Talmud for Pirkei Avot 2:8

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:

R. Yochanan ben Zakkai received it from Hillel and from Shammai. He was wont to say: If you have learned much Torah, do not take credit for it, [to say: "I have learned much Torah." For you were created for this. (It is because he left neither Scripture, Mishnah, halachah, and aggadah which he did not learn, that he said this.)] R. Yochanan ben Zakkai had five disciples: R. Eliezer ben Hurkanos, R. Yehoshua ben Chananiah, R. Yossi Hakohen, R. Shimon ben Nethanel, and R. Elazar ben Arach. He was wont to cite their (respective) distinctions: R. Eliezer ben Hurkanos — a lime-coated pit, that does not lose a drop. [So, he too does not lose one item of his learning]. R. Yehoshua — [He was so replete in good middoth that all said about him: "Happy is she who bore him!" (Others say: They said this because it was she who caused him to be a sage. She would make the rounds of all the houses of study in her city and say to them (the disciples): "Please, pray for this fetus in my stomach, that he be a sage!" And from the day that he was born, she did not remove his crib from the house of study, so that only words of Torah enter his ears.] R. Yossi — chasid, [acting above and beyond the letter of the law.] R. Shimon ben Nethanel — a fearer of sin, [stringent with himself and forbidding to himself permitted things out of fear that he might come to sin. For if not so, what is special about this? Even an ignoramus can be a fearer of sin.] R. Elazar ben Arach — a resurgent well, [of broad heart, "welling up" dialectic and conjecture of his own.] He (R. Yochanan ben Zakkai) was wont to say: If all the sages of Israel were in one balance of the scale and Eliezer ben Hurkanos in the other, he would outweigh them all. Abba Shaul says in his (R. Yochanan b. Zakkai's) name: If all the sages of Israel were in one balance of the scale and R. Eliezer ben Hurkanos also with them, and R. Elazar (ben Arach) in the other, he would outweigh them all. [I have found it written that Abba Shaul does not disagree with the first tanna and that both things were said by R. Yochanan ben Zakkai and both are true. In comprehensive knowledge and memory, R. Eliezer (ben Hurkanos) outweighed them all, and in sharpness and dialectic R. Elazar ben Arach outweighed them all.]

Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah

³²Babli 14b; Tosephta 2:1. It happened that Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai was on the road, riding on a donkey, and Rebbi Eleazar ben Arakh was walking behind him. He said to him, my teacher, instruct me in a Chapter about the Work of the Chariot. He told him, did the Sagen not state, “nor the Chariot²The details of the Divine Throne as described in the first Chapter of Ezechiel. unless he was wise and understood by himself.” He said to him, my teacher, permit me to say it before you. He told him, say. When Rebbi Eleazar ben Arakh started about the Work of the Chariot, Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai descended from the donkey. He said, it is not appropriate that I should hear about the glory of my Creator riding on a donkey. They went and sat under a tree, when fire descended from Heaven and surrounded them, and the angels of Service were dancing before them like wedding guests happy with the bridegroom. An angel addressed from inside the fire and said, the Work of the Chariot is as you said, Eleazar ben Arakh. Then all trees (around them) [opened their mouths] and sang; then all trees of the forest will sing³³Ps. 96:12.. When Rebbi Eleazar ben Arakh finished with the Work of the Chariot, Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai rose, kissed him on his head, and said: Praised be the Eternal, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who gave a wise son to our father Abraham who knows to speak of the Glory of our Father in Heaven. They are good speakers who do not act well, those who act well but are no good speakers. Eleazar ben Arakh speaks well and acts well. Hail to you, our father Abraham, that Eleazar ben Arakh came from your loins. When Rebbi Yosef Hakohen and Rebbi Simeon ben Nethanael³⁴Cf. Mishnah Avot 2:8. heard, they also started with the Work of the Chariot. They said, it was one day after the summer solstice; the earth trembled and the Arc appeared in the cloud. An unembodied voice came and said to them, the place is free and the triclinium prepared for you. You and your students are invited to the third group. This parallels him who said, seven enjoyments are before Your presence³⁵Ps. 16:11., there are seven groups of just people in the Future World³⁶Who are worthy to see God’s glory, Lev. rabba 30(2)..

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