The source is the pasuk (Yirmiyahu 12:14) כה אדמתם מעל נושטם הנני ...הרעים שכני כל על 'ה אמר , "So says Hashem: Concerning all My wicked neighbors...behold I uproot them from upon their land."
People informed Reb Yochanan that there were old Yidden living in Bavel. Reb Yochanan was surprised because it states in this week's parashah (11:21) וימי ימיכם ירבו למען האדמה על בניכם , "So that your days may increase and the days of your children, on the land which Hashem swore to your forefathers to give them." This pasuk indicates that long life is an attribute of Eretz Yisrael. When he learned that the people of Bavel arrive early to the beis medresh and leave late, he said, "This is the merit that saves them.' As Reb Yehoshua ben Levi told his children, 'Come early to beis medresh and leave late, so you will live long... The source is the pesukim (Mishlei 8:34-35) יום דלתותי על לשקד לי שומע אדם אשרי חיים מצא מוצאי כי פתחי מזוזת לשמור יום , "Fortunate is the man who listens to Me to watch by My doors day by day, to watch the doorposts of My entrances. For he who has found Me has found life."
The Maharsha explains that the Gemara (Megillah 29.) states that the batei midrashim and batei knesiyos of Bavel will, in the future, be reestablished in Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, even now, in galus, they have an atmosphere of Eretz Yisrael.
Reb Anshil Shwartz of Chaifa zt’l would daven Shacharis for many hours. And when Shacharis was over, he wasn't finished. He spent a long time saying Tehillim and other tefillos – arriving at his store at around two in the afternoon.
Someone asked, “Reb Anshil, what will be with your customers?”
Reb Anshil replied, “They aren’t waiting in the sun.”
Reb Anshil was financially well-off. He attributed his success to his devotion to tefillah.
The Beis Ahron was very careful to daven with minyan. Once, he needed to have a medical procedure done, so he had it scheduled for early in the afternoon, so he could daven Minchah with a minyan before the operation, and then daven Maariv when he woke up. He requested that ten people wait for him for Maariv.
The rebbe didn’t wake up so quickly after the procedure. Midnight was approaching, and the ten people had no choice but to daven alone.
Later that night, the Rebbe woke up and immediately asked, "What about Maariv? Is there a minyan?"
The gabai said, "Everything is ready. Ten people are waiting outside the Rebbe's room. They will daven there, and the Rebbe can daven along from this room." Really, no one was there. They had all left after they finished their Maariv.
The gabai went outside the Rebbe's room and pretended he was the chazzan (although no one was there). He said Barchu, Kaddish, etc., and the Rebbe davened along from his hospital bed.
Several days later, when the Rebbe recovered, the gabai told the Rebbe that there really wasn't a minyan and that he only pretended there was one. "I am afraid that I sinned," the gabai said. "I said Barchu and Kaddish without a minyan..."
The rebbe calmed him, "You did well. It was a situation of pikuach nefesh (a life-and-death predicament). I just woke up from the operation, and if I had known there was no minyan, I wouldn’t be able to endure the distress."
