Kiddushin 72B

היום יושב בחיקו של אברהם. היום נולד רב יהודה בבבל.

Today he is sitting in the lap of Abraham our forefather, since he has just been circumcised. He added: Today Rav Yehuda was born in Babylonia.

דאמר מר: כשמת רבי עקיבא נולד רבי. כשמת רבי נולד רב יהודה. כשמת רב יהודה נולד רבא. כשמת רבא נולד רב אשי. ללמדך שאין צדיק נפטר מן העולם עד שנברא צדיק כמותו, שנאמר: ״וזרח השמש ובא השמש״. עד שלא כבתה שמשו של עלי זרחה שמשו של שמואל הרמתי, שנאמר: ״ונר אלהים טרם יכבה ושמואל שוכב וגו׳״.

The Talmud comments: As the Master said: While R' Akiva was dying, R' Yehuda HaNasi was born; while R' Yehuda HaNasi was dying, Rav Yehuda was born; while Rav Yehuda was dying, Rava was born; while Rava was dying, Rav Ashi was born. This teaches you that a righteous person does not leave the world before an equally righteous person is created, as it is stated: “The sun also rises and the sun also sets” (Ecclesiastes 1:5). The same applies to earlier generations: Before Eli’s sun had gone out, Samuel the Ramathite’s sun was already rising, as it is stated: “And the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying in the Temple of YHWH” (I Samuel 3:3), which teaches that Samuel was already prophesying in the days of Eli.

״צוה ה׳ ליעקב סביביו צריו״. רב יהודה אמר: כגון הומניא לפום נהרא.

The Talmud stated above that Homanya is an Ammonite city. The verse states: “YHWH has commanded concerning Jacob, that they that are round about him should be his adversaries” (Lamentations 1:17), indicating that the Jewish people are surrounded by enemies even in its exile. Rav Yehuda says: Homanya is close to Pum Nahara, which had Jewish residents.

״ויהי כהנבאי ופלטיהו בן בניה מת ואפל על פני ואזעק קול גדול ואמר אהה אדני ה׳״, רב ושמואל: חד אמר: לטובה, וחד אמר: לרעה. מאן דאמר לטובה ⁠– כי הא דאיסתנדרא דמישן חתניה דנבוכדנצר הוה, שלח ליה: מכולי האי שבייה דאייתית לך ⁠– לא שדרת לן דקאי לקמן?

The verse states: “And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said: Ah YHWH God!” (Ezekiel 11:13). Rav and Shmuel disagreed with regard to the meaning of this verse. One said it should be interpreted for good, and one said it should be interpreted for evil. How so? The one who says that it should be interpreted for good claims it is like that story involving the governor [de’istandera] of the province of Meishan, who was the son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar. He sent a message to his father-in-law: From all those captives you have brought for yourself from your wars you have not sent us anyone to stand before us.