Commentary for Berakhot 70:8
אמר אביי הרבה עשו כרבי ישמעאל ועלתה בידן כר' שמעון בן יוחי ולא עלתה בידן
Abbai said : Many acted in accord with the teaching of R. Ishmael and it proved efficacious ; but he who acted in accord with R. Simeon b. Johai did not find it so.
Keter Shem Tov
From the Baal Shem Tov, everyone needs to act on their own level. This is not the case when one grasps the level of his friend, both don’t last. This what is written “Many (tried) to do like Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and they were not successful” meaning they weren’t at his stature, rather they only did like Rabbi Shimon, for they saw him at this level, thus they were not successful.
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Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
Viz. they combined Torah with work. Cf. Abot ii. 2 ; Singer, p. 187.
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