Rosh Hashanah 23B

זו בירם.

This is the town called Biram.

מאי גולה? אמר רב יוסף: זו פומבדיתא. מאי כמדורת האש? תנא: כל אחד ואחד נוטל אבוקה בידו ועולה לראש גגו.

§ The Mishnah taught: He would wave the torch back and forth and up and down, until he would see the entire Diaspora before him alight like one large bonfire. The Talmud asks: What is the meaning in this context of the term Diaspora, which certainly cannot be referring to the entire Diaspora across the world? Rav Yosef said: This is referring to the city of Pumbedita in Babylonia. The Talmud further asks. What is the meaning of the phrase: Like one large bonfire? It is taught in a baraita: Each and every individual would take a torch in his hand and ascend to the top of his roof and light it. In this manner, the entire city would present the appearance of a large bonfire.

תניא, רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר: אף חרים וכייר וגדר וחברותיה. איכא דאמרי: ביני וביני הוו קיימי. איכא דאמרי: להך גיסא דארץ ישראל הוו קיימי. מר חשיב דהאי גיסא, ומר חשיב דהאי גיסא.

It is taught in a baraita that R' Shimon ben Elazar says: Torches were also lit at Ḥarim, and Kayar and Geder, and its neighboring places. There are those who say that the places added by R' Shimon ben Elazar are located between the places mentioned in the Mishnah, whereas there are those who say that they are located on the other side of Eretz Yisrael, on the side nearer Babylonia. The Sage in the Mishnah enumerates the places found on one side of Eretz Yisrael, whereas the Sage in the baraita enumerates the places found on the other side.

אמר רבי יוחנן: בין כל אחת ואחת שמונה פרסאות. כמה הוו להו? תלתין ותרתין, והא האידנא טובא הוו! אמר אביי: אסתתומי אסתתום להו דרכי.

R' Yoḥanan said: Between each and every one of the stations there was a distance of 8 parasangs. The Talmud asks: How many parasangs are these in total? 32 parasangs. The Talmud further asks: Isn’t the distance from the Mount of Olives to Beit Baltin now much greater than 32 parasangs? Abaye said: The direct routes have become blocked, and therefore people nowadays must use indirect routes, making the journey much longer.