Berakhot 032

A student once approached Rabbi Yehoshu'a and asked him whether the Evening Amidah was voluntary or compulsory; he responded that it was voluntary. He then approached Rabban Gamli'el and asked him whether the Evening Amidah was voluntary or compulsory; he responded that it was compulsory. He then retorted that Rabbi Yehoshu'a had told him that it was voluntary! [Rabban Gamli'el] said, "Wait until the sages convene in the Bet Midrash!" When the sages had convened the questioner arose and asked, "Is the Evening Amidah voluntary or compulsory?" Rabban Gamli'el responded, "Compulsory!" Rabban Gamli'el then addressed the sages: "Is there anyone who disputes this matter?" Rabbi Yehoshu'a replied, "No one." [Rabban Gamli'el] then said, "But it is you who is reported to have said that it is voluntary!" He then said, "Yehoshu'a, stand up so that evidence may be offered against you." Rabbi Yehoshu'a stood up and said, "If I were alive and he [my accuser] dead, the living could contradict the dead; since both of us are alive how can the living contradict the living?" Rabban Gamli'el sat down and continued with his lecture leaving Rabbi Yehoshu'a still standing, until all the people shouted at Ĥutzpit the Spokesman, "Stop!" And he did.

They said, "How much further will he cause him distress? Last Rosh ha-Shanah he distressed him; with the firstlings in the matter of Rabbi Zadok he distressed him; now also he is distressing him. Let's remove him."

"Who shall replace him?" – "It can't be Rabbi Yehoshu'a since he is an interested party; it can't be Rabbi Akiva since [Rabban Gamli'el] might get back at him since he has no worthy ancestry. Let's replace him with Rabbi El'azar ben-Azaryah, who is knowledgeable, rich and tenth generation from Ezra. If he is questioned his knowledge will permit him to respond properly; if he has to intercede at the Imperial court he has the money for the trip [to Italy]; and he can't be 'got at' because he is a tenth generation descendent from Ezra."

They approached him and said, "Would the master be so pleased as to become the head of the Yeshivah?" He replied, "I will take the advice of my family." He consulted with his wife, who told him, "Tomorrow they will probably replace you!" He replied, "Let a man use an expensive goblet for one day even if it be smashed on the morrow." She said, "You have no white hairs." That day he was eighteen years old and a miracle occurred and he sprouted eighteen layers of white hair. This is what Rabbi El'azar ben-Azaryah was referring to when he said "I am like a seventy-year old" – [I am like] and not 'I am seventy years old'.

That day they dismissed the doorkeeper and the students were given permission to enter; for Rabban Gamli'el would declaim that only a student who was indeed what he appeared to be could enter the Bet Midrash. That day several benches were added. (Rabbi Yoĥanan says that there is a disagreement between Abba Yosef ben-Dostai and the sages: one says four hundred benches were added, the other says seven hundred.) Rabban Gamli'el was unhappy, and he said, "Have I, God forbid, prevented Jews from learning Torah?" (He was shown in a dream [that they were like] white jars full of dirt. But this is not the case: he was shown them just to cheer him up.)

Tractate Eduyot was finalized that day. Wherever the phrase that day is used it refers to this day [under discussion]. No halakhah that was pending in the Bet Midrash was left unresolved. Rabban Gamli'el himself did not absent himself from the Bet Midrash even for one hour; for we learn in a Mishnah that on that day Yehudah, an Ammonite proselyte, presented himself in the Bet Midrash and asked whether he could marry into the Jewish people. "You may," responded Rabbi Yehoshu'a; "You may not," responded Rabban Gamli'el. Rabban Gamli'el objected, "But does it not [expressly] say 'An Ammonite and a Moabite may not marry into Israel' [Deuteronomy 23:4]?" Rabbi Yehoshu'a retorted, "And are the Ammon and Moab [of today] the originals? Sennacherib King of Assyria mixed up all the nations" … Immediately they permitted him to marry into Israel.

Rabban Gamli'el said, "If this is the way things stand I'd better go and patch things up with Rabbi Yehoshu'a." When he reached his house he saw that the walls were black [with soot]. He said, "The walls of your home declare that you work with coal [a very lowly way to earn a living]." [Rabbi Yehoshu'a] said, "Woe to the generation that has you for a leader, for you do not know with what difficulty the scholars earn a living and feed [their families]!" [Rabban Gamli'el] said, "I have abased myself for your sake: forgive me." He paid him no attention. "Then do it for the sake of my ancestor [Hillel]." He made his peace with him.

[Bystanders] said, "Who will go and tell the sages?" A laundry man volunteered to go. Rabbi Yehoshu'a sent the following message to the Bet Midrash: "Let him who wore the robe wear it [again], and let not he who never wore the robe say to him who did, 'Send me your robe that I may wear it'." Rabbi Akiva said to the sages, "Bolt the doors so that the servants of Rabban Gamli'el do not come and disturb the sages!" Rabbi Yehoshu'a said, "It would be better if I go to them myself." He came and banged on the door and said, "Let the second generation sprinkler sprinkle, and let not he who is neither a sprinkler nor the son of a sprinkler say to a second generation sprinkler, 'Your waters are from a cistern and your dust just ordinary dust!'" Rabbi Akiva said to him, "Rabbi Yehoshu'a, have you then patched things up? All we did was only for the sake of your honour! Tomorrow you and I will visit him early."

They said, "What shall we do [about Rabbi El'azar ben-Azaryah]? We cannot remove him for we have learned that we must progress in sacred things, not regress. If we let each preside for one week [in each month] they will compete with each other. So let Rabban Gamli'el preside for three weeks and Rabbi El'azar ben-Azaryah for one… The student [who asked the original question] was Rabbi Shim'on ben-Yoĥai.