Midrash su Salmi 15:4

The schoolmen propounded a question: Is the memorial prayer in honor of the living or for the deceased? And what is the difference? If one says: "I do not wish to be lamented." Or, on the other hand, if his heirs do not want to pay the mourner, [if it is an honor for the deceased, then only he can give orders; but if it is for the living, then can they only change it]. Come, listen! (Gen. 23, 2) And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. Now, if this were only an honor for the living, should the body of Sarah have been kept till Abraham came, for his honor? Nay! Sarah herself was pleased that Abraham should be honored because of her. Come, listen! All Israel shall mourn for him and they shall bury him. Now, if it is for the honor of the living, were, then, the people of Jeroboam worthy to be honored? The upright are pleased that any human being should be honored on their account. Come, listen! They shall not be mourned for and buried? It is quite right if we assume it is in honor for the deceased, but if it is in honor of the living why not mourn him to give honor to the living? Because the righteous do not wish that they shall be honored because of the wicked. Come, listen! (Jeremiah 34, 5) Thou shalt die in peace; and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings that were before thee, so shall they make a burning for thee; and they shall lament thee, 'Ah Lord.' Now if it is to the honor of the living, what good can this do to Zedekiah? The prophet said to him thus: "Israel shall be honored because of thee as they were honored because of thy parents." (Fol. 47) Come, listen! We are taught (Ps. 66, 4) The despicable is despised; this refers to King Hezekiah, who bore the remains of his father on a bed of ropes. Now, if it is for the honor of the living, why did Hezekiah do so? In order that his father should have an atonement. But has he a right to remove the honor of Israel because of the atonement of his father? The people themselves were pleased to relinquish their honor, because of the atonement of Achaz. Come, listen! Rabbi said [in his will]: "Ye shall not lament me in the small cities, but in the large ones." Now, if it is for the honor of the living, what is the difference in what town? He thought: "Let the people be more honored because of me."

And this is meant that whenever R. Chiya and R. Chanina used to quarrel with each other, that R. Chanina would say: "Art thou quarreling with me, who if the Torah should, God forbid, be forgotten in Israel, could be revised by me through my terse arguments?" Whereupon R. Chiya answered him: "I can bring it about that the Torah should not come to such a point of forgetfulness, for I bring flax twist out of its nets with which I capture deer. From its meat I feed the orphans. From its skin I prepare scrolls, which I bring to a town where there is no teacher. I write the five Scriptures of the Torah on five parchments, each one for a child. I then teach to six other children the six orders of the Mishnah, to each one an order, and I say to them: 'Study your order to your associate.' [Hence in a very short time all of these children knew the entire thing]." This is meant when Rabbi said: "How great are the deeds of Chiya!" When R. Simon b. Rabbi asked his father: "Is it even greater than yours?" "Yes," came the reply. R. Ishmael b. R. Geri asked him: "Is it even greater than my father's act?" Whereupon Rabbi replied: "This cannot happen in Israel." He then summoned his smaller son, whereupon R. Simon entered. He entrusted to him the ways of wisdom. Afterwards he summoned his elder son, whereupon R. Gamaliel entered. He said: "Conduct thy Exilarch office among the exalted (surround thyself with the best people), cast the bile among the students, (be austere against them)." Is this proper? Is there not a passage (Ps. 15, 4) He that honoreth these that fear the Lord, Upon which the master said elsewhere that this refers to Joshaphath, King of Juda, who, when he met a scholar, would arise from his chair, would embrace and kiss him, and call him Rabbi, Rabbi, Mori, Mori. This is not difficult to explain. The latter case refers to privacy [then one should love a scholar], but the former refers to publicly. We are taught in a Baraitha: Rabbi became sick in Sepphoris and his grave was destined to be in Beth She'arim. But was not Rabbi's household in Beth She'arim? We must therefore say that after he became sick he was brought to Sepphoris because of its elevated place and its wholesome climate.