(R. Yirmiyah bar Aba): "A thousand thousands serve Him" to the River Dinor (Daniel 7:10).

The river comes from the sweat of the Chayos.

(R. Zutra bar Tuvyah in the name of Rav): This River spills onto the heads of the Resha'im in Gehinom (Yirmiyahu 23:19).

(R. Acha bar Yakov): It spills onto the generations which were uprooted from being created (Iyov 22:16).

(Beraisa): These are the 974 generations that were uprooted from being created before the creation of the world.

Hash-m spread them out in each ensuing generation.

They are the most brazen people in each generation.

(R. Nachman bar Yitzchak): This River spills onto the Talmidei Chachamim as a reward for having uprooted themselves in this world for the sake of Torah.

(Shmuel in the name of Rav): Every day, Malachei ha'Shares are created from the River Dinor, they say Shirah, and are annulled (Eichah 3:23).

(R. Shmuel bar Nachmeni in the name of R. Yonasan): Every time speech issues forth from Hash-m, one Malach ha'Shares is created (Tehilim 33:6).

Question: One verse says that Hash-m's "hair," as it were, is white (Daniel 7:9), while another verse says that it is black (Shir ha'Shirim 5:2)!

Answer: At times of Yeshivah, it is white (like a wise elder), and at times of Milchamah, it is black (like a youthful soldier).

Question: The verse at one point says that there is one heavenly throne (Daniel 7:9), while at another point says there are two (ibid.)!

Answer #1 (R. Akiva): One is for Hash-m, one is for David.

Answer #2 (R. Yosi): Do not equate Hash-m with worldly creatures! Rather, one throne is for Din, the other for Tzedakah.

Answer #3 (R. Elazar ben Azaryah): One is the chair, and one is the footstool (as in Yeshayah 66:1).

(R. Dimi): Yeshayah prophecized 18 curses against Yisrael (Yeshayah 3:1-5).

He did not stop until he said the verse, "The young will be haughty with the old, and the disgraceful with the honorable" (Yeshayah 3:5).

(R. Katina): Even at the time of the downfall of Yerushalayim, there were still people of trustworthiness (as derived from verses).

Question: But did Rava not say that Yerushalayim was destroyed only when people of trustworthiness ceased to exist (as derived from Yirmiyahu 5:1)!?

Answer: People of trustworthiness in business ceased to exist, but people of trustworthiness in Torah continued.

R. Elazar ben Arach expounded Ma'aseh Merkavah in front of his rebbi, R. Yochanan ben Zakai.

A fire came down from the heavens, surrounding all of the trees in the field.

The trees opened up in praise to Hash-m.

A Malach proclaimed from the fire that R. Elazar had accurately expounded Ma'aseh Merkavah.

R. Yochanan ben Zakai kissed him on his head and praised him.

R. Yehoshua expounded Ma'aseh Merkavah in front of his colleage, R. Yosi ha'Kohen.

It was the middle of summer, and yet the sky suddenly became full of clouds, and an appearance of a rainbow in a cloud appeared.

The Malachei ha'Shares gathered around to hear, like the people at a wedding gathering around the Chasan and Kalah.

When R. Yosi ha'Kohen informed R. Yochanan ben Zakai what had happened, R. Yochanan praised them.

Question: Did R. Elazar ben Arach really expound Ma'aseh Merkavah?

But the Beraisa says that three people expounded Ma'aseh Merkavah in front of others, and R. Elazar is not mentioned!

Answer: The Beraisa mentions only those who both expounded and who had others expound in front of them (or who expounded in front of someone else who expounded).

Four people entered the "Pardes:" Ben Azai, Ben Zoma, Acher, and Rebbi Akiva.

Rebbi Akiva warned them, when they enter and approach the rocks of crystal, not to say, "Water! Water!" for "the speaker of falsehood shall not stand before Me" (Tehilim 101:7).

Ben Azai gazed and died.

About him the verse says, "Difficult in the eyes of Hash-m is the death of His righteous ones" (Tehilim 116:15).