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One of the most well-known anachronistic scenes of the Talmud appears on our daf.
R. Yehuda said in the name of Rav: When Moshe ascended on high he found the Holy One, blessed be He, engaged in affixing crowns to the letters of the Torah. Said Moshe, “Master of the Universe, who is preventing you from giving the Torah without these additions?” He answered, “There will arise a man, at the end of many generations, Akiva ben Yosef by name, who will derive from each thorn of these crowns mounds and mounds of laws.” “Master of the Universe,” said Moshe, “permit me to see him.” He replied, “Turn around.” Moshe went and sat down behind eight rows and listened to the teachings presented by Rabbi Akiva to his students. Not being able to follow their arguments he became weak and ill at ease, but when they came to a certain subject and the disciples said to Rabbi Akiva “What is the source for this teaching?” and he replied, “It is a law given unto Moshe at Mount Sinai;” he was comforted.
We explore the underlying narrative and meaning behind this most enigmatic midrash.