Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was from a wealthy family. He had never studied the Written or Oral Torah, and his father objected to his engaging in Torah study. Nevertheless, his yearning for the Torah was so great that he decided to dedicate his life to its study, until ultimately, his father was very proud of him.

There was an incident involving Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, whose father had plowmen who would plow the arable land, while he would plow rocky ground. Rabbi Eliezer sat and wept. His father said to him: Why are you weeping? Perhaps you are distressed that you are plowing rocky ground. Now you will plow the arable land. Rabbi Eliezer sat on the arable land and wept. His father asked him: Why are you weeping? Perhaps you are distressed that you are plowing the arable land? Rabbi Eliezer said to him: No. His father asked: But why are you weeping? Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Because I wish to study Torah. His father said to him: You are twenty-eight years old, yet you wish to study Torah? Rather, take a wife and she will bear you sons and you can take them to school to learn Torah.

For two weeks, Eliezer did not taste anything, until Elijah, of blessed memory, appeared to him and said to him: Son of Hyrcanus, why are you weeping? Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Because I wish to study Torah. Elijah said to him: If you wish to study Torah, ascend to Jerusalem to study with Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai.

Eliezer stood up and went to Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai. He sat and was weeping. Rabban Yohanan said to him: Why are you weeping? Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Because I wish to study Torah. Rabban Yohanan said to him: Whose son are you? But he would not tell him. Rabban Yohanan said to him: Have you never learned to recite Shema, the Amida prayer, or Grace after Meals? Rabbi Eliezer said to him: No. Rabban Yohanan said to him: Stand, and I will teach you the three of them. He sat and wept. Rabban Yohanan said to him: Why are you weeping? Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Because I wish to study Torah. Rabban Yohanan would tell him two halakhot each day of the week, and he would review them and absorb them. He went eight days and did not taste anything until the odor of his mouth reached before Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, who distanced him from his presence. 

Rabbi Eliezer was sitting and weeping. Rabban Yohanan said to him: Why are you weeping? Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Because you distanced me from your presence, just as a man distances from before him one afflicted with boils [an infectious disease]. Rabban Yohanan said to him: My son, just as the odor of your mouth rose before me, so may the fragrance of the statutes of the Torah ascend from your mouth to Heaven. Rabban Yohanan said to him: My son, whose son are you? He replied: I am the son of Hyrcanus. Rabban Yohanan said to him: If so, then aren’t you the son of one of the most prominent men of the world? And you would not tell me. Rabban Yohanan said to him: I take an oath by your life that you shall dine with me today. Rabbi Eliezer said to him: I have already dined with my host. Rabban Yohanan said to him: Who is your host? Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananya and Rabbi Yosei the Priest. Rabban Yohanan sent and asked his hosts, and he said to them: Did Eliezer eat with you today? They said to him: No; in fact he has gone eight days without tasting anything…

The sons of Hyrcanus said to their father: Ascend to Jerusalem and disown your son Eliezer from your possessions because he disobeyed you and went to study Torah. He ascended to Jerusalem to disown him, and he found there a celebration in honor of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, and all the nobles of the state were dining with him…The people said to Rabban Yohanan: Behold, the father of Rabbi Eliezer has arrived. Rabban Yohanan said to them: Set a place for him, and they set a place for him and seated him next to Rabban Yohanan. Rabban Yohanan fixed his gaze on Rabbi Eliezer, and said to him: Tell us a matter from the Torah. Rabbi Eliezer said to him: My Master, I will tell you a parable. To what is this matter comparable? It is comparable to that well that cannot yield more water than what it draws from the earth; likewise, I am unable to speak matters of Torah beyond what I received from you. Rabban Yohanan said to him: I will tell you a parable. To what is this matter comparable? It is comparable to a fountain that is flowing and yielding water, and it has the capability of yielding more water than it receives. Likewise, you are able to speak matters of Torah beyond what Moses received at Sinai. Rabban Yohanan said to him: Are you shy to speak before me? I will stand and leave you.

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai stood up and went outside, and Rabbi Eliezer was sitting and lecturing. His face radiated like the light of the sun, and rays emitted from him like the rays of Moses [whose face radiated when he descended from Sinai], so that there was no person who knew whether it was day or night. Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai came from behind Rabbi Eliezer and kissed him on his head. He said about him: Happy are you, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that this one has emerged from your loins. Hyrcanus inquired: About whom did Rabban Yohanan say that? They said to him: About Eliezer your son. Hyrcanus said to him: Rabban Yohanan should not have said that; but rather, Happy am I, Hyrcanus, that this one has emerged from my loins.

While Rabbi Eliezer was sitting and lecturing, his father stood on his feet to show respect. When Rabbi Eliezer saw his father standing on his feet, he was alarmed and he said: Father, be seated, as I cannot speak matters of Torah while you are standing. Hyrcanus said to him: My son, it was not for this reason that I came, but rather to disown you from my possessions. Now that I have come to see you and I have witnessed all this praise; behold, your brothers are disowned from them, and all my possessions are given to you as a gift. Rabbi Eliezer said to him: I am not like any of them [in my aspirations]. Had I requested land from the Holy One, blessed be He, He could have given it to me, as it is stated: “The earth is the Lord’s, and all that it holds, the world and all its inhabitants” (Psalms 24:1). Had I requested silver and gold from the Holy One, blessed be He, He could have given them to me, as it is stated: “Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold, the utterance of the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). But I requested only Torah from the Holy One, blessed be He. (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 1–2)