Midrasch zu Schemuel I 23:17

Rabbi then sent [a message to the widow] saying that he would like to marry her, and she answered: "Shall a vessel that has been used for a sacred purpose be used for an ordinary purpose?" In Palestine they quote this: "Where the owner of the arms (warrior) hangs up his battle axe, should the shepherd, Kulba, hang up his bag?" Rabbi sent to her: "Let it be granted that he was greater than I in wisdom, but was he also greater than I in meritorious deeds?" And she answered: "You admit, then, that he was greater in wisdom than you, of which I was unaware. I am, however, aware that in meritorious deeds he was greater than you, for he submitted [with his good will] to sufferings." Whence is it known that R. Elazar was greater in wisdom than Rabbi? When Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel and R. Joshua b. Karcha were sitting in the college on benches, before whom R. Elazar and Rabbi were sitting on the floor while discussing Halachic questions, the sages remarked: "We are drinking the water of these two young men (i.e., enjoy their study) and we let them sit on the floor!" They prepared benches for them, and they ascended them. Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel then said to the sages: "I possess only one little dove (only one son), and you want me to lose it, [lest an evil eye affect him]." And they caused him to descend to his former seat on the floor. R. Joshua b. Karcha then said: "Is it right that he (Rabbi) who has a father, shall live, and he (R. Elazar) who has not, shall die?" They therefore caused R. Elazar b. R. Simon also to take his former seat on the floor. R. Elazar felt discouraged, saying: "They compare me to him (Rabbi)." Up to that time whenever Rabbi said anything, R. Elazar would support him; but from that time on, when Rabbi used to say, "I have an objection," R. Elazar b. Simon would say to him, "You mean to object to this and this; here is the answer to your objection. Now, you are surrounding us with a number of objections which are of no value." Rabbi felt discouraged and came to complain before his father, who answered: "My son, you should not be angry, for he (Elazar) is a lion, the son of a lion, and you are a lion, the son of a fox." And to this Rabbi referred when he said [elsewhere]: "There were three humble men, my father (Fol. 85), the children of Bathyra, and Jonathan, the son of Saul. My father (Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel), as said above; the Beni Bathyra, as it is said that they themselves have made him the chief and elevated him to the post of Nassi, which they were occupying; and Jonathan b. Saul, as he said unto David (I Sam. 23, 17) And thou will he king over Israel, and I will benext unto thee. But perhaps Jonathan b. Saul said so because he had seen that the whole world was sympathizing with David; and also the Beni Bathrya, because they could not answer the questions submitted to them; but as to Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel, he was certainly one of the humblest men of the world. Rabbi then said: "I see that sufferings are favored." And he submitted himself to suffering for thirteen years, six of them with a stone in the bladder, and seven of them with scurvy. The steward of Rabbi's house was wealthier than King Sabur. When he used to feed the animals of Rabbi, the voices of the animals were heard for three miles. He used to do this at the time when Rabbi was entering the privy, and the sound of his cry [in pain] drowned their (the beasts') voices, so that even the sailors on the seaboard heard him. Nevertheless, the afflictions of R. Elazar b. R. Simon were of more value than Rabbi's for, while R. Elazar b. R. Simon submitted himself to them out of love, and they left him for the same reason; those of Rabbi's came as the cause of an incident, and left him through an incident. They came as the cause of an incident, as follows: There was a calf which was about to be taken to the slaughter, and it ran away and put its head under the garment of Rabbi and cried. "Go," Rabbi remarked to her, "because you are created for this purpose." It was then said [in Heaven]: "Since he had no mercy [with creatures], he shall be visited with afflictions." And it left him through an incident, as follows: One day, when his female servant was sweeping the house, she tried to sweep out some weasels which were thrown there. Rabbi, noticing what she was trying to do, said to her: "Let them alone, for it is written (Ps. 145, 9) And his mercies are over all his worls." It was then said in Heaven: "Because he has mercy with creatures, let us deal with him mercifully." During all the years in which Rabbi was suffering from his afflictions, it never happened that the country was in need of rain.