Gittin 14B

אמר להו לרבי דוסתאי בר רבי ינאי ולרבי יוסי בר כיפר: בהדי דאתיתו, אתיוה ניהלי. אזול, יהביה ניהליה. אמרי להו: נקני מינייכו; אמרי להו: לא. אמרי להו: אהדריה ניהלן.

R' Aḥai said to R' Dostai bar R' Yannai and to R' Yosei bar Keifar: When you come from Neharde’a bring the vessel to me. They went to Neharde’a and the people who were in possession of the vessel gave it to them. After handing over the vessel, those people said to them: Let us perform an act of acquisition with you, so that you will be responsible for the vessel until you reach R' Aḥai. The agents said to them: No; we do not want to do this. They said to them: If so, return the vessel to us, as we do not wish to transfer it in such a manner that we retain responsibility.

רבי דוסתאי ברבי ינאי אמר להו: אין; רבי יוסי בר כיפר אמר להו: לא. הוו קא מצערו ליה, אמר ליה: חזי מר היכי קא עביד! אמר להו: טב רמו ליה.

R' Dostai, son of R' Yannai, said to them: Yes, I am willing to return it. However, R' Yosei bar Keifar said to them: No, as you do not have the right to retract in this situation. They tormented R' Yosei bar Keifar to force him to agree to return the vessel. R' Yosei bar Keifar said to R' Dostai: See, my Master, what they are doing to me. R' Dostai said to them: You are acting well; hit him.

כי אתו לגביה, אמר ליה: חזי מר, לא מיסתייה דלא סייען, אלא אמר להו נמי ״טב רמו ליה״! אמר ליה: אמאי תיעבד הכי?

When these two agents came before R' Aḥai, R' Yosei bar Keifar said to him: See, my Master, not only did R' Dostai not support me; rather, he even said to them: You are acting well; hit him. R' Aḥai said to R' Dostai: Why did you do this?

אמר ליה: אותן בני אדם ⁠– הן אמה, וכובען אמה, ומדברין מחצייהן, ושמותיהן מבוהלין: ׳ארדא׳ ו׳ארטא׳ ו׳פילי בריש׳; אומרין ״כפותו״⁠ – כופתין; אומרין ״הרוגו״⁠ – הורגין; אילו הרגו את דוסתאי, מי נתן לינאי אבא בר כמותי.

R' Dostai said to him: Those people who were in possession of the vessel, they are the size of a cubit, and their hats were a cubit, and they spoke from their midpoints, and their names were frightening: Arda and Arta and Pili Bereish. If one were to say to them: Restrain this person, they would restrain him. If one were to say to them: Kill him, they would kill. Had they killed Dostai, i.e., me, who would give Yannai, my father, another son like me?