Midrash su Geremia 49:11

One day R. Jochanan was bathing himself in the Jordan. When Resh Lakish saw him, he jumped into the Jordan and went after him. R. Jochanan said to him: "Your strength ought to be devoted to the study of the Torah." Resli Lakish answered: "Your beauty is fit for women." Then said R. Jochanan: "If you will repent [and leave your profession], I will give you my sister, who is still more beautiful than I am." Resh Lakish accepted this proposition, and when he was about to recross the river for his garments he could not do so. R. Jochanan then instructed him and made a great man out of him. One day there arose a dispute in college about the time at which different new iron weapons, like swords, knives, etc., became subject to Levitical uncleanliness. R. Jochanan said: "From the time they are taken from the furnace," while Resh Lakish said, "From the time they are taken out of the cooling water." R. Jochanan remarked: "The former robber stands his handicraft." Whereupon Resh Lakish answered: "And what good have you done me? When in my old profession, I was also called master, as in my new profession." "I have done much good to you, as I brought you under the wings of the Shechinah," said R. Jochanan. R. Jochanan was nevertheless dejected, and Resh Lakish became ill. [The wife of Resh Lakish, who was] the sister of R. Jochanan, came to the latter and wept, saying: "Pray for his health, for the sake of my son." And in response he cited the following verse (Jer. 49, 11) Leave thine orphan to me, I will give them their livelihood. She continued weeping. "Do pray, for my sake, that I am not left a widow." And in answer he cited to her the end of the same verse, and thy widow must trust in me. Finally, R. Simon b. Lakish's soul went to rest, and R. Jochanan grieved very much after him. The Rabbis of the college searched for a suitable scholar to go and comfort him. They decided that R. Elazar b. P'dath, whose decisions were original, would be fit for this task. He went to R. Jochanan's college and sat before him, and when R. Jochanan said anything, R. Elezar b. P'dath would say: "There is a Baraitha which supports you." R. Jochanan then exclaimed: "Is it you who desires to replace bar Lakish? In his time, when I said anything, he raised twenty-four objections, and I had to make them good with twenty-four answers, so that the discussion became very animated. You, however, say to everything, 'There is a Baraitha which supports you.' Am I not aware that my saying has a good basis?" Finally R. Jochanan tore his garments, wept, and cried: "Where art thou, bar Lakish? Where art thou, bar Lakish?" He continued crying until he became demented. The Rabbis then prayed for his death, and his soul went to rest.