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The reasoning of our father Elazar, like a first-rate pilot, steering the vessel of covenant faithfulness in the sea of emotions,
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and flouted by the threats of the tyrant, and overwhelmed with the breakers of torture,
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in no way shifted the rudder of covenant faithfulness until it sailed into the harbour of victory over death.
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No besieged city has ever held out against many and various war machines as that set-apart man did when his pious inner life was tried with the fiery trial of tortures and rackings and moved his besiegers through the Torah-faithful reasoning that shielded him.
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For father Elazar, projecting his disposition, broke the raging waves of the emotions as with a jutting cliff.
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O kohen worthy of the priesthood! You didn’t pollute your set-apart teeth, nor make your appetite, which had always embraced the clean and lawful, a partaker of profanity.
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O harmonizer with the Torah, and sage devoted to a life ordered by Elohim!
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Of such a character ought those to be who perform the duties of the Torah at the risk of their own blood, and defend it with generous sweat by sufferings even to death.
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You, father, have gloriously established our right government by your endurance; and making of much account our past service, prevented its destruction, and by your deeds, have made credible the words of disciplined wisdom.
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O aged man of more power than tortures, elder more vigorous than fire, greatest king over the emotions, Elazar!
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For as father Aharon (Aaron), armed with a censer, hastening through the consuming fire, vanquished the flame-bearing angel,
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so, Elazar, the descendant of Aharon, wasted away by the fire, didn’t give up his reasoning.
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What is most wonderful is that though he was an old man, though the labours of his body were now spent, his muscles were relaxed, and his sinews worn out, he recovered youth.
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By the spirit of reasoning, and the reasoning of Yitzchaq (Isaac), he rendered powerless the many-headed rack.
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O blessed old age, and reverend hoar head, and life obedient to the Torah, which the faithful seal of death perfected.
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If, then, an old man, through covenantal Way, despised tortures even to death, then certainly Torah-faithful reasoning is ruler of the emotions.
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But perhaps some might say, “It is not all who conquer emotions, as not all possess wise reasoning.”
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But those who have meditated upon covenantal Way with their whole heart, these alone can master the emotions of the flesh:
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they who believe that to Elohim they don’t die; for, as our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchaq, and Ya’aqov, they live before Elohim.
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This circumstance, then, is by no means an objection, that some who have weak reasoning are governed by their emotions,
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since what person, walking religiously by the whole rule of disciplined wisdom, and believing in Elohim,
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and knowing that it is a blessed thing to endure all kinds of hardships for uprightness, would not, for the sake of covenantal Way, master his emotion?
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For only the wise and brave man is ruler over his emotions.
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This is why even boys, trained with the disciplined wisdom of Torah-faithful reasoning, have conquered still more bitter tortures;
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for when the tyrant was manifestly vanquished in his first attempt, in being unable to force the old man to eat ritually unclean food,