Musar for Ketubot 125:13

From this one sees how much importance they attached to their fixed time of study. And they said : R. Joseph the son of Raba was sent by his father to the academy under R. Joseph, and they arranged for him to stay there for six years. Having been there three years and the eve of the Day of Atonement approaching, he said, "I would go and see my family." When his father heard of his premature arrival he took up a weapon and went out to meet him. "You have remembered," he said to him, "your mate!" Another version : He said to him, "You have remembered your dove!" They got involved in a quarrel and neither the one nor the other ate of the last meal before the fast (Kethuboth 63a). See and understand from this incident how devoted they were to the Torah; therefore they merited to have the Divine Spirit within them.