Yehuda and Ḥizkiyya, sons of Rabbi Ḥiyya, were sitting at a meal before Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, and they were not saying anything. He said to his servants: "Add more wine for the young men, so that they will say something."
Once they were inebriated, they loosened their tongues and said: "The son of David, i.e., the Messiah, will not come until two fathers’ houses are destroyed from Israel, and they are the head of the exile who is in Babylonia and the Nasi who is in Eretz Yisrael, as it is stated 'and he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel' (Isaiah 8:14)."
He said to them: "My children, do you throw thorns in my eyes?"
Rabbi Ḥiyya said to him: "My teacher, do not view their behavior in a negative light. Wine [yayin] is given in letters of seventy, and secret [sod ] is given in letters of seventy, wine enters, secrets emerge."
רַב הוּנָא מִבֵּי רַב, וְרַב מִבֵּי רַבִּי חִיָּיא, וְרַבִּי חִיָּיא מִבֵּי רַבִּי, כִּי הֲווֹ מִיבַּסְּמִי מַיְיתוּ מִשְׁחָא וּמִילְחָא, וְשָׁיְיפִי לְהוּ לְגַוָּיָיתָא דִּידַיְיהוּ וְגַוָּיָיתָא דְּכַרְעַיְיהוּ, וְאָמְרִי: ״כִּי הֵיכִי דְּצָיֵל הָא מִישְׁחָא לֵיצִיל חַמְרֵיהּ דִּפְלָנְיָא בַּר פְּלָנִיתָא״. וְאִי לָא — מַיְיתֵי שִׁיעָא דְּדַנָּא וְשָׁרֵי לֵיהּ בְּמַיָּא, וְאָמַר: ״כִּי הֵיכִי דְּצָיֵל הַאי שִׁיעָא לֵיצִיל חַמְרֵיהּ דִּפְלָנְיָא בַּר פְּלָנִיתָא״.
Rav Huna, who departed from the house of Rav, and Rav, who departed from the house of Rabbi Ḥiyya, and Rabbi Ḥiyya, who departed from the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, when they were drunk, the rabbi would bring oil and salt and rub them on the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet and say: "Just as this oil is clear, so let the wine of so-and-so, son of so-and-so become clear." And if not, he would bring the sealing clay of a barrel and soak it in water and say: "Just as this sealing clay is clear, so let the wine of so-and-so, son of so-and-so, become clear."
וְאָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָא אָזְלִינַן בְּמַדְבְּרָא, וְאִיתְלַוִּי בַּהֲדַן הַהוּא טַיָּיעָא דַּהֲוָה שָׁקֵיל עַפְרָא וּמוֹרַח לֵיהּ, וְאָמַר: הָא אוֹרְחָא לְדוּכְתָּא פְּלָן, וְהָא אוֹרְחָא לְדוּכְתָּא פְּלָן. אָמְרִינַן לֵיהּ: כַּמָּה מְרַחֲקִינַן מִמַּיָּא? וְאָמַר לַן: הַבוּ לִי עַפְרָא. יָהֲבִינַן לֵיהּ, וְאָמַר לַן: תַּמְנֵי פַּרְסֵי. תָּנֵינַן וְיָהֲבִינַן לֵיהּ, אָמַר לַן דִּמְרַחֲקִינַן תְּלָתָא פַּרְסֵי. אֲפַכִית לֵיהּ, וְלָא יְכֵילִית לֵיהּ. אָמַר לִי: תָּא אַחֲוֵי לָךְ מֵתֵי מִדְבָּר. אֲזַלִי, חֲזִיתִינְהוּ וְדָמוּ כְּמַאן דְּמִיבַּסְּמִי, וְגָנוּ אַפַּרְקִיד. וַהֲוָה זְקִיפָא בִּרְכֵּיהּ דְּחַד מִינַּיְיהוּ, וְעָיֵל טַיָּיעָא תּוּתֵי בִּרְכֵּיהּ כִּי רְכִיב גַּמְלָא, וּזְקִיפָא רוּמְחֵיהּ וְלָא נָגַע בֵּיהּ. פְּסַקִי חֲדָא קַרְנָא דִתְכֵלְתָּא דְּחַד מִינַּיְיהוּ, וְלָא הֲוָה מִסְתַּגִּי לַן. אָמַר לִי: דִּלְמָא שְׁקַלְתְּ מִידֵּי מִינַּיְיהוּ? אַהְדְּרֵיהּ, דִּגְמִירִי דְּמַאן דְּשָׁקֵיל מִידֵּי מִינַּיְיהוּ לָא מִסְתַּגִּי לֵיהּ. אֲזַלִי אַהְדַּרְתֵּיהּ, וַהֲדַר מִסְתַּגִּי לַן.
And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: "Once we were traveling in the desert and we were accompanied by a certain Arab who would take dust and smell it and say: 'This is the road to such and such a place, and that is the road to such and such a place.' We said to him: 'How far are we from water?' And he said to us: 'Bring me dust.' We brought it to him, and he said: 'Eight parasangs.' Later, we said this a second time, and gave him dust, and he said to us that we are at a distance of three parasangs. I switched the type of dust to test him, but I could not confuse him, as he was an expert in this matter. That Arab said to me: 'Come, I will show you the dead of the wilderness.' I went and saw them; and they had the appearance of one who is intoxicated, and they were lying on their backs. And the knee of one of them was elevated, and he was so enormous that the Arab entered under his knee while riding a camel and with his spear upright, and he did not touch him. I cut one corner of the sky-blue garment that contains ritual fringes of one of them, and we were unable to walk. The Arab said to me: 'Perhaps you took something from them? Return it, as we know by tradition that one who takes something from them cannot walk.' I then returned the corner of the garment, and then we were able to walk."
רַבָּה וְרַבִּי זֵירָא עֲבַדוּ סְעוּדַת פּוּרִים בַּהֲדֵי הֲדָדֵי. אִיבַּסּוּם. קָם רַבָּה שַׁחְטֵיהּ לְרַבִּי זֵירָא. לְמָחָר, בָּעֵי רַחֲמֵי וְאַחֲיֵיהּ.
לְשָׁנָה, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: נֵיתֵי מָר וְנַעֲבֵיד סְעוּדַת פּוּרִים בַּהֲדֵי הֲדָדֵי.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לָא בְּכֹל שַׁעְתָּא וְשַׁעְתָּא מִתְרְחִישׁ נִיסָּא.
Rabbah and Rabbi Zeira prepared a Purim feast with each other, and they became intoxicated, Rabba arose and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira. The next day, he asked for mercy, and revived him.
The next year, he said to him: "Let the Master come and let us prepare the Purim feast with each other."
He said to him: "Miracles do not happen all the time."
Rava said: "A person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim until he does not know between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai."