Better a Meal of Herbs With Love When Solomon Lost His Throne

(Proverbs 15:17): "Better is a meal of herbs where there is love than a fatted ox with hatred in it." Rabbi Levi said: Concerning whom did Solomon say this verse? Concerning two men who met him at the time when he had been brought down from his kingship and was going around to the doors begging for his sustenance. Two men who recognized him met him: one of them came, prostrated himself before him, and said to him, 'My lord the king! If it please you, dine with me today.' Immediately he went with him, and he brought him up to an upper chamber and slaughtered an ox, brought before him many delicacies, and began to recount to him matters of his kingship, and said to him, 'Do you remember that you did such and such on a certain day when you were king?' Immediately, since he reminded him of the days of his kingship, he began to weep and wail, and so it was throughout that entire meal, until he rose from there sated with his weeping. The next day his companion met him, began to prostrate himself before him and said to him, 'My lord the king, will you dine with me today?' He said to him, 'Perhaps you wish to do to me as your companion did yesterday?' He said to him, 'My lord the king, I am a poor man, but if it please you, dine with me today on the little bit of vegetables that I have.' At that moment he went to his house, washed his hands and feet for him, and brought him a little bit of vegetables, and that man began to comfort him, and said to him, 'My lord the king, the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to your father that He would not cut off kingship from his offspring, as it is said (Psalms 132:11): "The LORD swore to David in truth, He will not turn back from it, of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne"; rather, such is the way of the Holy One, blessed be He, He reproves and then reproves again, as it is said (Proverbs 3:12): "For whom the LORD loves He reproves, as a father the son in whom he delights," but the Holy One, blessed be He, will return you to your kingship.' When Solomon heard this, immediately his mind was set at ease, and he rejoiced in that meal of vegetables, and he rose from there sated. Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Avun ben Benjamin in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra: When Solomon returned to his kingship, he wrote in his wisdom, "Better is a meal of herbs where there is love" that I ate at the house of the poor man, "than a fatted ox with hatred in it" that the rich man fed me, who reminded me of my distress.