גַּם מִגָּבֹהַּ יִרָאוּ, הָדֵין סָבָא כַּד צָוְוחִין לֵיהּ לְאַלְתָּר [מזמנין לסעודה], הוּא אָמַר לְהוֹן אִית תַּמָּן מְסוּרְיָין, אִית תַּמָּן מַסְּקִין, אִית תַּמָּן מַחֲתוֹתְיָין. וְחַתְחַתִּים בַּדֶּרֶךְ, רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא וְרַבִּי לֵוִי, חַד אָמַר חִיתִיתֵיהּ שֶׁל דֶּרֶךְ נָפְלָה עָלָיו, אִיזֵיל אוֹ לָא אִיזֵיל, אָמַר לָא אֵיזֵיל. וְחוֹרָנָא אֲמַר [הוא רבי לוי] הִתְחִיל מַתְוֶה תְּוָאִים בַּדֶרֶךְ, אָמַר עַד שׁוּק פְּלַן עַד אֲתַר פְּלַן אִית בֵּיהּ מְהַלֵּךְ, וְעַד אֲתַר פְּלַן לֵית בֵּיהּ חֵילָא לְהַלֵּךְ. וְיָנֵאץ הַשָּׁקֵד, רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר זֶה לוּז שֶׁל שִׁדְרָה. אַדְרִיָּאנוּס שְׁחִיק עֲצָמוֹת מְחִיק שְׁמֵיהּ, שָׁאֵיל אֶת רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן חֲנַנְיָה אָמַר לֵיהּ מֵהֵיכָן אָדָם מֵנִיץ לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ מִלּוּז שֶׁל שִׁדְרָה. אָמַר לוֹ הַרְאֵנִי, מֶה עָשָׂה הֵבִיא לוּז אֶחָד שֶׁל שִׁדְרָה נְתָנוֹ בְּמַיִם וְלֹא נִמְחָה, בְּאוּר וְלֹא נִשְׂרַף, בְּרֵיחַיִם וְלֹא נִטְחַן. נְתָנוֹ עַל הַסַּדָּן וְהִכָּה עָלָיו בְּפַטִּישׁ, נֶחְלַק הַסַּדָּן וְנִבְקַע הַפַּטִּישׁ, וְלֹא הוֹעִיל כְּלוּם. וְיִסְתַּבֵּל הֶחָגָב, אֵלּוּ קַרְסוּלָיו. וְתָפֵר הָאֲבִיּוֹנָה, זֶה הַתַּאֲוָה הַמַּטֶּלֶת שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, שֶׁהִיא בְּטֵלָה. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן חֲלַפְתָּא הֲוָה יְלִיף סָלֵיק לְגַב רַבֵּינוּ, כַּד סִיב לָא הֲוָה יָכִיל, חַד זְמַן סְלֵיק, אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבֵּינוּ מַה זְּכֵינַן לְמֶיחֱמֵי סְבַר אַפּוֹי דְּרַבִּי יוֹמָא הָדֵין, אָמַר לוֹ רְחוֹקוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ קְרוֹבוֹת, וּקְרוֹבוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ רְחוֹקוֹת, שְׁתַּיִם נַעֲשׂוּ שָׁלשׁ, וּמַטִּיל שָׁלוֹם בָּטֵל [פרושא: רחוקות נעשו קרובות, אלו העינים דהוון חמיאין מן רחיק, כדון אפלו מן קריב לא חמיאן. וקרובות נעשו רחוקות, אילין אודניא דהוון אינון שמען בחד זמן ותרתין זמנין, וכדון אפלו במאה זימנין לא שמען. שתים נעשו שלש, חוטרא ותרתין רגליא. ומטיל שלום בבית בטל, זו התאוה שמטיל חבה בין איש לאשתו]. כִּי הֹלֵךְ הָאָדָם אֶל בֵּית עוֹלָמוֹ, אֶל בֵּית הָעוֹלָם אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן אֶלָא בֵּית עוֹלָמוֹ, אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁנִּכְנַס לִמְדִינָה וְעִמּוֹ דֻּכָּסִין וְאִפַּרְכִין וְאִיסְטֶסְטוֹלָאטִין, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכֻּלָּם נִכְנָסִין בְּפִילוֹן אַחַת, כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד הוֹלֵךְ וְשׁוֹרֶה לְפִי כְבוֹדוֹ, כָּךְ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכֻּלָּם טוֹעֲמִים טַעַם מִיתָה, כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד יֵשׁ לוֹ עוֹלָם בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ. וְסָבְבוּ בַשּׁוּק הַסּוֹפְדִים, אֵלּוּ הַתּוֹלָעִים.
“They will also fear heights, there will be obstacles on the way, the almond tree will blossom, the grasshopper will be burdened, the caper berry will fail. For the man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners will circle in the streets” (Ecclesiastes 12:5). “They will also fear heights” – An elderly man, when they would call him to a place <invite him to a feast>, he says to them: ‘Are there thorns there? Are there ascents there? Are there descents there? “There will be obstacles [ḥatḥatim] on the way” – Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Levi: One said: The fear [ḥititei] of the way descends upon him, [so that he says:] Shall I go or shall I not go; and he [eventually] says: I shall not go. The other <Rabbi Levi> said: He begins delineating subdivisions along the route. He says: Until this street, until this place, I am able to go, but until that place I am unable to go. “The almond tree will blossom” – Rabbi Levi said: This is the nut-sized bone at the top of the spinal column. Hadrian, may his bones be crushed and his name expunged, asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya; he said to him: ‘From where does a person blossom in the future?’ He said to him: ‘From the nut-sized bone at the top of the spinal column.’ [Hadrian] said to him: ‘Show me.’ What did [Rabbi Yehoshua] do? He brought him the nut-sized bone at the top of the spinal column. He placed it in water, but it did not dissolve; in fire, but it did not burn; in a mill, but it was not ground. He placed in on an anvil and struck it with a hammer. The anvil split, the hammer split, but it was to no avail. “The grasshopper will be burdened” – these are one’s ankles. “The caper berry will fail” – this is the desire that sustains peace between a man and his wife; it will cease. Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta was accustomed to ascending to our Rabbi. When he grew old, he was unable to do so. One time, he ascended. Our Rabbi said to him: ‘Why have we been privileged to see the radiant countenance of the rabbi today?’ He said to him: ‘The distant have become close, the close have become distant, two have become three, and what sustains peace has ceased.’ <Meaning: The distant have become close – these are the eyes which would see from a distance, but now, even from close they do not see. The close have become distant – these are the ears which would hear after one time or two times, but now, even after one hundred times they do not hear. Two have become three – this is a cane and two legs. What sustains peace has ceased – this is the desire that brings about affection between a man and his wife.> “For the man goes to his eternal home” – it is not written here, “to the eternal home,” but rather, “his eternal home.” Reish Lakish said: [This is analogous] to a king who entered a province, accompanied by dukes, governors, and military commanders. Although all of them enter through one gate, each and every one stays in a place corresponding to his status. So too, although all taste the taste of death, each and every one has a world in and of himself. “And the mourners will circle in the streets” – these are the worms.