Study Bava Metzia folio 85A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
ובני בתירה, ויונתן בן שאול. רבן שמעון בן גמליאל – הא דאמרן: בני בתירה, דאמר מר הושיבוהו בראש ומינוהו לנשיא עליהן. יונתן בן שאול, דקאמר ליה לדוד: ״ואתה תמלך על ישראל ואני אהיה לך למשנה״.
the sons of Beteira; and Yonatan, son of Saul. The Talmud discusses each case: The incident revealing the modesty of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel is that which we just said, as he referred to himself modestly as a fox. The sons of Beteira were exceptionally modest, as they served in the position of Nasi and yet abdicated their positions in favor of Hillel when he emigrated from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael. As the Master said: The sons of Beteira, upon recognizing that Hillel was a superior expert in halakha, seated him at the head and appointed him Nasi over them (see Pesaḥim 66a). Yonatan, son of Saul, was extremely modest, as he said to David: “And you should be king over Israel, and I should be second to you” (I Samuel 23:17), despite the fact that his father, Saul, was the current king.
ממאי? דלמא יונתן בן שאול דחזא דגריר עלמא בתר דוד, בני בתירה נמי דחזו להלל דעדיף מינייהו, אלא רבן שמעון בן גמליאל ודאי ענוותן הוה.
The Talmud asks: From where do we know that the aforementioned men were truly modest? Perhaps Yonatan, son of Saul, relinquished his rights to the kingship not due to modesty, but because he saw that the world, i.e., the masses, were drawn after David, and he felt he had no other recourse. With regard to the sons of Beteira also, perhaps they abdicated only because they saw that Hillel was greater than they, as he was able to answer questions that they could not resolve. The Talmud adds: But Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel certainly was a truly modest individual.
אמר רבי, חביבין יסורין. קבל עליה תליסר שני: שית בצמירתא, ושבע (בצפרנא) [בצפדינא], ואמרי לה: שבעה בצמירתא, ושית (בצפרנא).
§ The Talmud returns to the previous incident. When he heard that the greatness of R' Elazar, son of R' Shimon, was due to his suffering, R' Yehuda HaNasi said to himself: Afflictions are evidently precious. He accepted 13 years of afflictions upon himself; 6 years of stones in the kidneys and 7 years of scurvy [bitzfarna]. And some say it was 7 years of stones in the kidneys and 6 years of scurvy.