An Athenian came to Jerusalem, and he greatly mocked the residents of Jerusalem. They said: ‘Who will go and bring him to us?’ One person said to them: ‘I will go and I will bring him with his head shaved.’ The Jerusalemite went to Athens and was received by that man. In the morning, the two of them went out to stroll in the marketplace. One of [the Jew’s] sandals tore. He said to the cobbler: ‘Take this coin31It was a valuable coin. and repair this sandal.’ He repaired it for him. The following day, the two of went out to stroll in the marketplace and [the Jew’s] other sandal tore. He said to him:32He said to his Athenian host. ‘Take this coin and go have the cobbler repair this sandal of mine.’ He said to him: ‘Are sandals so expensive in your place?’33Is that the reason you came with tattered sandals, and are willing to pay so much to repair them? He said to him: ‘Yes.’ He said to him: ‘How many dinars?’ He said to him: ‘Some are nine and some are ten dinars, and when they are inexpensive, some are seven and some are eight dinars.’ He said to him: ‘If I come to you with this merchandise will you sell it for me?’ He said to him: ‘Yes, but do not enter the city without my knowledge.’When [the Athenian] performed his labor he purchased a stock of sandals. He travelled, ascended to Jerusalem, and sat at the gate of the city walls. He sent after [the Jew] and he came. When [the Jew] came, he said to [the Athenian]: ‘We made an agreement among us that no person may enter to sell his merchandise unless his head is shaved and his face blackened.’ He said to him: ‘What harm is there to me if I shave my head, provided that I sell my merchandise.’ After he shaved his head, [the Jew] took him and seated him in the middle of the marketplace. When a person would come to purchase sandals from him, he would say to him: ‘How much does a pair of these sandals cost?’ [The Athenian] would say to him: ‘Some are ten and some are nine dinars; however, I will not take less than eight dinars.’ When [the purchaser] would hear this, he would knock him on his head with a sandal, go, and not make the purchase. He said to [the Jew]: ‘Did I treat you so badly when you were in my place?’ He said to him: ‘From now on, do not mock [tefalei] the residents of Jerusalem.’ <Tefalei is a term meaning examination. The verse: “You shall not examine branches again” (Deuteronomy 24:20), is translated as lo tefalei aḥarekha.>34This linguistic note, which is added to the text of the midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), employs the term examination in the sense of critique.