The Celestial Academy

Rav Haviva said: Rav Haviva bar Surmaki recounted to me: A certain one of the rabbis, with whom Elijah was wont to be present, had eyes that in the morning were beautiful, and toward evening they appeared as if scorched by fire. I said to him: What is this? And he said to me: I had said to Elijah, Show me the rabbis as they ascend to the academy of the firmament. He said to me: At all of them you are able to gaze, except at the carriage of Rabbi Hiyya, at which you must not gaze. What are their distinguishing signs? At all of them angels go up and come down as they ascend and descend, except at the carriage of Rabbi Hiyya, which ascends and descends of itself. I could not restrain myself, and I gazed at it. Two fiery sparks came and struck that man and blinded his eyes. The next day I went and prostrated myself upon his cave and said: I recite the teachings of the master. And I was healed. Elijah was wont to be present at the academy of Rabbi. One day it was the New Moon. It grew late for him, and he did not come. He said to him: What is the reason that it grew late for the master? He said to him: While I was raising up Abraham and washing his hands and he prayed, and I laid him down, and likewise Isaac, and likewise Jacob. They said in heaven: Who reveals the mysteries in the world? They said: Elijah. They brought Elijah and struck him with sixty fiery lashes. He came, appeared to them as a bear of fire, entered among them, and scattered them.