Story of the son of R. Reuben the Libellarius to whom
the angel of death appeared in the form of an old man at
the wedding festivities. He was treated with great respect on
the advice of the Prophet Elijah, since his father had turned
upon another old man and had sent him down from his
seat at the table. When the angel appeared in a terrible
form, first his father and then his mother offered themselves
instead of the son, but being frightened, they ran away.
Only his bride was not frightened and interceded on his
behalf. Death had compassion and then she appealed to
God who granted her request.
(140.) 139 a. Eliharaf and Abiyah, the two secretaries
of Solomon, ran away, being frightened at the curious
way in which the angel of death had looked at them in the
morning, when they came to King Solomon. They were met
by him at their last resting place in the evening. He had
looked curiously because he had been ordered by God to
take their souls in the very spot where he found them now,
whilst in the morning he had seen them in Jerusalem.
(141.) 140. The two sons of R. Reuben b. Astribulos went
to the South from Tiberias, being frightened by the angel of
death. They were met by him on their arrival there, where
he had been told he would find them.
(142.) 141. R. Meir saw Elisha b. Abuya riding on horseback on the Sabbath. At the birth of Elisha the scholars
had been present in his father’s house and had been discussing the Law. Fire from heaven had surrounded the house,
which had so impressed the father that he had devoted his
son to the study of the Law. However, because he had done
so not that his son should be a scholar, but merely for the
sake of honour, Elisha afterwards turned away. R. Meir discussed various points with Elisha who showed great erudition
and R. Meir tried to induce him to return to the study of the
Law. Elisha refused, saying that he once heard a voice saying
at the back of the western wall of the Temple, that all should
be saved who repented, except Elisha b. Abuya, “who knew
my power and rebelled against it.” In the time of persecution he assisted the persecutors to force the Jews to
break the Law. The reason why he became rebellious was
that once when he was sitting in the vale of Genesareth, he
saw a man on the Sabbath going up a tree and taking away
the nest with the bird and its young. He came down unharmed. Another man, going up the tree, sent the bird
away and kept only the little ones according to the Law.
Coming down, he was bitten by a snake and died. Where
was the divine promise that by obeying this law a man's
life would be prolonged ? Another tradition is that he saw the
tongue of R. Nahum the Martyr eaten by dogs and he
said, “Is this the reward of study?” for he did not believe
in the reward after death or in the resurrection of the dead.
R. Meir still persisted in his attempt and when he heard
that Elisha was dangerously ill, he went to visit him, for
Elisha had been R. Meir's teacher. He again asked him
to repent. And Elisha said, “Will He receive me now?”
R. Meir replied in the affirmative. Elisha wept and died.
R. Meir rejoiced in the thought that he had died with the
wish of repentance. After a few days R. Meir was told
that fire was issuing out of the grave of his master, and he
went there and covered it with his mantle and said, “Slumber this night for perchance the Lord will save thee, and
if not I will save thee; sleep until morning.” Elisha's daughter once appeared before R. Jehuda ha-Nassi the Prince,
who at first refused to assist her, but when she appealed
in the name of the scholarship of her father he at once
acceded to her request.
- 87 -
(143.) 142. A man had three daughters, one thievish, one
lazy and the third slanderous. A man asked for their hands
for his three sons although he knew of their vices. They
were married. Once their father came to see them and the
two first praised their father-in-law to him, but the third
spoke very wickedly against him and to prove her insinuations she asked her father to hide himself in the room.
When her father-in-law came in he embraced her as usual
but she said, “You had better be careful my father is here.”
Her father hearing this misinterpreted the action of her
father-in-law and killed him. The sons rose up and killed
that man, and thus we see how an evil tongue kills many
people.
(144.) 143. Simeon b. Johai sent his son to the college
for the scholars to bless him. They said, “What thou
sowest thou shalt not reap, thou shalt bring in and not carry
out; thou shalt carry out and not bring in; thy house shall
be destroyed but thy resting place shall be established; thy
table shall be troubled and thou shalt not see the new
year.” He thought that they had cursed him, but his father
explained it to him. “Thou shalt have children and they
shall not die; thy table shall be troubled by the children
around it; thou shalt not see the new year, that is thy wife
shall not die and thou marry another; thou shalt bring in
daughters-in-law as brides and thy sons shall live; thou
shalt marry thy daughters out and their husbands shall
not die; thy house shall be destroyed, that means, this world,
when thy resting place (hospice) in the world to come shall
be established”.
(146.) 145. A woman listened to R. Meir's exposition
of the law. She was threatened by her husband to be sent
away unless she spat in the face of R. Meir. Hearing of it,
R. Meir pretended that his eye was sore and asked her to
spit seven times on it for a charm and he thus made peace
between them.
(147.) 146. Two of R. Meir's sons died on the Sabbath.
Their father missed them in the Synagogue and when he re-
88 -
turned home he asked after them. His wife put him off as
she did not wish to tell him of the calamity on the Sabbath
day. Towards the evening when he became impatient, she
told him that a man had entrusted her with two jewels
and now claimed his own again and asked him what
she was to do, and whether she should return the jewels.
He expressed great surprise at such a question and replied,
“Certainly.” She then told him that two jewels had been
entrusted to them by God and that now He had claimed
them and she was thus able to comfort him.
138. Story of the son of R. Reuben the Libellarius to whom
the angel of death appeared in the form of an old man at
the wedding festivities. He was treated with great respect on
the advice of the Prophet Elijah, since his father had turned
upon another old man and had sent him down from his
seat at the table. When the angel appeared in a terrible
form, first his father and then his mother offered themselves
instead of the son, but being frightened, they ran away.
Only his bride was not frightened and interceded on his
behalf. Death had compassion and then she appealed to
God who granted her request.
(140.) 139 a. Eliharaf and Abiyah, the two secretaries
of Solomon, ran away, being frightened at the curious
way in which the angel of death had looked at them in the
morning, when they came to King Solomon. They were met
by him at their last resting place in the evening. He had
looked curiously because he had been ordered by God to
take their souls in the very spot where he found them now,
whilst in the morning he had seen them in Jerusalem.
(141.) 140. The two sons of R. Reuben b. Astribulos went
to the South from Tiberias, being frightened by the angel of
death. They were met by him on their arrival there, where
he had been told he would find them.
(142.) 141. R. Meir saw Elisha b. Abuya riding on horseback on the Sabbath. At the birth of Elisha the scholars
had been present in his father’s house and had been discussing the Law. Fire from heaven had surrounded the house,
which had so impressed the father that he had devoted his
son to the study of the Law. However, because he had done
so not that his son should be a scholar, but merely for the
sake of honour, Elisha afterwards turned away. R. Meir discussed various points with Elisha who showed great erudition
and R. Meir tried to induce him to return to the study of the
Law. Elisha refused, saying that he once heard a voice saying
at the back of the western wall of the Temple, that all should
be saved who repented, except Elisha b. Abuya, “who knew
my power and rebelled against it.” In the time of persecution he assisted the persecutors to force the Jews to
break the Law. The reason why he became rebellious was
that once when he was sitting in the vale of Genesareth, he
saw a man on the Sabbath going up a tree and taking away
the nest with the bird and its young. He came down unharmed. Another man, going up the tree, sent the bird
away and kept only the little ones according to the Law.
Coming down, he was bitten by a snake and died. Where
was the divine promise that by obeying this law a man's
life would be prolonged ? Another tradition is that he saw the
tongue of R. Nahum the Martyr eaten by dogs and he
said, “Is this the reward of study?” for he did not believe
in the reward after death or in the resurrection of the dead.
R. Meir still persisted in his attempt and when he heard
that Elisha was dangerously ill, he went to visit him, for
Elisha had been R. Meir's teacher. He again asked him
to repent. And Elisha said, “Will He receive me now?”
R. Meir replied in the affirmative. Elisha wept and died.
R. Meir rejoiced in the thought that he had died with the
wish of repentance. After a few days R. Meir was told
that fire was issuing out of the grave of his master, and he
went there and covered it with his mantle and said, “Slumber this night for perchance the Lord will save thee, and
if not I will save thee; sleep until morning.” Elisha's daughter once appeared before R. Jehuda ha-Nassi the Prince,
who at first refused to assist her, but when she appealed
in the name of the scholarship of her father he at once
acceded to her request.
- 87 -
(143.) 142. A man had three daughters, one thievish, one
lazy and the third slanderous. A man asked for their hands
for his three sons although he knew of their vices. They
were married. Once their father came to see them and the
two first praised their father-in-law to him, but the third
spoke very wickedly against him and to prove her insinuations she asked her father to hide himself in the room.
When her father-in-law came in he embraced her as usual
but she said, “You had better be careful my father is here.”
Her father hearing this misinterpreted the action of her
father-in-law and killed him. The sons rose up and killed
that man, and thus we see how an evil tongue kills many
people.
(144.) 143. Simeon b. Johai sent his son to the college
for the scholars to bless him. They said, “What thou
sowest thou shalt not reap, thou shalt bring in and not carry
out; thou shalt carry out and not bring in; thy house shall
be destroyed but thy resting place shall be established; thy
table shall be troubled and thou shalt not see the new
year.” He thought that they had cursed him, but his father
explained it to him. “Thou shalt have children and they
shall not die; thy table shall be troubled by the children
around it; thou shalt not see the new year, that is thy wife
shall not die and thou marry another; thou shalt bring in
daughters-in-law as brides and thy sons shall live; thou
shalt marry thy daughters out and their husbands shall
not die; thy house shall be destroyed, that means, this world,
when thy resting place (hospice) in the world to come shall
be established”.
(146.) 145. A woman listened to R. Meir's exposition
of the law. She was threatened by her husband to be sent
away unless she spat in the face of R. Meir. Hearing of it,
R. Meir pretended that his eye was sore and asked her to
spit seven times on it for a charm and he thus made peace
between them.
(147.) 146. Two of R. Meir's sons died on the Sabbath.
Their father missed them in the Synagogue and when he re-
88 -
turned home he asked after them. His wife put him off as
she did not wish to tell him of the calamity on the Sabbath
day. Towards the evening when he became impatient, she
told him that a man had entrusted her with two jewels
and now claimed his own again and asked him what
she was to do, and whether she should return the jewels.
He expressed great surprise at such a question and replied,
“Certainly.” She then told him that two jewels had been
entrusted to them by God and that now He had claimed
them and she was thus able to comfort him.
