ר' אלעזר בן ערך

Rabbi Elazar ben Arach was expounding on the Ma'aseh Merkavah before his teacher, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, when fire descended from the heavens and surrounded them, and the ministering angels were leaping before them like the joyful attendants at a wedding. An angel responded from the fire, saying, "As you have spoken, so it is the Ma'aseh Merkavah," and all the trees opened and sang a song, then all the trees of the forest would rejoice.

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai stood up and kissed him on the head and said, "Blessed are you, Abraham our forefather, that Rabbi Elazar ben Arach has emerged from your loins." This is found in the first chapter of Chagigah [(14b) and in the Jerusalem Talmud, chapter "Ein Dorashin," and in the Agadah Rabbah, chapter 14, where Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai calls him a flowing stream from a mighty spring and wrote about his lineage as being profound]. And see in the second chapter of Avot, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai praised him among his five students. [See also in the section that he uprooted mountains (as mentioned regarding Rabbi Eliezer the Great)] and he died before his peers, as it is stated in the Tosefta, chapter 6 of Nedarim.

Rabbi Yehoshua said to Rabbi Akiva, "Woe that this was not in the days of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, the return of this answer." Some say he is Rabbi Elazar the Kalir [(and see above regarding Rabbi Elazar ben Rashbi)]. In the Midrash on Kohelet, on the verse "For oppression makes a wise man mad," Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had five students, and as long as he was alive, they would sit before him; when he died, they went to Yavneh, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arach went to his wife to a place of beautiful waters and a lovely pasture.

He waited for them to come to him, but they did not come, and he wished to go to them, but his wife did not allow him, saying, "Who needs whom?" He replied, "They need me." She said to him, "A pot (meaning a vessel containing food) and the mice, who goes to whom?" He listened to her and sat until he forgot his learning, etc., and did not know why he was called "Yefet" in his name. And on Shabbat, in the section of Chavitin [(Kiddushin 147b)], Rabbi Elazar ben Arach happened upon a place where the wine was excellent, and the waters of Diomus were salty, warming and healing.

He continued with them until he uprooted his learning, for when he arose to recite this new thing to them, he said, "The deaf were their hearts in evil." The Rabbis had mercy upon him, and he returned to his learning. And this is what we learn: Rabbi Nehorai says, "Be exiled to a place of Torah, and do not say that it will come after you," etc. It was taught that his name was not Rabbi Nehorai, but Rabbi Nechemiah, and some say his name was Rabbi Elazar ben Arach.

And why was he called Rabbi Nehorai? Because he enlightens the eyes of the wise in halachah [(and see Rabbi Nehorai)]. In the Yalkut Reuveni, in the section of Toldot, on the verse "And it was," and in the section of Bo, on the verse "And there was," it is stated in the book Tzafoni Tziyoni that there is a certain shell called Rabbi Yochanan and with it are 15 legions, and its function is to nullify the Torah from the sick, and the name as it is written on the forehead of the Messiah, son of David, nullifies all this.

Thus it is stated. And behold, Rabbi Elazar ben Arach (as he weakened and was uplifted, as stated in the Yalkut Reuveni in three places mentioned above, but in the Gemara it is not as stated) made from the four of the month, a Rosh. And from the seven of this, he made a Yud, and from the twenty of "to you," he made a Bet, thus the letters Rabbi Yochanan hinting that Rabbi Yochanan causes damage. The deaf were their hearts is the gematria of 215, hinting at his legions which are 215.

"This new thing to you" is the gematria of the Torah, which did not allow him to recite "this new thing to you," which ascends to the Torah, for this name overcomes this damaging force and heals its damage. And it is stated that it is written on the forehead of the Messiah, son of David, and not just on the forehead of the Messiah, for the Messiah, son of David, is the gematria of the Torah.

Thus it is stated in the name of the Kabbalist, Rabbi Shimshon Maggid, and it is wondrous. He spoke with Rabbi Zeira, and it is very perplexing (as stated). In Damascus, there is a synagogue, and it is received that it was built by Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, a student of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, and it was destroyed by a heretic in the days of the Mabit, as stated in part two of the second book, section 69.

The Geonim wrote that in the village of Alma to the south is buried Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanus in stone, and near him is a tombstone for Rabbi Shimon ben Netanel. Some say he is Rabbi Yosi the Cohen, and some say he is Azariah, and near him is the grave of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, and upon it is a tombstone and fragrant trees, a bottom vine, and within it is buried Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, and upon it is a tombstone and a bottom tree.

To the north of the village is the grave of Rabbi Yehuda ben Tema, and near it is a large cave, and within it are many caves, and buried there are Rabbi and Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Menuna and Rabbi Hananel and Rabbi Huna (and in another place it is written that he was buried in Ein Tsina; perhaps there were two Rabbis Huna), and it is called the cave of the Babylonians. And in the travels of Benjamin, it is written that Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, and Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, and Choni the Circle Maker, and Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, and Rabbi Yosi the Galilean, and Barak ben Avinoam are buried in Kadesh Naftali.