Exempla of the Rabbis (Gaster, 1924) Reader

1. Ten kings ruled over the whole world: — God, Nimrod, Joseph, Solomon, Ahab, Nebuchadnezzar, Koresh (Ahas- uerus ruled over half). Alexander of Macedonia not only ruled over the whole world, but went also to the end of the desert and intended ascending to Heaven. And the Lord divided his kingdom into four parts, to the ends of the world. The ninth will be the Messiah and then the kingdom will return to the first ruler, i. e., God Himself, who will be the tenth.

1. Ten Kings.

Targum II, Esther I, i. Pirke de R. Eliezer, XI. Midr. Hagadol, Numb. Pinehas.

Gen. R. Rabbati, 42, 6. Horowitz, Bibl. Hagg.II,

38 ff*

Yalkut Shim. § 211. Eisenstein, Oser, P. 461. ^-Raymundus, Pugio,

P- 317-

Ten kings ruled over the whole world: — God, Nimrod, Joseph, Solomon, Ahab, Nebuchadnezzar, Koresh (Ahasuerus ruled over half). Alexander of Macedonia not only ruled over the whole world, but went also to the end of the desert and intended ascending to Heaven. And the Lord divided his kingdom into four parts, to the ends of the world. The ninth will be the Messiah and then the kingdom will return to the first ruler, i. e., God Himself, who will be the tenth.

Do not refuse the smallest things lest you remain poor.

2. Nimrod declared himself a god to be worshipped. He made a round tower of stone planted in the midst of the earth, and placed a throne of cedar on the stone, and upon this one of iron, another of copper, then of silver, then of gold, one on top of the other, the seventh of pearl and precious stones. When Abraham was born the magicians told him that his kingdom was coming to an end, and he intended to purchase the child from the father. Terah refused, hid the child in a cave. Abraham grew big and returned home. His father was selling idols and Abraham dissuaded the people from buying. He smashed them all, placed an axe in the hand of the biggest and told his father that because the others were disobedient, the big one had smashed them. Terah wondered at it.

2b. Abraham, coming out of the cave, worshipped in turn sun, moon and then God. He carried the sacrifice of his father to the idols, who did not partake of it, so he burned the whole house. He was brought before Nimrod who had declared himself God. Abraham asked him to make the sun rise in the west and set in the east. Nimrod had a furnace heated and Abraham thrown into it; the magicians said

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that the brother of Abraham, was an astrologer and a fire worshipper, therefore the fire did not injure Abraham. A spark of fire then burnt Haran. All the nations recognised the superiority of God by the miraculous escape of Abraham.

2. A. & B. Abraham & Nimrod.

Pirke de R. Eliezer, XXVI.

Midr. Hagadol, Gen.

Lekh Lekha.

Gen. R. 38 § 19.

Gen. R. of Moses Hadar- shan to 11, 28 and 46, 28.

Horowitz, Eked, I, 40. Jerahmeel, ed. Gas ter ch. XXXIII— XXXV & Intro, p. 78ft. Sefer ha-Yashar, ch. XI. Midr. Decalogue, II, 1. Yalkut Shim. § 62. Bahya, Com. to Pentateuch. f. 25 c.

Elia de Vidas, Shebet Musar ch. 52.

Farhi, O. P. I, 33a. Jellinek, Bet Ham. I, 25—34, II, 118—119. Husin, Maase Nissim, No. 34.

Beer, Leben Abrahams. Benfey, Pantschat. I,

p- 376.

Eisenmenger, II, p. 378. Griinbaum, Jud. Dtsch.

Chrest. P. 218—22. Kohler, Kl. Schriften I,

P- 578.

Landsberger, Sophos, ^

p. 56. V 1

Raymund. Mart. Pugio, p. 447 f.

Suchier, Denkmaler I, 627L

Vasiliev, Palaea I, p. 21. Codd. Oxf. 1311, f. 84a,

89 a and 2862.

Codd. G. 28, f. 28 ff., 185, No. 9, 942, f. 38a, 1321 and 1328.

Abraham, coming out of the cave, worshipped in turn sun, moon and then God. He carried the sacrifice of his father to the idols, who did not partake of it, so he burned the whole house. He was brought before Nimrod who had declared himself God. Abraham asked him to make the sun rise in the west and set in the east. Nimrod had a furnace heated and Abraham thrown into it; the magicians said

that the brother of Abraham, was an astrologer and a fire worshipper, therefore the fire did not injure Abraham. A spark of fire then burnt Haran. All the nations recognised the superiority of God by the miraculous escape of Abraham.

3. Adrianus orders his army to worship him. He declares that within three years he will capture the Temple. Three philosophers dispute with him. One says how can a new king be recognised in the very house of the other, so he must first go out of God's house. The second asks him to create heaven and earth, the third asks for a ship which had foundered in the midst of the sea. And his wife tells him to return to the owner the property which had been entrusted to him (i. e., the soul); only then can he be recognised as a god. Upon this he relinquishes his design.

3. Rebuke not the wicked lest you make an enemy. Having thus spent all his money he went to another town. There a man asked a scribe to write a petition, offer- ding a small coin. The scribe refused. The poor man remembering the maxim wrote the petition. The king greatly surprised and pleased with the beautiful writing appointed\ him scribe at Court. One day, going out of town with the King, he remembered that he had left his pen and ink at the palace. Returning to fetch it he found a Knight with the Queen. Remembering the other maxim he said nothing. The Queen, however, frightened tore her clothes and accused the scribe to the King of having abused her. The King sent him with a letter, as he said, to get a thousand Dinars from a certain lord to whom he had previously sent word to kill the first man that would come to him from the palace. On the way the scribe was invited to break his fast with a friend before going on his errand; remembering the other maxim he stayed there. Meanwhile, the wicked knight, knowing the order of the king went to the place, hoping to find that man killed, but being the first to come he was killed instead. When the scribe came he learned what had happened and returned to the King, who wondered at it until the man told all that had passed.

(cf. 320 and 345.)

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180 —

447 [Id. f. 14a]. Two men were travelling in the desert, each one carrying his own provisions. At the request of one, they first ate together the provisions of one man, after which the second refused to share and ran away. The man went up a mountain and tried to feed on herbs and fearing wild animals, went up to the top of a tree. In the night two demons came, brought the other man, slaughtered him and cooked him. Whilst they were eating they said to one another, “The leaves of this tree are a remedy for all kinds of illness/’ The other said, “The daughter of the king of Alexandria is insane, but the blood of a slaughtered spotted dog and tiger will heal her.” They departed and the man gathered a large quantity of the leaves and went along healing the sick. He became very rich. Then he cured the princess, acquired great wealth and married her.

448 [Ibid. f. 21 b]. When Moses went up to Heaven to receive the Law, an Angel refused him entrance, saying that this was not his place. He told him that once upon a time a star, curious to see the ways of the earth, came down from Heaven and spent some time upon the earth. After a while he went up to Heaven. But the stars refused him admission as he had lost his position. He however pleaded to be re-admitted. His case was brought before the highest Angels, and they decided that he should be re-admitted as his proper place was in the Heavens. Not so Moses who was earth-born. But Moses pushed him aside and entered the Heavens.

449 [Cod. G. 246 f. 35 b]. 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

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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.

(Cf. 381.)

450 [Cod. G. 246 f. 109; 257 f. 4]. Akiba had a pious wife. She fed 500 pupils. Before death she asked her daughter to continue her work. Akiba married a bad woman. Jealous of her step-daughter, she paid the the washer-man to take the girl away and kill her and told the daughter to follow him with the clothes. At her request he saved her life but cut off her hands and feet. She dragged herself along to a solitary spot. A merchant passed by. Being the eve of Sabbath, he settled down, erected his tent and said his prayers. She answered "Amen” from behind the tent. Discovered by him, he took her home and married her, not knowing whose daughter she was. He made her hands of gold and feet of

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silver. A son was born and she urged him to go to R. Akiba to study. There the step-mother learned what had happened. She forged a letter in the name of the husband which she sent to his family, to take away her hands and feet of gold, to tie the baby on her back and to cast her out, being of low origin. They did so. Coming to a river, the baby wanted to drink. She was frightened lest it would slip into the water and wept. The prophet Elijah came, told her to put her stumps into the water and new hands grew. He told her to go to the next town, where she would find a treasure, and to buy a palace with it. She built an inn close by for all the travellers. The husband came and learning what had happened, went in search of his wife. He came to that place, was served with the others by his son, now a lad of nine years. He refused to eat and drink and asked the reason, told the story, was recognised by the wife and remained there, bringing his parents with him, where they lived in peace.

ADDITIONS & CORRECTIONS.

Nos. 145 (144) 177 and 187 have been inadvertently omitted and No. 316 too briefly told and is here amplified.

145 (144). Advancing age prevented R. Shimeon b. Ha- lafta from continuing his regular visits to Rabbi. When asked the reason he replied: — “The distant has become near and the near has become distant and two turned into three.” By this he meant: his sight had weakened so that he could no longer see far, his hearing had weakened so that he could only hear things near, while he had to use a stick to help his legs.

4. Hiram, king of Tyre made seven artificial heavens placed on pillars of iron, first of glass, sun, moon and stars. Second of iron, with a lake of water in it; third of tin with precious stones rolling over it (thunder). Fourth of lead, fifth of copper, then silver and gold and on the top a couch of gold and precious stones and pearls. By moving it he produces scintillation (lightning). The Prophet Ezekiel carried up to him tells him that although he has been promised long life he will not live for ever.

4. King Hiram as God.

Midr. Hagadol, Exod.

Bo and Vaera. Alphab. Sirac., f. 29 a. Horowitz, Bibl. Hag.,

III, 28.

Yalk. II § 367.

Jellinek, B. H., V, m

to 112.

Taussig, Neveh Shalom. 71-72.

Eisenstein, Oser, p. 179. Asatir, ch. 3, v. 21. Cassel, Kaiserthron. King, Gnostics2, p. 423. Massmann, Kaiserchro- nik, III, 889ff. Steinschneider, Sera- peum, 1866, p. 5. Cod. Bod. 2707.

Cod. Monac., 222. Codd. G. 942 and 984 d.

Hiram, king of Tyre made seven artificial heavens placed on pillars of iron, first of glass, sun, moon and stars. Second of iron, with a lake of water in it; third of tin with pre cious stones rolling over it (thunder). Fourth of lead, fifth of copper, then silver and gold and on the top a couch of gold and precious stones and pearls. By moving it he produces scintillation (lightning). The Prophet Ezekiel carried up to him tells him that although he has been promised long life he will not live for ever.

Story of how Ashmedai took the place of Solomon but was afterwards discovered.

5. Alexander the Great tied two eagles together with meat in front of them, so they fly upwards with him until his eyelids dropped from the cold. He then descends in a glass box to the depths of the sea, but hearing a voice saying: “The iron of the axe has been falling seven years already and lias not yet touched the bottom,” he gives it up and ascends.

5a. Alexander goes to the kingdom of Kasia, then to Karta- gena ruled by women. He is told that if he conquers it will be a shame to him and that if he is conquered the greater shame to him. He then goes to Afriki, is presented with food made of gold as he had only come for gold. He is present at a trial. A man finds a treasure in a field bought from another man, he wishes to return it to the former owner

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of the land, who refuses to accept it as he says that he sold the field with everything in it. The local king decides that the treasure shall be given as a dowry to the daughter of the one who is to marry the son of the other. Alexander is surprised for in his country the king would have confiscated the treasure and killed the owners. The local king then tells him that the sun shining and the rain falling over the country of Alexander is for the sake of the animals and not for that of the human beings.

6, In the time of Alexander the Ishmaelites claimed Palestine from the Israelites. Gaboha son of Pesisa asked permission from the Elders to plead the cause of the Jews. "If defeated you can say, that they had defeated the least among us, and if I win you say it is our Law that has won." He proved to them from the Law that Abraham had given gifts to the concubines and sent them away, thus the Ishmaelites had no claim.

6a. The people of Afriki claimed Canaan from the Israelites before Alexander. Gaboha, son of Pesisa pleaded their cause and he proved that Canaan having been declared a slave (Gen. 9, 25) the people belong to the master. He claimed on the contrary the amount of labour due which they had not rendered to the Israelites for so many years before the Israelites entered the land. They gave no reply after grace of three days and then left the country.

7, The Emperor (of Rome) said to Rabbi Joshua, the son of Hananya, "Why is your God described as as a lion, for any knight can kill a lion?" He replied: "He is likened to the lion of Debelai." He wanted to see this lion. At a distance of 300 miles it roared and all the women in Rome miscarried; at a distance of 200 miles the lion roared and the teeth of the men dropped out. The Emperor fell from the throne and the Rabbi prayed and the lion returned to its place.

8, The Emperor told Rabbi Joshua that he wished to offer a feast to God. The reply was, that he would not be able even to satisfy God’s army. He prepared for six months and the wind carried it away, then for another six months and the

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rain swamped it. These were the vanguards and so he gave it up.

5. Alexander Legend.

J. Aboda Zara, III, 1.

Midr. Psalms, 93, 6.

Numb. R. ch. 13.

cf. Ps. Callisthenes II, ch. 38 and 41.

cf. Hebrew Alexander Legend ed. Gas ter, Romance of Alexander, JRAS, 1897, ch. 39, pp. 495, 532.

Samaritan Arabic Book of Joshua, ch. 46.

Ben Gorion III, p. 135,

307.

Firdusi, Shahnameh.

Friedlaender, Alexander, p. 167, 186; 174ft >

cf. Rambaud, Russie Epique, p. 398.

Zacher, Ps. Callisthenes, p. 140.

5a. Alexander & the Amazons.

Tamid, 32 b— 33 a.

J. Baba Mesia, II, 2.

Pesikta, 74a.

Tanh. Levit. Emor § 6. and B. I, Intro, p. 88—89, I52-

Midr. Hagadol, Gen.

Gen. R., 33 §1.

Levit. R., 27 § 1.

Ben Atar, No. 8.

Yalk. II § 727.

Rapaport, Erekh Millin

I, 68.

Yalk. Sip., II, 108.

Zunz, G. V., i6oe.

— 187

Steinschneider, Manna, No. 114, p. 109.

Weil, Bibl. Leg., p. 215.

Salzberger, Salomo Sage p. 49

Ben Gorion III, p. 161,

309.

Knust, Mitteilungen. Pertz, Mon. Germ.

Script. VIII, p. 599. Plutarch on Deeds of Virtuous Women. Cod. Br. M. 27189, f. 13 b.

Cod. G. 28, f. 388.

Alexander the Great tied two eagles together with meat in front of them, so they fly upwards with him until his eyelids dropped from the cold. He then descends in a glass box to the depths of the sea, but hearing a voice saying: “The iron of the axe has been falling seven years already and lias not yet touched the bottom,” he gives it up and ascends.

Alexander goes to the kingdom of Kasia, then to Kartagena ruled by women. He is told that if he conquers it will be a shame to him and that if he is conquered the greater shame to him. He then goes to Afriki, is presented with food made of gold as he had only come for gold. He is present at a trial. A man finds a treasure in a field bought from another man, he wishes to return it to the former owner

of the land, who refuses to accept it as he says that he sold the field with everything in it. The local king decides that the treasure shall be given as a dowry to the daughter of the one who is to marry the son of the other. Alexander is surprised for in his country the king would have confiscated the treasure and killed the owners. The local king then tells him that the sun shining and the rain falling over the country of Alexander is for the sake of the animals and not for that of the human beings.

6. Alexander, Ishmaelites &

Jews.

Sanhedrin, f. 91 a— b. Meg. Taanit, ch. 3. Midr. Hagadol, Gen., Hayye Sarah.

Gen. R., 61.

Aboab, Men. Ham.

ch. 141.

Yalk. § no.

Yalk. Sip. I, p. 85. Tertullian, Ad vers. Mar- cion II, 20.

Cod. G. 242, f. 65a.

6. Solomon s Daughter Marries a Bastard.

Tanh. B. Intro, p. 136. cf. Hemdat Yamim, f. 61 b — 62 a. Ginsburg, IV, p. 175. Ben Gorion I, p. 221, 375.

245 “

Hammer, Rosenol, I. p. 245ff.

Oriental Tales, London, 1 767, I, p. 215—226.

Foundling.

Corpus Homile ticum, 1, 1.

cf. Schick, Das Gliicks- kind u. Todesbrief.

Cod. Oxf. No. 42.

In the time of Alexander the Ishmaelites claimed Palestine from the Israelites. Gaboha son of Pesisa asked permission from the Elders to plead the cause of the Jews. "If defeated you can say, that they had defeated the least among us, and if I win you say it is our Law that has won." He proved to them from the Law that Abraham had given gifts to the concubines and sent them away, thus the Ishmaelites had no claim.

The people of Afriki claimed Canaan from the Israelites before Alexander. Gaboha, son of Pesisa pleaded their cause and he proved that Canaan having been declared a slave (Gen. 9, 25) the people belong to the master. He claimed on the contrary the amount of labour due which they had not rendered to the Israelites for so many years before the Israelites entered the land. They gave no reply after grace of three days and then left the country.

7. God All too Powerful.

Hullin, 59 b.

Midr. Hagadol, Deut.

Vaethanan.

Yalk. II, §541.

Yalk. Sip. II, p. 132. Maase Buch No. 56.

Helvicus, Jud. Hist. I, ch. 28, p. 117.

Eisenmenger I, p. 404!.

Gaster, Heb. Alexander, ch. 26, p. 493, 517.

cf. Vesselowsky, Salomon i Kitovras, p. 92—93, No. 1.

The Emperor (of Rome) said to Rabbi Joshua, the son of Hananya, "Why is your God described as as a lion, for any knight can kill a lion?" He replied: "He is likened to the lion of Debelai." He wanted to see this lion. At a distance of 300 miles it roared and all the women in Rome miscarried; at a distance of 200 miles the lion roared and the teeth of the men dropped out. The Emperor fell from the throne and the Rabbi prayed and the lion returned to its place.

8. Emperor Feasting God.

Yalk. Sip. IV, p. 72.

Maase Buch No. 58.

Weil, Bibl. Leg. p. 225.

Hammer, Rosenol.

Iken & Rosegarten, p. 221—235.

Rosen, Tuti-Nameh 13 th. Evening, I, 224.

Vesselovsky, Salomo i Kitovras, p. 128—129

The Emperor told Rabbi Joshua that he wished to offer a feast to God. The reply was, that he would not be able even to satisfy God’s army. He prepared for six months and the wind carried it away, then for another six months and the

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rain swamped it. These were the vanguards and so he gave it up.

9. The Emperor said that he wanted to see God. He was told: “It is impossible." They placed him to look at the sun in the midst of Tammus. He could not do so. How then could he look at God if he could look at one of the least of his servants?

9. God a Mighty Light.

cf. Hullin, 60 a.

Midr. Hagadol, Deut. Vaethanan.

Yalk. §396.

Husin, Maase Nissim, No. 36.

Yalk. Sip. I, p. 1.

Maase Buch No. 57.

10. The daughter of the Emperor said to Rabbi Joshua: “Your God is a builder, so let Him build a tent here." She became leprous and had to be placed in a tent as they do in Rome. She asked to be freed from her illness and the reply was: “Our God gives but He does not take back again."

The daughter of the Emperor said to Rabbi Joshua: “Your God is a builder, so let Him build a tent here." She became leprous and had to be placed in a tent as they do in Rome. She asked to be freed from her illness and the reply was: “Our God gives but He does not take back again."

11. The Emperor asked Rabbi Joshua whether the dead came to life and being dust, how could dust live? The daughter of the Emperor replied: “There are two makers of things in our place, one makes things out of water and the other out of earth; which is the most skilful?" The Emperor replied: “The one who makes them out of water". She replied: “And God created everything out of water, how much easier then is it to revive those formed of dust."

11. Emperor & Revival of Dead.

cf. Sanhedrin, 90b and 91-

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Aboab, Men. Ham., ch. 261.

Yalk. Sip., II, p. 34.

The Emperor asked Rabbi Joshua whether the dead came to life and being dust, how could dust live? The daughter of the Emperor replied: "There are two makers of things in our place, one makes things out of water and the other out of earth; which is the most skilful?" The Emperor replied: "The one who makes them out of water". She replied: "And God created everything out of water, how much easier then is it to revive those formed of dust."

12. The Emperor asks R. Gamliel “If there is a God in the world why does He not show Himself and why does He not speak direct to His creatures so that they might respect Him the more.?" He replies “God is a consuming fire.“ The Emperor is not satisfied with the answer. The next morning, Gamliel slaps the face of his servant in the presence of the Emperor, who is wroth and thinks that R. Gamliel deserves punishment for acting so in his presence.

R. Gamliel replies: “He brought me some extraordinary news; a ship of mine lost for seven years has suddenly returned fully laden without sailors and without sails." The Emperor declares that is impossible. R. Gamliel replies; “If so how can a world created by God govern and feed itself alone, without the One who looks after it?" The whole assembly applauds.

The Emperor asks R. Gamliel “If there is a God in the world why does He not show Himself and why does He not speak direct to His creatures so that they might respect Him the more.?" He replies “God is a consuming fire.“ The Emperor is not satisfied with the answer. The next morning, Gamliel slaps the face of his servant in the presence of the Emperor, who is wroth and thinks that R. Gamliel deserves punishment for acting so in his presence.

R. Gamliel replies: “He brought me some extraordinary news; a ship of mine lost for seven years has suddenly returned fully laden without sailors and without sails." The Emperor declares that is impossible. R. Gamliel replies; “If so how can a world created by God govern and feed itself alone, without the One who looks after it?" The whole assembly applauds.

13. The Emperor asks R. Akiba: — “Why is it said, God gives wisdom to the wise and not to the fool?" R. Akiba simulates illness; the Emperor sends medicine worth a iooo denars.

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R. Akiba throws it into the pig-sty. The Emperor is very much annoyed, and R, Akiba shows that only the wise can appreciate wisdom.

13. God Gives Wisdom to the Wise.

Berakhot, f. 57.

Tanh. Exod. Vayakhel§2. Midr. Exod. Ki Tissa. Eccles. R., 1,7, § 5. Yalk. II § 1060.

The Emperor asks R. Akiba: — “Why is it said, God gives wisdom to the wise and not to the fool?" R. Akiba simulates illness; the Emperor sends medicine worth a iooo denars.

i

R. Akiba throws it into the pig-sty. The Emperor is very much annoyed, and R, Akiba shows that only the wise can appreciate wisdom.

14. Adrianus asks R. Joshua why God’s name is not mentioned in the five last commandments, which appears to apply to all nations. Joshua takes him over the town and shows him his statue everywhere excepting in some privy places and he asks him why his statue is not there also. The Emperor says “Art thou a wise man among the Jews and ask me why my statue is not to be found in these dirty places?” Then Joshua replies: “Why should the name of God be associated with robbery, thievery and immorality?” The Rabbi explains to his pupils that the Law was offered first to the various nations and they refused to accept it; for the children of Esau lived by the sword, the Ammonites are the descendants of immorality and Ishmael lived by theft and therefore they would not accept the Law.

Adrianus asks R. Joshua why God’s name is not mentioned in the five last commandments, which appears to apply to all nations. Joshua takes him over the town and shows him his statue everywhere excepting in some privy places and he asks him why his statue is not there also. The Emperor says “Art thou a wise man among the Jews and ask me why my statue is not to be found in these dirty places?” Then Joshua replies: “Why should the name of God be associated with robbery, thievery and immorality?” The Rabbi explains to his pupils that the Law was offered first to the various nations and they refused to accept it; for the children of Esau lived by the sword, the Ammonites are the descendants of immorality and Ishmael lived by theft and therefore they would not accept the Law.

15. Turnus Rufus and Akiba dispute about the preeminence of the Sabbath. Rufus holds high office, having been appointed by the Emperor. Akiba says that the Sabbath has also been appointed by the King of Kings.

Rufus asks “If so why does God work on the Sabbath?” Akiba replies that within certain limits the Jews are permitted to carry burdens on the Sabbath, and the world being God's house He can also do it. The manna is a proof of the Sabbath and also the river Sanbatyon which runs for six days and stops on the Sabbath. Rufus says that he cannot believe either, for those who eat the manna died long ago and the river is not in his country.

Akiba replies that the necromancers will prove it, for they cannot raise the dead on the Sabbath. They try it and call up the father of Rufus on a Sunday, because he did not answer the call on the Sabbath. The son asks whether he has become a Jew since his death. He replies that willing or unwilling he must keep it for on the Sabbath they are free from punishment.