The Bribe of Words and the Sages Who Refused Favors

Our Rabbis taught: "And you shall take no bribe" - it need not say a bribe of money; rather even a bribe of words is also forbidden, since it is not written "you shall take no unjust gain (betza)." What is a bribe of words? Like this: Shmuel was crossing on a ferry, and a certain man came and gave him his hand [to help him]. He said to him, "What is your business?" He said, "I have a case to be judged." He said to him, "I am disqualified from judging you." Ameimar was sitting in judgment when a feather flew down and settled on his head, and a certain man came and removed it from him. He said, "What is your business?" He said, "I have a case." He said to him, "I am disqualified from judging you." Mar Ukva had spittle lying before him; a certain man came and covered it. He said, "What is your business?" He said, "I have a case." He said to him, "I am disqualified from judging you." Rabbi Yishmael son of Rabbi Yose had a sharecropper who customarily brought him a basket of fruit every Friday. One day he brought it on Thursday. He said, "Why is today different?" He said, "I have a case [here], and I said, on my way I will bring it to the master." He did not accept it from him, and said, "I am disqualified from judging you." He seated a pair of rabbis to judge him. As [the sharecropper] went back and forth, he [Rabbi Yishmael] thought, "If he wished he could plead thus, and if he wished he could plead thus." He said: May the breath of those who take bribes expire! If I, who did not take, and even had I taken would have taken what is mine, am affected like this, how much more so those who actually take bribes! Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha - a certain man brought him the first shearing of his flock. He said, "Where do you come from?" He said, "From such-and-such a place." He said, "And on the way from there to here was there no priest to give it to?" He said, "I have a case, and I said, on my way I will bring it to the master." He did not accept it from him, and said, "I am disqualified from judging you." He seated a pair of rabbis to judge him. As [the man] went back and forth, he thought, "If he wished he could plead thus, and if he wished he could plead thus." He said: May the breath of those who take bribes expire! If I, who did not take, and even had I taken would have taken my own portion, am affected like this, how much more so those who take bribes! Rav Anan - a certain man brought him a basket of small fish. He said, "What is your business?" He said, "I have a case, and I said, while I was coming I would bring it to the master." He did not accept it from him, and said, "I am disqualified from judging you." He [the man] said, "I do not want the master's judgment; let the master at least accept it, so that the master not prevent me from offering first-fruits, for it was taught: 'And a man came from Baal-Shalishah and brought the man of God bread of the first-fruits' (II Kings 4:42) - and was Elisha one who eats first-fruits? Rather, to tell you that whoever brings a gift to a Torah scholar, it is as if he offered first-fruits." He said, "I did not wish to accept; now that you have given a reason, I will accept." He sent the man before Rav Nachman, sending word: "Let the master judge this man, for I, Anan, am disqualified from judging him." [Rav Nachman] reasoned: since the master sent me this, he must be a relative of his. There was a case of orphans before [Rav Nachman]. He reasoned, "This is a positive commandment [to honor the orphans' case] and that is a positive commandment [to honor the Torah]; the honor of the Torah takes precedence." He set aside the orphans' case [to hear it first]. When the [other] litigant saw the honor being done for him, his arguments were stopped up [he lost confidence]. Rav Anan had been accustomed to Elijah coming to him and teaching him the Order of Elijah; once he did this, [Elijah] withdrew. He sat in fasting and begged for mercy, and [Elijah] came. But he would terrify him [with frightening visions], so [Rav Anan] made a box and would sit in the box and study his order, until he completed the whole order. This is why they say, "the Greater Order of Elijah and the Lesser Order of Elijah."