Said Rabbi Ishmael: Straightway I arose and assembled all the Sanhedrin, great and small, to the third entrance which was in the house of the Lord. And he was sitting upon a chair of pure marble which Elisha my father gave me, for it was of the goods of her that bore me which she did bring to him in her dowry.
And there came Rabban Simon ben Gamliel and Rabbi Eliezer the Great and Rabbi Elazar ben Dama and Elazar ben Shammua and Jonathan ben Dahabhai and Haninah ben Hakkanai and Jonathan ben Uziel and Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Judah ben Babba. We came and sat down before him. And all the multitude of companies were standing upon their feet, for they saw spiderwebs of fire and torches of light which made a separation between them and between us. And Rabbi Nehunya ben Hakkanah sitteth and setteth in order before them all the teachings concerning the Merkabha, [the] descent and [the] ascent, how he descendeth who descendeth, and how he ascendeth who ascendeth.