ר' אלעזר המודעי

Rabbi Elazar HaModai [(Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 3) Rashi explains in Bava Batra (10, Section 2) that he was from the mountain of HaModai]. He would pray that Hadrian would not conquer Beitar, but he was unable to prevent it. Then a certain Kutite came and told Ben Koziva slander about him, that he wished to make peace with Hadrian, and Ben Koziva killed him. When he killed him, a Divine Voice went forth, saying: "Woe to the shepherd!

A sword is upon his arm and upon his right eye," which was [Rabbi Elazar HaModai] the arm of Israel and the right eye. And on that very day, Beitar was conquered [(Lamentations, Chapter 2, Verse 5)] fifty-two years or thirty-three years after the destruction of the Temple. He was a student of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. [And in Yuchsin [in the glosses of the Rema to the book Yesod Olam] it is written that he was his friend, and this is a matter of inquiry.

And in the introduction to the Shulchan Aruch, it is written that he was from the second generation after the destruction, along with Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Elazar HaModai, and Rabbi Amihud (see there)] and his friend [(Rabbi Yishmael)] and Rabbi Tarfon, although he calls Rabbi Tarfon "Rabbi" and Rabbi Tarfon calls him "HaModai" in the last chapter of Yoma [(Yoma 16a)] and Rabbi Elazar ben Parta in his name. Also, Rabbi Avraham ben Ezra in the chapter on the oath of testimony and Ben Chanania, the brother of Rabbi Yehoshua, say in his name.

And he was a preacher, as they say, "We still need HaModai" [Shabbat (55b)], and he was buried in the village of Geveretain with Rabbi Yaakov Ish Givoriyah, and they have one tombstone (Geonim of Israel).