רב יוסף בריה דרבא שדריה אבוהי לבי רב לקמיה דרב יוסף פסקו ליה שית שני כי הוה תלת שני מטא מעלי יומא דכפורי אמר איזיל ואיחזינהו לאינשי ביתי שמע אבוהי שקל מנא ונפק לאפיה אמר ליה זונתך נזכרת איכא דאמרי אמר ליה יונתך נזכרת איטרוד לא מר איפסיק ולא מר איפסיק:
Joseph the son of Rava [was] sent [by] his father to the academy under R. Joseph. They arranged for him [to stay there for] six years. After three years the day of Yom Kippur approached. 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. He said to him, “You have remembered your whore.” There are those who say: He said to him, “You have remembered your dove!” They quarreled and neither the one nor the other ate of the last meal before the fast.
Orchot Tzadikim
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.
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