Jerusalem Talmud

Jerusalem Talmud Bava Metzia — 2 / 5

[Jerusalem Talmud Bava Metzia / 2 / 5 / 3] Shimon ben Shetah was dealing with flax [as his profession]. His students said to him: ‘Master, leave it behind and we will buy you a donkey and you won’t need to work so much,’ and they bought him a donkey from an Arab, and it had a jewel hanging from it[s neck]. They came to him and said him: ‘from now on you won’t have to work again.’ He said to them: ‘why?’ They said to him: ‘ We bought you a donkey from an Arab and it had a jewel hanging from it[s neck]!’ He said to them: ‘Did the owner know?’ They said to him: ‘no.’ He said to them: ‘go return it.’ [Later students objected to this story:] But didn’t Rav Huna Bibi bar Gozlon say in the name of Rav, said they responded before Rabbi, even according to the one who says an item stolen from a gentile is prohibited, all agree that an item lost by a gentile is permitted!?’ ‘What, do you think Shimon ben Shetah is a barbarian? Shimon wished to hear ‘blessed be the God of the Jews’ more than all the wages of this world!’ [Jerusalem Talmud Bava Metzia / 2 / 5 / 4] Where did he [Shimon ben Shetah] know this from? Rabbi Hanina was dealing with the following situation: The elderly rabbis bought a kri of wheat from certain soldiers, and found inside it a sack of gold coins and returned it to them. They said: ‘Blessed be the God of the Jews!’ [Jerusalem Talmud Bava Metzia / 2 / 5 / 5] Abba Oshayah of Turaya was in a similar situation he found jewels in the queen’s wash and she said: ‘They are yours. What are they worth to me? I have many and better things than that!’ He said: ‘The Torah decrees that we must return it!’ She said: “Blessed be the God of the Jews.’ [Jerusalem Talmud Bava Metzia / 2 / 5 / 6] Rabbi Shmuel Bar Susratey was in Rome when the queen lost her ring (?) and [the rabbi] found it. A decree went out: whoever returns the ring in thirty days will be rewarded in such-and-such way. After thirty days his head will be cut off. [The rabbi] did not return to Rome in thirty days. He returned after thirty days, and went to return the object. The queen asked him: were you not in this place? He said yes. Did you not hear the announcement? He said yes.What did it say? If one returned it in 30 days he would be rewarded, if after thirty days his head will be cut off. And so why didn't you return in thirty days? [The rabbi answered] Because I did not want to receive a reward for doing God's word. She said 'Blessed be the God of the Jews.' [Jerusalem Talmud Bava Metzia / 2 / 5 / 7] Alexander the Great came to the king of Katzya, and was shown much silver and gold. Said he: “I didn’t come to see your silver and gold; I came to see your laws and customs.” As they were sitting, two people came for litigation before the king. Said one of them: “My master, the king! I purchased a ruin from my friend. I demolished it and found a hidden treasure inside it. So I said to him: ‘Take your treasure. I purchased a ruin, not a treasure.’ And the other one said: “ I sold you the ruin and everything in it—from the depths of the earth to the heights of heaven!” The king asked one: “Do you have a son?” Said he: “Yes.” He then asked the other: “Do you have a daughter?” “Yes.” Said the king to them: “Let them marry each other, and the treasure and the ruin shall belong to the two of them.” Said the king to Alexander: “Did I not rule well?” Said he: “No, you did not.” Said he: “If such a case came before you in your country, what would you do?” Said he: “I’d cut off both their heads, and send the treasure to the royal palace.” [The king of Katzya] then asked that a meal be brought for them. The meal was a chicken made in gold, in a pot made of gold. Alexander the Great asked "Will we eat gold?" The king answered: "You would destroy people, and you tell me you don’t eat gold? It is only because mercy is found in my country that we have this much gold". The king of Katzya continue to say to Alexander: “Does the sun shine in your country?” Said Alexander: "Yes." "And do rains fall upon you?" "Yes." "Perhaps there are cattle and herds in your land?" "Yes, there are". [The king of Katzya said] “It is for the sake of the cattle and herds that the sun shines for you and the rains fall upon you, as we read “God saves both humans and animals.” (Ps. 36:7)