Il y a quatre middoth (niveaux) chez ceux qui sont assis devant les sages: [(Ci-dessus, [Mishnah 12], le sujet se souvient et oublie; ici, c'est raisonner logique et discriminer ce qui est juste de ce qui ne l'est pas]: une éponge . [Tout comme une éponge absorbe de l'eau boueuse avec de l'eau claire, il y a un disciple dont le cœur est "large" et accepte tout ce qu'il entend, sans le pouvoir de faire la distinction entre le vrai et le faux], un entonnoir, une passoire, et un tamis. Une éponge —il absorbe tout; un entonnoir—il prend à une extrémité et libère à l'autre. [Donc, il y a un disciple qui émet tout ce qu'il absorbe]; une passoire—il libère le vin et retient les lies. [Donc, il y a un disciple qui libère tout ce qu'il a appris dans la maison d'étude et ne retient que des paroles vaines]; et un tamis—il libère la farine et retient le repas. [Une fois que le son et le grain meurtri sont extraits de la farine moulue, et qu'il reste la farine fine avec le repas épais, la partie désirée, il est passé à travers un tamis très fin, de sorte que toute cette farine mince descend, comme un poudre blanche, et il ne reste que le repas épais et désirable. (C'est ainsi que les offrandes de repas ont été préparées.) De même, il y a un disciple qui a la capacité de tamiser ce qu'il a entendu et de distinguer la vérité du faux et du vain.]
Sifrei Devarim
R. Yehudah says: An exemplary Torah scholar is like a sponge, which soaks up everything. One second to him is like a cotton wad which soaks up only what he needs — one who says "What my teacher taught me is enough for me." R. Shimon b. Yochai says: It is written (Proverbs 5:15) "Drink water (i.e., Torah) from borecha": from him (a Torah sage [though not necessarily a great one]) who is with you in your city ("be'ircha," like "borecha"), and afterwards from afar. And thus is it written (Ibid. 31:14) "She ('the woman of valor') was like the merchant's ships, bringing her bread (Torah) from afar." R. Shimon b. Menassia says: Drink water from borecha," from the waters (i.e., Torah) of borecha ("your Creator"); and do not drink "sullied" waters, lest you be drawn after the words of the heretics. R. Akiva says: It is written: "Drink waters from your pit." A pit, in the beginning, is unable to supply a drop of water of its own, containing, as it does, only what is put into it. So, a Torah scholar, in the beginning, has learned and reviewed only what his teacher has taught him. (Ibid.) "and flowing waters from your well": Just as a well flows living waters from all of its sides, so, disciples come and learn from him (the "flowing" Torah scholar). And thus is it written (Ibid. 16) "Your fountains will spread abroad." Words of Torah are compared to water. Just as water is life for the world, so, words of Torah, as it is written (Ibid. 4:22) "For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all of his flesh." And just as water raises a man from his uncleanliness, so, words of Torah raise a man from uncleanliness to cleanliness, as it is written (Psalms 19:10) "The fear of the L-rd is pure." And just as water restores a man's soul, so, words of Torah restore a man's soul from the path of evil to that of good, viz. (Ibid. 8) "The Torah of the L-rd is whole, restoring the soul." And just as water is free for the world, so words of Torah are free for the world, viz. (Isaiah 55:1) "Ho! all who thirst, go to the waters!" — But perhaps, just as water has no value, so Torah has no value; it is, therefore, written (Proverbs 3:15) "It is more precious than pearls, and all of your desires cannot be compared to it."