, O king." [Vespasian] said to him, "You have made yourself guilty of two death penalties: first, since I am not a king and you have called me, 'king;' and also, if I am a king, why did you not come to me until now?" He said to him, "That which you said, 'I am not a king,'
you will be a king; since were you not a king, Jerusalem would not be delivered into your hand, as it is written (Isaiah 10:34), 'and the Levanon will fall by a mighty one.' And 'mighty' can only be a king, as it is written (Jeremiah 30:21), 'And his mighty one shall be from him.' And Levanon can only be the Temple, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 3:25), 'this goodly mountain and the Levanon.' And that which you said, 'If I am a king, why did you not come to me until now;' the thugs that we have with us did not allow us." He said to him, "If there was a barrel of honey with a serpent wrapped over it, would one not break the barrel for the sake of [getting rid] of the serpent?" He was silent. Rav Yosef - and some say, Rabbi Akiva - would read [this verse to be] about this (Isaiah 44:25), "He turns back the wise and renders their knowledge foolish." He should have said to him, "We take tongs and we take the serpent and kill him and leave the barrel." Bye and bye, a messenger came to him from Rome. He said to him, "Get up, the [reigning] Caesar has died, and those dignitaries of Rome have placed you at the helm." He had put on one of his shoes, [and] wanted to put the other one on. It would not go on. He tried to remove the [first one and] it would not come off. He said, "What is this?" He said to him, "Do not be troubled; it is a good tiding that has come to you, as it is written (Proverbs 15:30), 'a good tiding fattens the bone.'" [Vespasian said to him,] "But what is its remedy?" [Rabbi Yochanan responded,] "Bring someone who is hard for you to take and have him pass in front of you, as it is written (Proverbs 17:22), 'And a lowly spirit dries the bone.'" He did this [and the other shoe] went on. He said to him, "And since you are so wise, until now why did you not come to me? He said to him, "Didn't I [already] tell you?" He said to him, "I also [already] told you." He said to him, "I am leaving and I will send someone else, but ask something that I can give you." He said to him, "Give me Yavneh and her Sages and the line of Rabban Gamliel and a cure to heal Rabbi Tsadok" Rav Yosef - and some say, Rabbi Akiva - would read [this verse to be] about this (Isaiah 44:25), "He turns back the wise and renders their knowledge foolish." He should have said to him, "Leave us this time." And he thought that perhaps that much he would not do, and there would [then] not even be a small salvation.