Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 9, scan section 35

includes honor also. \ Chapter XXIII. of the original. TRACT ABOTH. 85 is the ruler of his spirit is considered as if he had conquered a city full of heroes, as it is written [ibid. xxi. 22]: " A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty " ; and " mighty " means mighty in the Torah, as it is written [Ps. ciii. 20] : " Mighty in strength, that execute his word." There are others who say that it means the ministering angels, as it is written [ibid.] : " Bless the Lord, ye his angels, mighty in strength," etc. There are still others who say that the greatest hero is he who makes his enemy his friend. " Despise no man.'' As it is written [Prov. xiii. 13]: " Whoso despiseth the word shall fall in debt to it ; but he that feareth the commandment will be rewarded." He also used to say: ** One who is taught the Law while young is like unto a heifer which was tamed while yet small, as it is written [Hosea, x. 11]: " And Ephralm is as a well-taught heifer that loved to tread out the corn. " The one who is taught the Torah in his old age, however, is like a cow which was tamed when already old, as it is written [ibid. iv. 16]: ** For like an untamable cow is Israel disobedient." He also used to say: " He that is taught the Torah in his youth is similar to a woman who kneads her dough with warm water, and one that is taught the Torah in his old age is similar to a woman who kneads her dough with cold water." * R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: "One that is taught the Law when young is similar to a screed which was written on new paper, and one who is taught the Law when old is similar to a screed which was written on old paper." R. Simeon b. Gamaliel adds to the above the following: " One that is taught the Law when young is similar to a young man who marries a young woman ; they are suited to and desire each other. One that is taught in his old age, however, is sim- ilar to an old man who marries a young woman: she is suitable to him, but not he to her. She desires him, but he avoids her, as it is written [Ps. cxxvii. 4]: " Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth"; and immediately after it is written [ibid., ibid. 5]: *' Happy is the man that hath his quiver filled with them." One that learns and forgets is similar to a woman who bears children but buries them, as it is written [Hosea, ix. 12] : " But though they were to bring up their children, yet would I bereave * This is added here to R. Eliezer b. Jacob. In the Mishna, however, this state- ment is ascribed to R. Elisha b. Abuyah. S6 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. them, that there should be no man." Do not read D'T^/DCi^l (would I bereave them), but DTin^^l (would I forget them). As it is written [Deut. xi. i8] : " Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart," etc., i.e., the words of the Torah shall be distinguished from each other, and at same time shall be marked upon thee side by side, as it is written [Prov. vii. 3] : " Bind them around thy fingers; write them upon the table of thy heart " (i.e., as the fingers are separate from each other and still side by side of each other), and it is also written [ibid. vi. 21]: " Bind them upon thy heart continually, tie them about thy throat." MiSHNA Q, R. Janai said : " Neither the security of the wicked nor the afflictions of the righteous are within the grasp of our understanding." MiSHNA R. R. Mathia b. 'Heresh was in the habit of saying: ''Be beforehand in saluting every man ! Be the lion's tail rather than the fox's head ! " MiSHNA 6^. R. Jacob said : " This world is, as it were, the antechamber of the world hereafter; therefore, pre- pare thyself in the antechamber, that thou mayest be admitted into the banqueting hall ! " MiSHNA T. He used to say : " Better is one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world than all the life of the world to come, though one hour of refreshment of spirit in the world to come is better than all the life in this world." MiSHNA U. R. Simeon b. Elazarsaid : '• Do not seek to appease thy friend in the hour of his passion, and do not seek to console him in the hour when his dead is laid out before him ; and do not interrogate him in the hour of his vow, and strive not to see him in the hour of his disgrace." MiSHNA V. Samuel the Little used always to repeat the following passage [Prov. xxiv. 17, 18]: "At the fall of thy enemy do not rejoice, and at his stumbling let not thy heart be glad, lest the Lord see it, and it be TRACT ABOTH. 87 displeasing in his eyes, and he turn away from him his wrath.' " MiSHNA W. Elisha b. Abuyah said : " He who learns as a lad, to what is he like ? To ink written on fresh paper. And he who learns when old, to what is he like ? To ink written on blotted paper. MiSHNA X. R. Jose b. Jehudah, the villager of Baby- lon,* said: ''Whom does he resemble, who learns from the young ? Him who eats unripe grapes and drinks the wine fresh from the wine- press ! But whom does he re- semble, who learns from old men ? Him who eats ripe grapes and drinks old wine ! " MiSHNA V. Rabbi was in the habit of saying : ** Look not upon the pitcher, but upon what it contains. Many a new pitcher is full of old wine, and many an old one does not even hold new wine." MiSHNA Z. Rabbi Eliezer the Kapar said, " Envy, sensuality, and ambition destroy life." MiSHNA A A. He likewise said : '* Those born unto the world are destined to die ; the dead to live on again ; and those who enter the eternal life, to be judged. Therefore let it be recognized, understood, and remembered, that He the Almighty, the Creator, Architect, He is the coun- sellor, He the judge, He the witness. He the accuser. He is always ready to give judgment ; blessed be He ! for, before Him there is no injustice, no oversight, no regard for rank, no bribery. Know that all will appear in the account ! Accept not the assurance of thy pas- sions, that the grave will be a place of refuge for thee. For without thy consent wert thou created, wert born into the world without thy choice ; thou art now living with- out thine own volition, without thine approval thou wilt have to die ; so likewise without thy consent thou wilt have to render account before the Supreme King, the Holy One, blessed be He!" * The most of the Tanaim came from Palestine, and when there was one from Babylon he was pointed out. 88 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. Tosephtha — A both of R. Nathan, *Said Elisha b. Abuyah: " A virtuous man who has studied the Law diligently is similar to one who builds a foundation of stones and a superstructure of bricks ; though they be inundated, yet they cannot be moved. One who is not virtuous, in spite of having studied the Law, is similar to one who lays stones on