Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 9, scan section 30

" And what has become of thy father's money ? " he asked her; •and she answered : ** Rabbi, on him was verified the saying which was proverbial in Jerusalem : ' One who desires to preserve his wealth, should lessen it (spending it in charities; but as my father did not sufficiently spend in charities, it all vanished).* " " And what has become of that of thy father-in-law ? " he again interrogated her; and she answered : ** Rabbi, through my father also his was lost." Thereupon said Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai to his disciples: " Whenever I used to read the passage: * If thou knowest this not, O thou fairest of women ! go but forth in the footsteps of the flocks,* I could not make out what pun- ishment was contained therein ; but after what I have seen to- day, I can safely say that the punishment is meant that Israel must be under the domination of the lowest nation of the heathens; and not merely that, but also must lie among the manure of their cattle.'* The same girl then asked him: " Rabbi, dost thou recall that thou hast signed thy name to my marriage contract?" He 68 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. answered: "I do " ; and turning to his disciples, he continued: " Verily, I signed my name to the marriage contract of this girl, which was for a million Tyrian dinars. Her father's family never left their house to enter the Temple, until a woollen cloth was spread for them." It happened that a girl and her ten maids were captured, and a heathen brought her up in his house. One day he gave her a pitcher and told her to bring him some water. One of her maids got up and took it from her. ** Why hast thou done this?" he inquired of her; and she answered: " Master, I swear by thy life that I am one of five hundred maids belonging to her mother." When he heard this, he liberated the girl and her ten maids. The following happened to another young girl who was cap- tured and brought up in the house of a heathen. One night he had a dream, in which he was commanded to send her away. His wife, however, prevented him from doing so. Again he had a dream, in which he was told that if he would not send away the girl he would die. He did so, but desiring to know what became of her^ he followed her. She kept on walking until she became thirsty. She went down to a spring to drink, and plac- ing her hand upon the wall, she was bitten by a snake and died. She floated upon the water until he went down, took her out, and buried her. When he returned home, he said to his wife : ** The people to which this girl belonged is punished by no other but their Father in heaven." ''Let noble purpose underlie their every action.'' It means, for the sake of the Torah, as if is written [Prov. iii. 6]: *' In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make level thy paths." Said R. Simeon : Be punctual in the reading of Shema, and in prayer; and when thou prayest, let it not be as a conversa- tion, but supplication before the Holy One, blessed be He, a« it is written [Jonah, iv. 2] : " That thou art a gracious God, and merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in kindness, and repen- tant of the evil." Said R. Elazar (see Mishna, and in addition he said): " Noth- ing of the Torah shall be forgotten by thee. Know for whoai thy exertion is and with whom thou hast made a covenant ; and who is thy master, who is surely to be trusted that he will recom- pense thee for thy work." TRACT ABOTH. 69 Tosephtha — A both of R. Nathan, *(As Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai used to recount the praise of his disciples), so was R. Jehudah the Nassi recounted of the following sages: R. Tarphon, R. Aqiba, R. Elazar b. Azariah, R. Johanan b. Nuri, and R. Jose the Galilean. He called R. Tarphon " a pile of stones"; others say, " a pile of nuts," which, should one be taken away, the whole pile is stirred and there is a rolling of nuts one upon the other. So it was with R. Tarphon, when a disciple came to him and said: *' Teach me," he taught him the Scriptures, Mishna, Midrash, Halakhoth, and Agadoth ; and when he left him, he was full of the blessing of the Torah. He called R. Aqiba " a sealed treasure," and compared him to a workman who, taking his basket, goes outside, and what- ever he may chance to find he puts into it. However, when he returns home, he assorts every article. So has R. Aqiba done (when he was studying), and made rules to the Torah to be easily comprehended, as rings are made to vessels to make it easy to take a hold of them. He called R. Elazar b. Azariah " a huckster's basket," and compared him to a huckster who, taking his basket, goes about the country, and the people come flocking around him inquiring for various articles, and find that he has everything. So it was with R. Elazar b, Azariah, when a disciple came to him, he taught him everything that he desired ; and when he left him, he was full of the blessings of the Torah. He called R. Jose the Galilean ** a gatherer of good things with no pride about him," who collected the good manners of all the sages and the Mishnaioth that all the sages have taught. When R. Jehoshua became of old age, etc. (See Section Moed, Vol. VI., Tract Hagiga, pp. 3 and 4: ** It happened that R. Johanan b. Broka," etc., till paragraph beginning with " It happened once.") Issi b. Jehudah gave the sages names. To R. Meir he gave the name of ** sage and scribe " ; to R. Jehudah, " a sage when he desires to be " ; to R. Elazar b. Jacob, " a small vessel (not of much knowledge), but very clear"; to R. Jose, " a man of good reasoning in the science of the Law"; to R. Johanan b. Nuri, " a basket of a peddler containing a variety of every- * Chapter XVIII. of the original. 70 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. thing " ; to R. Jose the Galilean, " a gatherer of the very best things, with no pride about him"; to R. Simeon b. Gamaliel, " a vault full of the best purple dye"; to R. Simeon, " learns much and forgets little." When, later on, R. Simeon met Issi b. Jehudah, he asked him: " Why hast thou attacked me before the scholars ? " And he answered: " I have said only that thou learnest much and forgettest little, and even that little is of no importance." CHAPTER III. MiSHNA A, Aqabia b. Mahalallel used to say : " Con- sider three things, and thou wilt not fall into transgres- sion : know whence thou comest, whither thou art going, and before whom thou art about to give account and reckoning ; know whence thou comest — from a fetid drop, and whither thou art going — to worm and maggot ; and before whom thou art about to give account and reckon- ing : before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He." Tosephtha — A both of R. Nathan, *" Said Aqabia b, Mahalallel, whoever takes to his heart the