269. Rabbi Chizkiyah said TO THE GRAVE: Who are you? He answered: I am dead. I was just awakened for the sake of the Torah scroll. Once the world was in distress and the living came here with a Torah scroll to awaken us. My associates and I hurried to the slumberers at Hebron and, when they joined the spirits of the righteous in the Garden of Eden, it was found that the Torah scroll brought before us by the living was unfit. They were false to the name of the King, because an extra Vav was found in the Torah in the verse, "Whatever parts the hoof, and is clovenfooted" (Vayikra 11:3), WHICH WAS SPELLED WITH A REDUNDANT VAV. They said that since they were false to the name of the King, AS THE TORAH IS THE NAME OF THE KING, they would not return to them TO LET THEM KNOW IF THEIR PRAYER WAS ACCEPTED. They then dismissed me and my associates from the Yeshivah.
269. אָמַר ר' חִזְקִיָּה מַאן אַתְּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ מֵיתָא אֲנָא, וְהָא אִתְּעַרְנָא לְגַבֵּי ס"ת. דְּזִמְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה יָתִיב עָלְמָא בְּצַעֲרָא, וְאָתוּ חַיָּיָא הָכָא, לְאִתְּעָרָא לָן בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, וַאֲנָא וְחַבְרָאי אַקְדִּימְנָא לְגַבֵּי דְּמִיכֵי חֶבְרוֹן, וְכַד אִתְחַבָּרוּ בְּגַן עֵדֶן בְּרוּחֵיהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא, אִשְׁתְּכַח קָמַיְיהוּ, דְּהַהוּא ס"ת דְּאַיְיתוּ לְקַמָּן אִינּוּן חַיָּיא הֲוָה פָּסוּל וּמְשַׁקֵּר בִּשְׁמָא דְּמַלְכָּא, עַל דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח וָא"ו יַתִּיר בְּהַהוּא קְרָא דִּוְשֺׁסַעַת שֶׁסַע שְׁתֵּי פְרָסוֹת, וְאָמְרוּ דְּהוֹאִיל וְשַׁקְּרוּ בִּשְׁמָא דְּמַלְכָּא דְּלָא יְתוּבוּן לְגַבֵּיהוֹן, וְדָחוּ לִי וּלְחַבְרָאי בְּהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא מִבֵּי מְתִיבְתָּא.
270. Until one elder man who was among them went and brought the Torah scroll of Rav Hamnuna Saba (the elder). Then the son of Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Elazar, who was buried with us, was awakened. He went and prayed in the Garden of Eden for them and the world was healed. Then they allowed us TO RETURN TO THE YESHIVAH. From the time they took Rabbi Elazar from this cemetery IN GUSH CHALAV and placed him near his father IN MERON, there is no one who will awaken to rise before the slumberers of Hebron, for we are afraid to do so since the day when they dismissed me and my friends FROM THE YESHIVAH. Now, you have come to us with your Torah scroll. Therefore, I am shaken up as I say: Who will hasten to notify these genuine righteous men slumbering in Hebron. Rabbi Yesa slipped away AND WENT OFF with that remnant of the Torah scroll. Rabbi Chizkiyah said: Heaven forbid, the world is not in distress and we did not come for this reason.
270. עַד דְּחַד סָבָא דַּהֲוָה בֵּינַיְיהוּ, אָזַל וְאַיְיתֵי סַפְרָא דְּרַב הַמְנוּנָא סָבָא, וּכְדֵין אִתְּעַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בר"ש, דַּהֲוָה קָבִיר עִמָּנָא, וְאָזַל וּבָעָא בג"ע עָלַיְיהוּ, וְאִתְסֵי עָלְמָא, כְּדֵין שָׁארוּ לָן, וּמִן הַהוּא יוֹמָא דִּסְלִיקוּ לֵיהּ לר"א מִבֵּי קִבְרָא דָּא, וְאִתְיְיהִיב לְגַבֵּי אֲבוּהָ, לֵית מַאן דְּאִתְּעַר לְמֵיקָם קַמַּיְיהוּ דִּדְמִיכֵי חֶבְרוֹן, דְּמִסְתַּפֵּינָא מִן הַהוּא יוֹמָא דְּדָחוּ לִי וְלַחֲבֵרַי. וְהַשְׁתָּא אֲתִיתּוּן לְגַבָּן, וְסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה גַּבֵּיכוֹן, אֲמֵינָא דְּהָא עָלְמָא בְּצַעֲרָא אִשְׁתְּכַח. וְעַ"ד אִזְדַּעֲזַעַנָא, דַּאֲמֵינָא מַאן יַקְדִּים לְאוֹדָעָא לְאִינּוּן זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט דְּמִיכֵי חֶבְרוֹן, אִשְׁתְּמִיט ר' יֵיסָא בְּהַהוּא קִיטְרָא דְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה. אָמַר ר' חִזְקִיָּה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם לֵית עָלְמָא בְּצַעֲרָא, וַאֲנָן לָא אֲתֵינָן לְהַאי.