A pious man used to give alms to the poor until the people of his town decreed that whoever gave charity should either be cast into the sea or killed. The man grieved over the decree and then cast a loaf daily into the sea, interpreting the verse, “Cast thy bread upon the waters for in the length of days thou shalt find it” to mean “in the heart of the seas thou shalt find it.” On the eve of the Day of Atonement all the people went to the seashore to wash their clothes and to bathe in the sea, and the pious man did likewise. Suddenly a
storm arose which blew the man into the sea. Seeing it, the people jeered, saying, "This is the man of pious actions. Now he has been drowned in that very sea of his." But when the man fell into the sea, all the fishes gathered round him and one said, "This is the man who fed us every day with a loaf of bread. What do you intend to do with him?" The other fishes left him and that fish took the man down into the depths of the sea and showed him treasures of silver and gold and jewels and pearls. Then the fish said, "Choose either the silver and gold or the jewels and pearls, or I will teach you the seventy languages." The pious man replied, "Teach me the seventy languages," and the fish did so and them cast him up on to land. The man went his way and then lay down to sleep under a tree. Presently two crows appeared and one said to his companion, "Let us pick out the eyes of that man." But the other replied, "Do not do so, for he may only be asleep and then will catch you". But the first said, "It does not matter, for he will go on his way and presently come to a place where three roads meet. If he take the one to the right, wild beasts will meet him and he will let me go; if he take the middle one, he will come to rich treasures of gold and silver and then he will let me go, and if he take the one to the left, robbers will meet him and he will let me go." The man understood their language and everything happened as the bird had said. He took the middle road, found the treasure, let the bird free and returned to his town. The people were much surprised to see him, but he told them nothing, for the fish had only taught him the secret of the languages on condition that he related his adventures to no one; on the day he told anyone, he would die. Soon afterwards he married a woman who was very bad tempered and inquisitive and tried to force his secret from him. He told her why he could not reveal it but she did not care so long as she knew. Then he called his son and told him to prepare a meal for him as he was about to die. The lad went to the ox who said, "Peace be upon thee
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my master and teacher/' But the lad replied, “I cannot give thee the greeting of peace, for I am come to kill thee and give my father to eat of thy flesh". "And is there no one else to be found but me since all creatures are fed from the tread of my foot? As it is said, ‘A multitude of produce from the strength of an ox’,” said the ox. Then the lad felt ashamed and went to the sheep who also gave him the greeting of peace. But the lad said, "I cannot give thee the greeting of peace, for I am come to kill thee and give my father to eat of thy flesh”. And the sheep said, "Have you found no one else but me, since Israel is likened unto me, as it is said, ‘Scattered sheep is Israel’!” Then the lad felt ashamed and went to the cock who gave him the greeting of peace. But the lad replied, "I cannot give thee the greeting of peace, for I am come to kill thee to give my father to eat of thy flesh before he dies.” Then the cock replied, "Why should you kill me? I rule over many women and is your father to die because he has only one wife? Let him divorce her, and if her dowry be ioo zuzim, then let him give her 200 and get rid of her, as it is said, ‘Drive away the mocker and strife shall cease’.” Then the son told his father what the cock had said, and the father acted upon the advice given, drove away his wife and lived in peace.