Rabbi Shimon ben Antipatros had a reputation that troubled the sages of Israel. Travelers who stayed at his house reported something alarming: their host beat his guests. Not robbers. Not criminals. His own guests — people who had come to his home seeking hospitality.
The sages were disturbed enough to send Rabbi Joshua to investigate. If a man was abusing the sacred duty of hospitality, it was a matter that demanded correction. Rabbi Joshua traveled to Rabbi Shimon's home and presented himself as a guest, watching carefully for signs of the reported violence.
He did not have to wait long. As the guests gathered for the evening meal, conversation turned casual, and one guest let slip a careless oath. Then another swore lightly, invoking God's name over a trivial matter. Rabbi Shimon rose from his seat and struck them.
Rabbi Joshua confronted him. "Why do you beat your guests?" he demanded. Rabbi Shimon's answer was immediate and fierce: "Because they swear freely and show contempt for the Torah. An oath is not a casual thing. When a man invokes the name of God over nothing, he profanes the holiest name in creation. I would rather be known as a man who strikes his guests than as a man who sits silently while the divine name is desecrated at his table."
Rabbi Joshua listened, considered the explanation, and returned to the sages with his report. Rabbi Shimon's methods were harsh, but his motivation was pure: he could not bear to hear the name of God treated as worthless. The sages debated the matter, but they understood the fire that drove him.