Story of the man who tried Hillel ’s patience by asking him

Midrash Aggadah Exempla of the Rabbis, No. 84

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 7, 2025

Story of the man who tried Hillel ’s patience by asking him irrelevant questions, in the hope of angering him and thereby vanning a wager of 400 zuzim. The first question was: “Why are not the heads of the Babylonians round?" and the answer was: “Because they have no clever midwives." The second question, put after an hours delay, was: “Why are the eyes of the inhabitants of Tadmor small ?" The answer was: “Because they live in caves." At the end of another hour the third question was put. “Why are the feet of the inhabitants of Afriki flat?" and the repty was: “Because they live in swamps." Hillel did not lose patience after all.

Themes

Kings Conversion

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