Talmud sur Avot 2:11
רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, עַיִן הָרָע, וְיֵצֶר הָרָע, וְשִׂנְאַת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, מוֹצִיאִין אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעוֹלָם:
R. Yehoshua dit: Un mauvais œil, [c'est-à-dire ne pas se contenter de ce que l'on a et poursuivre d'autres choses. D'autres le lisent: "le mauvais œil"—jeter le mauvais œil sur la richesse de son ami ou sur ses enfants et lui faire du mal], et le mauvais penchant et la haine [vaine] des hommes. [Rambam explique: rejeter la compagnie des hommes et aimer s'asseoir seul. J'ai entendu (dans l'interprétation): haïr les hommes et amener tous les hommes à le haïr] faire sortir un homme du monde.
Avot D'Rabbi Natan
Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi would praise the virtues of these sages: Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri, and Rabbi Yosei HaGalili.
He called Rabbi Tarfon: a pile of stones. (And some say, a pile of nuts.) For when someone pulls one of them out, they all fall down and crash in on each other. So it was with Rabbi Tarfon. When a student would come before him and say: Teach me something, Rabbi Tarfon would cite Scripture, Mishnah, Midrash, Halakhot, and Aggadot. And the student would leave feeling full of goodness and blessing.
He called Rabbi Akiva: a sealed vault. For Rabbi Akiva was like a worker who took his basket and went out to gather. When he found wheat, he put it in his basket. When he found barley, he put it in his basket. When he found spelt, he put it in his basket. When he found beans, he put them in his basket. When he found lentils, he put them in his basket. Then when he came back home, he would separate the wheat into one pile, the barley into one pile, the spelt into one pile, the beans into one pile, and the lentils into one pile. So it was with Rabbi Akiva. He organized the whole Torah into identifiable categories.
He called Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah: a spice-peddlars’ basket. For Rabbi Elazar was like a merchant who took his cart and traveled around the country, and everyone would come out and say to him: Do you have fine oil? Do you have herbal ointments? Do you have persimmons? And they would find that he had everything. So it was with Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah. When a student would come to him and ask a question, Rabbi Elazar would tell him something from Scripture, something from Mishnah, something from Midrash, something from the law, and something from the legends. And the student would leave feeling full of goodness and blessing.
He called Rabbi Tarfon: a pile of stones. (And some say, a pile of nuts.) For when someone pulls one of them out, they all fall down and crash in on each other. So it was with Rabbi Tarfon. When a student would come before him and say: Teach me something, Rabbi Tarfon would cite Scripture, Mishnah, Midrash, Halakhot, and Aggadot. And the student would leave feeling full of goodness and blessing.
He called Rabbi Akiva: a sealed vault. For Rabbi Akiva was like a worker who took his basket and went out to gather. When he found wheat, he put it in his basket. When he found barley, he put it in his basket. When he found spelt, he put it in his basket. When he found beans, he put them in his basket. When he found lentils, he put them in his basket. Then when he came back home, he would separate the wheat into one pile, the barley into one pile, the spelt into one pile, the beans into one pile, and the lentils into one pile. So it was with Rabbi Akiva. He organized the whole Torah into identifiable categories.
He called Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah: a spice-peddlars’ basket. For Rabbi Elazar was like a merchant who took his cart and traveled around the country, and everyone would come out and say to him: Do you have fine oil? Do you have herbal ointments? Do you have persimmons? And they would find that he had everything. So it was with Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah. When a student would come to him and ask a question, Rabbi Elazar would tell him something from Scripture, something from Mishnah, something from Midrash, something from the law, and something from the legends. And the student would leave feeling full of goodness and blessing.
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