Exempla of the Rabbis (Gaster, 1924) Reader

225. Unfair Treatment.

cf. Baba Batra f. 22 a. Midr. Hagadol, Levit. Behar.

Yalk. Sip. II, p. 158.

R. Dimi of Nahardea brought figs(?) to the Resh Gelutha who neglected to examine him. Later on one Rabba sent R. Ada b. Ahaba to examine R. Dimi and to find out whether he were a scholar. He believed he had found him to be ignorant, and thus spoiled his trade. R. Dimi complained to R. Joseph. Consequent death of R. Ada b. Ahaba. Various doctors ascribe to themselves regretfully the cause of it.

227. A man came before Rabba and said that though he were poor he always ate fowl and drank old wine, for God sent them to him to feed him. Rabba refused to sustain him, but by chance Rabba ’s nephew came on a visit and a good meal was therefore prepared of which the other now also partook.

A man came before Rabba and said that though he were poor he always ate fowl and drank old wine, for God sent them to him to feed him. Rabba refused to sustain him, but by chance Rabba ’s nephew came on a visit and a good meal was therefore prepared of which the other now also partook.

228. R. Nehemia invited a gourmand to eat lentils with him and the man died in consequence of the unaccustomed food.

228. Mar Ukba gave alms regularly to a poor man, who could not find out who his benefactor was. The poor man

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watched Ukba and his daughter and pursued them. They ran into a burning oven in order not to put the poor man to shame, but were not even singed.

R. Nehemia invited a gourmand to eat lentils with him and the man died in consequence of the unaccustomed food.

Mar Ukba gave alms regularly to a poor man, who could not find out who his benefactor was. The poor man

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watched Ukba and his daughter and pursued them. They ran into a burning oven in order not to put the poor man to shame, but were not even singed.

229. Mar Ukba sent double the amount of money to a poor man on finding that he had been accustomed to a very comfortable life. Before his death he distributed half his wealth.

229. Mar Ukbas Liberality. Ketubot, f. 67 b.

cf. J. Peah, VIII, 9. 15*

•— 228 —

Midr. Hagadol, Deut. Re eh.

Yalk. §145.

Yalk. Sip. I. p. 127. Maase Buch No. 93. Griinbaum, Jiid. Dtsch.

Chrest. p. 401. cf. Lidzbarski, Neu- Aram. March, p. 160.

Mar Ukba sent double the amount of money to a poor man on finding that he had been accustomed to a very comfortable life. Before his death he distributed half his wealth.

230. Huna once sent R. Sheshet, under threat of excommunication, to ask questions of Anan, among which was the following: “Who presides at a house of Marzealil and what does that last word mean?” Ukba explained it to Anan by referring to Jerem. XVI. 5.

231. The pupils of R. Ishmael dissect a prostitute, who had been condemned to death and had died, and find 252 bones in her and 243 in man. [Then follows in text an enumeration of the 253 bones in the human body.]

232 f. 155 a -158 a. Description of the death of R. Jehuda ha-Nassi and of his leavetaking and last orders.

The pupils of R. Ishmael dissect a prostitute, who had been condemned to death and had died, and find 252 bones in her and 243 in man. [Then follows in text an enumeration of the 253 bones in the human body.]

232. Death & Will of Jehudah Ha-Nassi.

J. Kilaim, IX, § 3.

B. Ketubot, f. 104a.

J. Ketubot, XII.

Tanh. Gen. Vayyehi, § 3 f. 80 b.

Midr. Hagadol, Gen. Vayyehi.

Gen. R. ch. 96; 100. Eccles. R. IX, 10 § 3. Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 215.

Luzzatto, Kaftor, f. 96b Yalk. Sip. I. p. 156. Ben Gorion II, p. 58,

338.

Gaster in Germania 25, 287.

cf. Grimm, D. Sagen2, No. 395 (II, 30f.).

Zachariae, in Z. V. Vlksd. XXV p. 401- 408.

Cod. Oxf. 2836, 4.

a -158 a. Description of the death of R. Jehuda ha-Nassi and of his leavetaking and last orders.

233. R. Ishmael and R. Elazar b. Azaryah did not act uni- alike while reciting prayers, in order that the pupils should not follow the way of one alone, as they would have done if they had acted uniformly.

234 f. 158b. The prophet Isaiah and King Hezekiah met outside Jerusalem where Isaiah delivered the divine message to Hezekiah that his children would do evil. To avert it, Hezekiah married Isaiah’s daughter and his prayers were heard by God. Divers other good actions of Hezekiah such as the burning of Solomon’s ‘ ‘books of healing” etc. are recorded. That was done lest the people, cured of their illnesses by the prescriptions therein, should neglect to pray to God.

R. Ishmael and R. Elazar b. Azaryah did not act unialike while reciting prayers, in order that the pupils should not follow the way of one alone, as they would have done if they had acted uniformly.

The prophet Isaiah and King Hezekiah met outside Jerusalem where Isaiah delivered the divine message to Hezekiah that his children would do evil. To avert it, Hezekiah married Isaiah’s daughter and his prayers were heard by God. Divers other good actions of Hezekiah such as the burning of Solomon’s ‘ ‘books of healing” etc. are recorded. That was done lest the people, cured of their illnesses by the prescriptions therein, should neglect to pray to God.

235. Pinhas b.Jari's ass, when stolen by thieves, refused to eat for 3 days because the thieves’ provender had not been tithed.

236 f. 160b. Joshua b. Hananya owned to having been taught a proper lesson by a widow and child. He was invited to dine at her house and ate all she set before him. At the

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3rd course she gave him a dish of very salted food, so as to make him leave at least some of it for other members of the household. — On another occasion whilst he was walking in the middle of a field he was rebuked and told that he was walking on a footpath trodden out by trespassers like himself. He then got water to drink from a girl and said she was like Rebecca, but she retorted that he did not act like Eliezer. He asked her how far it was to the next town and was told that there was a long road which was short and a short which was long. The short way lay through vineyards and fields very difficult to get through and was therefore the longer. The long one was the high road and was an easy walk and therefore the shorter. Seeing her carrying a covered dish he asked what was inside and she retorted that it was covered so as not to be seen by others.

235. Ass of Pinehas b. Y air. cf. J. Demai, I, 3.

J. Shekal. V (f. 48c). Gen. R. 60 § 8.

Abot de R. Nathan I, ch. 8, p. 38.

Maase Buch No. 55. Helvicus, Historien, I, ch. 27, p. 116. Eisenmenger, I, p. 421 f.

Pinhas b.Jari's ass, when stolen by thieves, refused to eat for 3 days because the thieves’ provender had not been tithed.

236. R. Joshua taught Manners.

Erubin, f. 53b.

Derekh Eres, ch. VI. cf. Sota, f. 22 a.

Midr. Hagadol, Gen.

Hayye Sara.

Lament. R. I § 19. Nissim, f. 16a.

Yalk. Sip. IV, p. 91. Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 317.

Maase Buch No. 149. Schmidt, Petrus Alphons. Discip., XIX, 1, p.6if.

Radloff, Turk. Stamme, IV, p. 202.

Codd. G. 97, f. 758 (Je- rahmeel); 184, No. 40.

23 7. Berurias Rebuke. Erubin, f. 53b.

Yebiel, Maalot, f. 34 b. Abot de R. Nathan, ch. 8. Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 19. Yalk. Sip. Ill, p. 64.

Joshua b. Hananya owned to having been taught a proper lesson by a widow and child. He was invited to dine at her house and ate all she set before him. At the

io4 —

3rd course she gave him a dish of very salted food, so as to make him leave at least some of it for other members of the household. — On another occasion whilst he was walking in the middle of a field he was rebuked and told that he was walking on a footpath trodden out by trespassers like himself. He then got water to drink from a girl and said she was like Rebecca, but she retorted that he did not act like Eliezer. He asked her how far it was to the next town and was told that there was a long road which was short and a short which was long. The short way lay through vineyards and fields very difficult to get through and was therefore the longer. The long one was the high road and was an easy walk and therefore the shorter. Seeing her carrying a covered dish he asked what was inside and she retorted that it was covered so as not to be seen by others.

237. Beruria rebuked R. Jose ha- Galilee for asking in five words what he could have asked in three. — Story of the pupil who studied without asking questions and forgot everything after a short time.

Beruria rebuked R. Jose ha- Galilee for asking in five words what he could have asked in three. — Story of the pupil who studied without asking questions and forgot everything after a short time.

238. A man invited guests to the wedding of his son, who however was bitten by a snake and died that very day. The man did not disturb the wedding feast but after the dinner he announced the sudden death of the bridegroom.

238. Wedding Feast Undisturbed.

Pesikta, f. 169 b.

Tanh. Levit. Shemini, § 2; B. ibid. p. 23. Levit. R. 20 § 3.

Eccles. R. II, 2 § 4. Yalk. II § 967.

Codd. G. 28, f. 344; 184, No. 30; 185, No. 33.

A man invited guests to the wedding of his son, who however was bitten by a snake and died that very day. The man did not disturb the wedding feast but after the dinner he announced the sudden death of the bridegroom.

239. Through the prayers of R. Shimeon b. Halafta the life of a child to whose "Benth” he had been invited was saved. Later on mocked by children on his way, he caused their home to fall but saved the owner, who recognised him and begged forgiveness for their bad behaviour.

239. R. Shimeon b. Halafta & Children.

Midr. Hagadol, Exod.

Mishpatim. cf. Gen. R. 9 § 1. Eccles. R. Ill, 2 § 3. cf. Yalk. II § 947.

Cod. G. 184, No. 248.

Through the prayers of R. Shimeon b. Halafta the life of a child to whose "Benth” he had been invited was saved. Later on mocked by children on his way, he caused their home to fall but saved the owner, who recognised him and begged forgiveness for their bad behaviour.

240. R. Akiba laughed whilst in Rome and again in Jerusalem amidst the ruins, because he saw in the fulfilment of the prophecied punishment also the assurance of the fulfilment of the good prophecies.

240. R. Akiba's Faith. cf. Makkot, f. 24a. Sifre, Ekeb, §43.

Midr. Hagadol, Deut.

Ekeb.

Lament. R. V, § 14. Yalk. II § 278.

Maase Buch No. 80.

Cod. G. 97, f. 788 (Je- rahmeel).

R. Akiba laughed whilst in Rome and again in Jerusalem amidst the ruins, because he saw in the fulfilment of the prophecied punishment also the assurance of the fulfilment of the good prophecies.

241. The sages would not allow a girl to do as she wanted or to expose herself before the man, who had become lovesick and very ill in consequence. Licentiousness was not to be encouraged even in the most guarded form.

242 f. 165a. Story of Pharaoh who dreamt of a lamb on one side of a pair of scales’ outweighing all the might and riches of Egypt. His sorcerers explained the dream to mean that a child would be born who would destroy the power of Egypt (Moses). They advised the drowning of the new-born males of Israel, saying they foresaw that his death would come through water.

They knew not that the “water" refered to the “Waters of Strife."

243 f. 165b. Story of Moses’ and Aaron’s delivering to Pharaoh the message from God and of their explaning who the Sender was. rTwo versions.]

244 f. 165b. The tale of the ass who was appointed toll-gatherer.' A lion and fox passed by and the lion killed the ass for asking him to pay toll. The fox ate the heart of the ass. The lion asked for it but the fox replied that the ass could not have had any as he was such a fool as to ask toll of a lion.

The sages would not allow a girl to do as she wanted or to expose herself before the man, who had become lovesick and very ill in consequence. Licentiousness was not to be encouraged even in the most guarded form.

242. Birth of Moses. Jerahmeel, ed Gaster,

ch. XLII, p. 104 & LXXXVII.

Josephus, Antiqq. II,

9 § 3-

Asatir, ed Gaster. ch. 8, v. 24 ff.

Story of Pharaoh who dreamt of a lamb on one side of a pair of scales’ outweighing all the might and riches of Egypt. His sorcerers explained the dream to mean that a child would be born who would destroy the power of Egypt (Moses). They advised the drowning of the new-born males of Israel, saying they foresaw that his death would come through water.

They knew not that the “water" refered to the “Waters of Strife."

243. Moses & Aaron before Pharoah.

cf. Targum ad loc. Tanh. B. Gen. Vayera, p. 19.

Midr. Hagadol, Exod.

She mot.

Yalk. §175.