It appears to him as..., it seems to him that... it seemed to him
It appears to him as…, it seems to him as…
("And now Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear Him? — Regarding Moses our teacher, it is a minor matter (a small thing). Like a man from whom they ask a large vessel and he has one — it appears to him as a small vessel; if small and he does not have it, it appears to him as a large vessel" - Megillah 25a; and also: "Ben Azai says: All the sages of Israel are like the peel of an onion compared to me, except this Korach (Rabbi Akiva)!" - Bekhorot 58a; and also: "Nevertheless, it seemed to me that his whole essence returned to an event that had already happened to me" - Agnon / Ad Hineh, p.66; and also: "And yet it seemed to him that he saw with his eyes a spark of truth, and that the appearance of his face showed what was in his soul and heart" - Haim Sabato / Like the Flicker of Dawn, p.58)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
דּוֹמֶה עָלָיו כ...,דּוֹמֶה עָלָיו ש...דּוֹמֶה הָיָה
Definition (Hebrew)
נִרְאֶה בְּעֵינָיו כ..., נִדְמֶה לוֹ ש...
("וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל, מָה ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ שֹׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה-לְגַבֵּי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ מִלְּתָא זוּטַרְתִּי (דָּבָר קָטָן) הִיא. מָשָׁל לְאָדָם שֶׁמְּבַקְּשִׁין הֵימֶנּוּ כְּלִי גָּדוֹל וְיֵשׁ לוֹ- דּוֹמֶה עָלָיו כִּכְלִי קָטָן, קָטָן וְאֵין לוֹ- דּוֹמֶה עָלָיו כִּכְלִי גָּדוֹל"- מְגִלָּה כֹּה ע"א, וְכֵן:"בֶּן עַזַּאי אוֹמֵר: כָּל חַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל דּוֹמִין עָלַי כִּקְלִפַּת הַשּׁוּם חוּץ מִן הַקֵּרֵחַ הַזֶּה (ר' עֲקִיבָא)!"- בְּכוֹרוֹת נָח ע"א, וְכֵן:"אַף עַל פִּי כֵן דּוֹמֶה עָלַי שֶׁכָּל עִקָּרוֹ חוֹזֵר עַל מְאֹרָע שֶׁאֵרְעַנִי כְּבָר"- עַגְנוֹן/ עַד הֵנָּה, 66, וְכֵן:"וּבְכָל זֹאת דּוֹמֶה הָיָה עָלָיו שֶׁרָאָה בְּעֵינָיו נִיצוֹץ שֶׁל אֱמֶת וְשֶׁמַּרְאֵה פָּנָיו מַרְאֶה מָה שֶׁבְּנַפְשׁוֹ וְתוֹכוֹ כְּבָרוֹ"- חַיִּים סָבָתוֹ/ כְּעַפְעַפֵּי שַׁחַר, 58)