Study Berakhot folio 64A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
as it is stated: “And Oved-edom had sons…Peulletai the 8th,” and in the continuation of the same verse it is written: “For God blessed him” (I Chronicles 26:4–5); apparently, these 8 children were the blessing, as it is stated: “All these were of the sons of Oved-edom; they and their sons and their
R' Avin HaLevi said: If one forces the moment and attempts to take advantage of an undeserved opportunity, the moment forces him and he is pushed aside. If one yields to the moment and relinquishes an opportunity that presents itself, the moment yields to him.
This may be derived from an incident involving Rabba and Rav Yosef, as Rav Yosef was Sinai, extremely erudite, and Rabba was one who uproots mountains, extremely sharp. The moment arrived when they were needed; one of them was to be chosen as head of the yeshiva. They sent the following question
Rabba presided as head of the yeshiva for 22 years. After he died, Rav Yosef presided for 2½ years. Though he did not take advantage of the opportunity that presented itself, he ultimately fulfilled that for which he was destined.
The Talmud relates that all those years that Rabba presided, Rav Yosef did not even call a bloodletter to his home. Rav Yosef did not assume even the slightest air of authority, and would go to seek out the bloodletter rather than call upon the bloodletter to accommodate him.