Exempla of the Rabbis (Gaster, 1924) Reader

268. City of Truth. Sanhedrin, f. 97a.

Elia Zutta, ch. 15. Yehiel, Maalot, f. 26b. Midr. Hagadol, Gen.

f. 20a.

Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 36.

a. Rabina learned from Rabbi Tabut (or Tabyome) that there was truth in the world and a place where truth was strictly observed. There, through a lie told inadvertently, a man brought death on his child and was banished from the place.

Rabbi Juda b. Elai set his pupils the example of joining in the rejoicing of bridal processions, since God had created Eve as a bride and brought her to Adam and acted as sponsor. Since then man acted in that capacity.

270. Origin of Evil. Sanhedrin, f. 81 b; 92.

J. Berakhot, III.

Gen. R. 34 § 10.

Yalk. § 61.

Krauss, Antoninus, p.65.

Rabbi Judah learnt from Antoninus that the evil inclination was created in man from the moment of birth and the soul from the moment of conception.

271. Good S' Bad Wife of Ishmael.

Pirke de R. Eliezer. Midr. Hagadol, Gen. Vayera.

Sef. Hayashar, XXI', 24 ff., Eng. trans. Yalk. §95.

a. Ishmael had a Moabite wife. She refused hospitality to Abraham whom she did not recognise. He left word for Ishmael that he was to remove the “threshold!*' He therefore sent that wife away and took another who proved very hospitable and was commended by Abraham.

273. Carefulness.

Hullin, f. 95b.

Midr. Hagadol, Gen.

Hayye Sarah, cf. Habib, En Yaakob, (more like Ms.).

Rab objected to and refused to eat meat brought on a boat although he had never lost sight thereof.— Rabbi Johanan listened to a verse recited by a child; he took it as an omen and did not go to Bab3don to see Samuel after the death of Rab.

a. Both R. Judah, and R. Hiya refreshed their knowledge of Halahoth from a Kobes whom originally they had slighted.

276. No Respect for Rich.

J. Bikkurim, III § 3. Midr. Hagadol, Exod.,

Jithro.

Midr. Mishle, p. 68 notes.

a. Rabbi Zeira sitting before the “Beth HaMidrash” refused to rise before a man appointed because he was rich. — R. Isaac b.Elazar did likewise in Caesaraea and the Rabbis praised him.

a. Rabbi Johanan b. Zakkai explained the reason why the ear of a slave was bored, viz, because the Jews heard on Sinai that they should only be slaves to God and not slaves to men.

Rabbi Johanan b. Zakkai explained why a thief is punished more than a robber: the latter considered God and a slave alike. The former treated God even less, as one who could neither see nor hear. Rabbi Meir in the name of Rabbi Gamliel said that the one was like a man inviting all the people except the prince, the other like one not inviting anyone.

279. High Priest Simeon & Alexander.

Taanit, f. 7 b, 88 b.

Meg. Taanit, ch. 9, 21 st Kislev.

Yoma, f. 69 a. cf. 61 a. cf. J. Berakhot, IV, 1. cf. Pesikta, Parah. Pesikta Zutta to Exod. Vayakhel.

— 233

Midr. Hagadol, Exod. Tesave.

Gen. R. § 61.

cf. Levit. R. 13 § 5.

Zacuto, Juhasin, p. 11.

cf. Luzzatto, Kaftor, ch. V.

Heilperin, Seder Hado- rot, I, p. 137 f.

Rapaport, ErekhMillin, s. v. Alexander.

Yalk. Sip. II, p. 250.

Josephus, Antiqq. XI, 8 §32iff.

Josippen, ch. 2.

Gaster, Heb. Alexander, ch. 30; JRAS. 1897, pp. 494, 522.

Samaritan Chronicles Abul Fath.

Arabic Book of Joshua, ch. 46.

Zacher, Ps. Callisthenes. C. II, 24.

Buchler, Revue des Etudes Juives, lxxxvi, 1.

Cod. G. 28, f. 268.

a. The Kuthim (Samaritans) asked Alexander of Macedonia to destroy the Temple in Jerusalem. The High Priest Simeon went out to meet him. He was honoured by Alexander, who had seen in a dream a similar person leading him to victory. He delivered the Kuthim afterwards into the hands of the Jews, who destroyed the temple on Mt. Garizim and made the anniversary of that date a festival.

The difference between Solomon and David was that whereas David said, “The dead do not praise God/’ Solomon said “I praise the dead."

281. Wealth Spent on Study.

Pesikta, 28.

Pesikta Kahana § 21.

Tanh. B. Exod. Ki Tissa.

Levit. R. ch. 30.

Song R. VIII, 7 § 1.

Yalk. § 363; II, § 994. Yalk. Sip. II, p. 246.

Ahab though wicked refused to hand over the Scroll of the Law to Ben Had ad and for this alone was saved from the siege by the latter. Jehoran, his son likewise wicked, yet put on sackcloth together with Israel, and was helped by God against the foe.

Simeon the Temanite was absent on the eve of a Holyday from the Beth Ha-Midrash because, in order to protect the town, he had treated a legion of soldiers to a feast.

284. Conversion of Onkelos. Aboda Zara, f. na. Gittin, f. 26b.

Tanh. Exod. Mishpatim, § 5; B. Gen., Lekh §3, Exod. Mishpatim, p. 81.

Gen. R. 70 § 5.

Eccles. R. 87, § 8. Nissim, f. 17 a.

Yalk. § 123.

Maase Buch Nos. 38, 95. B. G. II, p. 91, 342. Cod. G. 184, No. 2.

(See above No. 71.)

Story of how Onkelos b. Kalonikos converted to Judaism all the legions sent against him.

Rabbi Hoshaya b. Levi found in a book of Agada that there are 175 sections in the Torah corresponding with the 175 years of Abraham, 147 psalms — corresponding with the years of Jacob and 123 Halleluyahs, —the number of the years of Aaron.

A Matrona asked Rabbi Jose b. Halafta why Esau was first-born. He replied: “to cleanse the place for the birth of Jacob/'

a. The Matriarchs were barren. This was to teach them (1) not to rely upon their own excellency (2) not to ascribe children to the power of idols, because as young girls they happened to have been delivered into the hands of the priests of idols (their parents being idolworshippers), and (3) to pray to God for children.

288. Martyrdom of Qananya b. Teradyon.

Aboda Zara, f. 17 b.

Eliah Cohen, Meil Seda- ka, §643.

Yalk. Sip. II, p. 179. (See above No. 67, below No. 289.)

288 & 289.

Aboda Zara, f. 17 b to 18 a.

Sifre, Deut. § 307. Mass. Kallah, V, 4. Semahot, ch. 8. (Midr. Ezkera in Rab. Pea- lim.)

Jellinek, B. H. II, p. 68 & VI, p. 28. Yalk. Sip. II, p. 178. Cod’. G. 84, Nos. IV, V.

Elazar b. Parta and Hananya b. Teradyon were brought up for judgment, for studying the law. The former expected punishment for he had committed many sins but by clever answers and by miracles he escaped, the prophet Elijah appearing to protect him.

Hananya, however, was condemned to be burned. He had once pronounced the Ineffable Name. His wife was sentenced to death because she had not prevented him at the time. His daughter was sent among prostitutes for her vanity shewn once before great men of Rome.

Ill

289. Martyrdom of Hananya b. Teradyon.

Aboda Zara, f. 17a— b. Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 29.

See above Nos. 67, 288.

Martyrdom and death of Hananya b. Teradyon. He was wrapt in a Scroll of the Law and burned alive. The executioner removed the wet sponges from the Rabbi's chest, after being converted to Judaism, and then threw himself into the midst of the flames and shared the martyr's fate. [A detailed description.]

a. Hillel returning from a journey felt sure that the noise and clamour heard from the town did not come from his house.

A pupil followed Rabbi Ishmael b. Jose and Rabbi Jehuda b. Nathan followed Rabbi Hamnana & both saw their teachers suddenly afeared. The followers asked the reason and were answered by the rabbis, "Better always to be afeared."

292. R. Meir & Berurias Sister.

Aboda Zara, f. 18 a— b. Sifre, Deut. § 307. Eccles. R. 7, § 11. Nissim, f. 13 b.

Farhi, O. P. Ill, f. 66b. Araki Cohen, Sef. Ha- maasiyot, ch. 60. Yalk. Sip. II. p. 181. Maase Buch No. 47.

Ben Gorion I, p. 142, 370-

In Persian Rhymes. Cod. E. Adler, XVIII cent.

Codd. G. 130, No. 41; 942, f. 8a.

b. Beruria sent Rabbi Meir to get her sister, daughter of Rabbi Haninab.Turadyon out of the brothel. He bribed a guardian who was saved from being killed by invoking the God of Rabbi Meir. R. Meir fled to Babylon for safety.

b. Rabbi Safra was roughly handled by the pupils of Abahu as he could not answer a question of Haggadah.

Rabbi Johanan b. Zakkai convinced a man who claimed to be a High Priest, that he was not eating his food in priestly purity.

a. A Min asked Rabbi Kahana whether it were right to let a Niddah lie close to her husband, since "fire must catch stubble." He answered that there should be no fear of that among Israelites. Rish Lakish agreed, saying, "Every Jew is full of pious actions like a pomegranate of seed." R. Zeira held a similar opinion.

297. Advent of Messiah. Sanhedrin, f. 38.

Yalk. II, §413 (?). Yalk. Sip. Ill, p. 33. Raymundus Mart. Pu-

gio, p. 274, 324.

b. The sons of Rabbi Hiya when drunk, said to Rabbi Jehuda Hanassi, that the "Son of David" would come after the two princely houses in Babylon and Palestine had come to an end and He would be in their stead.

END OF THE BOOK OF EXEMPLA.

FURTHER EXEMPLA.

R. Akiba saw a man drowning in a ship that had foundered. He afterwards met him on land. The waves had carried him to shore. He was saved for giving a poor man his own loaf of bread and thereby sustaining him. Reward for observing the injunction: “ Cast thy bread upon the waters ” etc. (Eccles. XI1.)

People were travelling in a ship and came upon still waters. They resolved to share out their provisions and if necessary, die together. They suddenly hit upon the following inspiration. They roasted a lamb and tied it to the front of the ship. A huge sea-beast came for it and dragged it along and with it the ship, into moving waters.

This was the reward for their mutual help, and for thus observing the injunction “Cast thy bread upon the waters " etc. (Eccles. XI1.)