Anecdotes with R' Yochanan and other Sages

R' Yochanan Departing from before R' Elazar: Yoma 53a
Removing Suffering from R' Elazar: Berachot 5b
Rav Asi took care of his mother in her old age, until she became senile, and he moved to Israel. When she followed him, he asked R' Yochanan whether he should leave to greet her, and after an initial "I don't know," R' Yochanan blessed him. Uncertain whether R' Yochanan was angry at him, Rav Asi asked R' Elazar for his opinion, and R' Elazar replied that R' Yochanan was not angry at him: Kiddushin 31b
Rav Asi was overjoyed when he heard what appeared to be a great answer for a problem from Rabbi Yochanan; his face shone. But then R' Yochanan explained that it had been a cleverly disguised mistake: Zevachim 19b
Reish Lakish and R' Elazar had a disagreement about a law, and in a later discussion R' Yochanan stated an opinion matching what R' Elazar had said, leading Reish Lakish to express anger at R' Elazar for not citing the view as R' Yochanan's view: Makkot 5b
R' Yochanan said there were two cases which fit a rule, and listed one. R' Elazar asked which was the other one, and R' Yochanan told him to figure it out himself, which he did: Makkot 16a
A sage rejecting a potential explanation/justification of R' Yochanan's view, because R' Elazar was R' Yochanan's student, and R' Elazar did not suggest that explanation/justification: Temurah 25b
R' Elazar asking questions, and R' Yochanan expressing shock, "How could it be that this one grew up among us for many years, and he did not hear this halachah from me!": Keritot 27a
R' Elazar asking a question, and R' Yochanan expressing shock, "How is it that no one asked us this question all these years?": Keritot 27a

R' Yochanan's Suffering removed by R' Chanina: Berachot 5b
R' Yochanan tore 13 silk garments when R' Chanina's death was mentioned, saying, "The man I was afraid of is gone.": Moed Katan 24a
R' Yochanan said of R' Chanina, "His brilliance keeps me from ruling" on certain cases, because their rulings didn't match: Niddah 20b

Removing Suffering from R' Chiyya bar Abba: Berachot 5b
Called R' Chiyya bar Abba "Bavlai [Babylonian]": Shabbat 105b
R' Chiyya bar Abba and R' Ayvo bar Nagri practiced a law against a teaching of R' Yochanah, angering him: Rosh HaShanah 21a
R' Yochanan told R' Chiyya bar Abba "If I hadn't lifted the pottery, you wouldn't have found the gem underneath it!": Bava Metzia 17b
Dozing before R' Chiyya bar Abba and R' Asi, then waking up and expressing annoyance with their conversation, saying "Children, haven't I told you that if something isn't as clear to you as the prohibition against your sister, don't say it!": Shabbat 145b
Explaining to R' Chiyya bar Abba and R' Asi why the birds of Bavel were fatter than those of Israel: Shabbat 145b
Explaining to R' Chiyya bar Abba and R' Asi why the holidays of Israel were less joyful than those of Bavel: Shabbat 145b
Explaining to R' Chiyya bar Abba and R' Asi why the Torah Scholars of Israel were less visible than those of Bavel: Shabbat 145b
Explaining to R' Chiyya bar Abba and R' Asi why the non-Jews sweated more than the Jews: Shabbat 145b

R' Yochanan was termed "Bar Nafcha [Blacksmith]" by Reish Lakish: Ketuvot 25b; Makkot 5b
R' Yochanan was termed "Rabbeinu [Our Teacher]" by Reish Lakish: Gittin 19a
R' Yochanan was silent to a question asked by Reish Lakish, although the Talmud doubts whether he accepted the question or not: Rosh HaShanah 15b
Reish Lakish said, regarding a statement of R' Yochanan, "If not for the fact that a great man [R' Yannai] praised you, I would have interpreted the issue differently.": Makkot 21b
Reish Lakish asked R' Yochanan, "Is this teaching ugly to you [that you don't rely on it]?": Kiddushin 9b
Reish Lakish and R' Yochanan studying Jewish texts which were not law-oriented [Aggadata] on Shabbat: Temurah 14b
Reish Lakish reviewed the relevant material 40 times before going to R' Yochanan for a class on it: Taanit 8a
R' Yochanan and Reish Lakish's son: Taanit 9a
R' Yochanan saying to Reish Lakish's son, "Had I arrived at that verse [that you just explained], I wouldn't have needed you or your teacher, R' Hoshia": Taanit 9a
Reish Lakish's wife was concerned that R' Yochanan might harm her son, as he had harmed Reish Lakish: Taanit 9a

R' Yochanan said, "I grew up by R' Oshia Berebi [leader of the generation] for eighteen days [years?], and I only learned one Talmudic lesson." He also said, "I grew up by R' Oshia Berebi [leader of the generation] for eighteen days [years?], and I learned the levels of sharpness and wisdom of his twelve students": Eruvin 53a
R' Yochanan said, "When we learned by R' Oshia, four students would sit in a cubit's space": Eruvin 53a
R' Yochanan said, "R' Oshia was to his generation as R' Meir was to his; his colleagues couldn't fully understand his opinions": Eruvin 53a
R' Yannai told R' Yochanan, "Had I not picked up the piece of pottery for you, you never would have found the gem underneath it!": Makkot 21b
R' Yannai citing R' Yochanan, even though he was R' Yochanan's rebbe: Keritot 5a, and see footnote on the daf
R' Yochanan on the Romans: "Those who destroyed the Temple, it can be rebuilt. But woe to those who killed R' Akiva and his peers!": Rosh HaShanah 23a
R' Yitzchak ben Elazar's eulogy for R' Yochanan: Moed Katan 25b
R' Ami kept the 7-Day and 30-Day mourning periods for him: Moed Katan 25b
Chizkiyah responded to R' Yochanan's answer, "This man is not human!/This is a [Real] man!": Shabbat 112b; Eruvin 24a
R' Yochanan called Chizkiyah "Rebbe": Shabbat 112b; Eruvin 24a
R' Yochanan called R' Menachem Ben Simai "Benan Shel Kedoshim" [Child of Holy Ones], because he never looked at a minted coin: Pesachim 104a
R' Yochanan called R' Zeira and R' Shemuel B"R Yitzchak "Two Leaders of the Generation": Gittin 23b
Gave Rav Shemen temporary permission to judge cases: Sanhedrin 5b
Rav Yehudah sending a halachic question to R' Yochanan: Kiddushin 39a
Told R' Avahu "Pok Teni Levra! [Go teach that outside!]": Shabbat 106a
Told R' Zakkai "Pok Teni Levra! [Go teach that outside!]": Eruvin 9a
Told an anonymous sage "Pok Teni Levra! [Go teach that outside!]": Beitzah 12b
Ulla, en route to Israel, witnessed one traveller killing another. When Ulla was confronted, he encouraged the murderer, to save his own life. When Ulla told R' Yochanan what had transpired, R' Yochanan approved of his act, but wondered at how this could have happened in Israel, if rage was to be an element of Exile. Ulla responded that they had not yet entered Israel at the time: Nedarim 22a-b
Termed "Gavra Rabbah [Great Man]" by R' Natan bar Oshia: Shabbat 81b
Refused to teach R' Simlai "Sefer Yuchasim [Book of Lineages]", although R' Simla'i was a quick-learning Torah Scholar: Pesachim 62b
Rav Yochanan said that the Torah of the Israeli scholars came from what they learned from the Babylonians [in reaction to seeing Rav Kahana of Bavel]: Succah 44a
Rav Shemuel bar Yehudah telling over a practice of Rav Yochanan's: Megillah 23b
Answering Rav Natan bar Oshia with a pantomime: Shabbat 102b
Considered R' Simlai to be a Tzurba MeiRabbanan [Young Torah Scholar]: Pesachim 62b
Using clean language, before Rebbe: Pesachim 3b
R' Yitzchak bar Yosef established a Mishnah to be discussing an odd case, rather than have it argue with R' Yochanan: Shabbat 112b
Rabbah quoted a Prohibition in his name, although it wasn't so, so it would be listened to: Shabbat 115a
Rabbah quoted a rule in R' Yochanan's name. Others asked R' Yochanan whether he had said it, and he denied it [Rashi comments that he was recanting]. Rabbah then insisted that R' Yochanan had said it: Makkot 14b-15a
Abayye heard a statement by Rav Dimi, and asked, "Is it possible you mean...?" Rav Dimi responded, "Man with the great skull [this is a term of honor]! I saw you in the study hall when R' Yochanan taught that!": Eruvin 22b
R' Yochanan declared regarding a scriptural analysis of Ben Bag Bag, "If anyone can explain the verse to me as Ben Bag Bag read it, I will carry his garments after him to the bathhouse!": Eruvin 27b
Rabbah bar bar Chanah followed R' Yochanan to go eat the sweet fruit grown by the Kineret, and the group of people there never became full despite the amount eaten. R' Yochanan swore, "I haven't eaten anything filling!": Eruvin 30a
Rabbi Yochanan threatening Rabbi Chiyya bar Yosef with a Mi shePara curse for his apparent intent to renege on an agreement: Bava Metzia 48b
R' Chanina bar Yosef, R' Chiyya bar Abba and R' Asi were staying in an inn together and had a Halachic question; R' Chanina bar Yosef gave a leniency, which R' Asi opposed. R' Chiyya bar Abba said, "Let us depend on the elder," which they did. They later asked R' Yochanan, and he approved of their actions, to the amazement of the students in Neherdaa and of R' Elazar: Eruvin 65b-66b
Rav Huna bar Chinina asked a question against R' Yochanan from a Mishnah, but Rava responded, "One who doesn't know how to explain a Mishnah is going to use it as a question against R' Yochanan?!": Eruvin 67b
Rav Huna reported a lesson in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, to which Rav Chisda replied, "By Gd! Even if Rabbi Yochanan himself would say this, I would not listen to him!": Berachot 24b
Rabbi Avahu asking Rabbi Yochanan how to do a certain mitzvah, and Rabbi Yochanan replying with advice based on Rabbi Avahu's general views, even though Rabbi Yochanan personally disagreed: Berachot 24b
The law follows R' Yochanan over Rav except in three cases: Beitzah 4b, 5b [bottom]


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