Musar for Sanhedrin 47:22
אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל מחלוקת במחול לך אבל באתן לך דברי הכל יכול לחזור בו ורבי יוחנן אמר באתן לך מחלוקת
R. Isaacsaid: 'yizhar' designates the scholars of Palestine, who are affable to eachother when engaged in halachic debates, like olive oil [which is soothing];[whilst] and two olive trees stand by it, symbolise the scholars of Babylon,who are as bitter to each other in halachic discussions as olivetrees.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The wood of which is bitter to the taste. ');"><sup>20</sup></span>
Mesilat Yesharim
And our sages, of blessed memory, said "a sign of arrogance is poverty of Torah" (Sanhedrin 24a). And likewise they said: "a sign of not knowing anything is self-praise" (Zohar Balak 49b); and "one coin in a pitcher cries out 'rattle, rattle'" (Bava Metzia 85b); and "the barren trees were asked: 'why are your voices heard?' they replied: 'would that it were that our voices will be heard and we will be remembered'" (Bereishis Raba 16:3).
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