Commentary for Bava Kamma 233:25

חזא דפרטיה שפוותיה סבר אחוך קמחייך ביה חלש דעתיה ונח נפשיה למחר אמר להו רבי יוחנן לרבנן חזיתו לבבלאה היכי עביד אמרו ליה דרכיה הכי על לגבי מערתא חזא דהוה

He thereupon said to them: 'Where is Resh Lakish?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' MS.M. adds, 'and R. Kahana did not know that it was Resh Lakish (who was repeating the other lecture).' ');">⁴²</span> They said to him: 'Why do you ask?' He replied: 'This point [in the lecture] is difficult and that point is difficult, but this could be given as an answer and that could be given as an answer.' When they mentioned this to Resh Lakish, Resh Lakish went and said to R. Johanan: 'A lion<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Ab. IV, 15, and B.M. 84b. ');">⁴³</span> has come up from Babylon; let the Master therefore look very carefully into tomorrow's lecture.' On the morrow R. Kahana was seated on the first row of disciples before R. Johanan, but as the latter made one statement and the former did not raise any difficulty, another statement, and the former raised no difficulty, R. Kahana was put back through the seven rows until he remained seated upon the very last row. R. Johanan thereupon said to R. Simeon b. Lakish: 'The lion you mentioned turns out to be a [mere] fox.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 699, n. 9. ');">⁴⁴</span> R. Kahana thereupon<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' MS.M.: 'he went out of the college.' ');">⁴⁵</span> whispered [in prayer]: 'May it be the will [of Heaven] that these seven rows be in the place of the seven years mentioned by Rab.' He thereupon immediately stood on his feet<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is missing in MS.M. according to which it was on another day when R. Johanan made new statements that R. Kahana said so. ');">⁴⁶</span> and said to R. Johanan: 'Will the Master please start the lecture again from the beginning.' As soon as the latter made a statement [on a matter of law], R. Kahana pointed out a difficulty, and so also when R. Johanan subsequently made further statements, for which he was placed again on the first row. R. Johanan was sitting upon seven cushions. Whenever he made a statement against which a difficulty was pointed out, one cushion was pulled out from under him, [and so it went on until] all the cushions were pulled out from under him and he remained seated upon the ground. As R. Johanan was then a very old man and his eyelashes were overhanging he said to them, 'Lift up my eyes for me as I want to see him.' So they lifted up his eyelids with silver pincers. He saw that R. Kahana's lips were parted<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A physical defect owing to an accidental wound. ');">⁴⁷</span> and thought that he was laughing at him. He felt aggrieved and in consequence the soul of R. Kahana went to rest.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. B.M. 84a regarding R. Johanan and Resh Lakish. ');">⁴⁸</span> On the next day R. Johanan said to our Rabbis, 'Have you noticed how the Babylonian was making [a laughing-stock of us]?' But they said to him, 'This was his natural appearance.' He thereupon went to the cave [of R. Kahana's grave] and saw

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