Exempla of the Rabbis (Gaster, 1924) Reader

65. Two pupils of Rabbi Joshua disguised in time of persecution were recognised by an officer who disputed with them and asked them three questions which they answered correctly in the same manner as R. Joshua had done.

65. Questions to Disguised Students.

Midr. Hagadol, Gen.

Vayyishlah.

Gen. R. 82 § 8.

Yalk. §136; II §263. Yalk. Sip. p. 117.

Two pupils of Rabbi Joshua disguised in time of persecution were recognised by an officer who disputed with them and asked them three questions which they answered correctly in the same manner as R. Joshua had done.

66. Pupils of Akiba were met by robbers; they pretended to go the same way, but separated at a safe place.

66. Pupils & Robbers. Hullin, f. 41.

Aboda Zara, f. 25 b.

J. Aboda Zara, III. Tosefta Aboda Zara, 3. Midr. Hagadol, Gen.

Vayyishlah.

Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 318.

Yalk. Sip. I, p. hi.

Pupils of Akiba were met by robbers; they pretended to go the same way, but separated at a safe place.

67. The son of Hananya joined a band of robbers and betrayed them to one of the great men of Rome. They found it out and killed him. In the funeral oration his father delivered, he tried no comfort but recognised that the death of his son had been deserved. When R. Hananya was informed

of the news that he had been condemned to death by fire for studying the Law he quoted the verse Deut. 32. 4. The wife then asked what punishment was decreed for her and they answered “Death by the swrord.” To the daughter they said that she was to work on the Sabbath. For each of these they found appropriate verses in the Bible in acknowledgement of God's righteous judgment. When R. Hananya was brought out to be burned his daughter cried because he was condemned to be burned and he said, “Is it not better that I should be burned in a fire that can be blown out than in the Eternal Fire?” And she said, “I cry also for the Law which is burned with thee.” And he replied, “The Law is fire and fire never consumes fire; the parchment may burn but the words will float on the air. He who will arise in the days to come will visit my blood upon the heads of these men und punish them for the persecution of the Law.’’

67. Uananya b. Ter ady on’s Martyrdom.

Aboda Zara, f. 17 b to 18a.

Semahot, ch. 8; 12.

cf. Hekhalot in Jellinek, B. H. Ill, p. 88.

Maas. Kallah, end. Mass. Semahot, ch. 8. Sifre, Deut. § 305, f. 129a.

Midr. Ele Ezkera Jellinek, B. H. II, p. 68 and ibid. VI, 28ff. Midr. Hagadol, Gen. To- ledot.

Lament. R. 3 § 6.

Zunz, G. V2, p. 150 f. Tendlau, Sagen 3, No. 7. Singer in Z. V. Vlksd. II, P- 295.

Codd. G. 130 No. 63;

184, No. 150.

(See No. 288.)

The son of Hananya joined a band of robbers and betrayed them to one of the great men of Rome. They found it out and killed him. In the funeral oration his father delivered, he tried no comfort but recognised that the death of his son had been deserved. When R. Hananya was informed

of the news that he had been condemned to death by fire for studying the Law he quoted the verse Deut. 32. 4. The wife then asked what punishment was decreed for her and they answered “Death by the swrord.” To the daughter they said that she was to work on the Sabbath. For each of these they found appropriate verses in the Bible in acknowledgement of God's righteous judgment. When R. Hananya was brought out to be burned his daughter cried because he was condemned to be burned and he said, “Is it not better that I should be burned in a fire that can be blown out than in the Eternal Fire?” And she said, “I cry also for the Law which is burned with thee.” And he replied, “The Law is fire and fire never consumes fire; the parchment may burn but the words will float on the air. He who will arise in the days to come will visit my blood upon the heads of these men und punish them for the persecution of the Law.’’

68. Juda b. Baba was pierced to death whilst found ordaining five elders against the decree of Rome: R. Jehuda, R. Simeon, R. Eleazar b. Shamua (and R. Avaye adds R. Nehemya).

68. Martyrdom of Juda b. Baba.

Sanhedrin, f. 14a.

Midr. Hagadol, Gen. Vayyese.

Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 258.

Raymundus Mart. Pu- gio, p. 253.

Cod. G. 2, f. 98b to 99a.

Juda b. Baba was pierced to death whilst found ordaining five elders against the decree of Rome: R. Jehuda, R. Simeon, R. Eleazar b. Shamua (and R. Avaye adds R. Nehemya).

69. Doeg b. Josef died of starvation in Jerusalem when it was besieged by the Romans, though offering a measure of gold for food. His wife devoured her only child whose weight in gold she used to bring as a yearly offering to the Temple,

69. Siege of & Famine in Jerusalem.

Yoma, f. 38b.

Sifre, Levit. Behukko-

* •

tai.

Midr. Hagadol, Levit. Behukkotai.

— 199

Lament. R. to I, 17.

§ 55*

Yalk. II § 1002.

Cod. G. 97 (Jerahmeel) f. 772; 184, No. 232. (See No. 70.)

Doeg b. Josef died of starvation in Jerusalem when it was besieged by the Romans, though offering a measure of gold for food. His wife devoured her only child whose weight in gold she used to bring as a yearly offering to the Temple,

70. The story of Kamsa and bar Kam§a and the fall of Jerusalem. A man had company and had invited Bar Kamsa who was his enemy, by mistake. He afterwards turned him out in spite of his offer to pay all the expenses of the feast rather than be put to shame. Then Bar Kamsa went and denounced the Jews to the Emperor as having rebelled and as proof he asserted that they would refuse to accept an offering sent to the Temple. A lamb was sent which he mutilated on the way, in a manner not offensive to the Roman sacrificial laws but contrary to those of the Jews. For the sake of peace the Jews were inclined to offer it up, but Zachariah b. Abqulos prevented it as being contrary to the law. Le-

5*

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gions of Romans came to Jerusalem. The General shot arrows at the the corners and they all fell into Jerusalem. Asking a boy to say his verse the boy repeated the verse Ezek. 25. 14. This so impressed him that he became frightened and resigned the command, turned Jew, and became the progenitor of R. Heir. Then was Aspasianos sent, and the siege lasted for years. There were three rich men in Jerusalem: Nakdimon b. Gorion, Ben Kalba-Sabua, and Ben Sisith Hakaset who would have been able to provide Jerusalem with food during the whole siege but that the revolutionary party burned their stores in order that they might fight to the bitter end. The famine increased terribly and the people died in the streets. Then R. Johanan Ben Zakkai was smuggled by a ruse out of the town. Johanan went to the General who received him harshly. Johanan greeted him as Emperor. Soon afterwards the message of his election came. He was just then putting on his sandals, but he could not get the one on the second foot and he asked R. Johanan the reason, who said the good news had so elated him that his body had swollen up; let an enemy come before him and the foot would soon shrink to its normal size. The Emperor asked him why he had not come before. He replied that the rebels would not allow him to. Then he was asked: “If a snake is wrapped around a cask of honey, • do you not break the cask?" But he did not know the answer which should have been: “One takes pincers and lifts the snake away and so frees the cask without breaking it." The Emperor asked him what favour he could shew him and he merely asked to be allowed to settle in Yabne and that R. Sadok be cured, who had fasted 40 years to avert the destruction of Jerusalem and become a skeleton in consequence. This was granted him. Then was sent Titus the Wicked. He went blasphemously into the Temple and committed an immoral act on the scroll of the Law; then he took a sword and pierced the curtain in the middle of the Temple and by a miracle drops of blood oozed out. He said, “Now I have killed their God." When he re-

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turned with all the spoil of the Temple a storm arose on the high seas and he said, “The power of their God is only in the waters. He has drowned Pharaoh and Sisera and now He wants to drown me. Let Him come and fight me on dry land/' And a voice came and said, “O thou wicked one! any one of my small creatures will suffice to war against thee." When he landed an insect got into his nostrils and from there to his brain and it gnawed for seven years. One day he passed a smith and the noise of the hammer silenced the insect. Then he called smiths who had continually to hammer; when the smith happened to be a heathen he paid him 400 Zuzim but when it was a Jew he said to him, “It is enough for thee to see the vengeance on your enemy," and paid him nothing. After a time the insect got accustomed to the noise of the hammers and there was no longer any relief. On his death he ordered his body to be burned and the ashes to be strewn over seven seas so that the God of the Jews should not be able to find him.

70. Kamsa&Fall of Jerusalem.

Git tin, f. 55b, 56b, 57. Sanhedrin, f. 104.

Pirke de R. Eliezer, ch. 49.

Tanh. Numb. Hukkat § 1. and B. ibid. p. 99. Midr. Hagadol, Deut.

Ki Tabo.

Gen. R. 10 § 7.

Levit. R. 2 § 5; 22 § 3. Eccles. R. V, 8 § 4; VII, 2; VII, 11 § 1. Lament. R. I, 5 § 31; IV §3.

Numb. R. 18 § 22.

Abot de R. Nathan I, ch. 4 p. 22; II, 6, p. 19.

Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 307.

Kalonymos,IgeredBaale Haim, sign. 10, 2b. Yaik. §946, §284; II,

§ 901> § 953*

Yalk. Sip. I, p. 15; IV,

p. 91.

Helvicus, Historien II, ch. 44 p. 133; ch. 45 p. 140.

Raymundus Mart., Pu- gio p. 258 ft.

Eisenmenger I, p. 407.

Steinschneider, Hebr. Bibl. II, 106.

cf. Bahar Danusch II, ch. 27.

Benfey, Pantschat. I, 15 and 246.

Libro de los Exemplos, 133.

cf. Grimm, Reinfuchs, No. 282.

cf. Grohmann, Sagen a. Bohmen, p. 246.

cf. Kirchhof, Wendun- muth, 6, 219.

Liebrecht, Zur Volks- kunde iff.

Massmann, Kaiserchro- nik, III, p.438 ff.

cf. Pauli, Schimpf, p.221.

Thor, ch. 8.

cf. Weber, Indische Stud. Ill, 351, 364, 366.

Ward, Cat. of Romances, I, p. 181 & 829 f.

Wolgemuth II, 45, etc.

Cod. Br. M. 2351, Midr. Hahefes, f. 329 a.

Cod. G. 28, f. 526.

7 1. Conversion of Ankelos.

Aboda Zara, f. 11a.

Gittin, f. 56a.

cf. Tanh. Exod. Mish- patim §5; B: ibid.

Midr. Hagadol, Deut. Haazinu.

Exod. R., 30 § 12. Yalk. II § 888.

Ben Habib to Sanhedrin.

Yalk. Sip. I, p. 65; II, p. 163.

Eisenmenger I, p. 96 f.

195-

Ginzburg in J. E. s. v.

Aquiba and Onkelos. Codd. G. 84, No. 3; 130, No. 62; 184, No. 197. (See No. 284.)

72. It was the custom to present newly married people with a hen and a cock and once the Roman soldiers passing by caught the birds and ate them; the Jews then attacked them. This was taken as an act of rebellion and the Romans went against the place. The leader of the Jews was Bar-Deroa, who could jump a mile and kill the people all along the way. But he forgot himself so far as to say: that God had forgotten them. He was bitten by a snake and died. The Roman Emperor had prayed not to be delivered into the power of one man. After this miraculous death he was so overjoyed that he raised the siege and went away. The Jews made a great illumination which was again taken as a sign of rebellion and the town and its inhabitants were destroyed. The town was so large that whilst they were killing the people in one quarter of it, they were holding festivities and rejoicings in the other.

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It was the custom to present newly married people with a hen and a cock and once the Roman soldiers passing by caught the birds and ate them; the Jews then attacked them. This was taken as an act of rebellion and the Romans went against the place. The leader of the Jews was Bar-Deroa, who could jump a mile and kill the people all along the way. But he forgot himself so far as to say: that God had forgotten them. He was bitten by a snake and died. The Roman Emperor had prayed not to be delivered into the power of one man. After this miraculous death he was so overjoyed that he raised the siege and went away. The Jews made a great illumination which was again taken as a sign of rebellion and the town and its inhabitants were destroyed. The town was so large that whilst they were killing the people in one quarter of it, they were holding festivities and rejoicings in the other.

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73. A man and woman betrothed to one another were taken captive and sold as slaves. They lived together but they did not become intimate. A father and son sinning with a betrothed on Kippur brought about death. They were found out and punished.

A man and woman betrothed to one another were taken captive and sold as slaves. They lived together but they did not become intimate. A father and son sinning with a betrothed on Kippur brought about death. They were found out and punished.

74. A man wished to divorce his rich wife under false pretences, implicating his best friend. One of Shammai's disciples detected the fraud.

74. Accusation of Unfaithfulness Disproved.

Gittin, f. 27.

Midr. Hagadol, Gen.

Vayyesheb.

Cod. G. 184, No. 189.

A man wished to divorce his rich wife under false pretences, implicating his best friend. One of Shammai's dis ciples detected the fraud.

75. Short note of the destruction of Bet-Tur through the axle of the waggon. They used to plant trees on the birth of a child and afterwards used them at its wedding. These were once cut down by the Romans to make an axle for the carriage of the Emperor’s daughter, and the people rose in consequence against the Roman soldiers. This was taken as a sign of rebellion and the town was destroyed, the blood flowing for miles into the sea.

75 a. When Akibasaw Bar Coziba he declared him to be the Messiah. He had a large army of 80,000 and he had 200,000 from whom one finger was cut off. He was told by the sages not to mutilate the people any more and they advised him to recruit only such men who riding on horses could uproot trees. And they got 200,000 in this manner. He also said like Bar-Deroa “Do not help us O Lord and do not subdue us” and he sinned by so speaking. Adrianus besieged Bet-Tur for three years without being able to conquer it and he almost gave up. Eleazar Hamudai fasted daily, and prayed to God that the town might not be taken. A Kuthean asked Adrianus to wait and see what he could do, and he went up and pretended to whisper in to the ear of Eleazar, who was the uncle of Bar Coziba. On being asked what they had been whispering the Kuthaean said, “Whatever I say I shall be killed so I may as well tell the truth,” so he replied, that Eleazar had whispered to him that he might hand the town over to the Romans. So Bar Coziba asked Eleazar what he had said to the Khutean and Eleazar answered “Nothing.” Bar Koziba enraged, kicked Eleazar and killed him and a voice said

"'Oh you false shepherd who leaves the sheep! Thou hast killed R. Eleazar the right arm and the eye of Israel and thine arm shall be cut off and thine eye blinded." Bet- Tur was captured and Bar Coziba was slain and a snake was found round his body. The horses waded up to their bellies in blood and the brains of 300 children were found on one stone, one child only escaping, Shimeon ben Gamliel. They made a hedge of the dead of Bet-Tur eighteen miles square around the vineyards of Adrianus and the cause of destruction in that place was, that men used to intercept the pilgrims to Jerusalem and keep them there and were accustomed to obtain possession of the people by false pretences.

75. Destruction of Bet Tur. Gittin, f. 57 a. Sanhedrin, f. 17 b.

Rosh Hashana, f. 18 b. Taanit, 26 b, 29 a. Mishnah Taanit, IV, 6. J. Taanit, f. 69 a.

Midr. Hagadol, Deut.

Ki Tabo.

Gen. R. ch. 65.

Song R. end sect. II. Lament R. to II, 2; IV, 8.

Yalk. § 115. Raymundus Mart., Pu- gio, p. 261.

Eisenmenger II, p. 655 f. Krauss in J. E. s. v.

Bethar vol. III.

Cod. G. 97 (Jerahmeel) f. 776.

75 a. Bar Cozibas Exploits. Taanit, f. 18 b.

Meg. Taanit, XII.

J. Taanit, IV, 7.

Gittin, f. 57a.

Midr. Hagadol, Deut.

Ki Tabo.

Gen. R. ch. 65.

Song R. II, end.

Midr. Ten Kings, ed. Horowitz Bibl. Hagg.

I, p. 50.

Yalk. § 946 and § 1001. Yalk. Sip. IV, p. 63. Raymundus Mart. Pu- gio, p. 256, 258. Eisenmenger I, p. 396;

II, p. 654-655. cf. Dsanglun, ed.

Schmidt, ch. 36, p. 301.

Krauss, in J. E. s. v. Bar Kokba.

76. Death of R. Shimeon b. Gamliel and R. Ishmael b. Elisha as martyrs. Ishmael comforts R. Gamliel and weeps at the sight of the dead man's head.

76. Martyrdom of R. Shimeon b. Gamliel & Ishmael.

Sanhedrin, f. 11a. Semahot, ch. 8.

J. Sota, f. 24b. cf. Tosefta Sota, 134. Mehilta, Mishpatim.

Pirke Hehalot.

• •

Midr. Psalms, 9, 12, f. 144b.

Song R. ed. Griinhut, ch. 1, 3.

Midr. Ele Ezkera.

Abot de R. Nathan, ch. 38, f. 56b.

Tana debe Rab, 30. Jellinek, B. H. II. p. 64ft. Rab Pealim, p. 157. Eisenstein, Oser, p. 440,

443, 448, 449- Yalk. Sip. II, 177.

Zunz, 10 Martyrer in Syn. Poesie, p. 139. Cod. Hamb. 320 5.

Codd. G. cf. 6, f. 95a, 96a; 184, No. 45.

Death of R. Shimeon b. Gamliel and R. Ishmael b. Elisha as martyrs. Ishmael comforts R. Gamliel and weeps at the sight of the dead man's head.

77. The story of Mesha of Moab who, drawing a wrong conclusion from the story of Abraham and Isaac, sacrifices his son; thus showing that the good intentions of the heathen who is badly guided, lead to sin and not to merit.

78. When the sun had moved backwards at the request of the Prophet Isaiah on the occasion of the illness of Heze- kiah, King Merodach believed that he had overslept himself, and had omitted to pay his reverence to the sun in the morning. Then he was told of the miracle which had happened. He sent greetings to King Hezekiah and went three steps to call back the messenger in order to alter the letter of greeting, putting his name after that of God. His reward; three descendants became kings.

78. Merodakh and the Sun. cf. Sanhedrin, f. 96. Baba Batra, f. 10. Pesikta, ch. II.

Tanh. Exod. Ki Tissa. Esther R. 3 §1.

Song R. 3, v. 4.

Yal^. Sip. II, p. 223.

These four steps, what are they? As it is written: "At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters," etc. (Isaiah 39:1). Was it because "Hezekiah had been sick and had recovered" that he sent him letters and a gift? Yes, it was "to inquire about the wonder that had occurred in the land" (2 Chronicles 32:31). For Rabbi Yochanan said: That same day on which Ahaz died was only two hours long. And when Hezekiah fell sick and recovered, the Holy One, blessed be He, restored to him those ten hours, as it is written: "Behold, I will bring back the shadow on the steps, which has gone down on the steps of Ahaz with the sun, ten steps backward." So the sun returned ten steps, by the steps which it had gone down (Isaiah 38:8). He said to them: What is this? They said to him: Hezekiah fell ill and recovered. He said: Is there a man such as this, and shall I not wish to send him a greeting of peace? They wrote to him: Peace to King Hezekiah, peace to the city of Jerusalem, and peace to the great God.

79. A labouring man when he was refused by his master any payment either in money, cattle, land or fruit for his labour judged his master well. He thought that there was some good reason which prevented the master from paying him and the supposition was afterwards found correct. For the money was sunk in a business, the cattle were pledged, the fruit was not yet tithed and the clothes were a votive offering. The master then recompensed him in full.

79. Trustfulness of Labourers.

Sabbath, f. 127 b.

Midr. Hagadol, Levit. Kedoshim.

Tana debe Elia Zutta, ch. 16.

Abot de R. Nathan, ch. 8.

Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 327.

Farhi, O. P. Ill f. 42a. Yalk. Sip. Ill, p. 72. Maase Buch No. 19. Cod. G. 184, No. 117.

A labouring man when he was refused by his master any payment either in money, cattle, land or fruit for his labour judged his master well. He thought that there was some good reason which prevented the master from paying him and the supposition was afterwards found correct. For the money was sunk in a business, the cattle were pledged, the fruit was not yet tithed and the clothes were a votive offering. The master then recompensed him in full.

80. A pious man did strange things, i. e., placed a young girl in his bed, &c., but was not suspected of any wrong by his disciples who found afterwards that they were justified in not having suspected him.

81. R. Joshua b. Hananya entered the house of a matron in Rome, locked the door behind him, was closeted with her, bathed &c., and yet was not suspected of committing any sin. He afterwards explained his strange actions. They were occasioned by secrets of state, and the bathing was due to contact with impurity.

80. Trustfulness of Disciples. Sabbath, f. 127 b.

Midr. Hagadol, Levit.

Kedoshim.

Tana debe Elia Zutta, ch. 16.

Abot de R. Nathan, ch. 8.

Aboab, Men. Ham. ch. 327.

Yalk. Sip. Ill p. 72. Maase Buch Nos. 20 and 21.

Cod. G. 184, No. 118.

81. Trustfulness of Pupils of R. Joshua.

Sabbath, f. 127b.

Midr. Hagadol, Levit. Kedoshim.

Cod. G. 184, No. 119.