When Ḥiyya bar Ivya, son of bar Kappara’s sister, died, they said to Rabbi Yoḥanan: ‘Go and eulogize him.’ He said to them: ‘Let Reish Lakish go, as he is his disciple and he knows his virtues.’ Rabbi Shimon3Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, who was known as Reish Lakish. came and eulogized him: “My beloved went down into his garden”—the Holy One blessed be He knows the actions of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Ivya and He took him from the world.
When Rabbi Simon bar Zavdi died, Rabbi Ila entered and eulogized him. “But wisdom, where will it be found, and where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12). “The deep says: It is not in me; and the sea says: It is not with me” (Job 28:14). “It is vanished from the eyes of all living and hidden from the birds of the heavens” (Job 28:21). There are four elements that are crucial for the function of the world, but if they are lost they have replacements. These are: “For there is a source of silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the dust, and copper is smelted from rock” (Job 28:1–2). A Torah scholar, if he dies, who will bring us his replacement? We, who lost Rabbi Simon, where will we find someone like him? Rabbi Levi said: The tribes found a lost item, and it is written: “Their hearts sank and they trembled” (Genesis 42:28).4The sons of Jacob were fearful when they found that the money of one of them had been returned to his sack, despite the fact that, generally speaking, finding money is cause for celebration. We, who lost Rabbi Simon bar Zavdi, from where will we find his replacement? That is, “but wisdom, where will it be found?”