Daf 103b (דַּף ק״ג ע״ב)

He opened as before and said (פָּתַח כְּמִלְּקַדְמִין וְאָמַר): “There is a vanity which is done upon the earth…” (יֵשׁ הֶבֶל אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל הָאָרֶץ וְגוֹ׳) (Ecclesiastes 8:14). Come and see, we heard that there was an incident with a certain man, one of those with measures, who was going on the road (תָּא חֲזִי שְׁמַענָא דְעוּבְדָא הֲוָה בְּחַד בַּר נַשׁ מֵאִינוּן בַּעֲלֵי קַבִּין, דַּהֲוָה אָזִיל בְּאָרְחָא). He encountered two sages, masters of the generation, masters of the wisdom of Orayta (אַעִִרַע בִּתְּרֵין חַכִּימִין מָארֵי דְּדָרָא מָארֵי דְחָכְמָתָא דְאוֹרַיְיתָא). He said to them: Peace be upon you, Rabbis (אָמַר לוֹן שְׁלָמָא עֲלַיְיכוּ רַבָּנָן). I heard about you that you are the sages of the generation (שְׁמַעִִנָא עֲלַיְיכוּ דְאַתּוּן חַכִּימֵי דָרָא).

Where are you going (לְאָן אֲתַר אֲזֵילְתּוּן)? They said to him: To such-and-such a place, and it was the eve of Shabbat (אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ לְדוּךְ פְּלַן וְעִִרֶב שַׁבָּת הֲוָה). He said to them: I will go there and prepare for you a place in your dwelling, if you wish (אָמַר לוֹן אֲנָא אֲזֵילְנָא תַמָּן [אֵיזִיל] וְאַתְקֵין לְכוּ אֲתַר בֵּי מוֹתְבַיְכוּ, אִי אַתּוּן בְּעִיתוּן). They said to him: But we are on horses, and you are without legs; how is this possible (אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ וְהָא אֲנַן בְּסוּסְוָון וְאַנְתְּ בְּלָא רַגְלִין, אֵיךְ יִתָּכֵן לְמֶהֱוֵי הַאי)? He said to them: Even though you are riding swift beasts, and I am a cripple without legs, if you wish, I will precede you to prepare for you the Shabbat (אָמַר לוֹן אַף עַל גַּב דְּאַתּוּן רְכִיבִין בִּבְעִירֵי דִרְהִיטֵי סַגִּי, וַאֲנָא חִגֵּר בְּלָא רַגְלִין, אִי אַתּוּן בְּעִיתוּ אֲנָא אֲקַדֵּם לְתַקָּנָא לְכוּ שַׁבַּתָּא). They marveled (תְּוָוהוּ). Meanwhile they turned their heads back to him, and they saw that he was running like a streak of a star (אַדְהָכִי אַחְזַרוּ רֵישַׁיְיהוּ לְגַבֵּיהּ וְחָמוּ לֵיהּ דַּהֲוָה רְהִיט כְּשַׁרְבִיטָא דְכֹכָבָא). He performed a leap for them, and they found themselves at the entrance of a cave in the blink of an eye (עָבַד לוֹן קְפִיצָה וְאַשְׁכְּחוּ גַרְמַיְיהוּ לְפוּם מְעַרְתָּא כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן). Some say: He said to them, “The Name of forty-two letters; it leaps them five hundred parasangs in a single moment; they found themselves…” (ס״א, אָמַר לוֹן שְׁמָא דְּמ״ב אַתְוָון, דַּלִיג לוֹן חֲמֵשׁ מֵאָה פַּרְסֵי בְּרֶגַע חֲדָא, אַשְׁכְּחוּ וְגוֹ׳).

The Rabbis said to him: Enter (אָמַר לוֹן רַבָּנָן עוּלוּ). They entered after him, cave within cave, until they entered a certain Pardes (עָאלוּ אַבַּתְרֵיהּ מְעַרְתָּא גוֹ מְעַרְתָּא, עַד דְּעָאלוּ לְחַד פַּרְדֵּסָא). And there was there that master of measures, expanding out of that body (וַהֲוָה תַּמָּן הַהוּא בַּעַל קַבִּין מִתְפַּשֵּׁט מֵהַהוּא גוּפָא), and he was clothed in another body whose face was shining like the sun (וַהֲוָה מִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּגוּפָא אָחֳרָא דְּאַנְפּוֹי הֲווֹ נַהֲרִין כְּשִׁמְשָׁא). And he was sitting upon the throne of kingship (וַהֲוָה יָתִיב עַל כָּרְסַיָּיא דְמַלְכוּתָא), and three hundred students under the throne at his feet (וּתְלַת מְאָה תַלְמִידוֹי תְּחוֹת כָּרְסַיָּיא לְרַגְלוֹי). And they were reading: “Vanity of vanities, said Kohelet” (וַהֲווֹ קָרָאן הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים אָמַר קֹהֶלֶת) (Ecclesiastes 1:2). And they were reading this verse countless times (וַהֲווֹ קָרָאן הַאי קְרָא זִמְנִין בְּלָא חוּשְׁבָּנָא). The sages, masters of the generation, said to him (אָמְרוּ לוֹן אִינוּן חַכִּימִין מָארֵי דְּדָרָא): What is this? Is there not another verse in the book of Kohelet (מַאי הַאי, וְכִי לֵית קְרָא אָחֳרָא בְּסֵפֶר קֹהֶלֶת)? Immediately that master of measures who was sitting upon the throne arose and took them by their hands (מִיָּד קָם הַהוּא מָארֵי קַבִּין דַּהֲוָה יָתִיב עַל כָּרְסַיָּיא, וַאֲחִיד בִּידֵיהוֹן), and brought them into seven palaces (וְאַעִיל לוֹן לְשִׁבְעָה הֵיכָלִין). And in every palace it was written: “Vanity of vanities” (וּבְכָל הֵיכָלָא וְהֵיכָלָא הֲוָה כְּתִיב הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים). And in the seventh palace there was a dove and a crown in her mouth (וּבְהֵיכָלָא שְׁבִיעָאָה הֲוָה נִשְׁרָא וַעֲטָרָה בְּפוּמָהָא), and the likeness of a dove in that crown (וּדְמוּת יוֹנָה בְּהַהִיא עֲטָרָה). And it was written in the crown: Whoever does not know these vanities and their mystery, upon him it is said: “And the stranger that draws near shall be put to death” (וַהֲוָה כְּתִיב בַּעֲטָרָה כָּל מָאן דְּלָא יָדַע בְּאִלֵּין הֲבָלִים וּבְרָזָא דִלְהוֹן, עֲלֵיהּ אִתְּמַר וְהַזָּר הַקָּרֵב יוּמָת) (Numbers 1:51). Immediately they turned back (מִיָּד אִתְחַזְרוּ אִינוּן לַאֲחוֹרָא).

That master of measures said to them (אָמַר לוֹן הַהוּא בַּעַל קַבִּין): You are the sages, masters of the generation, that I went after you until now to know your wisdom? Surely you are not sages (אַתּוּן חַכִּימִין מָארֵי דְּדָרָא, דַאֲזָלִית אַבַּתְרַיְיכוּ עַד כְּעַן לְמִנְדַּע יָת חָכְמָתַיְיכוּ, וּבְוַדַּאי לַאו אַתּוּן חַכִּימִין). For surely with this verse I constructed this entire structure (דְּוַדַּאי בְּהַאי קְרָא עֲבִידְנָא כָּל בִּנְיָנָא דָא). And with it I would fly over the world in one flight (וּבֵיהּ הֲוִינָא טָס עָלְמָא בְטִיסָה חֲדָא). And at one time in two, and at one time in three, and at one time in four, and at one time in five, and at one time in six, and at one time in seven (וּבְזִמְנָא בִתְּרֵין, וּבְזִמְנָא בִתְּלַת, וּבְזִמְנָא בְאַרְבַּע, וּבְזִמְנָא בְחַמְשָׁא, וּבְזִמְנָא בְשִׁית, וּבְזִמְנָא בְשֶׁבַע). And we on this earth are all masters of measures (וַאֲנַן בְּהַאי אַרְעָא כֻלְּהוּ אַזְלֵינַן בַּעֲלֵי קַבִּין). And this verse I inherited from my father, and my father from his father, until the entire generation (וְהַאי קְרָא יְרִיתְנָא מֵאַבָּא, וְאַבָּא מֵאֲבוֹי, עַד דָּרָא כֻלְּהוּ). He gave them great wealth and set them in their places in the blink of an eye (יְהַב לוֹן מָמוֹנָא סַגִּיא וְשַׁוִּי לוֹן בְּאַתְרַיְיהוּ כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן).