אִיקְּלַע רַבִּי לְאַתְרֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, אָמַר לָהֶם: יֵשׁ לוֹ בֵּן לְאוֹתוֹ צַדִּיק? אָמְרוּ לוֹ: יֵשׁ לוֹ בֵּן. וְכׇל זוֹנָה שֶׁנִּשְׂכֶּרֶת בִּשְׁנַיִם שׂוֹכַרְתּוֹ בִּשְׁמֹנָה. אַתְיֵיהּ, אַסְמְכֵיהּ בְּרַבִּי וְאַשְׁלְמֵיהּ לְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אִיסִי בֶּן לָקוֹנְיָא אֲחוּהָ דְּאִמֵּיהּ.
Once Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi arrived at the place of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon. He said to the locals: Does that righteous person have a son? They said to him: He has a son who is wayward, and any prostitute who hires herself out to others for two coins hires him for eight, due to his handsomeness. Upon hearing this report, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi resolved to extricate Rabbi Elazar’s son from his plight. He brought him back with him, ordained him as a rabbi, and gave him over to Rabbi Shimon ben Isi ben Lakonya, the brother of the boy’s mother, to teach him Torah.
כֹּל יוֹמָא הֲוָה אָמַר: לְקִרְיָיתִי אֲנָא אָזֵיל. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: חַכִּים עָבְדוּ יָתָךְ, וְגוּלְּתָא דְּדַהֲבָא פָּרְסוּ עֲלָךְ, וְרַבִּי קָרוּ לָךְ, וְאַתְּ אָמְרַתְּ לְקִרְיָיתִי אֲנָא אָזֵיל! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מוֹמֵי עֲזוּבָה דָּא. כִּי גְדַל אֲתָא יְתֵיב בִּמְתִיבְתָּא דְרַבִּי. שַׁמְעֵיהּ לְקָלֵיהּ, אָמַר: הָא קָלָא דָּמֵי לְקָלֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן. אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: בְּרֵיהּ הוּא.
Each day, the boy would say: I am going back to my town, because it was difficult for him to study. Rabbi Shimon ben Isi ben Lakonya said to him: You have been made wise, and a golden cloak has been spread over you when you were ordained, and you are called by the title Rabbi, and yet you say: I am going back to my town? The boy said to him: I vow [momei] that this thought of leaving is now abandoned, i.e., I will stay and improve my ways. When the boy matured and became a Torah scholar, he came and sat in the academy of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi heard his voice and said: This voice is similar to the voice of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon. Those who were present said to him: It is his son. [Bava Metzia 85a - see there for the end of the story!].
BRILLIANT!!!
10 MILLIONS BUCKS!
Make someone feel special - and he is likely to live up to it.
[We also learn what can happen even to an einikel of Rashbi....].
