众贤论 拉比以利以谢 的老师 拉班约哈难·本·撒该 说:他一生的日子里,从未有说过闲话;他走四肘的路,从未有不研读妥拉、不戴经文护符匣的;从未有人比他先进学堂;他也从未有在学堂里睡过,无论是熟睡还是片刻小睡;他也从未有在满是人粪的污秽巷子里默想妥拉之事,因为那样做是轻慢妥拉的表现;他也从未有留下任何人在学堂里、而自己出去;也从未有人看见他坐着默然不语,就是闲着;而是他总是坐着研读;而且只有他亲自为他的学生开门,不顾他自己崇高的地位;他也从未有说过任何他没有从他老师那里听过的话;他也从未有对他的学生说「起来离开学堂的时候到了」,只除了在逾越节前夕,那时他们有义务献逾越节的羊羔,与赎罪日前夕,那时有多吃多喝的诫命。
The Sages said about Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai, the teacher of Rabbi Eliezer: In all his days he never engaged in idle conversation; and he never walked four cubits without engaging in Torah study and without donning phylacteries; and no person ever preceded him into the study hall; and he never slept in the study hall, neither substantial sleep nor a brief nap; and he never contemplated matters of Torah in alleyways filthy with human excrement, as doing so is a display of contempt for the Torah; and he never left anyone in the study hall and exited; and no person ever found him sitting and silent, i.e., inactive; rather, he was always sitting and studying; and only he opened the door for his students, disregarding his own eminent standing; and he never said anything that he did not hear from his teacher; and he never said to his students that the time has arrived to arise and leave the study hall except on Passover eves, when they were obligated to sacrifice the Paschal lamb, and Yom Kippur eves, when there is a mitzva to eat and drink abundantly.