Bava Kamma 117B

הדרא ליה עכנא. אמר ליה: ״עכנא, עכנא, פתח פומיך ויכנס הרב אצל תלמיד״, ולא פתח. ״יכנס חבר אצל חבר״, ולא פתח. ״יכנס תלמיד אצל הרב״, פתח ליה. בעא רחמי ואוקמיה.

encircled by a serpent [akhna], which had placed its tail in its mouth, completely encircling the cave and blocking the entrance. R' Yoḥanan said to it: Serpent, serpent, open your mouth and allow the teacher to enter and be near the disciple, but the serpent did not open its mouth to allow him entry. He then said: Allow a colleague to enter and be near his colleague, but still the serpent did not open its mouth. R' Yoḥanan said: Allow the disciple to enter and be near the teacher, referring to Rav Kahana as his own teacher. The snake then opened its mouth for him to allow him entry. R' Yoḥanan requested divine mercy from God and raised Rav Kahana from the dead.

אמר ליה: ״אי הוה ידענא דדרכיה דמר הכי, לא חלשא דעתי; השתא ליתי מר בהדן״. אמר ליה: ״אי מצית למיבעי רחמי דתו לא שכיבנא ⁠– אזילנא, ואי לא ⁠– לא אזילנא, הואיל וחליף שעתא, חליף״.

R' Yoḥanan said to Rav Kahana: Had I known that this was the Master’s manner of appearance, I would not have been offended. Now let the Master come with me to the study hall. Rav Kahana said to him: If you are able to request divine mercy so that I will not die again, I will go with you, and if not, I will not go with you. The Talmud comments: Since the time decreed for his death had passed, it had passed.

תייריה אוקמיה. שייליה כל ספיקא דהוה ליה, ופשטינהו ניהליה. היינו דאמר רבי יוחנן: ״דילכון אמרי; דילהון היא״.

R' Yoḥanan then completely awakened him and stood him up. after that, he asked him about every uncertainty that he had, and Rav Kahana resolved each of them for him. And this is the background to that which R' Yoḥanan says to his students on several occasions: What I said was yours is in fact theirs, i.e., I thought that the Torah scholars in Eretz Yisrael were the most advanced, but in fact the scholars of Babylonia are the most advanced, as evidenced by Rav Kahana’s knowledge.