The Jerusalem Talmud
משנה: מִשֶּׁמֵּת יוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵדָה וְיוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹחָנָן אִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלֵם בָּטְלוּ הָאֶשְׁכּוֹלוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֵין אֶשְׁכּוֹל לֶאֱכּוֹל בִּיכּוּרָה עִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי.
MISHNAH: When Yose ben Yo‘ezer from Ṣereda and Yose ben Joḥanan from Jerusalem died, the grape bunches disappeared, as it was said: “There is no bunch to eat, no early ripe fig that my soul desires.”
הלכה: וְלֹא עָמַד אֶשְׁכּוֹל עַד שֶׁעָמַד רִבִּי עֲקִיבָה. וְכָל הַזּוּגּוֹת לֹא הָיוּ אֶשְׁכּוֹלוֹת. אֶלָּא אֵילּוּ שִׁימְּשׁוּ פַּרְנָסוּת. וְאֵילּוּ לֹא שִׁימְּשׁוּ פַּרְנָסוּת.
HALAKHAH: There did not arise another grape bunch until Rebbi Aqiba rose. Were the other couples not also grape bunches? But these served in a position of leadership; the others did not serve in a position of leadership.
תַּנֵּי. כָּל הַזּוּגוֹת שֶׁעָמְדוּ מִשֶּׁמֵּת מֹשֶׁה וְעַד שֶׁעָמַד יוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵידָה וְיוֹסֵף בֶּן יוֹחָנָן אִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלֵם אֶיפְשַׁר לִיתֵּן בָּהֶן דּוֹפִי. [מִשֶּׁמֵּת יוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵידָה וְיוֹסֵף בֶּן יוֹחָנָן אִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלֵם] עַד שֶעָמַד רִבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בָּבָא אֶיפְשַׁר לִיתֵּן בָּהֶן דּוֹפִי. אָמְרוּ עַל רִבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בָּבָא שֶׁהָיוּ כָל מַעֲשָׂיו לְשׁוּם שָׁמַיִם אֶלָּא שֶׁגִּידֵּל בְּהֵמה דַקָּה. וְכָךְ הָיָה מַעֲשֶׂה. פַּעַם אַחַת חָלָה וְנִכְנְסוּ הָרוֹפְאִים אֶצְלוֹ לְבַקְּרוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ. אֵין לָךְ רְפוּאָה אֶלָּא חָלָב רוֹתֵחַ. שֶׁהָיָה גוֹנֵחַ. מֶה עָשָׂה. לָקַח עֵז וּקְשָׁרָהּ לְכַרְעֵי מִיטָּתוֹ וְהָיָה יוֹנֵק מִמֶּנָּה חָלָב רוֹתֵחַ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיָה גוֹנֵחַ. וּכְשֶׁבִּיקְּשׁוּ חֲכָמִים לְהִיכָּנֵס אֶצְלוֹ אָמְרוּ. הֵיאַךְ אָנוּ יְכוֹלִין לְהִיכָּנֵס וְהַלֵיסְטֵיס עִמּוֹ בַבַּיִת. וּבְשָׁעַת מִיתָתוֹ אָמַר. אֵין בְּיָדִי עָוֹן אֶלָּא זֶה שֶׁעָבַרְתִּי עַל דִּבְרֵי חֲבֵירַיי. וּכְשֶׁמֵּת דִּיקְדְּקוּ חֲכָמִים עַל כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו. וְלֹא מָצְאוּ בְיָדוֹ אֶלָּא עָוֹן אוֹתָהּ הָעֵז בִּלְבָד.
It was stated: It is possible to raise questions about all couples from the time that Moses died until Yose ben Yoezer from Ṣereda and Joseph ben Joḥanan from Jerusalem. It is possible to raise questions about all couples from the time that Yose ben Yoezer from Ṣereda and Joseph ben Joḥanan from Jerusalem died until Rebbi Jehudah ben Baba arose. They said about Rebbi Jehudah ben Baba that all he did was in the name of Heaven except that he raised an animal of the flock. This happened the following way. Once he fell sick and the medical men went to visit him. They told him: there is no healing for you except freshly warm milk, because he had angina pectoris. What did he do? He bought a goat and bound it to the legs of his bed and when he had an attack of angina he sucked from it freshly warm milk. But when the Sages wanted to visit him, they said how could we enter when the robber dwells with him in the house? When he died, he said: I did never sin except that in this case I disregarded the words of my colleagues. After his death they checked all he had done and did not find any sin except that goat alone.
אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן שְׁזוּרִי. שֶׁלְּבֵית אַבָּא הָיוּ בַעֲלֵי בָתִּים בַּגָּלִיל. וְלָמָּה חָרְבוּ. שֶׁהָיוּ דָנִין דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת בְּאֶחָד וּמְגַדְּלִין בְּהֵמָה דַקָּה. וְכָךְ הָיָה. חוֹרֵשׁ אֶחָד הָיָה לָנוּ סָמוּךְ לָעִיר וְהָיְתָה הַשָּׂדֶה בֵּינֵינוּ וּבֵינָהּ. וְהָיְתָה הַצֹּאן נִכְנֶסֶת וְיוֹצְאָה וְהַדֶּרֶךְ עָלֶיהָ.
Rebbi Simeon from Shezur said, my father’s family were landowners in Galilee. Why were they ruined? Because they judged civil matters alone and were raising animals of the flock. And this was so: We had a copse close to the village but a field was between it and us, and the flock entered it going and coming there.