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.

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(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-

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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.