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86. Description of the richness in oil of the province ofAsher in Palestine. The inhabitants wash in oil and Pole-matos buys from one of them alone a quantity worth noless than 18,000 zuzim.

87. R. Johanan b. Zakai was asked by R. Eleazar b. Arachpermission to expound some of the mysteries of the creation( Ma'asë Merkaba). R. Johanan dismounted from his ass, asangels might be present, and sat on a stone under an olivetree. Then Eleazar began to expound them and fire des-cended from heaven and the trees broke forth into song.R. Johanan kissed R. Eleazar on the head and said" Blessedbe the Lord, God of Israel, who gave to Abraham ourfather, a son like unto thee." R. Joshua and R. Jose, thepriest, when they heard of it, tried to do the same. Ithappened to be the 17th day of Tammuz and the heavensbecame clouded and the ministering angels gathered there,like people who come to a wedding feast. This was told bythe two rabbis named to R. Johanan and he said," Blessedare ye and blessed are mine eyes which have seen in a dreamyou and me sitting on Mount Sinai and have heard a voicefrom heaven saying,' Ascend, ascend! large palaces areready for you, large couches are ready for you and yourpupils'."

88. Story of the dispute between R. Shimeon b. Gamliel,R. Meir and R. Nathan. Gamliel was a prince and wantedto make a distinction between himself and the other twoscholars when they appeared in the college, the peoplebeing accustomed to stand up before all three. The twoothers determined to expose him to the ridicule of thestudents, by asking him questions which he would not beable to answer. Warned in time, however, by a friend, heprepared himself and was able to defeat their ends, and theywere removed from the college. After a time the otherscolars insisted on their being received back again. Thiswas done on the condition that their names should notappear in any ritual decision in which they were the prin-cipal authorities.