Entering the Pardes

My father Abuya was one of the leading Jerusalemites. On the day he came to circumcise me he invited all the leading Jerusalemites and sat them in one room, and Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Joshua in another room.

After they ate and drank they started to clap with their hands and dance. Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Joshua said, while they are occupied in theirs let us be occupied with ours.

They sat occupied with words of the Torah, from the Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Writings. Fire descended from Heaven and surrounded them.

Abuya told them, my teachers! Why do you come to burn down my house?

They told him, Heaven forbid! But we were sitting reviewing the words of the Torah, from the Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Writings, and the words were joyful as at their giving on Sinai.

And wasn't the main giving on Sinai in fire? And the Mountain burns in the fire up to the heart of Heaven.

My father Abuya told them, my teachers! If that is the power of Torah, if this son of mine survives I dedicate him to Torah.

You came forward and stood at the foot of the mountain. The mountain was ablaze with flames to the very skies, dark with densest clouds.

⁽²⁰⁾ Elisha ben Abuyah said:

He who learns when a child, to what is he compared? To ink written upon a new writing sheet.

And he who learns when an old man, to what is he compared? To ink written on a rubbed writing sheet.

"On new parchment": [upon which the writing] lasts. So [too], the memorized teaching of youth is not forgotten.

Rabbi Akiva was the shepherd of ben Kalba Savua, one of the wealthy residents of Jerusalem.

The daughter of Ben Kalba Savua saw that he was humble and refined. She said to him: If I betroth myself to you, will you go to the study hall to learn Torah?

He said to her: Yes.

She became betrothed to him privately and sent him off to study.

Her father heard this and became angry. He removed her from his house and took a vow prohibiting her from benefiting from his property.

Rabbi Akiva went and sat for twelve years in the study hall. When he came back to his house he brought twelve thousand students with him.

Four entered the Pardes:

Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Aher, and Rabbi Akiva.

One gazed and died. One gazed and was afflicted. One gazed and cut down the saplings. One went up in peace and went down in peace.

Ben Azzai gazed and died. Scripture says about him: "Precious in the eyes of Adonai is the death of His faithful ones ^{(Psalms 116:15)}." Ben Zoma gazed and was afflicted. Scripture says about him: "If you find honey, eat only what you need, lest, gorging yourself, you throw it up. ^{(Prov. 25:16)}."

Elisha gazed and cut down the saplings. Scripture says about him : "Don't let your mouth bring your flesh into sin ^{(Ecclesiastes 5:5)}."

Rabbi Akiva went up in peace and went down in peace. Scripture says about him: "Draw me after you, let us run! The king has brought me to his chambers (Song of Songs 1:4)."

There is no mtizvah in the Torah which gives a greater rewards in which "the resurrection of the dead" is more dependent than on honoring one's father and mothers. as it is written in deuteronomy, "your days will be lengthened and forever they will be made good {if you honor your parents}."...thus if you father says to a boy, go and climb this tree and send the mother away and collect the eggs, and the boy does it, and then falls and dies as he is coming down, how is it that his days have been lengthened? How is it that they have been made good? Rather, it is to extend your days in a world where everything is extended and to make your days good in a word where all is good {i.e. a world to come}