אַתְּרֵי גִּישְׁרֵי דְּרוֹגְנָג, וּשְׁוַאר מֵהַאי לְהַאי וּמֵהַאי לְהַאי, וְנָקֵיט תְּרֵי מַזְגֵי דְּחַמְרָא בִּידֵיהּ, וּמוֹרִיק מֵהַאי לְהַאי וּמֵהַאי לְהַאי וְלָא נָטְפָא נִיטוֹפְתָּא לְאַרְעָא, וְאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם ״יַעֲלוּ שָׁמַיִם יֵרְדוּ תְהוֹמוֹת״ הֲוָה, עַד דִּשְׁמַעוּ בֵּי מַלְכוּתָא וְקָטְלוּהוּ.

on the two bridges of the river Rognag, and he jumped from this one to that one, and from that one to this one. And he was holding two cups of wine in his hands and was pouring from this one to that one, and from that one to this one, and not one drop fell to the ground. And that day was stormy, similar to the description in a verse dealing with seafarers: “They mounted up to the heavens, they went down to the deeps; their soul melted away because of trouble” (Psalms 107:26). He continued in this manner until word of his behavior was heard in the house of the king, and they killed him.

אֲמַר רַבָּה: לְדִידִי חֲזִי לִי אוּרְזִילָא בַּר יוֹמֵיהּ דַּהֲוָה כְּהַר תָּבוֹר, וְהַר תָּבוֹר כַּמָּה הָוֵי? אַרְבַּע פַּרְסֵי, וּמְשָׁאכָא דְּצַוָּארֵיהּ תְּלָתָא פַּרְסֵי, וּבֵי מַרְבַּעֲתָא דְּרֵישֵׁיהּ פַּרְסָא וּפַלְגָּא, רְמָא כּוּפְתָּא וּסְכַר לֵיהּ לְיַרְדְּנָא.

Rabba said: I have seen a day-old antelope [ urzila ] that was as large as Mount Tabor. And how large is Mount Tabor? It is four parasangs. And the length of its neck was three parasangs, and the place where his head rests was a parasang and a half. It cast feces [ kufta ] and thereby dammed up the Jordan.

וַאֲמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: לְדִידִי חַזְיָא לִי הַהִיא אַקְרוֹקְתָא דְּהָוְיָא כִּי אַקְרָא דְּהַגְרוֹנְיָא, וְאַקְרָא דְּהַגְרוֹנְיָא כַּמָּה הָוְיָא? שִׁתִּין בָּתֵּי, אֲתָא תַּנִּינָא בְּלָעָהּ, אֲתָא פּוּשְׁקַנְצָא וּבְלָעָהּ לְתַנִּינָא וְסָלֵיק יָתֵיב בְּאִילָנָא. תָּא חָזֵי כַּמָּה נָפֵישׁ חֵילֵיהּ דְּאִילָנָא. אֲמַר רַב פַּפָּא בַּר שְׁמוּאֵל: אִי לָא הֲוַאי הָתָם לָא הֵימְנִי.

And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: I have seen a certain frog [ akrokta ] that was as large as the fort [ akra ] of Hagronya. And how large is the fort of Hagronya? It is as large as sixty houses. A snake came and swallowed the frog. A raven came and swallowed the snake, and flew up and sat in a tree. Come and see how great is the strength of the tree, which could bear the weight of that raven. Rav Pappa bar Shmuel said: If I had not been there and seen this, I would not believe it.

וַאֲמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָא אָזְלִינַן בִּסְפִינְתָּא, וַחֲזֵינָן הַהוּא כַּוְורָא דְּיָתְבָא לֵיהּ אָכְלָה טִינָא בְּאוּסְיֵיהּ, וְאַדְחוּהוּ מַיָּא וְשַׁדְיוּהוּ לְגוּדָא. וַחֲרוּב מִינֵּיהּ שִׁתִּין מְחוֹזֵי, וַאֲכוּל מִינֵּיהּ שִׁתִּין מְחוֹזֵי, וּמְלַחוּ מִינֵּיהּ שִׁתִּין מְחוֹזֵי, וּמַלְּאוּ מֵחַד גַּלְגְּלָא דְּעֵינֵיהּ תְּלָת מֵאָה גַּרְבֵּי מִשְׁחָא. וְכִי הָדְרַן לְבָתַר תְּרֵיסַר יַרְחֵי שַׁתָּא, חֲזֵינַן דַּהֲוָה קָא מְנַסְרִי מִגַּרְמֵי מְטַלָּלְתָא, וְיָתְבִי לְמִבְנִינְהוּ הָנָךְ מְחוֹזֵי.

§ And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: Once we were traveling in a ship and we saw a certain fish in whose nostril [ be’usyeih ] a mud eater [ akhla tina ], i.e., a type of insect, had sat and killed him. And the waters thrust the fish and threw it upon the shore. And sixty districts were destroyed by the fish, and sixty districts ate from it, and another sixty districts salted its meat to preserve it. And they filled from one of its eyeballs three hundred flasks of oil. And when we returned there after the twelve months of the year had passed, we saw that they were cutting beams from its bones, and they had set out to build those districts that had been destroyed.

וַאֲמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָא אָזְלִינַן בִּסְפִינְתָּא, וַחֲזֵינַן הַהוּא כַּוָּורָא דְּיָתְבָא לֵיהּ חַלְתָא אַגַּבֵּיהּ וּקְדַח אַגְמָא עִילָּוֵיהּ. סָבְרִינַן יַבֶּשְׁתָּא הִיא, וְסָלְקִינַן וְאָפֵינַן וּבַשְׁלִינַן אַגַּבֵּיהּ, וְכַד חַם גַּבֵּיהּ אִתְהַפִּיךְ, וְאִי לָאו דַּהֲוָה מִקַּרְבָא סְפִינְתָּא, הֲוָה טָבְעִינַן.

And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: Once we were traveling on a ship and we saw a certain fish upon which sand had settled, and grass grew on it. We assumed that it was dry land and went up and baked and cooked on the back of the fish, but when its back grew hot it turned over. And were it not for the fact that the ship was close by, we would have drowned.

וַאֲמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה אָזְלִינַן בִּסְפִינְתָּא, וּסְגַאי סְפִינְתָּא בֵּין שִׁיצָא לְשִׁיצָא דְּכַוָּארָא תְּלָתָא יוֹמֵי וּתְלָתָא לֵילְוָותָא, אִיהוּ בִּזְקִיפָא וַאֲנַן בְּשִׁיפּוּלָא. וְכִי תֵּימָא, לָא מְסַגְיָא סְפִינְתָּא טוּבָא, כִּי אֲתָא רַב דִּימִי אֲמַר: כְּמֵיחַם קוּמְקוּמָא דְּמַיָּא מְסַגְיָא שִׁתִּין פַּרְסֵי, וְשָׁאדֵי פָּרָשָׁא גִּירָא וְקָדְמָה לֵיהּ. וַאֲמַר רַב אַשִׁי: הַהוּא גִּילְדָנָא דְּיַמָּא הֲוַאי, דְּאִית לֵיהּ תְּרֵי שַׁיְיצֵי.

And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: Once we were traveling in a ship and the ship traveled between one fin [ shitza ] and the other fin of a fish for three days and three nights. The fish was swimming in the opposite direction of the ship, so that it was swimming upward against the wind and the waves, and we were sailing downward. And if you would say that the ship did not travel very fast, when Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said: In the short amount of time required to heat a kettle of water, that ship can travel sixty parasangs. And another demonstration of its speed is that a horseman shot an arrow, and yet the ship was traveling so swiftly that it outraced it. And Rav Ashi said: That fish was a sea gildana , which has two sets of fins.

וַאֲמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה אָזְלִינַן בִּסְפִינְתָּא, וַחֲזֵינַן הַהוּא צִיפָּרָא דְּקָאֵים עַד קַרְצוּלֵיהּ בְּמַיָּא וְרֵישֵׁיהּ בְּרָקִיעַ, וְאָמְרִינַן: לֵיכָּא מַיָּא, וּבָעֵינַן לֵחוּת לְאַקּוּרֵי נַפְשִׁין, וּנְפַק בַּת קָלָא וַאֲמַר לָן: לָא תֵּיחוּתוּ הָכָא, דְּנָפְלַת לֵיהּ חֲצִיצָא לְבַר נִגְרָא הָא שַׁב שְׁנֵי וְלָא קָא מָטְיָא אַאַרְעָא, וְלָאו מִשּׁוּם דִּנְפִישִׁי מַיָּא אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם דְּרָדְפִי מַיָּא. אֲמַר רַב אַשִׁי: וְהַהוּא זִיז שָׂדַי הוּא, דִּכְתִיב: ״וְזִיז שָׂדַי עִמָּדִי״.

And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: Once we were traveling in a ship and we saw a certain bird that was standing with water up to its ankles [ kartzuleih ] and its head was in the sky. And we said to ourselves that there is no deep water here, and we wanted to go down to cool ourselves off. And a Divine Voice emerged and said to us: Do not go down here, as the ax of a carpenter fell into it seven years ago and it has still not reached the bottom. And this is not because the water is so large and deep. Rather, it is because the water is turbulent. Rav Ashi said: And that bird is called ziz sadai , wild beast, as it is written: “I know all the fowls of the mountains; and the ziz sadai is Mine” (Psalms 50:11).

וַאֲמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָא אָזְלִינַן בְּמַדְבְּרָא, וַחֲזֵינַן הָנְהוּ אַוָּוזֵי דְּשַׁמְטִי גַּדְפַיְיהוּ מִשַּׁמְנַיְיהוּ וְקָא נַגְדִּי נַחֲלֵי דְּמִשְׁחָא מִתּוּתַּיְיהוּ. אָמִינָא לְהוּ: אִית לָן בְּגַוַּיְיכוּ חֶלְקָא לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי? חֲדָא דָּלֵי גַּדְפָא, וַחֲדָא דָּלֵי אַטְמָא. כִּי אֲתַאי לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, אָמַר לִי: עֲתִידִין יִשְׂרָאֵל לִיתֵּן עֲלֵיהֶן אֶת הַדִּין.

And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: Once we were traveling in the desert and we saw these geese whose wings were sloping because they were so fat, and streams of oil flowed beneath them. I said to them: Shall we have a portion of you in the World-to-Come? One raised a wing, and one raised a leg, signaling an affirmative response. When I came before Rabbi Elazar, he said to me: The Jewish people will eventually be held accountable for the suffering of the geese. Since the Jews do not repent, the geese are forced to continue to grow fat as they wait to be given to the Jewish people as a reward.

(סִימָן: כְּעַפְרָא דִּתְכֵילְתָא טְרַקְתֵּיהּ עַקְרַבָּא לְסִלְתֵּיהּ.)

§ The Gemara provides a mnemonic for the items shown by an Arab man to Rabba bar bar Ḥana in the following stories: Like the dust of the sky-blue; the scorpion stung the basket.

וַאֲמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָא אָזְלִינַן בְּמַדְבְּרָא, וְאִיתְלַוֵּי בַּהֲדַן הַהוּא טַיָּיעָא דַּהֲוָה שָׁקֵיל עַפְרָא וּמוֹרַח לֵיהּ וַאֲמַר: הָא אוֹרְחָא לְדוּכְתָּא פְּלָן, וְהָא אוֹרְחָא לְדוּכְתָּא פְּלָן. אֲמַרִינָן לֵיהּ: כַּמָּה מְרַחֲקִינַן מִמַּיָּא? וַאֲמַר לָן: הֲבוּ לִי עַפְרָא. יְהַבִינַן לֵיהּ, וַאֲמַר לָן: תְּמָנֵי פַּרְסֵי. תְּנֵינָן וִיהַבִינַן לֵיהּ, אֲמַר לָן: דִּמְרַחֲקִינַן תְּלָתָא פַּרְסֵי, אֲפַכִית לֵיהּ, וְלָא יְכִילִית לֵיהּ.

And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: Once we were traveling in the desert and we were accompanied by a certain Arab who would take dust and smell it and say: This is the road to such and such a place, and that is the road to such and such a place. We said to him: How far are we from water? And he said to us: Bring me dust. We brought it to him, and he said: Eight parasangs. Later, we said this a second time, and gave him dust, and he said to us that we are at a distance of three parasangs. I switched the type of dust to test him, but I could not confuse him, as he was an expert in this matter.

אֲמַר לִי: תָּא אַחֲוֵי לָךְ מֵתֵי מִדְבָּר. אֲזַלִי, חֲזִיתִינְהוּ וְדָמוּ כְּמַאן דְּמִיבַּסְמִי

That Arab said to me: Come, I will show you the dead of the wilderness, i.e., the Jewish people who left Egypt and died in the wilderness. I went and saw them; and they had the appearance of one who is intoxicated,