The top of 9a has some stories about R. Yochanan encountering the son of Resh Lakish, who seems to be dead (at least in the second story). The tales end with a note of profound caution, as the boy's mother (who also happens to be R. Yochanan's sister) takes the boy out of his gaze so that R. Yochanan will not do to him what he did to R. Lakish.
Then we have the story at the bottom of the amud and the top of 9b about the students who bothered R. Papa because he did not teach like Raba. He has a dream which seems to indicate that they will all soon die and he says to them, "Go in peace" (or: "Go to peace") which could either mean: you guys are toast, or: I hope you survive (but I wouldn't, you know, count on it).
Both tales show rabbis in a rather unflattering light, though I suppose the power they have is manifest through the stories. What could be the point though of retelling tales like this? What are they after? Is it simply respect, which is what both stories could be about (the second surely is, the first is more ambiguous I think, but could be.)? Are these just cautionary tales for student?
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I don't think you have to read these stories as portraying the rabbis in an unflattering light. In the first story, Rabbi Yohanan seems to see promise in Resh Lakish's son. This is from "dal eyney v'haza bay," which Rashi explains that "he [RY] wanted to see me because the boy was harif." It is the boy's mother who assumes that nothing good will come out of this--most likely b/c of what happened with RY and RL in Bava Metzia 84a (as Ethan pointed out). She is right to be worried, given that story, but perhaps RY just sees what he misses in his old chevruta?
As for the (you can call me) Rav Pappa story, why do you assume that he is curses them? I realize that is a possible reading given the context, but Jastrow defines "bislama" as "in peace, well." I think that you are conflating our "rest in peace" with this comment.
I assume Rav Pappa is cursing them because beshlama is the greeting used in addressing dead people, at least according to Berakhot 64a, which seems to me to mean that he is saying to them, "you're already dead, as far as I am concerned." By the way, there are manuscripts which have leshalom, which is used for the living (again according to Berakhot) which could mean a scribal disagreement about exactly what he was saying.
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