Greater is learning Torah than the priesthood and than royalty, for royalty is acquired by thirty stages, and the priesthood by twenty-four, but the Torah by forty-eight things. By study, Attentive listening, Proper speech, By an understanding heart, By an intelligent heart, By awe, By fear, By humility, By joy, By attending to the sages, By critical give and take with friends, By fine argumentation with disciples, By clear thinking, By study of Scripture, By study of mishnah, By a minimum of sleep, By a minimum of chatter, By a minimum of pleasure, By a minimum of frivolity, By a minimum of preoccupation with worldly matters, By long-suffering, By generosity, By faith in the sages, By acceptance of suffering. [Learning of Torah is also acquired by one] Who recognizes his place, Who rejoices in his portion, Who makes a fence about his words, Who takes no credit for himself, Who is loved, Who loves God, Who loves [his fellow] creatures, Who loves righteous ways, Who loves reproof, Who loves uprightness, Who keeps himself far from honors, Who does not let his heart become swelled on account of his learning, Who does not delight in giving legal decisions, Who shares in the bearing of a burden with his colleague, Who judges with the scales weighted in his favor, Who leads him on to truth, Who leads him on to peace, Who composes himself at his study, Who asks and answers, Who listens [to others], and [himself] adds [to his knowledge], Who learns in order to teach, Who learns in order to practice, Who makes his teacher wiser, Who is exact in what he has learned, And who says a thing in the name of him who said it. Thus you have learned: everyone who says a thing in the name of him who said it, brings deliverance into the world, as it is said: “And Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name” (Esther 2:22).

(11:13) Rabbi Johanan sat [in the teacher's seat] and expounded how the waters [of the Red Sea] became like a wall for Israel. Even as Rabbi Johanan was explaining that the wall of water looked like latticework, Serach bat Asher looked down [so Mandelbaum and Braude; Jastrow: "grew angry"] and said, "I was there, and the waters were, rather, like shining windows." [So Mandelbaum; Jastrow emends to istrophomata "like doors turning in sockets" and Braude emends to phasmata "something resembling [water]".]

The Gemara answers: This Sage does not interpret the word “et” as a means to derive new halakhot. He considers the word “et” to be an ordinary part of the sentence structure and not a source for exegetical exposition. As it is taught in a baraita: Shimon HaAmasoni, and some say that it was Neḥemya HaAmasoni, would interpret all occurrences of the word “et” in the Torah, deriving additional halakhot with regard to the particular subject matter. Once he reached the verse: “You shall fear the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 6:13), which is written with the added word “et,” he withdrew from this method of exposition, as whose fear could be an extension of the fear of God? His students said to him: Our teacher, what will be with all the occurrences of the word “et” that you interpreted until now? He said to them: Just as I received reward for the exposition, so I received reward for my withdrawal from using this method of exposition. The word “et” in this verse was not explained until Rabbi Akiva came and expounded: “You shall fear the Lord your God”: The word “et” serves to include Torah scholars, i.e., that one is commanded to fear them just as one fears God. In any event, Shimon HaAmasoni no longer derived additional halakhot from the word et.

Now these are the ordinances (Exod. 21:1). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: He declareth His word unto Jacob … He hath not dealt so with any nation (Ps. 147:19–20). Aquila the convert, Hadrian’s nephew, desired to be converted to Judaism, but he feared his uncle’s wrath. He told his uncle: “I want to engage in business.” “If you need to do so,” his uncle replied, “silver or gold is available to you.” Aquila responded: “I want to go into business in other lands in order to become acquainted with other people and need only your advice on how to do so.” He responded: “Whatever merchandise you trade in that you find low in price because it is ignored, deal in it, for it will ultimately rise in price and you will profit from it.” Then he went to Israel and studied the Torah. Sometime later R. Eliezer and R. Joshua met him and noticed that his countenance had changed. They said to each other: “Aquila must be studying the Torah.” When he drew near them, he asked numerous questions which they answered. Later he returned to his uncle, Hadrian, who asked him: “Why has your countenance changed? I am inclined to think that your business was unsuccessful or that some person oppressed you.” (He answered) “That is not so. You are my relative, and no man would dare oppress me.” Hadrian continued asking him: “But why has your countenance changed?” “I have studied the Torah,” he replied, “and I was also circumcised.” “Who advised you to do that?” he asked. “You did,” he answered. “When did I do that?” “When I told you I desired to engage in business, you said: ‘Whatever merchandise you find low, that is worthless, and lying on the ground because it is ignored, do business in it, for it will finally rise in value.’ I have traveled among the nations and have found nothing so low and so cast down as Israel, and it is destined to rise, as Isaiah said: Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, to him who is despised of men, to him who is abhorred of nations, to a servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord that is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee” (Isa. 40:9). His advisor said to him: “Are these the ones about whom you spoke—will a king arise before them in the future, as it is said: Kings shall see and arise?” Hadrian struck him (the advisor) upon his cheek and shouted: “Now go dress that wound. If they saw just one legionary they would be unable to rise up against him, yet you dare say of them: Kings shall see and arise before them.” His advisor responded: “Then if that is so, why bother with him now that he is converted? Have him put to death.” Whereupon, he answered: “Even while my nephew Aquila was in his mother’s womb, he was destined to be converted.” What did Hadrian’s advisor do then? He went to the roof, threw himself off, and perished. The Holy Spirit then cried out: So perish all thine enemies, O Lord (Judg. 5:31). Then Hadrian said to Aquila: “My advisor is dead; now tell me why you did such a thing?” “Because I wanted to study the Torah,” he replied. “Could you not have studied the Torah while uncircumcised?” he inquired. And Aquila answered: “Though you pay a salary to your military governor, he must provide his own provisions, and similarly a man can never fully understand the Torah if he remains uncircumcised, as it is said: He declareth his word to Jacob (Ps. 147:19). That is, to one who like Jacob is circumcised, but not to people who are uncircumcised.”