{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_14368/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_14368","id":"gutenberg_14368","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14368","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Hebrew literature -- Translations into English","Judaism"],"text":"HEBRAIC LITERATURE; TRANSLATIONS FROM THE TALMUD, MIDRASHIM AND KABBALA\n\nTudor Publishing Co.\nNew York\n1943\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSPECIAL INTRODUCTION\n\n\nAmong the absurd notions as to what the Talmud was, given credence in\nthe Middle Ages, one was that it was a man! The mediaeval priest or\npeasant was perhaps wiser than he knew. Almost, might we say, the Talmud\nwas Man, for it is a record of the doings, the beliefs, the usages, the\nhopes, the sufferings, the patience, the humor, the mentality, and the\nmorality of the Jewish people for half a millennium.\n\nWhat is the Talmud? There is more than one answer. Ostensibly it is the\n_corpus juris_ of the Jews from about the first century before the\nChristian era to about the fourth after it. But we shall see as we\nproceed that the Talmud was much more than this. The very word \"Law\" in\nHebrew--\"Torah\"--means more than its translation would imply. The Jew\ninterpreted his whole religion in terms of law. It is his name in fact\nfor the Bible's first five books--the Pentateuch. To explain what the\nTalmud is we must first explain the theory of its growth more remarkable\nperhaps than the work itself. What was that theory? The Divine Law was\nrevealed to Moses, not only through the Commands that were found written\nin the Bible, but also through all the later rules and regulations of\npost-exilic days. These additional laws it was presumed were handed down\norally from Moses to Joshua, thence to the Prophets, and later still\ntransmitted to the Scribes, and eventually to the Rabbis. The reason why\nthe Rabbis ascribed to Moses the laws that they later evolved, was due\nto their intense reverence for Scripture, and their modest sense of\ntheir own authority and qualification. \"If the men of old were giants\nthen we are pigmies,\" said they. They felt and believed that all duty\nfor the guidance of man was found in the Bible either directly or\ninferentially. Their motto was then, \"Search the Scriptures,\" and they\ndid search them with a literalness and a painstaking thoroughness never\nsince repeated. Not a word, not a letter escaped them. Every redundancy\nof expression was freighted with meaning, every repetition was made to\ngive birth to new truth. Some of the inferences were logical and\nnatural, some artificial and far-fetched, but all ingenious. Sometimes\nthe method was inductive and sometimes deductive. That is, occasionally\na needed law was promulgated by the Jewish Sanhedrin, and then its\nauthority sought in the Scripture, or the Scripture would be sought in\nthe first instance to reveal new law.\n\nSo while the Jewish code, religious and civil, continued to grow during\nthe era of the Restoration of the second Temple, to meet the more\ncomplex conditions of later times, still the theory was maintained that\nall was evolved from original Scripture and always transmitted, either\nwritten or oral, from Moses from Mount Sinai. It was not, however, till\nthe year 219 after the Christian era that a compiled summary of the\nso-called oral law was made--perhaps compiled from earlier summaries--by\nRabbi Jehudah Hanassi (the Prince), and the added work was called the\nMishnah or Second Law. Mark the date. We have passed the period of the\nfall of Judea's nationality. And it was these very academies in which\nthe Jewish tradition--the Jewish Law was studied, that kept alive the\nJewish people as a religious community after they had ceased to be a\nnation. This Mishnah, divided into six _sedarim_ or chapters, and\nsubdivided into thirty-six treatises, became now in the academies of\nPalestine, and later in Babylonia, the text of further legal\nelaboration, with the theory of deduction from Scripture still\nmaintained.\n\nAlthough the life of denationalized Israel was much narrower and more\ncircumscribed, with fewer outlets to their capacities, nevertheless the\nnew laws deduced from the Mishnah code in the academies grew far larger\nthan the original source, while the discussions which grew around each\nHalacha, as the final decision was termed, and which was usually\ntransmitted with the decision, grew so voluminous that it became\ngradually impossible to retain the complex tradition in the\nmemory--remarkable as the Oriental memory was and is. That fact, added\nto the growing persecutions from Israel's over-lords, and the consequent\nprecarious fate of these precious traditions, made it necessary to write\nthem down in spite of the prejudice against committing the oral law to\nwriting at all. This work was undertaken by Rav Asche and his disciples,\nand was completed before the year 500. The Mishnah, together with the\nlaws that later grew out of it, called also Gamara, or Commentary, form\nthe Talmud. While the Palestinian school evolved a Gamara from the\nMishnah which is called the \"Palestinian Talmud,\" it was the tradition\nof the Babylonian academies, far vaster because they continued for so\nmany more centuries, that is the Talmud _per se_, that great work of\n2,947 folio leaves. Were we to continue the tradition further, we might\nshow how often this vast legal compilation was the subject of further\ncommentary, discussion and deduction by yet later scholars. But that\ntakes us beyond our theme and is another story.\n\nIn forming an estimate of these laws, we must first remember that they\nbelonged to the days when religion and state were one. So we shall find\npriestly laws mixed up with police laws, sanitary regulations side by\nside with regulations of sanctity, the injunctions teaching political\neconomy and morality almost in the same line. It should rather then be\ncompared to codes of law than to religious scriptures, though often\nthere the comparison would be incomplete, since the religious atmosphere\npervaded even the most secular circumstance of the life of the Jew.\nThere was no secular. The meanest function in life must be brought in\nrelation to the great Divine. This must be understood in studying the\nTalmud, this must be understood in studying the Jew. As law, it compares\nfavorably with the Roman code--its contemporary in part. In the\ntreatment of a criminal it is almost quixotically humane. It abhors the\nshedding of blood, and no man can be put to death on circumstantial\nevidence. Many of its injunctions are intensely minute and\nhair-splitting to the extreme of casuistry. Yet these elements are\nfamiliar in the interpretation of law, not only in the olden time, but\nin some measure even to-day. There are instances where Talmudic law is\ntenderer than the Biblical; for example, the _lex talionis_ is softened\ninto an equivalent.\n\nYet the legal does not form the whole of the Talmud, nor perhaps the\npart that would most interest the casual reader or the world at large.\nIt is the dry, prosaic half. There is a poetic half, let us say a\nhomiletic half, what we call Agada, as distinct from the legal portion\ncalled Halacha. The term Agada, \"narrative,\" is wofully insufficient to\ndescribe the diverse material that falls under this head, for it\ncomprehends all the discursive elements that come up in the legal\ndiscussions in the old Babylonian and Palestinian academies. These\nelements are occasionally biographical,--fragments of the lives of the\ngreat scholars, occasionally historical,--little bits of Israel's long\ntragedy, occasionally didactic,--facts, morals, life lessons taught by\nthe way; occasionally anecdotic, stories told to relieve the monotony of\ndiscussion; not infrequently fanciful; bits of philosophy, old\nfolk-lore, weird imaginings, quaint beliefs, superstitions and humor.\nThey are presented haphazard, most irrelevantly introduced in between\nthe complex discussions, breaking the thread that however is never lost,\nbut always taken up again.\n\nFrom this point of view the Talmud is a great maze and apparently the\nsimplest roads lead off into strange, winding by-paths. It is hard to\ndeduce any distinct system of ethics, any consistent philosophy, any\ncoherent doctrine. Yet patience rewards the student here too, and from\nthis confused medley of material, he can build the intellectual world of\nthe early medi\u00e6val Jew. In the realm of doctrine we find that \"original\nsin,\" \"vicarious atonement,\" and \"everlasting punishment,\" are denied.\nMan is made the author of his own salvation. Life beyond the grave is\nstill progressive; the soul is pre-existent.\n\nA suggestion of the wit and wisdom of the Talmud may be gathered from\nthe following quotations:--\n\n  A single light answers as well for a hundred men as for one.\n  The ass complains of cold even in July.\n  A myrtle in the desert remains a myrtle.\n  Teach thy tongue to say, \"I do not know.\"\n  Hospitality is an expression of Divine worship.\n  Thy friend has a friend, and thy friend's friend has a friend;\n    be discreet.\n  Attend no auctions if thou hast no money.\n  Rather flay a carcass, than be idly dependent on charity.\n  The place honors not the man, 'tis the man who gives honor to the place.\n  Drain not the waters of thy well while other people may desire them.\n  The rose grows among thorns.\n  Two pieces of coin in one bag make more noise than a hundred.\n  The rivalry of scholars advances science.\n  Truth is heavy, therefore few care to carry it.\n  He who is loved by man is loved by God.\n  Use thy noble vase to-day; to-morrow it may break.\n  The soldiers fight and the kings are heroes.\n  Commit a sin twice, it will seem a sin no longer.\n  The world is saved by the breath of the school children.\n  A miser is as wicked as an idolater.\n  Do not make woman weep, for God counts her tears.\n  The best preacher is the heart; the best teacher time;\n    the best book the world; the best friend God.\n\nThe philosophy in the Talmud, rather than the philosophy of it, has been\nmade the subject of separate treatment just as the whole of the Agada\nhas been drawn out of the Talmud and published as a separate work.\n\nWhat is the Talmud to the Jew to-day? It is literature rather than law.\nHe no longer goes to the voluminous Talmud to find specific injunction\nfor specific need. Search in that vast sea would be tedious and\nunfruitful. Its legal portion has long been codified in separate\ndigests. Maimonides was the first to classify Talmudic law. Still later\none Ascheri prepared a digest called the \"Four Rows,\" in which the\ndecisions of later Rabbis were incorporated. But it was the famous\nShulchan Aruch (a prepared table) written by Joseph Caro in the\nsixteenth century, that formed the most complete code of Talmudic law\nenlarged to date, and accepted as religious authority by the orthodox\nJews to-day.\n\nI have already referred to the literature that has grown out of the\nTalmud. The \"Jewish Encyclopedia\" treats every law recognized by nations\nfrom the Talmudic stand-point. This will give the world a complete\nTalmudic point of view. In speaking of it as literature, it lacks\nperhaps that beauty of form in its language which the stricter demand as\nliterature _sine qua non_, and yet its language is unique. It is\nsomething more than terse, for many a word is a whole sentence. Written\nin Aramaic, it contains many words in the languages of the nations with\nwhom Israel came in contact--Greek, Roman, Persian, and words from other\ntongues.\n\nLike the Jew, the Talmud has had a history, almost as checkered as that\nof its creator. Like him it was singled out for persecution. Louis IX.\nburned twenty-four cart-loads of Talmuds in Paris. Its right of survival\nhad often been wrested through church synods and councils. It has been\nbanned, it has been excommunicated, it has been made the subject of\npopish bulls; but it was in the sixteenth century that the Benedictine\nMonks made a particular determined effort to destroy it. Fortunately\nthey knew not the times. It was the age of Humanism, the forerunner of\nthe Reformation, and the Talmud found its ablest defender in the great\nChristian humanist, John Reuchlin. He was the one first to tell his\nco-religionists, \"Do not condemn the Talmud before you understand it.\nBurning is no argument. Instead of burning all Jewish literature, it\nwere better to found chairs in the universities for its exposition.\" The\ncause of liberality and light gained the day, and the printing-press\ndecided the perpetuation of the Talmud.\n\nIn the second stage of its persecution the censor figures. His\nPhilistine pen passed ruthlessly over everything that seemed to hint at\ncriticism of the Church; but not content with expunging the heretical\nand the inferentially heretical, the censor at times went even so far as\nto erase sentiments particularly lofty, in order that the Talmud should\nnot have the credit of expounding noble doctrine, nor the Jew the\nadvantage of studying it.\n\nBut the latest stage of its persecution belongs to more modern days,\nwhen inquisitions were out of date and monkish claws were cut. The\ntraducer would spitefully engage the services of some renegade Jew, to\ngather from the Talmud all portions and passages that might seem\ngrotesque and ridiculous, so that the world might form an unfavorable\nimpression of the Talmud and of the people who treasure it. This has\nbeen done with so much success that up till very recently the Gentile\nworld, including the Christian clergy, knew of the Talmud only through\nthese unfortunate perversions and caricatures. Imagine the citation of a\nchapter from _Leviticus_ and one from _Chronicles_, of some vindictive\npassages in the _Psalms_, of a few skeptical bits in _Ecclesiastes_ and\n_Job_, and one or two of the barbaric stories in _Judges_, to be offered\nto the world as a fair picture of the Bible, and you will understand the\nsort of treatment the Talmud has received from the world at large and\nthe kind of estimate it has been given opportunity to form.\n\nWhat is the value of the Talmud for the Jew? Certainly its greatest\nvalue was rendered in the Middle Ages, when literature was scant and\ncopies of the few books in existence were rarer. When the Jew was shut\nout of the world's pleasure and the world's culture and barred up in\nGhetto slums, then it was that the Talmud became his recreation and his\nconsolation, feeding his mind and his faith. In this way it not only\nbecame in the Middle Ages a picture of the Jew, but largely formed his\ncharacter. It made him a keen dialectician, tempered with a thoughtful\nand poetic touch. It fostered his patience and his humor and kept vivid\nhis ideals. It linked him with the Orient, while living in the Occident\nand made him a bridge between the old and the new.\n\nTo the world at large it has great value arch\u00e6ologically. Here are\npreserved ancient laws, glint lights on past history, forgotten forms in\nthe classic tongues, and pictures of old civilization. No one criticism\ncan cover the whole work. It is so many-sided. It includes so many\ndifferent standards of worth and value. If we take it as a whole, it is\ngood, it is bad and indifferent; it is trash and it is treasure; it is\ndust and it is diamonds; it is potsherd and it is pearls; and in the\nhands of impartial scholars, it is one of the great monuments of mental\nachievement, one of the world's wonders.\n\nMaurice H. Harris\n\n\n\n\nTHE TALMUD\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWhere do we learn that the Shechinah rests even upon one who studies the\nlaw? In Exodus xx. 24, where it is written, \"In all places where I\nrecord my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 1.\n\nOne pang of remorse at a man's heart is of more avail than many stripes\napplied to him. (See Prov. xvii. 10.)\n\nIbid., fol. 7, col. 1.\n\n\"Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord!\" (Deut. vi. 4.) Whosoever\nprolongs the utterance of the word one, shall have his days and years\nprolonged to him. So also _Zohar_, syn. tit. ii.\n\nIbid., fol. 13, col. 2.\n\nOnce, as the Rabbis tell us, the Roman Government issued a decree\nforbidding Israel to study the law. Whereupon Pappus, the son of\nYehudah, one day found Rabbi Akiva teaching it openly to multitudes,\nwhom he had gathered round him to hear it. \"Akiva,\" said he, \"art thou\nnot afraid of the Government?\" \"List,\" was the reply, \"and I will tell\nthee how it is by a parable. It is with me as with the fishes whom a\nfox, walking once by a river's side, saw darting distractedly to and fro\nin the stream; and, addressing, inquired, 'From what, pray, are ye\nfleeing?' 'From the nets,' they replied, 'which the children of men have\nset to ensnare us.' 'Why, then,' rejoined the fox, 'not try the dry land\nwith me, where you and I can live together, as our fathers managed to do\nbefore us?' 'Surely,' exclaimed they, 'thou art not he of whom we have\nheard so much as the most cunning of animals, for herein thou art not\nwise, but foolish. For if we have cause to fear where it is natural for\nus to live, how much more reason have we to do so where we needs must\ndie!' Just so,\" continued Akiva, \"is it with us who study the law, in\nwhich (Deut. xxx. 20) it is written, 'He is thy life and the length of\nthy days;' for if we suffer while we study the law, how much more shall\nwe if we neglect it?\" Not many days after, it is related, this Rabbi\nAkiva was apprehended and thrown into prison. As it happened, they led\nhim out for execution just at the time when \"Hear, O Israel!\" fell to be\nrepeated, and as they tore his flesh with currycombs, and as he was with\nlong-drawn breath sounding forth the word one, his soul departed from\nhim. Then came forth a voice from heaven which said, \"Blessed art thou,\nRabbi Akiva, for thy soul and the word one left thy body together.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 61, col. 2.\n\nThe badger, as it existed in the days of Moses, was an animal of unique\ntype, and the learned are not agreed whether it was a wild one or a\ndomestic. It had only one horn on its forehead; and was assigned for the\ntime to Moses, who made a covering of its skin for the tabernacle; after\nwhich it became extinct, having served the purpose of its existence.\nRabbi Yehudah says, \"The ox, also, which the first man, Adam,\nsacrificed, had but one horn on its forehead.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 28, col. 2.\n\nOnce a Gentile came to Shamai, and said, \"Proselytize me, but on\ncondition that thou teach me the whole law, even the whole of it, while\nI stand upon one leg.\" Shamai drove him off with the builder's rod which\nhe held in his hand. When he came to Hillel with the same challenge,\nHillel converted him by answering him on the spot, \"That which is\nhateful to thyself, do not do to thy neighbor. This is the whole law,\nand the rest is its commentary.\" (Tobit, iv. 15; Matt. vii. 12.)\n\nIbid., fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nWhen Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai and his son, Rabbi Elazar, came out of\ntheir cave on a Friday afternoon, they saw an old man hurrying along\nwith two bunches of myrtle in his hand. \"What.\" said they, accosting\nhim, \"dost thou want with these?\" \"To smell them in honor of the\nSabbath,\" was the reply. \"Would not one bunch,\" they remarked, \"be\nenough for that purpose?\" \"Nay,\" the old man replied; \"one is in honor\nof 'Remember' (Exod. xxii. 28); and one in honor of 'Keep' (Deut. v.\n8).\" Thereupon Rabbi Shimon remarked to his son, \"Behold how the\ncommandments are regarded by Israel!\"\n\nIbid., fol. 33, col. 2.\n\nNot one single thing has God created in vain. He created the snail as a\nremedy for a blister; the fly for the sting of a wasp; the gnat for the\nbite of a serpent; the serpent itself for healing the itch (or the\nscab); and the lizard (or the spider) for the sting of a scorpion.\n\nIbid., fol. 77. col. 2.\n\nWhen a man is dangerously ill, the law grants dispensation, for it says,\n\"You may break one Sabbath on his behalf, that he may be preserved to\nkeep many Sabbaths.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 151, col. 2.\n\nOnce when Rabbi Ishmael paid a visit to Rabbi Shimon, he was offered a\ncup of wine, which he at once, without being asked twice, accepted, and\ndrained at one draught. \"Sir,\" said his host, \"dost thou not know the\nproverb, that he who drinks off a cup of wine at a draught is a greedy\none?\" \"Ah!\" was the answer, \"that fits not this case; for thy cup is\nsmall, thy wine is sweet, and my stomach is capacious.\"\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 86, col. 2.\n\nAt the time when Nimrod the wicked had cast our Father Abraham into the\nfiery furnace, Gabriel stood forth in the presence of the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--and said, \"Lord of the universe, let me, I pray\nthee, go down and cool the furnace, and deliver that righteous one from\nit.\" Then the Holy One--blessed be He!--said unto him, \"I am One in my\nworld and he is one in his world; it is more becoming that He who is one\nshould deliver him who is one.\" But as God does not withhold His reward\nfrom any creature, He said to Gabriel, \"For this thy good intention, be\nthine the honor of rescuing three of his descendants.\" At the time when\nNebuchadnezzar the wicked cast Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the\nfiery furnace, Yourkami, the prince of hail, arose before God and said,\n\"Lord of the universe, let me, I pray thee, go down and cool the fiery\nfurnace, and rescue these righteous men from its fury.\" Whereupon\nGabriel interposed, and said, \"God's power is not to be demonstrated\nthus, for thou art the prince of hail, and everybody knows that water\nquenches fire; but I, the prince of fire, will go down and cool the\nflame within and intensify it without (so as to consume the\nexecutioners), and thus will I perform a miracle within a miracle.\" Then\nthe Holy One--blessed be He!--said to him, \"Go down.\" Upon which Gabriel\nexclaimed, \"Verily the truth of the Lord endureth forever!\" (Ps. cxvii.\n2.)\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 118, col. 1.\n\nOne peppercorn to-day is better than a basketful of pumpkins to-morrow.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 10, col. 1.\n\nOne day of a year is counted for a whole year.\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 2, col. 2.\n\n    If a king be crowned on the twenty-ninth of Adar (the last month\n    of the Sacred year), on the morrow--the first of Nissan--it is\n    reckoned that he commences his second year, that being the new\n    year's day for royal and ecclesiastical affairs.\n\nFor the sake of one righteous man the whole world is preserved in\nexistence, as it is written (Prov. x. 25), \"The righteous man is an\neverlasting foundation.\"\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 38, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Meyer saith, \"Great is repentance, because for the sake of one\nthat truly repenteth the whole world is pardoned; as it is written\n(Hosea xiv. 4), 'I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely,\nfor mine anger is turned away from him.'\" It is not said, \"from them,\"\nbut \"from him.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 86, col. 2.\n\nHe who observes one precept, in addition to those which, as originally\nlaid upon him, he has discharged, shall receive favor from above, and is\nequal to him who has fulfilled the whole law.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 39, col. 2.\n\nIf any man vow a vow by only one of all the utensils of the altar, he\nhas vowed by the corban, even although he did not mention the word in\nhis oath. Rabbi Yehuda says, \"He who swears by the word Jerusalem is as\nthough he had said nothing.\"\n\n_Nedarim_, fol. 10, col. 2.\n\nBalaam was lame in one foot and blind in one eye.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 10, col. 1, and _Sanhedrin_, fol. 105, col. 1.\n\nOne wins eternal life after a struggle of years; another finds it in one\nhour (see Luke xxiii. 43).\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nThis saying is applied by Rabbi the Holy to Rabbi Eliezar, the son of\nDurdia, a profligate who recommended himself to the favor of heaven by\none prolonged act of determined penitence, placing his head between his\nknees and groaning and weeping till his soul departed from him, and his\nsin and misery along with it; for at the moment of death a voice from\nheaven came forth and said, \"Rabbi Eliezar, the son of Durdia, is\nappointed to life everlasting.\" When Rabbi the Holy heard this, he wept,\nand said, \"One wins eternal life after a struggle of years; another\nfinds it in one hour.\" (Compare Luke xv. 11-32.)\n\nWhosoever destroyeth one soul of Israel, Scripture counts it to him as\nthough he had destroyed the whole world; and whoso preserveth one soul\nof Israel, Scripture counts it as though he had preserved the whole\nworld.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 37, col. 1.\n\nThe greatness of God is infinite; for while with one die man impresses\nmany coins and all are exactly alike, the King of kings, the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--with one die impresses the same image (of Adam) on\nall men, and yet not one of them is like his neighbor. So that every one\nought to say, \"For myself is the world created.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 37, col. 1.\n\n\"He caused the lame to mount on the back of the blind, and judged them\nboth as one.\" Antoninus said to the Rabbi, \"Body and soul might each\nplead right of acquittal at the day of judgment.\" \"How so?\" he asked.\n\"The body might plead that it was the soul that had sinned, and urge,\nsaying, 'See, since the departure of the soul I have lain in the grave\nas still as a stone.' And the soul might plead, 'It was the body that\nsinned, for since the day I left it, I have flitted about in the air as\ninnocent as a bird.'\" To which the Rabbi replied and said, \"Whereunto\nthis thing is like, I will tell thee in a parable. It is like unto a\nking who had an orchard with some fine young fig trees planted in it. He\nset two gardeners to take care of them, of whom one was lame and the\nother blind. One day the lame one said to the blind 'I see some fine\nfigs in the garden; come, take me on thy shoulders, and we will pluck\nthem and eat them.' By and by the lord of the garden came, and missing\nthe fruit from the fig trees, began to make inquiry after them. The lame\none, to excuse himself, pleaded, 'I have no legs to walk with;' and the\nblind one, to excuse himself, pleaded, 'I have no eyes to see with.'\nWhat did the lord of the garden do? He caused the lame to mount upon the\nback of the blind, and judged them both as one.\" So likewise will God\nre-unite soul and body, and judge them both as one together; as it is\nwritten (Ps. 1, 4), \"He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the\nearth, that He may judge His people.\" \"He shall call to the heavens from\nabove,\" that alludes to the soul; \"and to the earth, that He may judge\nHis people,\" that refers to the body.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 91, cols, 1, 2.\n\n    Rabbi Yehudah, surnamed the Holy, the editor of the Mishnah, is\n    the personage here and elsewhere spoken of as the Rabbi by pre\n    eminence. He was an intimate friend of the Roman Emperor\n    Antoninus Pius.\n\nOne thing obtained with difficulty is far better than a hundred things\nprocured with ease.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, ch. 3.\n\nIn the name of Rav, Rabbi Yehoshua bar Abba says, \"Whoso buys a scroll\nof the law in the market seizes possession of another's meritorious act;\nbut if he himself copies out a scroll of the law, Scripture considers\nhim as if he had himself received it direct from Mount Sinai.\" \"Nay,\"\nadds Rav Yehudah, in the name of Rav, \"even if he has amended one letter\nin it, Scripture considers him as if he had written it out entirely.\"\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 30, col. 1.\n\nHe who forgets one thing that he has learned breaks a negative\ncommandment; for it is written (Deut. iv. 9), \"Take heed to thyself ...\nlest thou forget the things.\"\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 99, col. 2.\n\nA proselyte who has taken it upon himself to observe the law, but is\nsuspected of neglecting one point, is to be suspected of being guilty of\nneglecting the whole law, and therefore regarded as an apostate\nIsraelite, and to be punished accordingly.\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 30, col. 2.\n\nIt is written (Gen. xxviii. ii), \"And he took from the stones of the\nplace;\" and again it is written (ver. 18), \"And he took the stone.\"\nRabbi Isaac says this teaches that all these stones gathered themselves\ntogether into one place, as if each were eager that the saint should lay\nhis head upon it. It happened, as the Rabbis tell us, that all the\nstones were swallowed up by one another, and thus merged into one stone.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 91, col. 2.\n\n    Though the Midrash and two of the Targums, that of Jonathan and\n    the Yerushalmi, tell the same fanciful story about these stones,\n    Aben Ezra and R. Shemuel ben Meir among others adopt the\n    opposite and common-sense interpretation which assigns to the\n    word in Gen. xxviii. ii, no such occult meaning.\n\nThe psalms commencing \"Blessed is the man\" and \"Why do the heathen rage\"\nconstitute but one psalm.\n\n_Berachoth_ fol. 9, col. 2.\n\nThe former Chasidim used to sit still one hour, and then pray for one\nhour, and then again sit still for one hour.\n\nIbid., fol. 32, col. 2.\n\nAll the benedictions in the Temple used to conclude with the words\n\"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel unto eternity;\" but when the\nSadducees, corrupting the faith, maintained that there was only one\nworld, it was enacted that they should conclude with the words \"from\neternity unto eternity.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 54, col. i.\n\n    The Sadducees (Zadokim), so called after Zadok their master, as\n    is known, stood rigidly by the original Mosaic code, and set\n    themselves determinedly against all traditional developments. To\n    the Talmudists, therefore, they were especially obnoxious, and\n    their bald, cold creed is looked upon by them with something\n    like horror. It is thus the Talmud warns against them--\"Believe\n    not in thyself till the day of thy death, for, behold, Yochanan,\n    after officiating in the High Priesthood for eighty years,\n    became in the end a Sadducee.\" (_Berachoth_, fol. 29, col. 1.)\n    In Derech Eretz Zuta, chap. i., a caution is given which might\n    well provoke attention--\"Learn or inquire nothing of the\n    Sadducees, lest thou be drawn into hell.\"\n\nRabbi Yehudah tells us that Rav says a man should never absent himself\nfrom the lecture hall, not even for one hour; for the above Mishnah had\nbeen taught at college for many years, but the reason of it had never\nbeen made plain till the hour when Rabbi Chanina ben Akavia came and\nexplained it.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 83, col. 2.\n\n    The Mishnah alluded to is short and simple, viz, Where is it\n    taught that a ship is clean to the touch? From Prov. xxx. 19,\n    \"The way of a ship in the midst of the sea.\" (i.e., as the sea\n    is clean to the touch, therefore a ship must also be clean to\n    the touch).\n\nIt is indiscreet for one to sleep in a house as the sole occupant, for\nLilith will seize hold of him.\n\nIbid., fol. 151, col. 2.\n\n    Lilith (the night-visiting one) is the name of a night spectre,\n    said to have been Adam's first wife, but who, for her refractory\n    conduct, was transformed into a demon endowed with power to\n    injure and even destroy infants unprotected by the necessary\n    amulet or charm.\n\n\"Thou hast acknowledged the Lord this day to be thy God; and the Lord\nhath acknowledged thee this day to be His peculiar people\" (Deut. xxvi.\n17, 18). The Holy One--blessed be He!--said unto Israel, \"Ye have made\nMe a name in the world, as it is written (Deut. vi. 4), 'Hear, O Israel,\nthe Lord our God is one Lord;' and so I will make you a name in the\nworld, as it is said (1 Chron. xvii. 21), 'And what one nation in the\nearth is like Thy people Israel?'\"\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 3, col. 1.\n\nWhy are the words of the Law compared to fire? (Jer. xxiii. 29.)\nBecause, as fire does not burn when there is but one piece of wood, so\ndo the words of the Law not maintain the fire of life when meditated on\nby one alone (see, in confirmation, Matt, xviii. 20).\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 7, col. i.\n\n\"And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo\"\n(Deut. xxxiv, i). Tradition says there were twelve stairs, but that\nMoses surmounted them all in one step.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 13, col. 2.\n\nPieces of money given in charity should not be counted over by twos, but\none by one.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 8, col. 2.\n\n\"Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?\"\n(Job xxxix. 1.) The wild goat is cruel to her offspring. As soon as they\nare brought forth, she climbs with them to the steep cliffs, that they\nmay fall headlong and die. But, said God to Job, to prevent this I\nprovide an eagle to catch the kid upon its wings, and then carry and lay\nit before its cruel mother. Now, if that eagle should be too soon or too\nlate by one second only, instant death to the kid could not be averted;\nbut with Me one second is never changed for another. Shall Job be now\nchanged by Me, therefore, into an enemy. (Comp. Job ix. 17, and xxxiv.\n35.)\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 16, cols. 1, 2.\n\nA generation can have one leader only, and not two.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 8, col. 1.\n\n\"Like the hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces\" (Jer. xxiii. 29). As\na hammer divideth fire into many sparks, so one verse of Scripture has\nmany meanings and many explanations.\n\nIbid., fol. 34, col. 1.\n\n    In the Machser for Pentecost (p. 69) God is said to have\n    \"explained the law to His people, face to face, and on every\n    point ninety-eight explanations are given.\"\n\nAdam was created one without Eve. Why? That the Sadducees might not\nassert the plurality of powers in heaven.\n\nIbid., fol. 37, col. i.\n\n    As the Sadducees did not believe in a plurality of powers in\n    heaven, but only the Christians, in the regard of the Jews, did\n    so (by their profession of the doctrine of the Trinity), it is\n    obvious that here, as well as often elsewhere, the latter and\n    not the former are intended.\n\n\"And the frog came up and covered the land of Egypt\" (Exod. viii. i; A.\nV. viii. 6). \"There was but one frog,\" said Rabbi Elazar, \"and she so\nmultiplied as to fill the whole land of Egypt.\" \"Yes, indeed,\" said\nRabbi Akiva. \"there was, as you say, but one frog, but she herself was\nso large as to fill all the land of Egypt.\" Whereupon Rabbi Elazar ben\nAzariah said unto him, \"Akiva, what business hast thou with Haggadah? Be\noff with thy legends, and get thee to the laws thou art familiar with\nabout plagues and tents. Though thou sayest right in this matter, for\nthere was only one frog, but she croaked so loud that the frogs came\nfrom everywhere else to her croaking.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 67, col. 2.\n\n    Rabba, the grandson of Channa, said that he himself once saw a\n    frog larger than any seen now, though not so large as the frog\n    in Egypt. It was as large as Acra, a village of some sixty\n    houses (_Bava Bathra_, fol. 73, col. 2.)\n\n    Apropos to the part the frog was conceived to play or symbolize\n    in the Jewish conception of the mode and ministry of Divine\n    judgment, we quote the following:--\"We are told that Samuel once\n    saw a frog carrying a scorpion on its back across a river, upon\n    the opposite bank of which a man stood waiting ready to be\n    stung. The sting proving fatal, so that the man died; upon which\n    Samuel exclaimed, 'Lord, they wait for Thy judgments this day:\n    for all are Thy servants.' (Ps. cxix. 91.)\" (_Nedarim_, fol. 41,\n    col. 1.)\n\n\"According to the days of one king\" (Isa. xxiii. 15). What king is this\nthat is singled out as one? Thou must say this is the King Messiah, and\nno other.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 99, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Levi contends that Manasseh has no portion in the world to come,\nwhile Rabbi Yehudah maintains that he has; and each supports his\nconclusion in contradiction of the other, from one and the same\nScripture text.\n\nIbid., fol. 102, col. 2.\n\nThe words, \"Remember the Sabbath day,\" in Exod. xx. 8, and \"Keep the\nSabbath day,\" in Deut. v. 12, were uttered in one breath, as no man's\nmouth could utter them, and no man's ear could hear.\n\n_Shevuoth_, fol. 20, col. 2.\n\nThe officer who inflicts flagellation on a criminal must smite with one\nhand only, but yet with all his force.\n\n_Maccoth_, fol. 22, col. 2.\n\nI would rather be called a fool all my days than sin one hour before\nGod.\n\n_Edioth_, chap. 5, mish. 6.\n\nHe who observes but one precept secures for himself an advocate, and he\nwho commits one single sin procures for himself an accuser.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 4, mish. 15.\n\nHe who learns from another one chapter, one halachah, one verse, or one\nword or even a single letter, is bound to respect him.\n\nIbid., chap. 6, mish. 3.\n\n    The above is one evidence, among many, of the high esteem in\n    which learning and the office of a teacher are held among the\n    Jews. Education is one of the virtues--of which the following,\n    extracted from the Talmud, is a list--the interest of which the\n    Jew considers he enjoys in this world, while the capital remains\n    intact against the exigencies of the world to come. These\n    are:--The honoring of father and mother, acts of benevolence,\n    hospitality to strangers, visiting the sick, devotion in prayer,\n    promotion of peace between man and man, and study in general,\n    but the study of the law outweighs them all. (_Shabbath_, fol.\n    127, col. 1.) The study of the law, it is said, is of greater\n    merit to rescue one from accidental death, than building the\n    Temple, and greater than honoring father or mother.\n    (_Meggillah_, fol. 16, col 2.)\n\n\"Repent one day before thy death.\" In relation to which Rabbi Eliezer\nwas asked by his disciples, \"How is a man to repent one day before his\ndeath, since he does not know on what day he shall die?\" \"So much the\nmore reason is there,\" he replied, \"that he should repent to-day, lest\nhe die to-morrow; and repent to-morrow, lest he die the day after: and\nthus will all his days be penitential ones.\"\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 15.\n\nHe who obliterates one letter from the written name of God, breaks a\nnegative command, for it is said, \"And destroy the names of them out of\nthat place. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God\" (Deut. xii. 3,\n4).\n\n_Sophrim_, chap. 5, hal. 6.\n\nRabbi Chanina could put on and off his shoes while standing on one leg\nonly, though he was eighty years of age.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 24, col. 2.\n\nA priest who is blind in one eye should not be judge of the plague; for\nit is said (Lev. xiii. 12), \"Wheresoever the priest (with both eyes)\nlooketh.\"\n\n_Negaim_, chap. 2, mish. 3.\n\nThe twig of a bunch without any grapes is clean; but if there remained\none grape on it, it is unclean.\n\n_Okzin_, chap, i, mish. 5.\n\nNot every man deserves to have two tables.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 5, col. 2.\n\n    The meaning of this rather ambiguous sentence may either be,\n    that all men are not able to succeed in more enterprises than\n    one at a time; or that it is not given to every one to make the\n    best both of the present world and of that which is to come.\n\nAbba Benjamin used to say \"There are two things about which I have all\nmy life been much concerned: that my prayer should be offered in front\nof my bed, and that the position of my bed should be from north to\nsouth.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 5, col. 2.\n\n    There are several reasons which may be adduced to account for\n    Abba Benjamin's anxiety, and they are all more or less connected\n    with the important consequences which were supposed to depend\n    upon determining his position with reference to the Shechinah,\n    which rested in the east or the west.\n\n    Abba Benjamin felt anxious to have children, for \"any man not\n    having children is counted as dead,\" as it is written (Gen. xxx.\n    1), \"Give me children, or else I die.\" (_Nedarin_, fol. 64, col.\n    2.)\n\n    With the Jew one great consideration of life is to have\n    children, and more especially male children; because when a boy\n    is born all rejoice over him, but over a girl they all mourn.\n    When a boy comes into the world he brings peace with him, and a\n    loaf of bread in his hand, but a girl brings nothing. (_Niddah_,\n    fol. 31, col. 2.)\n\n    It is impossible for the world to be without males and females,\n    but blessed is he whose children are boys, and hapless is he\n    whose children are girls. (_Kiddushin_, fol. 82, col. 2.)\n\n    Whosoever does not leave a son to be heir, God will heap wrath\n    upon him. (Scripture is quoted in proof of this, compare Numb.\n    xxvii. 8 with Zeph. i. 15.) (_Bava Bathra_, fol. 116, col. 1.)\n\n\"There are two ways before me, one leading into Paradise, the other into\nHell.\" When Yochanan, the son of Zachai, was sick unto death, his\ndisciples came to visit him; and when he saw them he wept, upon which\nhis disciples exclaimed, \"Light of Israel! Pillar of the right! Mighty\nHammer! why weepest thou?\" He replied, \"If I were going to be led into\nthe presence of a king, who is but flesh and blood, to-day here and\nto-morrow in the grave, whose anger with me could not last forever,\nwhose sentence against me, were it even unto death, could not endure\nforever, and whom perhaps I might pacify with words or bribe with money,\nyet for all that should I weep; but now that I am about to enter the\npresence of the King of kings, the Holy One--blessed be He forever and\never!--whose anger would be everlasting, whose sentence of death or\nimprisonment admits of no reprieve, and who is not to be pacified with\nwords nor bribed with money, and in whose presence there are two roads\nbefore me, one leading into Paradise and the other into Hell, and should\nI not weep?\" Then prayed they him, and said, \"Rabbi, give us thy\nfarewell blessing;\" and he said unto them, \"Oh that the fear of God may\nbe as much upon you as the fear of man.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 28, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Ami says, \"Knowledge is of great price, for it is placed between\ntwo divine names, as it is written (I Sam. ii. 3), 'A God of knowledge\nis the Lord,' and therefore mercy is to be denied to him who has no\nknowledge; for it is written (Isa. xxvii. 11), 'It is a people of no\nunderstanding, therefore He that hath made them will not have mercy on\nthem.'\"\n\n_Berachoth_ fol. 33, col. 1.\n\n    Here we have a clear law, drawn from Scripture, forbidding, or\n    at any rate denying, mercy to the ignorant. The words of Rabbi\n    (the Holy) are a practical commentary on the text worth quoting,\n    \"Woe is unto me because I have given my morsel to an ignorant\n    one.\" (_Bava Bathra_, fol. 8, col. 1.)\n\n    But who is the ignorant one from whom this mercy is to be\n    withheld? Here the doctors disagree. He, says Rabbi Eliezer, who\n    does not read the Shema, \"Hear, O Israel,\" etc., both morning\n    and evening. According to Rabbi Yehudah, he that does not put on\n    phylacteries is an ignorant one. Rabbi Azai affirms that he who\n    wears no fringes to his garment is an ignorant one, etc. Others\n    again say he who even reads the Bible and the Mishna but does\n    not serve the disciples of the wise, is an ignorant one. Rabbi\n    Huna winds up with the words \"the law is as the others have\n    said,\" and so leaves the difficulty where he finds it.\n    (_Berachoth_, fol. 47, col. 2.)\n\n    Of him \"who transgresses the words of the wise, which he is\n    commanded to obey,\" it is written, \"He is guilty of death and\n    has forfeited his life.\" (_Berachoth_, fol. 4, col. 2, and\n    _Yevamoth_, fol. 20, col. 1.) Whoso, therefore, shows mercy to\n    him contradicts the purpose and incurs the displeasure of God.\n    It was in application of this principle, literally interpreted,\n    that the wise should hold no parley with the ignorant, which led\n    the Jews to condemn the contrary procedure of Jesus Christ.\n\n    It was this prohibition to show mercy to the ignorant, together\n    with the solemn threatenings directed against those who\n    neglected the study of the law, that worked such a wonderful\n    revolution in Hezekiah's time; for it is said that then \"they\n    searched from Dan to Beersheba, and did not find an ignorant\n    one.\" (_Sanhedrin_, fol. 94, col. 2.)\n\nWhen the Holy One--blessed be He!--remembers that His children are in\ntrouble among the nations of the world, He drops two tears into the\ngreat ocean, the noise of which startles the world from one end to the\nother, and causes the earth to quake.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 59, col. 1.\n\nWe read in the Talmud that a Gentile once came to Shamai and said, \"How\nmany laws have you?\" Shamai replied, \"We have two, the written law and\nthe oral law.\" To which the Gentile made answer, \"When you speak of the\nwritten law, I believe you, but in your oral law I have no faith.\nNevertheless, you may make me a proselyte on condition that you teach me\nthe written law only.\" Upon this Shamai rated him sharply, and sent him\naway with indignant abuse. When, however, this Gentile came with the\nsame object, and proposed the same terms to Hillel, the latter proceeded\nat once to proselytize him, and on the first day taught him Aleph, Beth,\nGemel, Daleth. On the morrow Hillel reversed the order of these letters,\nupon which the proselyte remonstrated and said, \"But thou didst not\nteach me so yesterday.\" \"True,\" said Hillel, \"but thou didst trust me in\nwhat I taught thee then; why, then, dost thou not trust me now in what I\ntell thee respecting the oral law?\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nEvery man as he goes on the eve of the Sabbath from the synagogue to his\nhouse is escorted by two angels, one of which is a good angel and the\nother an evil. When the man comes home and finds the lamps lit, the\ntable spread, and the bed in order, the good angel says, \"May the coming\nSabbath be even as the present;\" to which the evil angel (though with\nreluctance) is obliged to say, \"Amen.\" But if all be in disorder, then\nthe bad angel says, \"May the coming Sabbath be even as the present,\" and\nthe good angel is (with equal reluctance), obliged to say \"Amen\" to it.\n\nIbid., fol. 119, col. 2.\n\nTwo are better than three. Alas! for the one that goes and does not\nreturn again.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 152, col. 1.\n\n    As in the riddle of the Sphinx, the \"two\" here stands for youth\n    with its two sufficient legs, and the \"three\" for old age, which\n    requires a third support in a staff.\n\nThere were two things which God first thought of creating on the eve of\nthe Sabbath, which, however, were not created till after the Sabbath had\nclosed. The first was fire, which Adam by divine suggestion drew forth\nby striking together two stones; and the second, was the mule, produced\nby the crossing of two different animals.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 54, col. 1.\n\n\"Every one has two portions, one in paradise and another in hell.\"\nAcheer asked Rabbi Meyer, \"What meaneth this that is written (Eccl. vii.\n14), 'God also has set the one over against the other'?\" Rabbi Meyer\nreplied, \"There is nothing which God has created of which He has not\nalso created the opposite. He who created mountains and hills created\nalso seas and rivers.\" But said Acheer to Rabbi Meyer, \"Thy master,\nRabbi Akiva, did not say so, but spake in this way: He created the\nrighteous and also the wicked; He created paradise and hell: every man\nhas two portions, one portion in paradise, and the other in hell. The\nrighteous, who has personal merit, carries both his own portion of good\nand that of his wicked neighbor away with him to paradise; the wicked,\nwho is guilty and condemned, carries both his own portion of evil and\nalso that of his righteous neighbor away with him to hell.\" When Rav\nMesharshia asked what Scripture guarantee there was for this, this was\nthe reply: \"With regard to the righteous, it is written (Isa. lxi. 7),\n'They shall rejoice in their portion, therefore in their land (beyond\nthe grave) they shall possess the double.' Respecting the wicked it is\nwritten (Jer. xvii. 18), 'And destroy them with double destruction.'\"\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 15, col. 1.\n\n    The question asked above by Acheer has been practically resolved\n    by all wise men from the beginning of the world, but it is the\n    boast of the Hegelians that it has for the first time been\n    resolved philosophically by their master. Others had maintained\n    that you could not think a thing but through its opposite; he\n    first maintained it could not exist but through its opposite,\n    that, in fact, the thing and its opposite must needs arise\n    together, and that eternally, as complements of one unity: the\n    white is not there without the black, nor the black without the\n    white; the good is not there without the evil, nor the evil\n    without the good.\n\nPride is unbecoming in women. There were two proud women, and their\nnames were contemptible; the name of the one, Deborah, meaning wasp, and\nof the other, Huldah, weasel. Respecting the wasp it is written (Judges\niv. 6), \"And she sent and called Barak,\" whereas she ought to have gone\nto him. Concerning the weasel it is written (2 Kings xxii. 15), \"Tell\nthe man that sent you,\" whereas she should have said, \"Tell the king.\"\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 14, col. 2.\n\nIf speech is worth one sela (a small coin so called), silence is worth\ntwo.\n\nIbid., fol. 18, col. 1.\n\n    The Swiss motto, \"Speech is worth silver, silence worth gold,\"\n    expresses a sentiment which finds great favor with the authors\n    and varied expression in the pages of the Talmud.\n\nIf silence be good for wise men, how much better must it be for fools!\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 98, col. 2.\n\nFor every evil silence is the best remedy.\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 18, col. 1.\n\nSilence is as good as confession.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 87, col. 1.\n\nSilence in a Babylonian was a mark of his being of good family.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 71, col. 2.\n\nSimeon, the son of Gamliel, said, \"I have been brought up all my life\namong the wise, and I have never found anything of more material benefit\nthan silence.\"\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 1.\n\nRabbi Akiva said, \"Laughter and levity lead a man to lewdness; but\ntradition is a fence to the law, tithes are a fence to riches, vows are\na fence to abstinence, while the fence of wisdom is silence.\"\n\nIbid., chap. 3.\n\nWhen they opened his brain, they found in it a gnat as big as a swallow\nand weighing two selas.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 56, col. 2.\n\n    The context of the above states a tradition current among the\n    Jews in reference to Titus, the destroyer of Jerusalem. It is\n    said that when, after taking the city, he had shamefully\n    violated and profaned the Temple, he took the sacred vessels of\n    the sanctuary, wrapped them in the veil of the holy place, and\n    sailed with them to Rome. At sea a storm arose and threatened to\n    sink the ship; upon which he was heard reflecting, \"It seems the\n    God of these Jews has no power anywhere but at sea. Pharaoh He\n    drowned, and Sisera He drowned, and now He is about to drown me\n    also. If He be mighty, let Him go ashore and contend with me\n    there.\" Then came a voice from heaven and said, \"O thou wicked\n    one, son of a wicked man and grandson of Esau the wicked, go\n    ashore. I have a creature--an insignificant one in my world--go\n    and fight with it.\"\n\n    This creature was a gnat, and is called insignificant because it\n    must receive and discharge what it eats by one aperture.\n    Immediately, therefore, he landed, when a gnat flew up his\n    nostrils and made its way to his brain, on which it fed for a\n    period of seven years. One day he happened to pass a\n    blacksmith's forge, when the noise of the hammer soothed the\n    gnawing at his brain. \"Aha\" said Titus, \"I have found a remedy\n    at last;\" and he ordered a blacksmith to hammer before him. To a\n    Gentile for this he (for a time) paid four zuzim a day, but to a\n    Jewish blacksmith he paid nothing, remarking to him, \"It is\n    payment enough to thee to see thy enemy suffering so painfully.\"\n    For thirty days he felt relieved, but after, no amount of\n    hammering in the least relieved him. As to what happened after\n    his death, we have this testimony from Rabbi Phineas, the son of\n    Aruba: \"I myself was among the Roman magnates when an inquest\n    was held upon the body of Titus, and on opening his brain they\n    found therein a gnat as big as a swallow, weighing two selas.\"\n    Others say it was as large as a pigeon a year old and weighed\n    two litras. Abaii says, \"We found its mouth was of copper and\n    its claws of iron.\" Titus gave instructions that after his death\n    his body should be burned, and the ashes thereof scattered over\n    the surface of the seven seas, that the God of the Jews might\n    not find him and bring him to judgment. (_Gittin_, fol. 56, col.\n    2.)\n\n\"The man with two wives, one young and the other old.\" Rav Ami and Rav\nAssi were in social converse with Rabbi Isaac Naphcha, when one of them\nsaid to him, \"Tell us, sir, some pretty legend,\" and the other said,\n\"Pray explain to us rather some nice point of law.\" When he began the\nlegend he displeased the one, and when he proceeded to explain a point\nof law, he offended the other. Whereupon he took up this parable in\nillustration of the plight in which their obstinacy placed him. \"I am\nlike the man with the two wives, the one young and the other old. The\nyoung one plucked out all his gray hairs (that he might look young), and\nthe old wife pulled out all his black hairs (that he might look old);\nand so between the one and the other he became bald. So is it with me\nbetween you. However, I've something nice for both of you. It is written\n(Exod. xxii. 6), 'If a fire break out and catch in thorns, so that the\nstacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field be consumed\ntherewith, he that kindled the fire shall surely make restoration.' The\nHoly One--blessed be He!--hath said, 'I must both judge myself and take\nupon myself to indemnify the evil of the conflagration I have caused,\nfor I have kindled a fire in Zion,' as it is written (Lament, iv. 11),\n'He hath kindled a fire in Zion, and hath devoured the foundations\nthereof.' I must therefore rebuild her with fire, as it is written\n(Zech. ii. 5), 'I will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will\nbe the glory in the midst of her.'\"\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 60, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Oshaia asked, \"What is this that is written, (Zech. xi. 7), 'I\ntook unto me two staves; the one I called Amiable and the other\nDestroyer'?\" The staff called Amiable represents the disciples of the\nwise in the land of Israel, who were friendly one toward another in\ntheir debates about the law. The staff called Destroyer represents the\ndisciples of the wise of Babylon, who in the like debates were fierce\ntempered and not friendly toward one another. What is the meaning of\nBabel or Babylon? Rabbi Yochanan says it means \"confused in the Bible,\nconfused in the Mishna, and confused in the Talmud.\" \"He hath set me in\ndark places, as they that be dead of old\" (Lam. iii. 6). Rabbi Jeremiah\nsaid by this we are to understand the Babylonian Talmud.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 24, col. 1.\n\n    The Rabbis say these three hate their fellows--dogs, cocks, and\n    conjurors; to which some add, among others, the disciples of the\n    wise of Babylon. (_P'sachim_, fol. 113, col. 2.)\n\n    On his return from Babylon to the land of Israel, Rabbi Zira\n    fasted a hundred fasts, during which he prayed that he might be\n    enabled to forget the Babylonian Talmud. (_Bava Metzia_, fol.\n    85, col. 1.)\n\nRabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Yonathan traveled one day together; they came\nto two roads, one of which led by the door of a place devoted to the\nworship of idols, and the other by a place of ill fame. Upon which one\nsaid to the other, \"Let us go by the former, because our inclination to\nthe evil that waylays us there is already extinguished.\" \"Nay, rather,\"\nsaid the other, \"let us go by the latter, and curb our desires; so shall\nwe receive a reward in recompense.\" In this resolution they went on, and\nas they passed the place the women humbled themselves before them and\nwithdrew ashamed into their chambers. Then Yochanan asked the other,\n\"How didst thou know that this would occur to us?\" He made answer, \"From\nwhat is written (in Prov. ii. 2), 'Discretion (in the law) shall\npreserve thee.'\"\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 17, cols. 1, 2.\n\nGiven two dry firebrands and one piece of green wood, the dry will set\nfire to the green.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol 93, col. 1.\n\nWith two dogs they caught the lion.\n\nIbid., fol. 95, col. 1.\n\n    Both these proverbs express the same idea, that a minority, be\n    it ever so strong, must give way to a majority.\n\n\"And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed together\"\n(Numb. xxii. 7). Midian and Moab were never friendly toward each other;\nthey were like two dogs tending a flock, always at variance. When the\nwolf came upon the one, however, the other thought, \"If I do not help my\nneighbor to-day, the wolf may come upon myself to-morrow;\" therefore the\ntwo dogs leagued together and, killed the wolf. Hence, says Rabbi Pappa,\nthe popular saying, \"The mouse and the cat are combined to make a feast\non the fat of the unfortunate.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 105, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Yochanan, in the name of Yossi, the son of Zimra, asks, \"What is\nthis that is written (Ps. cxx. 3), 'What shall be given unto thee, or\nwhat shall be added unto thee, O thou false tongue'?\" The Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--said to the tongue, \"All the members of the body\nare erect, thou only art recumbent; all other members are without, thou\nart within, and not only so, for I have surrounded thee with two walls,\none of bone and the other of flesh. What shall be given to thee, or what\nshall be added unto thee, O thou false tongue?\" Rabbi Yochanan, in the\nname of Yossi, says, \"He who slanders is an atheist, for it is written\n(Ps. xii. 4), 'Who have said, With our tongues will we prevail; Our lips\nare with us; who is lord over us?'\"\n\n_Erchin_, fol. 15, col. 2.\n\n    Here are a few sayings from the Talmud on the abuse of the\n    tongue.\n\nHe who slanders, he who receives slander, and he who bears false witness\nagainst his neighbor, deserve to be cast to the dogs.\n\n_Psachim_, fol. 118, col. 1.\n\nAll animals will one day remonstrate with the serpent and say, \"The lion\ntreads upon his prey and devours it, the wolf tears and eats it, but\nthou, what profit hast thou in biting?\" The serpent will reply (Eccl.\nviii. II), \"I am no worse than a slanderer.\"\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 8, col. 1.\n\nAdonijah was deprived of life for no other reason than that he was given\nto quarreling. It is lawful to slander one so evil disposed as he was.\n\n_Perek Hashalom._\n\nGod will say to the prince of hell, \"I from above and thou from below\nshall judge and condemn the slanderer.\"\n\n_Erchin_, fol. 15, col. 2.\n\nThe third tongue (i.e., slander) hurts three parties: the slanderer\nhimself, the receiver of slander, and the person slandered.\n\nIbid.\n\nFour classes do not receive the presence of the Shechinah: scorners,\nliars, flatterers, and slanderers.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 103, col. 1.\n\nWhere are we told that when two sit together and study the law the\nShechinah is with them? In Mal. iii. 16, where it is written, \"They that\nfeared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and\nheard it.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 1.\n\nWhy did Elijah employ two invocations, saying twice over, \"Hear me! hear\nme!\" (1 Kings xviii. 37.) Elijah first prayed before God, \"O Lord, King\nof the universe, hear me!\" that He might send fire down from heaven and\nconsume all that was upon the altar; and again he prayed, \"Hear me!\"\nthat they might not imagine that the result was a matter of sorcery; for\nit is said, \"Thou hast turned their heart back again.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\n    The twofold invocation of Elijah, which betokens his intense\n    earnestness, anagrammatically expressed, is echoed in the words\n    of the bystanders, \"The Lord He is the God, the Lord He is the\n    God.\"\n\n\"I dreamed,\" said Bar Kappara one day to Rabbi (the Holy), \"that I\nbeheld two pigeons, and they flew away from me.\" \"Thy dream is this,\"\nreplied Rabbi, \"thou hast had two wives, and art separated from them\nboth without a bill of divorcement.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 56, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis teach concerning the two kidneys in man, that one counsels\nhim to do good and the other to do evil; and it appears that the former\nis situated on the right side and the latter on the left. Hence it is\nwritten (Eccl. x. 2), \"A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a\nfool's heart is at his left.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 61, col. 1.\n\nFor two sins the common people perish: they speak of the holy ark as a\nbox and the synagogue as a resort for the ignorant vulgar.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 32, col. 1.\n\nOn the self-same day when Jeroboam introduced the two golden calves, the\none into Bethel and the other into Dan, a hut was erected in a part of\nItaly which was then subject to the Greeks.\n\nIbid., fol. 56, col. 2.\n\n    In the context where the above tradition occurs, which, as is\n    obvious, relates to the founding of Rome, we meet with another\n    on the same subject as follows:--When Solomon married the\n    daughter of Pharaoh, the Angel Gabriel thrust a reed into the\n    sea, stirring up therewith the sand and mud from the bottom.\n    This, gradually collecting, first shaped itself into an island\n    and then expanded so as to unite itself with the continent. And\n    thus was the land created for the erection of the hut which\n    should one day swell into the proportion of a proud imperial\n    city.\n\nIf Israel kept only two Sabbaths, according to the strict requirement of\nthe law, they would be freed at once from their compelled dispersion;\nfor it is written (Isa. lvi. 4, 7), \"Thus saith the Lord unto the\neunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, Even them will I bring to my holy\nmountain.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 118, col. 2.\n\nAdam had two faces; for it is said (Ps. cxxxix. 5), \"Thou hast made me\nbehind and before.\"\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 18, col. 1.\n\n    There is a notion among the Rabbis that Adam was possessed\n    originally of a bisexual organization, and this conclusion they\n    draw from Gen. i. 27, where it is said, \"God created man in his\n    own image; male-female created He them.\" These two natures, it\n    was thought, lay side by side; according to some, the male on\n    the right and the female on the left; according to others, back\n    to back; while there were those who maintained that Adam was\n    created with a tail, and that it was from this appendage Eve was\n    fashioned. Other Jewish traditions tell us that Eve was made\n    from \"the thirteenth rib of the right side\" (Targ. Jonath.), and\n    that \"she was not drawn out by the head, lest she should be\n    vain; nor by the eyes, lest she should be wanton; nor from the\n    mouth, lest she should be given to garrulity; nor by the ears,\n    lest she should be an eavesdropper; nor by the hands, lest she\n    should be intermeddling; nor by the feet, lest she be a gadder;\n    nor by the heart, for fear she should be jealous; but she was\n    taken out from the side. Yet, in spite of all these precautions,\n    she had all the faults so carefully provided against.\"\n\nIf in time of national calamity a man withdraw himself from his kindred\nand refuse to share in their sorrow, his two guardian angels come and\nlay their hands upon his head and say, \"This man has isolated himself\nfrom his country in the day of its need, let him not live to see and\nenjoy the day when God shall restore its prosperity.\" When the community\nis in trouble, let no man say, \"I will go home and eat and drink, and\nsay, Peace be unto thee, oh my soul!\" (Luke xii. 19); for to him\nScripture hath solemnly said (Isa. xxii. 13, 14), \"Surely this iniquity\nshall not be purged from you till you die.\"\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 11, col. 1.\n\nAn infant that has died under a month old is (to be) carried to the\ngrave in the arms (not in a coffin), and buried by one woman and two\nmen, but not by one man and two women.\n\n_Moed Katan_, fol. 24, col. 1.\n\n    Both Rashi and the Tosephoth allude to a case which justifies\n    the rule given here, where a woman actually carried a living\n    child in a coffin, in order to avoid the suspicion of an\n    assignation she had made with a man, who set out to join her.\n    But the Tosephoth, after noticing this version of Rashi, gives\n    another more to the point. The story in the Tosephoth is to this\n    effect:--A woman was once weeping and groaning over the grave of\n    her husband, and not very far away was a man who was guarding\n    the corpse of a person who had been crucified. In the moment of\n    mourning an affection sprung up between the two, and in the\n    engrossment of it the corpse which the man guarded was stolen.\n    He was in great trepidation for fear of the king's command. The\n    woman said, \"Don't be afraid; exhume my husband, and hang him up\n    instead.\" This was accordingly done. (See _Kiddushin_, fol. 80,\n    col. 2.)\n\nThere were two date trees in the Valley of Hinnom from between which\nsmoke ascended, and this is the gate of hell.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 32, col. 2.\n\n    According to Jewish tradition, there are three gates to\n    Gehinnom, one in the desert, one in the sea, and one in\n    Jerusalem: In the desert, as it is written (Numb. xvi. 33),\n    \"They went down, and all that belonged to them, alive into\n    hell.\" In the sea, as it is written (Jonah ii. 2), \"Out of the\n    belly of hell have I called,\" etc. In Jerusalem, as it is\n    written (Isa. xxxi. 9), \"Thus saith the Lord, whose fire is in\n    Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.\"\n\nWhen two women are seen sitting on opposite sides of a cross road facing\neach other, it is to be presumed that they are up to witchcraft and\ncontemplate mischief. What in that case must you do? Go by another road,\nif there is one, and if not, with a companion, should such turn up,\npassing the crones arm-in-arm with him; but should there be no other\nroad and no other man, then walk straight on repeating the\ncounter-charm, as you pass them--\n\n  Agrath is to Asia gone,\n  And Blussia's killed in battle.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 111, col. 2.\n\n    Agrath and Blussia are two Amazons well known to those familiar\n    with Rabbinic demonology.\n\n\"If Mordecai, before whom thou hast began to fall, be of the seed of the\nJews, expect not to prevail against him, but thou shalt fall\" (Esth. vi.\n13). Wherefore these two fallings? They told Haman, saying, \"This nation\nis likened to the dust, and is also likened to the stars; when they are\ndown, they are down even to the dust, but when they begin to rise, they\nrise to the stars.\"\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 16, col. 1.\n\nIf any two disciples of the wise, dwelling in the same city, have a\ndifference respecting the Halachah, let them remember what Scripture\ndenounces against them, \"And also I gave them statutes that are not\ngood, and judgments by which they shall not live\" (Ezek. xx. 25).\n\nIbid., fol. 32, col. 1.\n\nIf a man espouse one of two sisters, and does not know which he has\nespoused, he must give both a bill of divorce. If two men espouse two\nsisters, and neither of them know which he has espoused, then each man\nmust give two bills of divorce, one to each woman.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 23, col. 2.\n\nThere is a time coming (i.e., in the days of the Messiah), when a grain\nof wheat will be as large as the two kidneys of the great ox.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 111, col. 1.\n\n    According to a recent discovery, which has been confirmed by\n    subsequent observation and experiment, wheat is a development by\n    cultivation of the tiny grain of the _\u00c6gilops ovata_, a sort of\n    grass; but we are indebted to Rabbinic lore for the curious\n    information that before the Fall of man wheat grew upon a tree\n    whose trunk looked like gold, its branches like silver, and its\n    leaves like so many emeralds. The wheat ears themselves were as\n    red as rubies, and each bore five sparkling grains as white as\n    snow, as sweet as honey, and as fragrant as musk. At first the\n    grains were as big as an ostrich's egg, but in the time of Enoch\n    they diminished to the size of a goose's egg, and in Elijah's to\n    that of a hen, while at the commencement of the common era, they\n    shrank so small as not to be larger than grapes, according to a\n    law the inverse of the order of nature. Rabbi Yehudah\n    (_Sanhedrin_, fol. 70, col. 1) says that wheat was the forbidden\n    fruit. Hence probably the degeneracy.\n\nOf two that quarrel, the one that first gives in shows the nobler\nnature.\n\nIbid., fol. 71, col. 2.\n\nHe who sets aside a portion of his wealth for the relief of the poor\nwill be delivered from the judgment of hell. Of this the parable of the\ntwo sheep that attempted to ford a river is an illustration; one was\nshorn of its wool and the other not; the former, therefore, managed to\nget over, but the latter, being heavy-laden, sank.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 7, col. 1.\n\nZoreah and Eshtaol (Josh. xv. 33) were two large mountains, but Samson\ntore them up and grated the one against the other.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\n    The above tradition is founded on Judges xiii. 25, in which it\n    is said of Samson, \"And the spirit of God began to move him at\n    times in the camp of Dan, between Zoreah and Eshtaol,\" in which\n    the word \"move,\" signifies also to \"strike a stroke,\" \"step a\n    step,\" and \"once.\" Founding on which last two meanings, Rabbi\n    Yehudah says, \"Samson strode in one stride from Zoreah to\n    Eshtaol,\" a giant stride of two miles or more. Taking the word\n    in the sense of \"strike,\" or \"producing a ringing sound,\"\n    another Rabbi tells us that the hairs of Samson's head stood\n    upright, tinkling one against another like bells, the jingle of\n    which might be heard from Zoreah to Eshtaol. The version in the\n    text takes the same word in the sense of to \"strike together.\"\n\nOn the day when Isaac was weaned, Abraham made a great feast, to which\nhe invited all the people of the land. Not all of those who came to\nenjoy the feast believed in the alleged occasion of its celebration, for\nsome said contemptuously, \"This old couple have adopted a foundling, and\nprovided a feast to persuade us to believe that the child is their own\noffspring.\" What did Abraham do? He invited all the great men of the\nday, and Sarah invited their wives, who brought their infants, but not\ntheir nurses, along with them. On this occasion Sarah's breasts became\nlike two fountains, for she supplied, of her own body, nourishment to\nall the children. Still some were unconvinced, and said, \"Shall a child\nbe born to one that is a hundred years old, and shall Sarah, who is\nninety years old, bear?\" (Gen. xvii. 17.) Whereupon, to silence this\nobjection, Isaac's face was changed, so that it became the very picture\nof Abraham's; then one and all exclaimed, \"Abraham begat Isaac.\"\n\n_Bara Metzia_, fol. 87, col. 1.\n\nRava relates the following in the name of Rabbi Yochanan:--\"Two Jewish\nslaves were one day walking along, when their master, who was following,\noverheard the one saying to the other, 'There is a camel ahead of us, as\nI judge--for I have not seen--that is blind of one eye and laden with\ntwo skin-bottles, one of which contains wine and the other oil, while\ntwo drivers attend it, one of them an Israelite, and the other a\nGentile.' 'You perverse men,' said their master, 'how can you fabricate\nsuch a story as that?' The slave answered, and gave this as his reason,\n'The grass is cropped only on one side of the track, the wine, that must\nhave dripped, has soaked into the earth on the right, and the oil has\ntrickled down, and may be seen on the left; while one of the drivers\nturned aside from the track to ease himself, but the other has not even\nleft the road for the purpose.' Upon this the master stepped on before\nthem in order to verify the correctness of their inferences, and found\nthe conclusion true in every particular. He then turned back, and ...\nafter complimenting the two slaves for their shrewdness, he at once gave\nthem their liberty.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 104, col. 2.\n\nWhen the disciples of Shamai and Hillel increased in Israel, contention\nincreased along with them, so much so, that the one law became as two\nlaws (and these contradictory).\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 47, col. 2.\n\nIf two parties deposit money with a third, one a single manah and the\nother two hundred, and both afterward appear and claim the larger sum,\nthe depositary should give each depositor one manah only, and leave the\nrest undivided till the coming of Elijah.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 37, col. 2.\n\n    \"Till Elijah comes\" is a phrase which is in use among the Jews\n    to express postponement forever, like _ad Kalendas Gr\u00e6cas_. It\n    is applied to questions that would take Elijah to settle, which,\n    it is believed, he will not appear to do till doomsday.\n\n\"And I will make thy windows of agates\" (Isa. liv. 12). Two of the\nangels in heaven, Gabriel and Michael, once disputed about this: one\nmaintained that the stone should be an onyx, and the other asserted it\nshould be a jasper; but the Holy One--blessed be He!--said unto them,\n\"Let it be as both say, which, in Hebrew, abbreviated, is an agate.\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 75, col. 1.\n\n\"The horseleech has two daughters, crying, Give! give!\" (Prov. xxx. 15.)\nMar Ukva says, \"This has reference to the voice of two daughters crying\nout from torture in hell, because their voice is heard in this world\ncrying, 'Give! give!'--namely--heresy and officialism.\"\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 17, col. 1.\n\n    Rashi says heresy here refers to the \"heresy of James,\" or, in\n    other words, Christianity.\n\nTwo cemeteries were provided by the judicial authorities, one for\nbeheaded and strangled criminals, and the other for those that were\nstoned or burned. When the flesh of these was consumed, they collected\nthe bones and buried them in their own place, after which the relations\ncame and saluted the judge and the witnesses, and said, \"We owe you no\ngrudge, for you passed a just judgment.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 46, col. 1.\n\nAlas! for the loss which the world has sustained in the degradation of\nthe helpful serpent. If the serpent had not been degraded, every\nIsraelite would have been attended by two of kindly disposition, one of\nwhich might have been sent to the north, and the other to the south, to\nbring for its owner precious corals and costly stones and pearls.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 59, col. 2.\n\nHere are two or three other sayings from the Talmud relative to the\nserpent.\n\nBenjamin the son of Jacob, Amram the father of Moses, and Jesse the\nfather of David all died, not because of their own sin (for they had\nnone, says Rashi), but because of the (original) sin committed under the\nserpent's temptation.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 55, col. 2.\n\nNo man was ever injured by a serpent or scorpion in Jerusalem.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 1.\n\n\"And dust is the serpent's food\" (Isa. lxv. 25). Rav Ammi says, \"To the\nserpent no delicacy in the world has any other flavor than that of\ndust;\" and Rav Assi says, \"No delicacy in the world satisfies him like\ndust.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 75, col. 1.\n\nTwo negatives or two affirmatives are as good as an oath.\n\n_Shevuoth_, fol. 36, col. 1.\n\nLike two pearls were the two drops of holy oil that were suspended from\nthe two corners of the beard of Aaron.\n\n_Horayoth_, fol. 12, col. 1.\n\nFor two to sit together and have no discourse about the law, is to sit\nin the seat of the scornful; as it is said (Ps. i. I), \"And sitteth not\nin the seat of the scornful.\"\n\n_Avoth_, chap. iii.\n\nWhen two are seated together at table, the younger shall not partake\nbefore the elder, otherwise the younger shall be justly accounted a\nglutton.\n\n_Derech Eretz_, chap. vii.\n\nPhilemo once asked Rabbi (the Holy), \"If a man has two heads, on which\nis he to put the phylactery?\" To which Rabbi replied, \"Either get up and\nbe off, or take an anathema; for thou art making fun of me.\"\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 37, col. 1.\n\nIt is thus Rav Yoseph taught what is meant when it is written in Isaiah\nxii. I, \"I will praise Thee, O Lord, because Thou wast angry with me:\nThine anger will depart and Thou wilt comfort me.\" \"The text applies,\"\nhe says, \"to two men who were going abroad on a mercantile enterprise,\none of whom, having had a thorn run into his foot, had to forego his\nintended journey, and began in consequence to utter reproaches and\nblaspheme. Having afterward learned that the ship in which his companion\nhad sailed had sunk to the bottom of the sea, he confessed his\nshortsightedness and praised God for His mercy.\"\n\n_Niddah_, fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nThe night is divided into three watches, and at each watch the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--sits and roars like a lion; as it is written (Jer.\nxxv. 30), \"The Lord will roar from on high, ... roaring, He will roar\nover his habitation.\" The marks by which this division of the night is\nrecognized are these:--In the first watch the ass brays; in the second\nthe dog barks; and in the third the babe is at the breast and the wife\nconverses with her husband.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 3, col. 1.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that there are three reasons why a person should\nnot enter a ruin:--1. Because he may be suspected of evil intent; 2.\nBecause the walls might tumble upon him; 3. And because of evil spirits\nthat frequent such places.\n\nIbid., fol. 3, col. 1.\n\nHe who three times a day repeats David's psalm of praise (Ps. cxlv.) may\nbe sure of an inheritance in the world to come.\n\nIbid., fol. 4, col. 2.\n\nThree precious gifts were given to Israel, but none of them without a\nspecial affliction: these three gifts were the law, the land of Israel,\nand the world to come.\n\nIbid., fol. 5, col. 1.\n\n    These are also from the Talmud anent Israel and the Israelites.\n\nAll Israelites are princes.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 57, col. 1.\n\nAll Israelites are holy.\n\nIbid., fol. 86, col. 1.\n\nHappy are ye, O Israel! for every one of you, from the least to the\ngreatest, is a great philosopher. (_Eiruvin_, fol. 53, col. 1.) The\nMachzor for Pentecost says, Israelites are as \"full of meritorious works\nas a pomegranate is full of pips.\"\n\nSee also _Chaggigah_, fol. 27, col, 1.\n\nAs it is impossible for the world to be without air, so also is it\nimpossible for the world to be without Israel.\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 3, col. 2.\n\nIf the ox of an Israelite bruise the ox of a Gentile, the Israelite is\nexempt from paying damages; but should the ox of a Gentile bruise the ox\nof an Israelite, the Gentile is bound to recompense him in full.\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 38, col. 1.\n\nWhen an Israelite and a Gentile have a lawsuit before thee, if thou\ncanst, acquit the former according to the laws of Israel, and tell the\nlatter such is our law; if thou canst get him off in accordance with\nGentile law, do so, and say to the plaintiff such is your law; but if he\ncannot be acquitted according to either law, then bring forward adroit\npretexts and secure his acquittal. These are the words of the Rabbi\nIshmael. Rabbi Akiva says, \"No false pretext should be brought forward,\nbecause, if found out, the name of God would be blasphemed; but if there\nbe no fear of that, then it may be adduced.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 113, col. 1.\n\nIf one find lost property in a locality where the majority are\nIsraelites, he is bound to proclaim it; but he is not bound to do so if\nthe majority be Gentiles.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 24, col. 1.\n\n(Prov. xiv. 34), \"Almsgiving exalteth a nation, but benevolence is a sin\nto nations.\" \"Almsgiving exalteth a nation,\" that is to say, the nation\nof Israel; as it is written (2 Sam. vii. 23), \"And what one nation in\nthe earth is like thy people, even like Israel?\" but \"benevolence\" is a\nsin to nations, that is to say, for the Gentiles to exercise charity and\nbenevolence is sin.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 10, col. 2.\n\nIf a Gentile smite an Israelite, he is guilty of death; as it is written\n(Exod. ii. 12), \"And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw\nthere was no man, he slew the Egyptian.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 58, col. 2.\n\nAll Israelites have a portion in the world to come; as it is written\n(Isa. lx. 21), \"And thy people are all righteous: they shall inherit the\nland.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 90, col. 1.\n\n\"And they shall fall one on account of another\" (Lev. xxvi. 37),--one on\naccount of the sins of another. This teaches us that all Israel are\nsurety for one another.\n\n_Shevuoth_, fol. 39, col. 1.\n\nIf one find a foundling in a locality where the majority are Gentiles,\nthen the child is (to be reckoned) a Gentile; if the majority be\nIsraelites, it is to be considered as an Israelite; and so also it is to\nbe, providing the numbers are equal.\n\n_Machsheerin_, chap. 2, Mish. 7.\n\n\"One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the\nearth abideth forever\" (Eccl. i. 4). One empire cometh and another\npasseth away, but Israel abideth forever.\n\n_Perek Hashalom._\n\nThe world was created only for Israel: none are called the children of\nGod but Israel; none are beloved before God but Israel.\n\n_Gerim_, chap. 1.\n\nThe Jew that has no wife abideth without joy, without a blessing, and\nwithout any good. Without joy, as it is written (Deut. xiv. 26), \"And\nthou shalt reject, thou and thy household;\" without blessing, as it is\nwritten (Ezek. xliv. 30), \"That He may cause a blessing to rest on thy\nhousehold;\" without any good, for it is written (Gen. ii. 8), \"It is not\ngood that man should be alone.\"\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 62, col. 2.\n\nThe Jew that has no wife is not a man; for it is written (Gen. v. 2),\n\"Male and female created He them and called their name man.\" To which\nRabbi Eleazar adds, \"So every one who has no landed property is no man;\nfor it is written (Ps. cxv. 16), 'The heaven, even the heavens, are the\nLord's, but the earth (the land, that is), hath He given to the children\nof man.'\"\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 63, col. 1.\n\nThree things did Moses ask of God:--1. He asked that the Shechinah might\nrest upon Israel; 2. That the Shechinah might rest upon none but Israel;\nand 3. That God's ways might be made known unto him; and all these\nrequests were granted.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 7, col. 1.\n\n    What was the Shechinah? Was it the presence of a Divine person\n    or only of a Divine power? The following quotations will show\n    what is the teaching of the Talmud on the matter, and will be\n    read with interest by the theologian, whether Jew or Christian.\n\n    Where do we learn that when ten persons pray together the\n    Shechinah is with them? In Ps. lxxxii. 1, where it is written,\n    \"God standeth in the congregation of the mighty.\" And where do\n    we learn that when two sit together and study the law the\n    Shechinah is with them? In Mal. iii. 16, where it is written,\n    \"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and\n    the Lord hearkened and heard it.\" (_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 1.)\n\n    Where do we learn that the Shechinah does strengthen the sick?\n    In Ps. xli. 3, where it is written, \"The Lord will strengthen\n    him upon the bed of languishing.\" (_Shabbath_, fol. 12, col. 2.)\n\n    He who goes from the Synagogue to the lecture-room, and from the\n    lecture-room back to the Synagogue, will become worthy to\n    receive the presence of the Shechinah; as it is written (Ps.\n    lxxxiv. 1), \"They go from strength to strength; every one of\n    them in Zion appeareth before God.\" (_Moed Katan_, fol. 29, col.\n    1.)\n\n    Rabbi Yossi says, \"The Shechinah never came down here below, nor\n    did Moses and Elijah ever ascend on high, because it is written\n    (Ps. cxv. 16), 'The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's,\n    but the earth hath he given to the children of men.'\" (_Succah_,\n    fol. 5, col. 1.)\n\n    Esther \"stood in the inner court of the King's house\" (Esth. v,\n    1). Rabbi Levi says, \"When she reached the house of the images\n    the Shechinah departed from her. Then she exclaimed, 'My God! my\n    God! why hast thou forsaken me?'\" (_Meggillah_, fol. 15, col. 2.)\n\n    \"But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every\n    one of you this day\" (Deut. iv. 4). Is it possible to cleave to\n    the Shechinah? Is it not written (_ibid._, verse 24), \"For the\n    Lord thy God is a consuming fire\"? The reply is:--He that\n    bestows his daughter in marriage on a disciple of the wise (that\n    is, a Rabbi), or does business on behalf of the disciples of the\n    wise, or maintains them from his property, Scripture accounts it\n    as if he did cleave to the Shechinah. (_Kethuboth_, fol. iii,\n    col. 25.)\n\n    He who is angry has no regard even for the Shechinah; as it is\n    written (Ps. x. 4), \"The wicked, when his anger rises, does not\n    inquire after God; God is not in all his thoughts.\" (_Nedarim_,\n    fol. 22, col. 2.)\n\n    He who visits the sick should not sit upon the bed, nor even\n    upon a stool or a chair beside it, but he should wrap his mantle\n    round him and sit upon the floor, because of the Shechinah which\n    rests at the head of the bed of the invalid; as it is written\n    (Ps. xli. 3), \"The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of\n    languishing.\" (Ibid., fol. 40, col. 1.)\n\n    When Israel went up out of the Red Sea, both the babe on its\n    mother's lap and the suckling at the breast saw the Shechinah,\n    and said, \"This is my God, and I will prepare Him a habitation;\"\n    as it is written (Ps. viii. 2), \"Out of the mouths of babes and\n    sucklings thou hast ordained strength.\" (_Soteh_, fol. 30, col.\n    2.)\n\n    Where do we read that the Shechinah is present everywhere? In\n    Zech. ii. 3, where it is written, \"And behold the angel that\n    talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet\n    him.\" It is not said went out after him, but \"went out to meet\n    him.\" From this we know that the Shechinah is present\n    everywhere. (_Bava Bathra_ fol. 25, col. 1.)\n\nRabbi Akiva says, \"For three things I admire the Medes:--1. When they\ncarve meat, they do it on the table; 2. When they kiss, they only do so\nupon the hand; 3. And when they consult, they do so only in the field.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 8, col. 2.\n\nThe stone which Og, king of Bashan, meant to throw upon Israel is the\nsubject of a tradition delivered on Sinai. \"The camp of Israel I see,\"\nhe said, \"extends three miles; I shall therefore go and root up a\nmountain three miles in extent and throw it upon them.\" So off he went,\nand finding such a mountain, raised it on his head, but the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--sent an army of ants against him, which so bored\nthe mountain over his head that it slipped down upon his shoulders, from\nwhich he could not lift it, because his teeth, protruding, had riveted\nit upon him. This explains that which is written (Ps. iii. 7), \"Thou\nhast broken the teeth of the ungodly;\" where read not \"Thou hast\nbroken,\" but \"Thou hast ramified,\" that is, \"Thou hast caused to branch\nout.\" Moses being ten ells in height, seized an axe ten ells long, and\nspringing up ten ells, struck a blow on Og's ankle and killed him.\n\nIbid., fol. 54, col. 2.\n\n    This same story is given with more than Talmudic exaggeration in\n    the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, while the author of the Book\n    of Jasher (chap. lxv., verses 23, 24) makes the camp and the\n    mountain forty miles in extent. The giant here figures in\n    antediluvian tradition. He is said to have been saved at the\n    Flood by laying hold of the ark, and being fed day by day\n    through a hole in the side of the ark by Noah himself. A\n    tradition which says the soles of his feet were forty miles long\n    at once explains all the extraordinary feats ascribed to him.\n\nRav Yehudah used to say, \"Three things shorten a man's days and\nyears:--1. Neglecting to read the law when it is given to him for that\npurpose; seeing it is written (Deut. xxx. 20), 'For He (who gave it) is\nthy life and the length of thy days.' 2. Omitting to repeat the\ncustomary benediction over a cup of blessing; for it is written (Gen.\nxii. 3), 'And I will bless them that bless thee.' 3. And the assumption\nof a Rabbinical air; for Rabbi Chama bar Chanena says, 'Joseph died\nbefore any of his brethren, because he domineered over them.'\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 55, col. 1.\n\n    The first of these refers to the reading of the law in public\n    worship, the second to a practice after meals when more than two\n    adult Jews were present, and the third to the dictatorial air\n    often assumed by the Rabbis.\n\nThree things proceed by pre-eminence from God Himself:--Famine, plenty,\nand a wise ruler. Famine (2 Kings viii. 2): \"The Lord hath called for a\nfamine;\" plenty (Ezek. xxxvi. 29): \"I will call for corn and increase\nit;\" a wise ruler; for it is written (Exod. xxxi. 2), \"I have called by\nname Bezaleel.\" Rabbi Yitzchak says, \"A ruler is not to be appointed\nunless the community be first consulted. God first consulted Moses, then\nMoses consulted the nation concerning the appointment of Bezaleel.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 55, col. 1.\n\nThree dreams come to pass:--That which is dreamed in the morning; that\nwhich is also dreamed by one's neighbor; and a dream which is\ninterpreted within a dream; to which some add, one that is dreamed by\nthe same person twice; as it is written (Gen. xli. 32), \"And for that\nthe dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 55, col. 2.\n\nThree things tranquilize the mind of man:--Melody, scenery, and sweet\nodor. Three things develop the mind of man:--A fine house, a handsome\nwife, and elegant furniture.\n\nIbid., fol. 57, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that there are three sorts of dropsy:--Thick,\nresulting from sin; bloated, in consequence of insufficient food; and\nthin, due to sorcery.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 33, col. 1.\n\nThese three grow stronger as they grow older:--The fish, the serpent,\nand the pig.\n\nIbid., fol. 77, col. 2.\n\nIt were better to cut the hands off than to touch the eye, or the nose,\nor the mouth, or the ear, etc., with them without having first washed\nthem. Unwashed hands may cause blindness, deafness, foulness of breath,\nor a polypus. It is taught that Rabbi Nathan has said, \"The evil spirit\nBath Chorin, which rests upon the hands at night, is very strict; he\nwill not depart till water is poured upon the hands three times over.\"\n\nIbid. fol. 109, col. 1.\n\n    The great importance of this ceremonial washing of the hands\n    will appear from the following anecdote, which we quote\n    _verbatim_ from another part of the Talmud:--\"It happened once,\n    as the Rabbis teach, that Rabbi Akiva was immured in a prison,\n    and Yehoshua Hagarsi was his attendant. One day the gaoler said\n    to the latter as he entered, 'What a lot of water thou hast\n    brought to-day! Dost thou need it to sap the walls of the\n    prison?' So saying, he seized the vessel and poured out half of\n    the water. When Yehoshua brought in what was left of the water\n    to Rabbi Akiva, the latter, who was weary of waiting, for he was\n    faint and thirsty, reproachfully said to him, 'Yehoshua, dost\n    thou forget that I am old, and my very life depends upon thee?'\n    When the servant related what had happened, the Rabbi asked for\n    the water to wash his hands, 'Why, master,' said Yehoshua,\n    'there's not enough for thee to drink, much less to cleanse thy\n    hands with.' To which the Rabbi replied, 'What am I to do? They\n    who neglect to wash their hands are judged worthy of death; 'tis\n    better that I should die by my own act from thirst than act\n    against the rules of my associates.' And accordingly it is\n    related that he abstained from tasting anything till they\n    brought him water to wash his hands.\" (_Eiruvin_, fol. 21, col.\n    2. See also _Maimonides, Hilc. Berach._, vi. 19.)\n\n    From the context of the passage just quoted we cull the\n    following, which proves that the Talmud itself bases the precept\n    concerning the washing of hands on oral tradition and not on the\n    written law:--\"Rav Yehudah ascribes this saying to Shemuel, that\n    when Solomon gave to the traditional rules that regulated the\n    washing of hands and other ceremonial rites the form and\n    sanction of law, a Bath Kol came forth and said (Prov. xxiii.\n    15), 'My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even\n    mine;' and again it said (Prov. xxvii, 11), 'My son, be wise,\n    and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth\n    me.'\" (See Prov. xxx. 5, 6.)\n\n    There is a great deal in the Talmud about washing the hands, in\n    addition to what is said in the treatise Yadaim, which is\n    entirely devoted to the subject. But this topic is subordinate\n    to another, namely, the alleged inferiority of the precepts of\n    the Bible to the prescriptions of the Rabbis, of which the\n    punctilious rules regulative of hand washing form only a small\n    fraction. This is illustrated by an anecdote from the Talmudic\n    leaflet entitled Callah, respecting Rabbi Akiva, whose fame\n    extends from one end of the world to the other. (See _Yevamoth_,\n    fol. 16, col. 2).\n\n    Once upon a time, as the Elders were sitting together, two lads\n    passed by them, one with his head covered and the other\n    bareheaded. Of the latter boy as he passed Rabbi Elazar said,\n    \"He is a Mamzer,\" and Rabbi Yehoshua, \"He is a Ben Haniddah,\"\n    but Rabbi Akiva contended, \"He is both a Mamzer and a Ben\n    Haniddah.\" Upon which the Elders said to Rabbi Akiva, \"How\n    darest thou be so bold as dispute the assertion of thy masters?\"\n    \"Because I can substantiate what I say,\" was his answer. He then\n    went to the mother of the lad, and found her selling pease in\n    the market place. \"Daughter,\" said he to her, \"if thou wilt\n    answer all that I ask of thee, I will ensure thee a portion in\n    the life to come.\" She replied, \"Let me have thy oath and I will\n    do so.\" Then taking the oath with his lips but nullifying it in\n    his heart, he asked her, \"What sort of a son is thy lad?\" She\n    replied, \"When I entered my bridal chamber I was a Niddah, and\n    consequently my husband kept away from me.\" Thus it was found\n    out that the boy was a Mamzer and a Ben Haniddah; upon which the\n    sages exclaimed, \"Great is Rabbi Akiva, for he has overcome his\n    masters;\" and as they congratulated him they said, \"Blessed be\n    the Lord God of Israel, who hath revealed His secret unto Akiva\n    the son of Joseph.\" Thus did the Rabbi forswear himself, and\n    thus did his companions compliment him on the success of his\n    perjury; yet the Bible says, \"Thou shalt not take the name of\n    the Lord thy God in vain\" (Exod. xx. 7), and \"Keep thou far from\n    a falsehood\" (Exod. xxiii. 7).\n\n    Here is a companion picture from Yoma, fol. 84, col. 1.--\"Rabbi\n    Yochanan was suffering from scurvy, and he applied to a Gentile\n    woman, who prepared a remedy for the fifth and then the sixth\n    day of the week. 'But what shall I do to-morrow?' said he; 'I\n    must not walk so far on the Sabbath.' 'Thou wilt not require any\n    more,' she answered. 'But suppose I do,' he replied. 'Take an\n    oath,' she answered, 'that thou wilt not reveal it, and I will\n    tell thee how to compound the remedy.' This he did in the\n    following words: 'By the God of Israel, I swear I will not\n    divulge it.' Nevertheless, when he learned the secret, he went\n    and revealed it. 'But was not that profaning the name of God?'\n    asks one. 'No,' pleads another Rabbi, 'for, as he told her\n    afterward, that what he meant was that he would not tell it to\n    the God of Israel.' The remedy was yeast, water, oil, and salt.\"\n\n    The anecdote that follows is from Sanhedrin, fol. 97, col\n    1:--\"In reference to the remark of Ravina, who said, 'I used to\n    think that there was no truth in the world,' one of the Rabbis,\n    Toviah (or Tavyoomah, as some say), would protest and say, 'If\n    all the riches of the world were offered me, I would not tell a\n    falsehood.' And he used to clench his protestation with the\n    following apologue: 'I once went to a place called Kushta, where\n    the people never swerve from the truth, and where (as a reward\n    for their integrity) they do not die until old age; and there I\n    married and settled down, and had two sons born unto me. One day\n    as my wife was sitting and combing her hair, a woman who dwelt\n    close by came to the door and asked to see her. Thinking that it\n    was a breach of etiquette (that any one should see her at her\n    toilet), I said she was not in. Soon after this my two children\n    died, and the people came to inquire into the cause of their\n    premature decease. When I told them of my evasive reply to the\n    woman, they asked me to leave the town, lest by my misconduct I\n    might involve the whole community in a like calamity, and death\n    might be enticed to their place.\"\n\nFood remains for three days in the stomach of the dog, because God knew\nthat his food would be scanty.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 155, col. 1.\n\nHe who is born on the third day of the week will be rich and amorous.\n\nIbid., fol. 156, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Abba, in the name of Shemuel, says, \"The schools of Shammai and\nHillel were at variance three years, the one party contending and\nsaying, 'The Halacha is according to us;' and the other, 'The Halacha is\naccording to us.' Then came a voice from the Lord and said, 'Both these\nand those are the words of the living God, but yet the Halacha is\naccording to the school of Hillel.' What was the merit of the school of\nHillel that the Halacha should be pronounced to be according to it? Its\ndisciples were gentle and forbearing, for while they stood by their own\ndecisions, they also stated those maintained by the school of Shammai,\nand often even mentioned the tenets of the school of Shammai first and\ntheir own afterward. This teaches us that him who humbles himself, God\nwill exalt; and him who exalts himself, God will abase. Whoso pursueth\ngreatness, greatness will flee from him; and whoso fleeth from\ngreatness, greatness will pursue him.\"\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 13, col. 2.\n\nThere are three entrances to hell:--One in the desert, one in the sea,\nand one in Jerusalem.\n\nIbid., fol. 19, col. i.\n\nThese three will never see hell:--He who is purified by poverty; he who\nis purged by a painful flux; and he who is harassed by importunate\ncreditors; and some say, he also who is plagued with a termagant wife.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 41, col. 2.\n\nThree effects are ascribed to Babylonian broth (which was made of moldy\nbread, sour milk, and salt):--It retards the action of the heart, it\naffects the eyesight, and emaciates the body.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 42, col 1.\n\nThese three are not permitted to come between two men, nor is a man\nallowed to pass between any two of these three:--A dog, a palm tree, or\na woman; to which some add the pig, and others the serpent as well.\n\nIbid., fol. 111, col. 1.\n\n    One part of this regulation is rather hard and should surely be\n    abolished; that, viz, which ordains a woman shall not come\n    between two men or a man pass between two women. The compiler of\n    this Miscellany was once witness to a case which illustrates its\n    inconvenience: it occurred at Tiberias. A pious young Jew who\n    had to traverse a narrow road to pass from the lake to the town\n    was kept standing for a very considerable time under a broiling\n    sun, simply because two young women, to tease him, guarded the\n    entrance, and dared him to pass between them. Of course he dared\n    not accept the challenge, otherwise he would have incurred the\n    penalty of death, according to the judgment of the Talmud; for\n    \"Whosoever transgresses any of the words of the Scribes is\n    guilty of death.\" (_Eiruvin_, fol. 21, col. 2.)\n\nThese three will inherit the world to come:--He who dwells in the land\nof Israel; he who brings up his sons to the study of the law; and he who\nrepeats the ritual blessing over the appointed cup of wine at the close\nof the Sabbath.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 113, col. 1.\n\nThere are three whom the Holy One--blessed be He!--Himself proclaims\nvirtuous:--The unmarried man who lives in a city and does not sin; the\npoor man who restores a lost thing which he has found to its owner; and\nthe rich man who pays the tithes of his increase unostentatiously. Rav\nSaphra was a bachelor, and he dwelt in a large city. A disciple of the\nwise once descanted upon the merits of a celibate life in the presence\nof Rava and this Rav Saphra, and the face of the latter beamed with\ndelight. Remarking which, Rava said to him, \"This does not refer to such\na bachelor as thou art, but to such as Rabbi Chanena and Rabbi Oshaia.\"\nThey were single men, who followed the trade of shoemakers, and dwelt in\na street mostly occupied by _meretrices_, for whom they made shoes; but\nwhen they fitted these on, they never raised their eyes to look at their\nfaces. For this the women conceived such a respect for them, that when\nthey swore, they swore by the life of the holy Rabbis of the land of\nIsrael.\n\n_Psachim_, fol. 113, cols, 1, 2.\n\nThere are three whom the Holy One--blessed be He!--abhorreth: He who\nsays one thing but thinks another; he who might bear witness in favor of\nhis neighbor but refrains from doing so; and he who, having seen his\nneighbor act disgracefully, goes and appears singly as a witness against\nhim (thus only condemning, but not convicting, him, as the law requires\ntwo witnesses). As, for example, when Toviah transgressed and Zigud\nappeared against him singly before Rav Pappa, and Rav Pappa ordered this\nwitness to receive forty stripes save one in return. \"What!\" said he,\n\"Toviah has sinned, and should Zigud be flogged?\" \"Yes,\" replied the\nRabbi, \"for by testifying singly against him thou bringest him only into\nbad repute.\" (See Deut. xix. 15.)\n\n_P'sachim_ fol. 113, col. 2.\n\n    \"Toviah has sinned and Zigud is flogged,\" has long been a\n    proverb among Jews.\n\nThere are three whose life is no life:--The sympathetic, the irascible,\nand the melancholy.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 113, col. 2.\n\nThere are three which despise their fellows:--Dogs, cocks, and\nsorcerers. Some say strange women also, and some the disciples of the\nBabylonian Rabbis.\n\nIbid.\n\nThese three love their fellows:--Proselytes, slaves, and ravens.\n\nIbid.\n\nThese three are apt to strut:--Israel among the nations, the dog among\nanimals, the cock among birds. Some say also the goat among small\ncattle, and some the caper shrub among trees.\n\nIbid., fol. 25, col. 2.\n\nThere are three whose life is no life:--He who lives at another's table;\nhe whose wife domineers over him; and he who suffers bodily affliction.\nSome say also he who has only a single shirt in his wardrobe.\n\nIbid., fol. 32, col. 2.\n\nThree things are said respecting the finger-nails:--He who trims his\nnails and buries the parings is a pious man; he who burns these is a\nrighteous man; but he who throws them away is a wicked man, for\nmischance might follow, should a female step over them.\n\n_Moed Katan_, fol. 18, col. 1.\n\n    The orthodox Jews in Poland are to this day careful to bury away\n    or burn their nail parings.\n\nThree classes appear on the day of judgment:--The perfectly righteous,\nwho are at once written and sealed for eternal life; the thoroughly bad,\nwho are at once written and sealed for hell; as it is written (Dan. xii.\n2), \"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,\nsome to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt;\"\nand those in the intermediate state, who go down into hell, where they\ncry and howl for a time, whence they ascend again; as it is written\n(Zech. xiii. 9), \"And I will bring the third part through the fire, and\nwill refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is\ntried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them.\" It is of them\nHannah said (1 Sam. ii. 6), \"The Lord killeth and maketh alive; He\nbringeth down to hell and bringeth up.\"\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nOur Rabbis have taught that there are three voices which can be heard\nfrom one end of the world to the other:--The sound emitted from the\nsphere of the sun; the hum and din of the city of Rome; and the voice of\nanguish uttered by the soul as it quits the body; ... but our Rabbis\nprayed that the soul might be spared this torture, and therefore the\nvoice of its terrors has not since been heard.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 20, col. 2.\n\nIn three particulars is benevolence superior to almsgiving:--Almsgiving\nis only the bestowment of money, but benevolence can be exercised by\npersonal service as well. Alms can be given only to the poor, but\nbenevolence can be shown no less to the rich. Alms are confined to the\nliving, but benevolence may extend to both the dead and the living.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 49, col. 2.\n\nThree marks characterize the nation of Israel:--They are compassionate,\nthey are modest, and they are benevolent. Compassionate, as it is\nwritten (Deut. xiii. 18), \"And show thee mercy, and have compassion upon\nthee, and multiply thee.\" Modest, as it is written (Exod. xx. 20), \"That\nhis fear may be before your faces.\" Benevolent, as it is written (Gen.\nxviii. 19), \"For I know him,\" etc.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 79, col. 1.\n\nDates are good after meals in the morning and in the evening, but\nhurtful in the afternoon; on the other hand, at noon they are most\nexcellent, and an antidote to these three maladies:--Evil thought,\nconstipation, and hemorrhoids.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 10, col. 2.\n\nBeware of these three things:--Do not sit too much, for it brings on\nhemorrhoids; do not stand too much, for it is bad for the heart; do not\nwalk too much, for it is hurtful to the eyes. But sit a third, stand a\nthird, and walk a third.\n\nIbid., fol. 111, col. 1.\n\nHe who holds his household in terror tempts to the commission of three\nsins:--Fornication, murder, and Sabbath breaking.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 6, col. 2.\n\nThree things weaken the strength of man:--Fear, travel, and sin. Fear,\nas it is written (Ps. xxxviii. 10), \"My heart palpitates, my strength\nfaileth me.\" Travel, as it is written (Ps. cii. 23), \"He hath weakened\nmy strength in the way.\" ... Sin, as it is written (Ps. xxxi. 10), \"My\nstrength faileth me, because of my iniquity.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 70, col 2.\n\nAbraham was three years old when he first learned to know his Creator;\nas it is said (Gen. xxvi. 5), \"Because Abraham obeyed my voice.\"\n\n_Nedarim_, fol. 32, col. 1.\n\n    The conclusion arrived at here is founded on interpreting the\n    Hebrew letters of the word rendered \"because\" numerically, in\n    which the value of the letters gives a total of one hundred and\n    seventy-two; so that the sense of the text is, \"Abraham obeyed\n    my voice\" one hundred and seventy-two years. Now Abraham died\n    when he was a hundred and seventy-five, therefore he must have\n    been only three when he began to serve the Lord.\n\n    As Abraham plays so important a part both in the history and the\n    imagination of the Jewish race, we may quote here a score or so\n    of the Talmudic traditions regarding him. The traditions, as is\n    like, contributed quite as much, if not more, to give character\n    to his descendants as his actual personality and that spirit of\n    faith which was the central fact in his history. Races and\n    nations often draw more inspiration from what they fancy about\n    their ancestry and early history than from what they know; their\n    fables therefore are often more illuminative than the facts.\n\nAbraham was Ethan the Ezrahite, who is mentioned in Ps. lxxxvii. 1.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 15, col. 1.\n\nAbraham's mother was Amathlai, the daughter of Karnebo.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 91, col. 1.\n\nAbraham was the head of a seminary for youth, and kept both laws, the\nwritten and the oral.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 28, col. 2.\n\nAbraham observed the whole ceremonial law, even before it was given on\nSinai.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 82, col. 1.\n\n    From the day Abraham was compelled to leave the idolatrous\n    worship and country of his fathers, it is reasonable to suppose\n    that his tent would become a rendezvous for his neighbors who\n    shrunk like himself from the abominations around them. There,\n    from his character, by which he recommended himself as the\n    friend of God, he might very naturally be looked upon as a\n    religious teacher, and men might gather together to learn from\n    his lips or profit by his example. Hence, making due allowance\n    for Eastern hyperbole, the statement of the Book of Jasher\n    (chap. xxvi. verse 36) is not undeserving of credit, where it is\n    said that \"Abraham brought all the children of the land to the\n    service of God, and he taught them the ways of the Lord.\" The\n    same remark applies to what is said in Targ. Yerushalmi (Gen.\n    xxi.), that Abraham's guests went not away until \"he had made\n    them proselytes, and had taught them the way everlasting.\" His\n    son Isaac, says the Targ. of Ben Uzziel, went to school at the\n    \"Beth Medrasha de Shem Rabba.\"\n\nThough Abraham kept all the commandments, he was not perfect till he was\ncircumcised.\n\n_Nedarim_, fol. 31, col. 2.\n\n    In whatever sense this may have been written, and whatever the\n    interpretation that may be put upon it, there is one sense in\n    which it is absolutely and eternally true, and that is, that, in\n    order to be perfect, a man's life must be as pronounced on the\n    negative side as the positive, in its denials as in its\n    affirmations, and that it is futile to attempt to obey God\n    unless one at the same time renounce all co-partnery with the\n    devil. Circumcision is the symbol of this renunciation, and it\n    is only as such it has any radical spiritual significance. Till\n    he was circumcised, it is said, God did not speak to Abraham in\n    Hebrew. Not till then is sacredness of speech, any more than\n    sacredness of life, possible. Doubtless among the Jews\n    circumcision was the symbol of their separation from the ethnic\n    religions; and hence the jealousy with which their prophets\n    looked upon any compromise with idolatry. Hatred of that, utter\n    and intense, was the one essential negative pole of genuine\n    Judaism, and circumcision was its sign and seal.\n\nAbraham was the first of the proselytes.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 49, col. 2.\n\nAbraham it was that ordained the form of prayer for morning worship,\nwhich is extant to this very day.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 26, col. 2.\n\nAs he himself was pious, so were his very camels, for they would not\nenter into a place where there were idols; as it is written (Gen. xxiv.\n31), \"I have prepared,\" i.e., removed the idols from, \"the house and\nroom for the camels.\"\n\n_Avoth d' Rabbi Nathan_, chap. 8.\n\nAbraham had a daughter, and her name was Bakol.\n\nIbid., fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nAbraham was free from evil passion.\n\n_Bava Bathra_ fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nHe was also free from the Angel of Death.\n\nIbid., fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nHe delivered to the children he had by Keturah a secret name, with which\nthey learned to practice witchcraft and do the works of the devil.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 91, col. 1.\n\nThough great, he personally waited on his guests, who had the appearance\nof Arabs and not of angels.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 32, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Yehudah says Abraham planted an ornamental garden with all kinds\nof choice fruits in it, and Rabbi Nehemiah says he erected an inn for\ntravelers in order to make known the name of God to all who sojourned in\nit.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 10, col. 1.\n\n    Both the Targum of Ben Uzziel and the Yerushalmi say that\n    Abraham planted a paradise at Beersheba for the entertainment\n    and delectation of his guests; and in Jasher (chap, xxvii. verse\n    37) it is said that \"Abraham formed a grove and planted a\n    vineyard there, and had always ready in his tent meat and drink\n    for those that passed through the land, so that they might\n    satisfy themselves in his house.\"\n\nHe ranked as one of the seven shepherds of Israel (Micah v. 5). In this\ngroup David was the central figure, with Adam, Seth, and Methusaleh on\nhis right hand, and Abraham, Jacob, and Moses on his left.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 52, col. 2.\n\nThe coin of Jerusalem had the impress of David and Solomon on the one\nside, and the holy city of Jerusalem on the other. But the impress on\nthe coin of our father Abraham was an old man and an old woman on one\nside, and a young man and a damsel on the other.\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 37, col. 2.\n\n    This, it is to be presumed, must be taken in some symbolical\n    sense, for coins cannot be traced back to a date so early as\n    this; and when Abraham purchased the cave to bury Sarah in from\n    the sons of Heth, we read that he weighed to Ephron the silver.\n\nAbraham pleaded with God on the behalf of Israel and said, \"While there\nis a Temple they will get their sins atoned for, but when there shall be\nno Temple, what will become of them?\" God, in answer to his prayer,\nassured him that He had prepared a prayer for them, by which, as often\nas they read it, He would be propitiated and would pardon all their\nsins.\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 31, col. 2.\n\nHe was punished by his posterity being compelled to serve the Egyptians\ntwo hundred and ten years, because he had pressed the Rabbis under his\ntuition into military service in the expedition he had undertaken to\nrecover Lot from those who had carried him off captive; for it is\nwritten (Gen. xiv. 14), \"He armed his instructed.\" Samuel says Abraham\nwas punished because he perversely distrusted the assurance of God; as\nit is written (Gen. xv. 8), \"Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit\nit?\"\n\n_Nedarim_, fol. 31, col. 2.\n\nAbraham was thrown into a fiery furnace by Nimrod, and God would not\npermit Gabriel to rescue him, but did so Himself; because God is One and\nAbraham was one, therefore it behooved the One to rescue the one.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 118, col. 1.\n\n    The fire from which Abraham is here said to be delivered may\n    simply refer to his deliverance by the hand of God from Ur of\n    the Chaldees; Ur meaning \"fire,\" and being the name of a place\n    celebrated for fire worship. The Midrash (p. 20) says, \"When the\n    wicked Nimrod cast Abraham into the furnace, Gabriel said, 'Lord\n    of the universe! permit me to deliver this holy one from the\n    fire!' But the Lord made answer, 'I am the One Supreme in my\n    world, and he is supreme in his; it is fitting therefore that\n    the Supreme should rescue the supreme.'\"\n\nAbraham was a giant of giants; his height was as that of seventy-four\nmen put together. His food, his drink, and his strength were in the\nproportion of seventy-four men's to one man's. He built an iron city for\nthe abode of his seventeen children by Keturah, the walls of which were\nso lofty that the sun never penetrated them: he gave them a bowl full of\nprecious stones, the brilliancy of which supplied them with light in the\nabsence of the sun.\n\n_Sophrim_, chap. 21.\n\nAbraham our father had a precious stone suspended from his neck, and\nevery sick person that gazed upon it was immediately healed of his\ndisease. But when Abraham died, God hung up the stone on the sphere of\nthe sun.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nTill Abraham's time there was no such thing as a beard; but as many\nmistook Abraham for Isaac, and Isaac for Abraham, they looked so exactly\nalike, Abraham prayed to God for a beard to enable people to distinguish\nhim from his son, Isaac, and it was granted him; as it is written (Gen.\nxxiv. 1), \"And to Abraham a beard came when he was well stricken in\nage.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 107, col. 2.\n\n    Here the word which the translators of the English version\n    render \"was old,\" is taken in another of its cognate meanings as\n    a beard. The Midrash is a trifle more modest in this legendary\n    assertion. There we read, \"Before Abraham there was no special\n    mark of old age,\" and that for distinction's sake \"the beard was\n    made to turn gray.\"\n\nWhen he died, all the chiefs of the nations of the world stood in a line\nand exclaimed, \"Alas for the world that has lost its leader! Alas for\nthe ship that has lost its helmsman!\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 91, col. 2.\n\nAs Rabbi Banna went about to measure and to mark off the outward and\ninward dimensions of the different caves, when he came to the cave of\nMachpelah he found Eliezar, Abraham's servant, at the entrance, and\nasked him, \"What is Abraham doing?\" The answer he received was, \"He is\nasleep in the arms of Sarah.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 58, col. 1.\n\n    Abraham being greater than Moses, for while the latter is only\n    called by God \"My Servant\" (Mal. iv. 4), the former is called\n    \"My Friend\" (Isa. xli. 8), we devote a little more space for a\n    few more extracts from other Jewish sources than the Talmud, in\n    order to make the picture they supply of Abraham's character a\n    little more complete.\n\nRabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says:--\"The Holy One--blessed be He!--took Shem\nand separated him to be a priest to Himself, that he might serve before\nHim. He also caused His Shechinah to rest with him, and called his name\nMelchizedek, priest of the Most High and king of Salem. His brother\nJapheth even studied the law in his school, until Abraham came and also\nlearned the law in the school of Shem, where God Himself instructed\nAbraham, so that all else he had learned from the lips of man was\nforgotten. Then came Abraham and prayed to God that His Shechinah might\never rest in the house of Shem, which also was promised to him; as it is\nsaid (Ps. ex. 4), 'Thou art a priest forever after the order of\nMelchizedek.'\"\n\n_Avodath Hakkodesh_, part 3, chap. 20.\n\nWherever Jacob resided he studied the law as his fathers did. How is\nthis, seeing the law had not yet been given, it is nevertheless written\nof Abraham (Gen. xxvi. 5), \"And he kept my charge\"? Whence then did\nAbraham learn the law? Rabbi Shimon says his reins (literally kidneys)\nwere made like two water-jars, from which the law flowed forth. Where do\nwe learn that it was so? From what is said in Ps. xvi. 7, \"My reins also\ninstruct me in the night season.\"\n\n_Bereshith Rabba_, chap. 95.\n\nThe masters of the Kabbalah, of blessed memory, say that Abraham's\nRabbi, i.e., teacher, was the angel Zadkiel.\n\n_Rabbi Menachem's comment on the Pent._, Exod. iii. 5.\n\nAdam's book, which contained celestial mysteries and holy wisdom, came\ndown as an heirloom into the hands of Abraham, and he by means of it was\nable to see the glory of his Lord.\n\n_Zohar Parashah Bereshith._\n\nAbraham was the author of a treatise on the subject of different kinds\nof witchcraft and its unholy workings and fruits, as also of the Book of\nCreation, through holy names (by means of which, namely, anything could\nbe created).\n\n_Nishmath Chayim_, chap. 29.\n\nThe whole world once believed that the souls of men were perishable, and\nthat man had no pre-eminence above a beast, till Abraham came and\npreached the doctrine of immortality and transmigration.\n\nIbid., fol. 171, col. 1.\n\nA good son delivers his father from the punishment of hell, for thus we\nfind that Abraham our father delivered Terah, as it is said in Gen. xv.\n15, \"And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace.\" This implies that God\nhad communicated to him the tidings that his father had a portion in the\nworld to come and was now \"in peace\" there.\n\n_Pesikta Zotarta_, fol. 3, col. 2.\n\nBefore Abraham was circumcised God spake to him in the Chaldee language,\nthat the angels should not understand it. (This is proved from Gen. xv.\n1.)\n\n_Yalkut Chadash_, fol. 117.\n\nRabbi Levi said Abraham sits at the gate of hell and does not permit any\ncircumcised Israelite to enter. But if any appear who happen to have\nsinned unduly, these he (by an indescribable contrivance) causes to\nbecome uncircumcised and lets pass without scruple into the region of\ntorment; and this is what is said in Ps. lv. 20, \"He hath put forth his\nhands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his\ncovenant.\"\n\n_Yalkut Shimoni_, fol. 33, col. 2, sec. 18.\n\nAbraham was circumcised on the Day of Atonement, and God looks that day\nannually on the blood of the covenant of our father Abraham's\ncircumcision as atoning for all our iniquities, as it is said in Lev.\nxvi. 30, \"For on that day shall he make an atonement for you, to cleanse\nyou from all your sins.\"\n\n_Yalkut Chadash_, fol. 121, col. 1, sec. 3.\n\n\"And it came to pass that when Abram was come into Egypt\" (Gen. xii.\n14). And where was Sarah? He confined her in a chest, into which he\nlocked her, lest any one should gaze on her beauty. When he came to the\nreceipt of custom, he was summoned to open the chest, but declined, and\noffered payment of the duty. The officers said, \"Thou carriest\ngarments;\" and he offered duty for garments. \"Nay, it is gold thou\ncarriest;\" and he offered the impost laid on gold. Then they said, \"It\nis costly silks, belike pearls, thou concealest;\" and he offered the\ncustom on such articles. At length the Egyptian officers insisted, and\nhe opened the box. And when he did so, all the land of Egypt was\nillumined by her beauty.\n\n_Bereshith Rabba_, chap. 40.\n\nThe question may naturally be asked why Abraham hid his wife from the\ngaze of others first then and not before. The reply is to be deduced\nfrom the following double rendering of Gen. xii. 11:--\"Behold now I know\nthat thou art a fair woman.\" As if to say, \"Usually people lose their\ngood looks on a long journey, but thou art as beautiful as ever.\" The\nsecond explanation is this:--Abraham was so piously modest that in all\nhis life he never once looked a female in the face, his own wife not\nexcepted. As he approached Egypt and was crossing some water, he saw in\nit the reflection of her face, and it was then that he exclaimed,\n\"Behold now I know that thou art a fair woman.\" As the Egyptians are\nswarthy, Abraham at once perceived the magnitude of the danger, and\nhence his precaution to hide her beauty in a chest.\n\n_Zeenah Ureenah_ (1877 in Russia), fol. 28, col. 1.\n\nWhen Abraham came to the cave of Machpelah to bury Sarah, Adam and Eve\nrose from their grave and protested against his committing her to the\ndust in that receptacle. \"For,\" said they, \"we are ever ashamed in the\npresence of the Holy One--blessed be He!--on account of the sin which we\ncommitted, and now comest thou to add to our shame by the contrast\ntherewith of the good works which ye two have done.\" On Abraham's\nassurance that he would intercede with God on their behalf that they\nshould not bear the shame any longer, Adam immediately retired to his\nsepulchre, but Eve being still unwilling to do so, Abraham took her by\nthe hand and led her back to the side of Adam; and then he buried Sarah.\n\n_Yalkut Chadash_, fol. 14, col. 3, sec. 68.\n\nAbraham's father, Terah, was both an idolater, a manufacturer of idols,\nand a dealer in them. Once when Terah had some engagement elsewhere he\nleft his son Abraham to attend to his business. When a customer came to\npurchase an idol, Abraham asked him, \"How old art thou?\" \"Lo! so many\nyears,\" was the ready reply. \"What,\" exclaimed Abraham, \"is it possible\nthat a man of so many years should desire to worship a thing only a day\nold?\" The customer, being ashamed of himself, went his way; and so did\nall other customers, who underwent a similar inquisition. Once an old\nwoman brought a measure of fine flour and wished to present it as an\noffering to the gods. This so enraged Abraham that he took a staff and\nbroke all the images, excepting the largest, into whose hands he fixed\nthe staff. When his father came and questioned him about the destruction\nof the gods, he replied, \"An old woman placed an offering of flour\nbefore them, which immediately set them all by the ears, for every one\nwas hungrier than another, but the biggest god killed all the rest with\nthis staff which thou now seest he still holds in his hands.\"\nSuperstition, especially when combined with mercenary motives, knows\nneither reason nor human affection, therefore the father handed over his\nson Abraham to the inquisition of Nimrod, who threw him into the fiery\nfurnace, as recorded elsewhere in this Miscellany. This is an historical\nfact, to the truth of which the whole orthodox Jewish world will bear\ntestimony, and is solemnly recorded in _Shalsheleth Hakkabalah_ fol. 2,\ncol 1.\n\nThere are three graces:--The grace of a place in the eyes of its\ninhabitants; the grace of a woman in the eyes of her husband; the grace\nof a purchase in the eyes of the buyer.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 47, col. 1.\n\nA man should divide his capital into three parts, and invest one-third\nin land, employ one-third in merchandise, and reserve one-third in ready\nmoney.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 42, col. 1.\n\nAll who go down to hell shall come up again, except these three:--He who\ncommits adultery; he who shames another in public; and he who gives\nanother a bad name.\n\nIbid., fol. 58, col. 2.\n\nThese three complain, but no one sympathizes with them:--He who lends\nmoney without witnesses; he who buys to himself a master; and he who is\nlorded over by his wife.\n\nIbid., fol. 75, col. 2.\n\nThere are three things on which the world stands:--The law, the temple\nservice, and benevolence.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 1.\n\nIf three eat at one table and do not converse together on the law of the\nLord, it is as if they ate from the sacrifices for the dead; but they,\non the contrary, are as if they partook from a table of the Lord's own\nfurnishing who, while they sit down to meat, season their talk with its\nholy precepts.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 3.\n\nThere are three crowns:--The crown of the law, the crown of the\npriesthood, and the crown of royalty; but the crown of a good name\nsurpasses them all.\n\nIbid., chap. 4.\n\nHe who possesses these three virtues is a disciple of Abraham our\nfather, and he who possesses the three contrary vices is a son of Balaam\nthe wicked. The disciples of our father Abraham have a kindly eye, a\nloyal spirit, and a lowly mind. The disciples of Balaam the wicked have\nan evil eye, a proud spirit, and a grasping soul.\n\nIbid., chap. 5.\n\nThree things are said respecting the children of men:--He who gives alms\nbrings a blessing on himself; he who lends does better; he who gives\naway half of what he hath to spare does best of all.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 41.\n\nThere are three classes of disciples, and among them three grades of\nworth:--He ranks first who asks and answers when asked; he who asks but\ndoes not answer ranks next; but he who neither asks nor answers ranks\nlowest of all.\n\nIbid.\n\nOver these three does God weep every day:--Over him who is able to study\nthe law but neglects it; over him who studies it amid difficulties hard\nto overcome; and over the ruler who behaves arrogantly toward the\ncommunity he should protect.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 5, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Yochanan says there are three keys in the hands of the Holy\nOne!--blessed be He!--which He never intrusts to the disposal of a\nmessenger, and they are these:--(1.) The key of rain, (2.) the key of\nlife, and (3.) the key of reviving the dead. The key of rain, for it is\nwritten (Deut. xxviii. 12), \"The Lord shall open unto thee His good\ntreasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in season;\" the key\nof life, as it is written (Gen. xxx. 22), \"God hearkened unto her, and\nopened her womb;\" the key of reviving the dead, for it is written (Ezek.\nxxxvii. 13), \"When I have opened your graves, and brought you up out of\nyour graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live,\" etc.\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 2, cols, 1, 2.\n\nA disciple of the wise who makes light of the washing of hands is\ncontemptible; but more contemptible is he who begins to eat before his\nguest; more contemptible is that guest who invites another guest; and\nstill more contemptible is he who begins to eat before a disciple of the\nwise; but contemptible before all these three put together is that guest\nwhich troubles another guest.\n\n_Derech Eretz Zuta_, chap. viii.\n\nA roll of the law which has two mistakes to a column should be\ncorrected; but if there be three, it should be stowed away altogether.\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 29, col. 2.\n\nThe wolf, the lion, the bear, the leopard, the panther, the elephant,\nand the sea-cat, each bear three years.\n\nIbid.\n\nRav Yehudah says, in the name of Rav, \"The butcher is bound to have\nthree knives; one to slaughter with, one for cutting up the carcass, and\none to cut away the suet. Suet being as unlawful for food as pork.\"\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 8, col. 2.\n\nThree classes of ministering angels raise a song of praise every day.\nOne class says, Holy! the second responds, Holy! and the third\ncontinues, Holy is the Lord of hosts! But in the presence of the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--Israel is more beloved than the ministering angels;\nfor Israel reiterates the song every hour, while the ministering angels\nrepeat it only once a day, some say once a week, others once a month,\nothers once a year, others once in seven years, others once in a\njubilee, and others only once in eternity. Again, Israel mentions The\nName after two words, as it is said (Deut. vi. 4), \"Hear Israel,\nYehovah,\" but the ministering angels do not mention The Name till after\nthree, as it is written (Isa. vi. 3), \"Holy! holy! holy! Yehovah\nZebaoth.\" Moreover, the ministering angels do not take up the song above\ntill Israel has started it below; for it is said (Job xxxviii. 7), \"When\nthe morning stars sang together, then all the sons of God shouted for\njoy.\"\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 91, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught, a man should not sell to his neighbor shoes made\nfrom the hide of a beast that has died of disease, as if of a beast that\nhad been slaughtered in the shambles, for two reasons: first, because he\nimposes on him (for the skin of a beast that dies of itself is not so\ndurable as the hide of a slaughtered animal); second, because there is\ndanger (for the beast that died of itself might have been stung by a\nserpent, and the poison remaining in the leather might prove fatal to\nthe wearer of shoes made of that leather). A man should not send his\nneighbor a barrel of wine with oil floating upon its surface; for it\nhappened once that a man did so, and the recipient went and invited his\nfriends to a feast, in the preparation of which oil was to form a chief\ningredient; but when the guests assembled, it was found out that the\ncask contained wine, and not oil; and because the host had nothing else\nin preparation for a worthy feast, he went and committed suicide.\nNeither should guests give anything from what is set before them to the\nson or daughter of their host, unless the host himself give them leave\nto do so; for it once happened during a time of scarcity that a man\ninvited three of his friends to dine, and he had nothing but three eggs\nto place before them. Meanwhile, as the guests were seated at the board,\nthe son of the host came into the room, and first one of the guests gave\nhim his share, and then the other two followed his example. Shortly\nafterward the host himself came in, and seeing the child with his mouth\nfull and both hands, he knocked him down to the ground, so that he died\non the instant. The mother, seeing this, went and threw herself\nheadlong, from the housetop, and the father followed her example. Thus\nRabbi Eliezar ben Yacob said, \"There perished in this affair three souls\nof Israel.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 94, col. 1.\n\nOnce the Roman Government issued a decree that the Israelites should\nneither observe the Sabbath nor circumcise their sons. Thereupon Reuben\nthe son of Istrubli trimmed his hair as a Gentile, and went among the\nRoman senators and plied them with wise remonstrance. \"If one,\" said he,\n\"has an enemy, does he wish him to be poor or rich?\" \"To be poor,\" was\nthe reply. \"Then,\" he argued, \"won't he be poorer if you prohibit him\nfrom working on the Sabbath?\" \"It is well said,\" observed the senators;\nand they at once abolished their decree respecting the Sabbath. Again he\nasked, \"If one has an enemy, does he wish him to be weak or strong?\"\n\"Why, weak, to be sure,\" was the inevitable answer. \"Then,\" said he,\n\"let the Jews circumcise their children, then will they be weakened.\"\n\"The argument is good,\" said they, and the decree against circumcision\nwas rescinded. Again he asked, \"If one has an enemy, does he wish him to\nincrease or decrease?\" \"To decrease, of course,\" said they. In response\nto his argument the decree against catamenia was accordingly abolished.\nWhen, however, they found out that he was a Jew, they at once re-enacted\nthe decrees they had canceled. Upon this the question arose who should\ngo to Rome and appeal against these enactments. It was resolved that\nRabbi Shimon ben Yochai, who was reputed experienced in miracles, should\ngo, accompanied by Rabbi Elazar, the son of Rabbi Yossi.... As they\njourneyed along, the question was proposed to them, \"Whence is it proved\nthat the blood of a reptile is unclean?\" Rabbi Elazar replied with a\ncurl of the lip, and quoted Lev. ii. 29. \"And these shall be unclean\nunto you.\" Rabbi Shimon said unto him, \"By the curl of thy lip art thou\nrecognizable as a disciple of the wise! May the son never return to his\nfather!\" for he was annoyed that he should presume to teach a Halachah\nin his presence, and then and there he condemned him to death. (See\n_Berachoth_, fol. 31, col. 2.) Thereupon Ben Temalion (an evil sprite or\nimp) came, and greeting him, said, \"Do ye wish me to accompany you?\"\nRabbi Shimon wept and said, \"Alas! a maid-servant of my ancestor\n(Abraham) was assisted by three angels, and I have not one to attend me!\nHowever, let a miracle be worked for us anyhow.\" Then the evil spirit\nentered into the Emperor's daughter, and when the Rabbi was called in to\ncure the princess, he exorcised the spirit by saying, \"Depart, Ben\nTemalion! Ben Temalion, depart!\" and the evil spirit left her. By way of\nreward the Rabbis were bidden to ask whatsoever they pleased, and\nadmitted into the imperial treasury that they might choose what seemed\ngood to them. Espying there the edict against Israel, they chose it, and\ntore it to pieces.\n\n_Meyilah_, fol. 17, col. 1, 2.\n\nAt the time when the high priest enters to worship, three acolytes take\nhold of him, one by the right hand and another by the left, while the\nthird lifts the gems attached to the train of his pontifical vestment.\n\n_Tamid_, chap. 7; _Mishna_, 1.\n\n\"I once, when a grave-digger,\" says Abba Shaul, as the Rabbis relate,\n\"chased a roe which had entered the shinbone of a dead man; and though I\nran three miles after it, I could not overtake it, nor reach the end of\nthe bone. When I returned, I was told that it was a bone of Og, king of\nBashan.\"\n\n_Niddah_, fol. 24, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that during the first three months (of pregnancy)\nthe child lies in the lower part (of the uterus); during the next three\nit occupies the middle part; and during the last three it is in the\nupper part; and that when the time of parturition comes, it turns over\nfirst, and this causes the birth-pains. We are also taught that the\npains caused by a female child are greater than those caused by a male.\nRabbi Elazar said, \"What Scripture is there for this? 'When I was made\nin secret and curiously wrought, in the lowest parts of the earth' (Ps.\ncxxxix. 15). It is not said, 'I abode,' but, 'I was curiously wrought.'\nWhy the difference? Why are the pains caused by a girl greater than\nthose caused by a boy?\"\n\nIbid., fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nThe Rabbis teach there are three that have a share in a man; God, and\nhis father and mother. The father's part consists of all that is white\nin him--the bones, the veins, the nails, the brain, and the white of the\neye. The mother's part consists of all that is red in him--the skin, the\nflesh, the hair, and the black part of the eye. God's part consists of\nthe breath, the soul, the physiognomy, sight and hearing, speech, motive\npower, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. And when the time comes\nthat the man should depart from the world, God takes away His part, and\nleaves those which belong to the father and mother. Rav Pappa says,\n\"This is the meaning of the proverb, 'Shake off the salt and throw the\nflesh to the dogs.'\"\n\n_Niddah_, fol. 31. col. 1.\n\n    Rashi's explanatory note is this: \"Shake off the salt from the\n    flesh and it becomes fit only for dogs. The soul is the salt\n    which preserves the body; when it departs, the body putrefies.\"\n\nFour things require fortitude in the observance:--The law, good works,\nprayer, and social duties. Respecting the law and good works it is\nwritten (Josh. i. 7), \"Be thou strong and firm, that thou mayest observe\nto do all the law;\" in which the word \"strong\" refers to the law, and\nthe word \"firm\" to good works. Of prayer it is written, \"Wait on the\nLord; be strong, and He shall make thine heart firm; wait, I say, upon\nthe Lord\" (Ps. xxvii. 14). In respect to social duties it is written (2\nSam. x. 2), \"Be strong, and let us strengthen ourselves for our people,\nand for the cities of our God.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 32, col. 2.\n\nThere are four signs which tell tales:--Dropsy is a sign of sin;\njaundice is a sign of hatred without a cause; poverty is a sign of\npride; and quinsy is a sign of slander.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 33, col. 1.\n\n\"Unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah,\" i.e., four (Gen. xxxv. 27). Rabbi\nIsaac calls it the city of four couples, i.e., Adam and Eve, Abraham and\nSarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. These four couples being\nburied in Mamre, it was therefore called \"the city of four.\"\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 53, col. 1.\n\nThe sun makes four quarterly circuits. In April, May, and June, i.e.,\nNisan, Iyar, and Sivan, his circuit is between the mountains, in order\nto dissolve the snow; in July, August, and September, i.e., Tamuz, Ab,\nand Ellul, his circuit is over the habitable parts of the earth, in\norder to ripen the fruits; in October, November, and December, i.e.,\nTishri, Marcheshvan, and Kislev, his circuit is over the seas, to\nevaporate the waters; in January, February, and March, i.e., Tebeth,\nShebat, and Adar, his circuit is over the deserts, in order to protect\nthe seed sown from being scorched.\n\n_Psachim_, fol. 94, col. 2.\n\nFour persons are intolerable:--A poor man who is proud, a rich man who\nis a liar, an old man who is incontinent, and a warden who behaves\nhaughtily to a community for whom he has done nothing. To these some add\nhim who has divorced his wife once or twice and married her again.\n\nIbid., fol. 113, col. 2.\n\nFour things cancel the decrees of Heaven:--Alms, prayer, change of name,\nand reformation of conduct. Alms, as it is written (Prov. x. 2), \"But\nalms (more correctly, righteousness) delivereth from death.\" Prayer as\nit is written (Ps. cvii. 6). \"Then they cried unto the Lord in their\ntrouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.\" Change of name,\nas it is said (Gen. xvii. 15, 16), \"As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt\nnot call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.\" And after this\nchange of name it is written, \"And I will bless her, and give thee a son\nof her.\" Reformation of conduct, as it is written (Jonah iii. 10), \"And\nGod saw their works,\" and \"God repented of the evil,\" etc. Some say also\nchange of residence has the effect of turning back the decree of Heaven\n(Gen. xii. 1), \"And the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy\ncountry;\" and then it is said, \"I will make of thee a great nation.\"\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nFour things cause an eclipse of the sun:--When a chief magistrate dies\nand is not mourned over with the due lamentation; when a betrothed\ndamsel calls for help and no one comes to the rescue; when the people\ncommit the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah; and when brother murders brother.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 29, col. 1.\n\nFour things cause an eclipse among the luminaries of heaven: The writing\nof false documents; the bearing false witness; the breeding of small\ncattle, such as sheep and goats, in the land of Israel; and the cutting\ndown of fruit-trees.\n\nIbid., fol. 29, col. 1.\n\nThere are four things God repents of having created:--The Captivity, the\nChaldeans, the Ishmaelites, and the evil passion in man. The Captivity,\nas it is written (Isa. lii. 5), \"What have I here, saith the Lord, that\nmy people are taken away for nought?\" etc. The Chaldeans, as it is\nwritten (Isa. xxiii. 13), \"Behold the land of the Chaldeans: this people\nwas not.\" The Ishmaelites, as it is written (Job xii. 6), \"The tents of\nrobbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure, into whose hand\nGod bringeth abundance.\" The evil passion, as it is written (Micah iv.\n6), \"And whom I have caused to be evil.\"\n\n_Succah_, fol. 52, col. 2.\n\nThere have been four beautiful women in the world:--Sarah, Abigail,\nRahab, and Esther.\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 15, col. 1.\n\n    Tosephoth asks, \"Why was not Eve numbered among these beauties,\n    since even Sarah, in comparison with Eve, was an ape compared to\n    a man?\" The reply is, \"Only those born of woman are here\n    enumerated.\"\n\n    In fol. 13, col. i, of the same treatise from which the above is\n    quoted, we are informed by Ben Azai that Esther was like the\n    myrtle-tree, neither tall nor short statured, but middle-sized.\n    Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha states that Esther's complexion was of\n    a yellow or gold color.\n\nOne cup of wine is good for a woman, two are disgraceful, three\ndemoralizing, and four brutalizing.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 65, col. 1.\n\nHe who traverses so much as four ells in the land of Israel is sure of\neverlasting life.\n\nIbid., fol. III, col. 1.\n\nTo walk even four ells without bowing the head is an offense to Heaven;\nfor it is written (Isa. vi. 3), \"The whole earth is full of His glory.\"\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nThere are four who are accounted as dead:--The pauper, the leper, the\nblind man, and he who has no male children.\n\n_Nedarin_, fol. 64, col. 2.\n\nFour things mark the characters of men:--He who says what is mine is\nmine, and what is thine is thine, is, according to some, a moderate man,\nbut, according to others, a child of Sodom; he who says what is mine is\nthine, and what is thine is mine, is an ignorant man; he who says what\nis mine is thine and what is thy own is also thine, is a pious man; he\nwho says mine and thine are both my own, is a wicked man.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 5, sec. 16.\n\nThere are four kinds of men, according to their degrees of\npassionateness:--He who is easily provoked and as readily pacified, and\nwho loses more than he gains; he whom it is difficult to rouse and as\ndifficult to appease, and who gains more than he loses; he who is not\nreadily provoked, but easily pacified, who is a pious man; he who is\neasily provoked and with difficulty appeased, who is a wicked man.\n\nIbid., chap. 5, sec. 19.\n\nThere are four classes of men who give alms, and they are thus\ndistinguished:--He who is willing to give, but unwilling that others\nshould do so, he has an evil eye toward others; he who wishes others to\ngive, but does not do so himself, he has an evil eye toward himself; he\nwho gives, and induces others to give, he is pious; he who gives not,\nnor wishes others to give he is wicked.\n\n_Avoth_, chap 5, sec. 19.\n\nThere are four marks by which one disciple differs from another:--One\nlearns and does not teach, one teaches and does not learn, one learns\nand teaches, and one neither learns nor teaches.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 29.\n\nFour things, if kept in view and gravely pondered over, deter from\nsin:--That a man consider whence he cometh, whither he goeth, who the\njudge will be, and what the future will bring to pass.\n\n_Derech Eretz_, chap. 3.\n\nWhat is the meaning of that which is written (Ps. lxxxvii 2), \"The Lord\nloveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob?\" The\nanswer is, The Lord loveth the gates that are marked with the Halachah\nmore than the synagogues and the schools; and this agrees with what\nRabbi Cheeya bar Ami has said, in the name of Ulla, that since the\ndestruction of the Temple nothing else has remained to God in His world\nbut four ells of the Halachah.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 8, col. 1.\n\nWhoso walks even four ells with a proud unbending gait is as though he\nspurned with his haughty head the feet of the Shechinah; for it is\nwritten (Isa. vi. 3), \"The whole earth is full of His glory.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 43, col. 2.\n\nFour are in duty bound to return thanks to God:--They that have returned\nfrom a voyage at sea (Ps. cvii. 23, 24, 31); those who have traveled in\nthe desert (verses 4-8); they who have recovered from a serious illness\n(verses 17-21); and those that are liberated from prison (verses 10-15).\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 54, col. 2.\n\nIf one does not walk, say four cubits, before falling asleep after a\nmeal, that which he has eaten, being undigestible, causes foulness of\nbreath.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 41, col. 1.\n\nFour have died in consequence of the seduction of the\nserpent:--Benjamin, the son of Jacob; Amram, the father of Moses; Jesse,\nthe father of David; and Chileab, the son of David.\n\nIbid., fol. 55, col. 2.\n\n    These four are reckoned to have died on account of original sin,\n    and not solely because of actual transgression, which, says\n    Rashi, they never committed.\n\nThe traveler who is overtaken with the approach of Sabbath-eve before he\nhas completed his journey should hand over his purse to a Gentile to\ncarry; and if there be no Gentile at hand, let him stow it away on his\nass. As soon as the nearest halting-place is reached, those burdens\nwhich may be lifted on the Sabbath should then be removed, and then the\ncords should be slackened that the rest may slip off of its own accord.\n\nIbid., fol. 153, col. 1.\n\n    Here the Gemara very graciously appends a direction as to the\n    disposal of the purse, in case the traveler should happen to be\n    on foot and have no Gentile attendant. He may take care of it\n    himself, provided he halt at every other step and deposit it on\n    the ground, for at least a distance of four cubits.\n\nA master is bound to rehearse a lesson to his pupil four times.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 54, col. 2.\n\nAlas for the power which prepares a grave for its possessor, for there\nis not a prophet who hath not in his lifetime witnessed the decadence of\nfour kings; as it is said (Isa. i. 1), \"The vision of Isaiah ... in the\ndays of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah\" (see also\nHosea i. 1).\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 87, col. 2.\n\nOnce Rav Pappa and Rav Hunnah partook together of a common meal, and as\nthe latter ate only one morsel the former ate four. After this, when Rav\nHunnah and Ravina ate together, the latter devoured eight portions to\nthe other's one, upon which Rav Hunnah jocularly remarked, \"A hundred\n(Rav) Pappas to one Ravina.\"\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 89, col. 2.\n\nNo food may be eaten on Passover-eve from the time of the offering of\nthe evening sacrifice (in order, i.e. that abstinence may whet the\nappetite for the Matsoth). Even the poorest in Israel may not break his\nfast till the hour of reclining; nor is he to partake of less than four\nglasses of wine, even though he has been reduced so low as to subsist on\nthe porridge doled out by public charity.\n\nIbid., fol. 99, col. 2.\n\nThere are four things the doing of which by man brings judgment upon his\nown head:--If he turn in between a wall and a date-palm; if he turn in\nbetween two date-palms; if he drink borrowed water; and if he step\nacross spilt water, such even as his own wife may have thrown away. (All\nthese doings, says Rashi, are bound to annoy the evil genii.)\n\nIbid., fol. 111, col. 1.\n\nFour precepts did our holy Rabbi (Yehudah Hakadosh) urge upon his\nchildren:--Not to choose Shechentzia as a dwelling-place, for scoffers\nresided there; not to use the bed of a Syrian odalisque; not to shirk\nthe payment of fiscal dues, lest the collector should confiscate all\ntheir property; not to face an ox when he came up (ruffled) from the\ncane-brake, for Satan sported betwixt his horns.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 112, col. 2.\n\nWhosoever prieth into the four things in the matter of the chariot in\nEzekiel's vision--what is above, what is beneath, what is before, or\nwhat is behind--it were better for him if he had never been born.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 11, col. 2.\n\n    The work or matter of the chariot, the Rabbinic term for the\n    Vision of Ezekiel, ranks among the Arcana Judaica, which are not\n    to be told save to the initiated.\n\nFour men entered Paradise--these are their names:--Ben Azai, Ben Zoma,\nAcher, and Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva thus warned his companions: \"When\nyou come across pavements of pellucid marble, do not cry out 'Water!\nwater!' for it is said (Ps. ci. 7), 'He that uttereth falsehood shall\nnot dwell in my sight.'\" Ben Azai looked and died; concerning him the\nScripture says (Ps. cxvi. 15), \"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the\ndeath of his saints.\" Ben Zoma looked and went out of his mind; of him\nthe Scripture says (Prov. xxv. 16), \"Hast thou found honey? eat only so\nmuch as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith and vomit\nit.\" Acher cut the plants. Only Akiva departed in peace.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 14, col. 2.\n\n    Rashi explains this by saying these men went up to heaven; but\n    Maimonides much more rationally teaches that the Paradise or\n    garden here is merely the retreat of profound philosophic\n    meditation. These five intuitions were;--(1.) To know that there\n    is a God; (2.) to ignore every other beside Him; (3.) to feel\n    His unity; (4.) to love His person; and (5.) to stand in awe of\n    His Majesty (see Vad Hachaz, chap. 4, sec. 19). Deep thought in\n    these matters was spoken of by the Rabbis as _promenading in the\n    garden_.\n\nFour times a year is the world subject to an ordeal of judgment:--At\nPassover, which is decisive of the fruits of the field; at Pentecost,\nwhich is decisive of the fruits of the garden; at the feast of\nTabernacles, which is decisive in respect of rain; on New Year's Day,\nwhen all who come into the world pass before the Lord like sheep, as it\nis said (Ps. xxxiii. 15), \"Who formed their hearts together; who\nunderstandeth all their works.\"\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 16, col. 1.\n\nThere are four varieties of cedar:--Erez, Karthom, Etz-Shemen, and\nBerosh.\n\nIbid., fol. 23, col. 1.\n\nBen Kamzar would not teach the art of writing, and yet it is related of\nhim that he could, by taking four pens between his fingers, write off a\nword of four letters at one stroke.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 38, col. 2.\n\nThere are four kinds of quails:--Sichli, Kibli, Pisyoni, and the common\nquail. The first was of superior quality, and the last inferior.\n\nIbid., fol. 75, col. 2.\n\nA man may obtain forgiveness after the third transgression, but if he\nrepeat the offense a fourth time, he is not pardoned again; for it is\nsaid (Amos ii. 4), \"For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I\nwill not turn away the punishment thereof;\" and again (Job xxxiii. 29),\n\"Lo! all these things doth God two or three times\" (and so inferentially\nnot four times) \"with man to bring back his soul from the pit.\"\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 86, col. 2.\n\nFor four reasons does their property pass out of the hands of the\navaricious:--Because they are backward in paying the wages of their\nhired servants; because they altogether neglect their welfare; because\nthey shift the yoke from themselves and lay the burden upon their\nneighbors; and because of pride, which is of itself as bad as all the\nrest put together; whereas of the meek it is written (Ps. xxxvii. n),\n\"The meek shall inherit the earth.\"\n\n_Succah_, fol. 29, col. 2.\n\n\"And the Lord showed me four carpenters\" (Zech. i, 20). Who are these\nfour carpenters? Rav Ghana bar Bizna says that Rabbi Shimon Chassida\nsaid they were Messiah the son of David, Messiah the son of Joseph,\nElijah, and the Priest of Righteousness.\n\nIbid., fol. 52, col. 2.\n\nNo Synagogue is to be sold except on condition that there be power of\nre-purchase. These are the words of Rabbi Meir; but the sages say it may\nbe sold unconditionally, except in these four particular cases: that it\nbe not turned into a bath-house, a tannery, a wash-house, or a laundry.\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 27, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Yochanan ben Zachai was once asked by his disciples how he had\nattained such length of days. \"Never once,\" he said, \"in my life have I\nacted irreverently within four cubits of a place where prayer is\noffered; never have I called a person by a wicked name; nor have I ever\nfailed to sanctify the Sabbath over a cup of wine. Once my aged mother\nsold her head-dress to buy the consecration wine for me.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 27, col. 2.\n\nWhen a sage is approaching, one should rise up before he gets within\nfour ells' distance, and remain standing until he has gone as far past.\nWhen a chief magistrate is about to pass, one must rise as soon as he\ncomes in sight, and not resume the seat until he has passed four ells.\nWhen a prince passes, one must stand up whenever he appears, and not sit\ndown again until the prince himself is seated; for it is said (Exod.\nxxxiii, 8), \"All the people rose up, ... and looked after Moses until he\nwas gone into the tabernacle.\"\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 33, col. 2.\n\nWhen Nero came to the Holy Land, he tried his fortune by belemnomancy\nthus:--He shot an arrow eastward, and it fell upon Jerusalem; he\ndischarged his shafts towards the four points of the compass, and every\ntime they fell upon Jerusalem. After this he met a Jewish boy, and said\nunto him, \"Repeat to me the text thou hast learned to-day.\" The boy\nrepeated, \"I will lay my vengeance upon Edom (i.e., Rome) by the hand of\nmy people Israel\" (Ezek. xxv. 14). Then said Nero, \"The Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--has determined to destroy His Temple and then\navenge Himself on the agent by whom its ruin is wrought.\" Thereupon Nero\nfled and became a Jewish proselyte, and Rabbi Meir is of his race.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 56, col. 1.\n\nThey whose banquet is accompanied with four kinds of instruments of\nmusic bring five calamities on the world; as it is said (Isa. v. 11-15),\n\"Woe unto those that get up early in the morning, that they may run\nafter strong drink; and continue until late at night, till flushed with\nwine. And the harp and psaltery, tambourine and flute, and wine are at\ntheir carousals.\"\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 48, col. 1.\n\nLet him carry the purse, and halt every time he accomplishes less than\nfour cubits forward.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 153, cols, 1, 2.\n\n    Rav Yitzchak here explains how the good Jew, belated on\n    Sabbath-eve, may carry his purse himself, and so save his\n    conscience. The traveler is to halt at about every other step,\n    and so measure off the journey in four-cubit stages.\n\nThough ever since the destruction of the Temple the Sanhedrin has ceased\nto exist, the four kinds of capital punishment have not failed to assert\nthemselves. If a man incurs the penalty of death by stoning, he is in\nthe course of Providence either punished by a fatal fall from a roof or\nslain by some beast of prey; if he has exposed himself to the penalty of\ndeath by burning, it happens that he is either burned to death in the\nend or mortally stung by a serpent; if the penalty of the law is that he\nshould be beheaded for his offense, he meets his death either from the\nGovernment officer or by the hand of an assassin; if the penalty be\nstrangulation, he is sure to be drowned or suffocated.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 37, col. 2.\n\nWhen a person is in a state of apprehension and cannot make out the\ncause of it (the star that presided at his birth and his genii know all\nabout it), what should he do? Let him jump from where he is standing\nfour cubits, or else let him repeat, \"Hear, O Israel,\" etc. (Deut. vi.\n4); or if the place be unfit for the repetition of Scripture, let him\nmutter to himself, \"The goat at the butcher's is fatter than me.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 94, col. 1.\n\nIt is written in 2 Chron. xxxiii. 7, \"A carved image;\" and again it is\nwritten in verse 19, \"Graven images.\" Rabbi Yochanan said, \"At first he\nmade the image with one face, but afterwards he made it with four--four,\nso that the Shechinah might see it from every point, and thus be\nexasperated.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 103, col. 2.\n\nMoses uttered four judgments upon Israel, but four prophets revoked\nthem:--(1.) First Moses said (Deut. xxxiii. 28), \"Israel then shall\ndwell in safety alone;\" then came Amos and set it aside (Amos vii. 5),\n\"Cease, I beseech thee,\" etc.; and then it is written (verse 6), \"This\nshall not be, saith the Lord.\" (2.) First Moses said (Deut. xxviii. 65),\n\"Among these nations thou shalt find no ease;\" then came Jeremiah and\nset this saying aside (Jer. xxxi. 2), \"Even Israel, when I went to cause\nhim to rest.\" (3.) First Moses said (Exod. xxxiv. 7), \"Visiting the\niniquities of the fathers upon the children;\" then came Ezekiel and set\nthis aside (Ezek. xviii. 4), \"The soul that sinneth, it shall die.\" (4.)\nFirst Moses said (Lev. xxvi. 38), \"And ye shall perish among the\nheathen;\" then came Isaiah and reversed this (Isa. xxvii. 13), \"And it\nshall come to pass in that day that the great trumpet shall be blown,\nand they shall come which were ready to perish.\"\n\n_Maccoth_, fol. 24, col. 1.\n\nWhen Akavyah ben Mahalalel appeared to four halachahs contradicting the\njudgment of the wise on a certain important point of law, \"Retract,\"\nthey said, \"and we will promote thee to be president of the tribunal.\"\nTo which he replied, \"I would rather be called a fool all the days of my\nlife than be judged wicked for one hour before Him who is omnipresent.\"\n\n_Edioth_, chap. 5, mish. 6.\n\nLet thy house be open wide toward the south, the east, the west, and the\nnorth, just as Job, who made four entrances to his house, in order that\nthe poor might find entrance without trouble from whatever quarter they\nmight come.\n\n_Avoth d'Rav. Nathan_, chap. 7,\n\nRabbah once saw a sea-monster on the day it was brought forth, and it\nwas as large as Mount Tabor. And how large is Mount Tabor? Its neck was\nthree miles long, and where it laid its head a mile and a half. Its dung\nchoked up the Jordan, till, as Rashi says, its waters washed it away.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 73, col. 2.\n\nShemuel said, \"We know remedies for all maladies except three:--That\ninduced by unripe dates on an empty stomach; that induced by wearing a\ndamp linen rope round one's loins; and that induced by falling asleep\nafter meals without having first walked a distance of at least four\ncubits.\"\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 113, col. 2.\n\nThe five times repeated \"Bless the Lord, O my soul\" (Ps. ciii. civ.),\nwere said by David with reference both to God and the soul. As God fills\nthe whole world, so does the soul fill the whole body; as God sees and\nis not seen, so the soul sees and is not seen; as God nourishes the\nwhole world, so does the soul nourish the whole body; as God is pure, so\nalso is the soul pure; as God dwelleth in secret, so does the soul dwell\nin secret. Therefore let him who possesses these five properties praise\nHim to whom these five attributes belong.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 10, col. 1.\n\nFive things have in them a sixtieth part of five other things:--Fire,\nhoney, the Sabbath, sleep, and dreams. Fire is a sixtieth of hell, honey\na sixtieth of manna, the Sabbath a sixtieth of the rest in the world to\ncome, sleep the sixtieth of death, and a dream the sixtieth of prophecy.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 57, col. 2.\n\nThere are five weak things that are a source of terror to the\nstrong:--The mosquito is a terror to the lion, the gnat is a terror to\nthe elephant, the ichneumon-fly is a terror to the scorpion, the\nflycatcher is a terror to the eagle, and the stickleback is a terror to\nthe leviathan.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 77, col. 2.\n\nThese five should be killed even on the Sabbath:--The fly of Egypt, the\nwasp of Nineveh, the scorpion of Hadabia, the serpent of the land of\nIsrael, and the mad dog anywhere and everywhere.\n\nIbid., fol. 121, col. 2.\n\nFive things did Canaan teach his children:--To love one another, to\nperpetrate robbery, to practice wantonness, to hate their masters, and\nnot to speak the truth.\n\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 113, col. 2.\n\nFive things were in the first Temple which were not in the second:--The\nark and its cover, with the cherubim; the fire; the Shechinah; the Holy\nSpirit; and the Urim and Thummim.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 2.\n\nFive things are said respecting the mad dog:--Its mouth gapes wide, it\ndrops its saliva, its ears hang down, its tail is curled between its\nlegs, and it slinks along the side of the road. Rav says that a dog's\nmadness is caused by witches sporting with it. Samuel says it is because\nan evil spirit rests upon it.\n\nIbid., fol. 83, col. 2.\n\nWhen a man has betrothed one of five women, and does not remember which\nof the five it is, while each of them claims the right of betrothment,\nthen he is duty bound to give to each a bill of divorcement, and to\ndistribute the dowry due to one among them all. This decision is\naccording to Rabbi Tarphon, but Rabbi Akiva holds that he must not only\ndivorce each, but give to each the legal dowry, otherwise he fails in\nhis duty.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 118, col. 2.\n\nWhen a person having robbed one of five does not remember which of the\nfive it was he had robbed, and each claims to have been the victim of\nthe robbery, then he is to part the stolen property (or the value of it)\namong them all, and go his way. So says Rabbi Tarphon, but Rabbi Akiva\nargues that the defaulter does not in this way fully exonerate himself;\nhe must restore to each and all the full value of the plunder.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 118, col. 2.\n\nThese things are said concerning garlic:--It nourishes, it glows\ninwardly, it brightens the complexion, and increases virility. Some say\nthat it is a philtre for love, and that it exterminates jealousy.\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 82, col. 1.\n\nFive things cause forgetfulness:--Partaking of what has been gnawed by a\nmouse or a cat, eating bullock's heart, habitual use of olives, drinking\nwater that has been washed in, and placing the feet one upon the other\nwhile bathing.\n\n_Horayoth_, fol. 13, col. 2.\n\nFive things restore the memory again:--Bread baked upon coals,\nsoft-boiled eggs without salt, habitual use of olive oil, mulled wine,\nand plenty of salt.\n\nIbid.\n\nHe who does not cheer the bridegroom whose wedding breakfast he has\nenjoyed transgresses against the five voices (mentioned in Jer. xxxiii.\nII):--\"The voice of joy, the voice of gladness, the voice of the\nbridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say\n'Praise ye the Lord of Hosts.'\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 2.\n\nMount Sinai had five names:--(1.) Wilderness of Zin, because on it the\nIsraelites were commanded to observe the law; (2.) Wilderness of Kadesh,\nbecause on it the Israelites were consecrated to receive the law; (3.)\nWilderness of Kedemoth, because precedence was there given to Israel\nover all other nations; (4.) Wilderness of Paran, because there the\nIsraelites were fruitful and multiplied; (5.) Wilderness of Sinai,\nbecause from it enmity came to be cherished to the Gentiles. It was\ndenominated Horeb according to Rabbi Abhu, because from it came down\ndestruction to the Gentiles.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 89, cols, 1, 2.\n\nMar (the master) has said, \"From dawn to the appearance of the sun is\nfive miles.\" How is this proved? It is written (Gen. xix. 15), \"When the\ndawn arose the angels hurried Lot;\" and it is added (verse 25), \"The sun\nwas risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.\" And Rabbi Chanena\nsaid, \"I myself have seen that place, and the distance is five miles.\"\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 93, col. 2.\n\nHe that cooks in milk the ischiadic sinew on an annual festival is to be\nscourged five times forty stripes save one:--For cooking the sinew, for\neating the sinew, for cooking flesh in milk, for eating flesh cooked in\nmilk, and for lighting the fire.\n\n_Baitza_, fol. 12, col. 1.\n\n    To this very day this sinew is extracted from the hind quarters\n    of all animals before it is allowable for a Jew to eat them.\n    This operation, in popular parlance, is termed porging.\n\nThe mysteries of the law are not to be communicated except to those who\npossess the faculties of these five in combination:--\"The captain of\nfifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning\nartificer, and the eloquent orator\" (see Isa. iii. 3).\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 13, col. 1.\n\n\"Captain of fifty.\" This should be read, not captain of fifty, but\ncaptain of five, that is, such as knew how to manage the five-fifths of\nthe law (or Pentateuch).\n\nIbid., fol. 14, col. 1.\n\nFive characteristics were ascribed to the fire upon the altar:--It\ncrouched there like a lion, it shone as the sun, it was perceptible to\nthe touch, it consumed liquids as though they were dry materials, it\ncaused no smoke.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 2.\n\nHow is it that the word signifying \"And I will be glorified,\" occurs in\nHag. i. 8 without the letter which is the symbol for five, though it is\nsounded as if that letter was there? It indicates the absence of five\nthings from the second Temple which were to be found in the first, (1.)\nThe ark, i.e., the mercy-seat of the cherubim; (2.) the fire from heaven\nupon the altar; (3.) the visible presence; (4.) the Holy Spirit (of\nprophecy, says Rashi); and (5.) the Urim and Thummim.\n\nIbid.\n\n    How then, it may be asked, if these five tokens of the Divine\n    presence and favor which rendered the first Temple so glorious\n    were wanting in the second could it be said (Hag. ii. 9), \"The\n    glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former\"?\n    It is a question which it is natural to ask, and it should be\n    ingenuously answered. Is it that these were tending to usurp the\n    place of the spiritual, of which they were but the assurance and\n    the symbol, and darken rather than reveal the eternal reality\n    they adumbrated?\n\nThe Israelites relished any flavor they fancied in the manna except the\nflavor of these five things (mentioned in Num. xi. 59):--\"Cucumbers,\nmelons, leeks, onions, and garlic.\"\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 75, col. 1.\n\nFive things happened to our forefathers on the 17th of Tammuz, and five\non the 9th of Ab. On the 17th of Tammuz (1.) the tables of the covenant\nwere broken; (2.) the daily sacrifice was done away with; (3.) the city\nwalls were cleft asunder; (4.) Apostumes burned the roll of the law;\n(5.) and set up an idol in the temple. On the 9th of Ab (1.) the decree\nwas uttered that our ancestors should not enter the land of Canaan; both\nthe (2.) first and the (3.) second Temple were destroyed; (4.) Byther\nwas subjugated and (5.) the city was plowed up.\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 26, cols, 1, 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught where it is we learn that if one has five sons by\nfive wives he is bound to redeem each and all of them. It is from what\nis taught in Exod. xxxiv. 20, where it is said, \"All the first born of\nthy sons shalt thou redeem.\"\n\n_Kiddushin_. fol. 29. col. 2.\n\nIf Israel had not sinned they would have had no other Scriptures than\nthe five-fifths of the law (that is, the Pentateuch) and the book of\nJoshua, which last is indispensable, because therein is recorded how the\nland was distributed among the sons of Israel; but the remainder was\nadded, \"Because in much wisdom is much grief\" (Eccles. i. 18).\n\n_Nedarim_, fol. 22, col. 2.\n\n\"If a man steal an ox or a sheep and kill it or sell it, five oxen shall\nbe given in restitution for one ox, and four sheep for one sheep\" (Exod.\nxxii. 1). From this observe the value put upon work. For the loss of an\nox, because it involves the loss of labor, the owner is recompensed with\nfive oxen; but for the loss of a sheep, which does no work, he is only\nrecompensed with four.\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 79, col. 2.\n\n\"And Esau came from the field, and he was faint\" (Gen. xxv. 29). Rabbi\nYochanan said that wicked man committed on that day five\ntransgressions:--He committed rape, committed murder, denied the being\nof God, denied the resurrection from the dead, and despised the\nbirthright.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nThere are five celebrated idolatrous temples, and these are the names of\nthem:--The Temple of Bel in Babylon, the Temple of Nebo in Chursi, the\nTemple of Thretha in Maphog, the Temple of Zeripha in Askelon, and the\nTemple of Nashra in Arabia. When Rabbi Dimmi came from Palestine to\nBabylon he said there were others, viz, the Temple of Yarid in Ainbechi,\nand that of Nadbacha in Accho.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 11, col. 2.\n\n\"And they also transgressed my covenant, which I have commanded them;\nand they also have taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen,\nand dissembled also, and have also put it among their own stuff\" (Josh.\nvii. 11). Rav Illaa says, in the name of Rav Yehudah ben Mispartha, the\nfivefold repetition of the particle also shows that Achan had trespassed\nagainst all the five books of Moses. The same Rabbi further adds that\nAchan had obliterated the sign of the covenant, for it is said in\nrelation to him, \"And they have also transgressed my covenant;\" and with\nreference to circumcision, \"He hath broken my covenant.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 44, col. 1.\n\nHe who eats an ant is flogged five times with forty stripes save one.\n\n_Maccoth_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Akiva used to say there are five judgments on record each of\ntwelve months' duration:--That of the deluge, that of Job, that of the\nEgyptians, that of Gog and Magog, and that of the wicked in hell. This\nlast is said of those whose demerits outweigh their virtues, or those\nwho have sinned against their bodies.\n\n_Edioth_, chap. 2, mish. 10.\n\nFive possessions hath the Holy One--blessed be He!--purchased for\nHimself in this world:--(1.) The law is one possession (Prov. viii. 22);\n(2.) Heaven and earth is one possession (Isa. lxvi. 1, Ps. civ. 24);\n(3.) Abraham is one possession (Gen. xiv. 9); (4.) Israel is one\npossession (Exod. xv. 16); (5.) the Temple is one possession, as it is\nsaid (Exod. xv. 17), \"The sanctuary, O Lord, Thy hands have\nestablished.\" And it is also said (Ps. lxxviii. 54), \"And He brought\nthem to the border of His sanctuary, even to this mountain, which His\nright hand had purchased.\"\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 6.\n\nRabbi Akiva says he who marries a woman not suited to him violates five\nprecepts:--(1.) Thou shalt not avenge; (2.) thou shalt not bear a\ngrudge; (3.) thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; (4.) thou\nshalt love thy neighbor as thyself; (5.) and that thy brother may live\nwith thee. For if he hates her he wishes she were dead, and thus he\ndiminishes the population.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 26.\n\nFive have no forgiveness of sins:--(1.) He who keeps on sinning and\nrepenting alternately; (2.) he who sins in a sinless age; (3.) he who\nsins on purpose to repent; (4.) he who causes the name of God to be\nblasphemed. The fifth is not given in the Talmud.\n\nIbid., chap. 39.\n\nHe who has no fringes to his garment transgresses five positive commands\n(see Num. xv. 38. etc.; Deut. xxii. 12).\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 44, col. 1.\n\nA learner who, after five years, sees no profit in studying, will never\nsee it. Rabbi Yossi says, after three years, as it is written (Dan. i.\n4, 5), \"That they should be taught the literature and the language of\nthe Chaldeans,\" so educating them in three years.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 24, col. 1.\n\nAny one who doeth any of these things sinneth against himself, and his\nblood is upon his own head:--He that (1.) eats garlic, onions, or eggs\nwhich were peeled the night before; (2.) or drinks water drawn over\nnight; (3.) or sleeps all night in a burying-place; (4.) or pares his\nnails and throws the cuttings into the public street.\n\n_Niddah_, fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Yossi said:--\"Never once in all my life have the walls of my house\nseen the hem of my shirt; and I have planted five cedars (sons are\nfiguratively so termed, see Ps. xcii. 12) in Israel--namely, Rabbis\nIshmael, Eliezar, Chalafta, Artilas, and Menachem. Never once in my life\nhave I spoken of my wife by any other name than house, and of my ox by\nany other name than field.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 118, col. 2.\n\nSix things are a disgrace to a disciple of the wise:--To walk abroad\nperfumed, to walk alone by night, to wear old clouted shoes, to talk\nwith a woman in the street, to sit at table with illiterate men, and to\nbe late at the synagogue. Some add to these, walking with a proud step\nor a haughty gait.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 43, col. 2.\n\nA soft-boiled egg is better than six ounces of fine flour.\n\nIbid., fol. 44, col. 2.\n\nSix things are a certain cure for sickness:--Cabbage, beetroot, water\ndistilled from dry moss, honey, the maw and the matrix of an animal, and\nthe edge of the liver.\n\nIbid.\n\nThese six things are good symptoms in an invalid:--Sneezing,\nperspiration, evacuation, seminal emission, sleep, and dreaming.\n\nIbid., fol. 57, col. 2.\n\nSix things bear interest in this world and the capital remaineth in the\nworld to come:--Hospitality to strangers, visiting the sick, meditation\nin prayer, early attendance at the school of instruction, the training\nof sons to the study of the law, and judging charitably of one's\nneighbors.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 127, col. 1.\n\nThere are six sorts of tears, three good and three bad:--Those caused by\nsmoke, or grief, or constipation are bad; and those caused by fragrant\nspices, laughter, and aromatic herbs are good.\n\nIbid., fol. 151, col. 2; fol. 152, col. 1.\n\nSix things are said respecting the illiterate:--No testimony is to be\nborne to them, none is to be accepted from them; no secret is to be\ndisclosed to them; they are not to be appointed guardians over orphans,\nnor keepers of the charity-box, and there should be no fellowship with\nthem when on a journey. Some say also no public notice is to be given of\ntheir lost property.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 49, col. 2.\n\n    The expression here rendered \"illiterate\" means literally\n    \"people of the land,\" and was, there is reason to believe,\n    originally applied to the primitive inhabitants of Canaan,\n    traces of whom may still be found among the fellahin of Syria.\n    They appear, like the aboriginal races in many countries of\n    Christendom in relation to Christianity, to have remained\n    generation after generation obdurately inaccessible to Jewish\n    ideas, and so to have given name to the ignorant and untaught\n    generally. This circumstance may account for the harshness of\n    some of the quotations which are appended in reference to them.\n\nHe who aspires to be a fellow of the learned must not sell fruit, either\ngreen or dry, to an illiterate man, nor may he buy fresh fruit of him.\nHe must not be the guest of an ignorant man, nor receive such an one as\nhis guest.\n\n_Demai_, chap. 2, mish. 2.\n\nOur Rabbis teach, Let a man sell all that he has and marry the daughter\nof a learned man. If he cannot find the daughter of a learned man, let\nhim marry the daughter of one of the great men of his day. If he does\nnot find such a one, let him marry the daughter of one of the heads of\nthe congregation, or, failing this, the daughter of a charity collector,\nor even the daughter of a schoolmaster; but let him not marry the\ndaughter of an illiterate man, for the unlearned are an abomination, as\nalso their wives and their daughters.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 49, col. 2.\n\nIt is said that Rabbi (the Holy) teaches that it is illegal for an\nunlearned man to eat animal food, for it is said (Lev. xi. 46), \"This is\nthe law of the beast and the fowl;\" therefore he who studies the law may\neat animal food, but he who does not study the law may not. Rabbi\nEliezar said, \"It is lawful to split open the nostrils of an unlearned\nman, even on the Day of Atonement which happens to fall on a Sabbath.\"\nTo which his disciples responded, \"Rabbi, say rather to slaughter him.\"\nHe replied, \"Nay, that would require the repetition of the usual\nbenediction; but in tearing open his nostrils no benedictory formula is\nneeded.\" Rabbi Eliezar has also said, \"It is unlawful to travel with\nsuch a one, for it is said (Deut. xxx. 30), 'For it is thy life and the\nlength of thy days.' The unlearned does not ensure his own life (since\nhe has no desire to study the law, which would prolong life), how much\nless then will he regard the life of his neighbor?\" Rabbi Samuel, son of\nNachman, says on behalf of Rabbi Yochanan, that it is lawful to split\nopen an unlearned man like a fish. \"Aye,\" adds Rabbi Samuel, \"and that\nfrom his back.\"\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 49, col. 2.\n\nRav Yehudah says it is good to eat the pulp of a pumpkin with beetroot\nas a remedy, also the essence of hemp seed in Babylonian broth; but it\nis not lawful to mention this in the presence of an illiterate man,\nbecause he might derive a benefit from the knowledge not meant for him.\n\n_Nedarim_, fol. 49, col. 1.\n\nNo contribution or heave-offering should be given to an ignorant priest.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 90, col. 2.\n\nNo boor can be pious, nor an ignorant man a saint.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 2, mish. 6.\n\nSleep in the morning, wine at mid-day, the idle talk of inexperienced\nyouth, and attending the conventicles of the ignorant drive a man out of\nthe world.\n\nIbid., chap. 3, mish. 16.\n\nRabbi Jonathan says, \"Where do we learn that no present is to be made to\nan ignorant priest?\" In 2 Chron. xxxi. 4, for there it is said Hezekiah\n\"commanded that all the people that dwelt in Jerusalem should give a\nportion to the priests and to the Levites, that they might be strong in\nthe law of the Lord.\" He who firmly lays hold of the law has a claim to\na portion, otherwise he has none.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 130, col. 2.\n\nThe aged, if ignorant, grow weaker in intellect the older they become in\nyears, for it is written (Job xii. 20), \"He removeth away the speech of\nthe trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.\" But it is\nnot so with them that are old in the study of the law, for the older\nthey grow the more thoughtful they become, and the wiser, as it is said\n(Job xii. 12), \"With the ancient is wisdom, and in length of days\nunderstanding.\"\n\n_Kinnin_, chap. 3.\n\nThe salutation of the ignorant should be responded to quietly, and with\na reluctant nod of the head.\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 14, col. 2.\n\nNo calamities ever befall the world except such as are brought on by the\nignorant.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 8, col. 1.\n\nRav Hunna's widow once appeared before Rav Nachman as plaintiff in a\nlawsuit. \"What shall I do?\" he said. \"If I rise before her (to honor her\nas the widow of a Rabbi), the defendant, who is an _amhaaretz_, will\nfeel uneasy; and if I don't rise I shall break the rule which ordains\nthat the wife of an associate is to be treated as an associate.\" So he\nsaid to his servant, \"Loose a young goose over my head, then I'll get\nup.\"\n\nRav bar Sheravyah had a lawsuit with an _amhaaretz_ before Rav Pappa,\nwho bade him be seated, and also asked the other to sit down. When the\nofficer of the court raised the _amhaaretz_ with a kick, the magistrate\ndid not request him to be seated again.\n\n_Shevuoth_, fol. 30, col. 2.\n\nSix things are said respecting demons. In three particulars they are\nlike angels, and in three they resemble men. They have wings like\nangels; like angels they fly from one end of the world to the other, and\nthey know the future, as angels do, with this difference, that they\nlearn by listening behind the veil what angels have revealed to them\nwithin. In three respects they resemble men. They eat and drink like\nmen, they beget and increase like men, and like men they die.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 16, col. 1.\n\n    The Talmud is particularly rich in demonology, and many are the\n    forms which the evil principle assumes in its pages. We have no\n    wish to drag these shapes to the light, and interrogate them as\n    to the part they play in this intricate life. Enough now if we\n    mention the circumstance of their existence, and introduce to\n    the reader the story of Ashmedai, the king of the demons. The\n    story is worth relating, both for its own sake and its\n    historical significance.\n\n    In Ecclesiastes ii. 8, we read, \"I gat me men singers and women\n    singers, the delights of the sons of men, as musical\n    instruments, and that of all sorts.\" These last seven words\n    represent only two in the original Hebrew, _Shiddah-veshiddoth_.\n    These two words in the original Hebrew translated by the last\n    seven in this verse, have been a source of great perplexity to\n    the critics, and their exact meaning is matter of debate to this\n    hour. They in the West say they mean severally carriages for\n    lords and carriages for ladies, while we, says the Babylonish\n    Talmud, interpret them to signify male demons and female demons.\n    Whereupon, if this last is the correct rendering, the question\n    arises, for what purpose Solomon required them? The answer is to\n    be found in 1 Kings vi. 7, where it is written, \"And the house,\n    when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it\n    was brought thither,\" etc. For before the operation commenced\n    Solomon asked the Rabbis, \"How shall I accomplish this without\n    using tools of iron?\" and they remembering of an insect which\n    had existed since the creation of the world, whose powers were\n    such as the hardest substances could not resist, replied, \"There\n    is the Shameer, with which Moses cut the precious stones of the\n    Ephod.\" Solomon asked, \"And where, pray, is the Shameer to be\n    found?\" To which they made answer, \"Let a male demon and a\n    female come, and do thou coerce them both; mayhap they know and\n    will reveal it to thee.\" He then conjured into his presence a\n    male and a female demon, and proceeded to torture them, but in\n    vain, for said they, \"We know not its whereabouts and cannot\n    tell; perhaps Ashmedai, the king of the demons, knows.\" On being\n    further interrogated as to where he in turn might be found, they\n    made this answer: \"In yonder mount is his residence; there he\n    has dug a pit, and, after filling it with water, covered it over\n    with a stone, and sealed with his own seal. Daily he ascends to\n    heaven and studies in the school of wisdom there, then he comes\n    down and studies in the school of wisdom here; upon which he\n    goes and examines the seal, then opens the pit, and after\n    quenching his thirst, covers it up again, re-seals it, and takes\n    his departure.\"\n\n    Solomon thereupon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, provided\n    with a magic chain and ring, upon both of which the name of God\n    was engraved. He also provided him with a fleece of wool and\n    sundry skins with wine. Then Benaiah went and sank a pit below\n    that of Ashmedai, into which he drained off the water and\n    plugged the duct between with the fleece. Then he set to and dug\n    another hole higher up with a channel leading into the emptied\n    pit of Ashmedia, by means of which the pit was filled with the\n    wine he had brought. After leveling the ground so as not to\n    rouse suspicion, he withdrew to a tree close by, so as to watch\n    the result and wait his opportunity. After a while Ashmedai\n    came, and examined the seal, when, seeing it all right, he\n    raised the stone, and to his surprise found wine in the pit. For\n    a time he stood muttering and saying, it is written, \"Wine is a\n    mocker: strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived\n    thereby is not wise.\" And again, \"Whoredom and wine and new wine\n    take away the heart.\" Therefore at first he was unwilling to\n    drink, but being thirsty, he could not long resist the\n    temptation. He proceeded to drink therefore, when, becoming\n    intoxicated, he lay down to sleep. Then Benaiah, came forth from\n    his ambush, and stealthily approaching, fastened the chain round\n    the sleeper's neck. Ashmedai, when he awoke, began to fret and\n    fume, and would have torn off the chain that bound him, had not\n    Benaiah warned him, saying, \"The name of thy Lord is upon thee.\"\n    Having thus secured him, Benaiah proceeded to lead him away to\n    his sovereign master. As they journeyed along they came to a\n    palm-tree, against which Ashmedai rubbed himself, until he\n    uprooted it and threw it down. When they drew near to a hut, the\n    poor widow who inhabited it came out and entreated him not to\n    rub himself against it, upon which, as he suddenly bent himself\n    back, he snapt a bone of his body, and said, \"This is that which\n    is written (Prov. xxv. 15), 'And a gentle answer breaketh the\n    bone.'\" Descrying a blind man straying out of his way, he hailed\n    him and directed him aright. He even did the same service to a\n    man overcome with wine, who was in a similar predicament. At\n    sight of a wedding party that passed rejoicing along, he wept;\n    but he burst into uncontrollable laughter when he heard a man\n    order at a shoemaker's stall a pair of shoes that would last\n    seven years; and when he saw a magician at his work he broke\n    forth into shrieks of scorn.\n\n    On arriving at the royal city, three days were allowed to pass\n    before he was introduced to Solomon. On the first day he said.\n    \"Why does the king not invite me into his presence?\" \"He has\n    drunk too much,\" was the answer, \"and the wine has overpowered\n    him.\" Upon which he lifted a brick and placed it upon the top of\n    another. When this was communicated to Solomon, he replied \"He\n    meant by this, go and make him drunk again.\" On the day\n    following he asked again, \"Why does the king not invite me into\n    his presence?\" They replied, \"He has eaten too much.\" On this he\n    removed the brick again from the top of the other. When this was\n    reported to the king, he interpreted it to mean, \"Stint him in\n    his food.\"\n\n    After the third day, he was introduced to the king; when\n    measuring off four cubits upon the floor with the stick he held\n    in his hand, he said to Solomon, \"When thou diest, thou wilt not\n    possess in this world (he referred to the grave) more than four\n    cubits of earth. Meanwhile thou has conquered the world, yet\n    thou wert not satisfied until thou hadst overcome me also.\" To\n    this the king quietly replied, \"I want nothing of thee, but I\n    wish to build the Temple and have need of the _Shameer_.\" To\n    which Ashmedai at once answered, \"The Shameer is not committed\n    in charge to me, but to the Prince of the Sea, and he intrusts\n    it to no one except to the great wild cock, and that upon an\n    oath that he return it to him again.\" Whereupon Solomon asked,\n    \"And what does the wild cock do with the Shameer?\" To which the\n    demon replied, \"He takes it to a barren rocky mountain, and by\n    means of it he cleaves the mountain asunder, into the cleft of\n    which, formed into a valley, he drops the seeds of various\n    plants and trees, and thus the place becomes clothed with\n    verdure and fit for habitation.\" This is the _Shameer_ (Lev. xi.\n    19), Nagger Tura, which the Targum renders Mountain Splitter.\n\n    They therefore searched for the nest of the wild cock, which\n    they found contained a young brood. This they covered with a\n    glass, that the bird might see its young, but not be able to get\n    at them. When accordingly the bird came and found his nest\n    impenetrably glazed over, he went and fetched the Shameer. Just\n    as he was about to apply it to the glass in order to cut it,\n    Solomon's messenger gave a startling shout, and this so agitated\n    the bird that he dropped the Shameer, and Solomon's messenger\n    caught it up and made off with it. The cock thereupon went and\n    strangled himself, because he was unable to keep the oath by\n    which he had bound himself to return the Shameer.\n\n    Benaiah asked Ashmedai why, when he saw the blind man straying,\n    he so promptly interfered to guide him? \"Because,\" he replied,\n    \"it was proclaimed in heaven that that man was perfectly\n    righteous, and that whosoever did him a good turn would earn a\n    title to a place in the world of the future.\" \"And when thou\n    sawest the man overcome with wine wandering out of his way, why\n    didst thou put him right again?\" Ashmedai said, \"Because it was\n    made known in heaven that that man was thoroughly bad, and I\n    have done him a good service that he might not lose all, but\n    receive some good in the world that now is.\" \"Well, and why\n    didst thou weep when thou sawest the merry wedding-party pass?\"\n    \"Because,\" said he, \"the bridegroom was fated to die within\n    thirty days and the bride must needs wait thirteen years for her\n    husband's brother, who is now but an infant\" (see Deut. xxv.\n    5-10). \"Why didst thou laugh so when the man ordered a pair of\n    shoes that would last him seven years?\" Ashmedai replied,\n    \"Because the man himself was not sure of living seven days.\"\n    \"And why,\" asked Benaiah, \"didst thou jeer when thou sawest the\n    conjuror at his tricks?\" \"Because,\" said Ashmedai, \"the man was\n    at that very time sitting on a princely treasure, and he did\n    not, with all his pretension, know that it was under him.\"\n\n    Having once acquired a power over Ashmedai, Solomon detained him\n    till the building of the Temple was completed. One day after\n    this, when they were alone, it is related that Solomon,\n    addressing him, asked him, \"What, pray, is your superiority over\n    us, if it be true, as it is written (Num. xxiii. 22), 'He has\n    the strength of a unicorn,' and the word 'strength,' as\n    tradition alleges, means 'ministering angels,' and the word\n    'unicorn' means 'devils'?\" Ashmedai replied, \"Just take this\n    chain from my neck, and give me thy signet-ring, and I'll soon\n    show thee my superiority.\" No sooner did Solomon comply with\n    this request, than Ashmedai, snatching him up, swallowed him;\n    then stretching forth his wings--one touching the heaven and the\n    other the earth--he vomited him out again to a distance of four\n    hundred miles. It is with reference to this time that Solomon\n    says (Eccl. i. 3; ii. 10), \"What profit hath a man of all his\n    labor which he taketh under the sun? This is my portion of all\n    my labor.\" What does the word this mean? Upon this point Rav and\n    Samuel are at variance, for the one says it means his staff, the\n    other holds that it means his garment or water-jug; and that\n    with one or other Solomon went about from door to door begging;\n    and wherever he came he said (Eccl. i. 12), \"I, the preacher,\n    was king over Israel in Jerusalem.\" When in his wanderings he\n    came to the house of the Sanhedrin, the Rabbis reasoned and\n    said, if he were mad he would not keep repeating the same things\n    over and over again; therefore what does he mean? They therefore\n    inquired of Benaiah, \"Does the king ask thee into his presence?\"\n    He replied, \"No!\" They then sent to see whether the king visited\n    the hareem. And the answer to this was, \"Yes, he comes.\" Then\n    the Rabbis sent word back that they should look at his feet, for\n    the devil's feet are like those of a cock. The reply was, \"He\n    comes to us in stockings.\" Upon this information the Rabbis\n    escorted Solomon back to the palace, and restored to him the\n    chain and the ring, on both of which the name of God was\n    engraven. Arrayed with these, Solomon advanced straightway into\n    the presence-chamber. Ashmedai sat at that moment on the throne,\n    but as soon as he saw Solomon enter, he took fright and raising\n    his wings, flew away, shrieking back into invisibility. In spite\n    of this, Solomon continued in great fear of him; and this\n    explains that which is written (Song of Songs, iii. 7, 8),\n    \"Behold the bed which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are\n    about it, of the valiant of Israel; they all hold swords, being\n    expert in war; every man has his sword upon his thigh, because\n    of fear in the night.\" (See Gittin, fol. 68, cols, 1, 2.)\n\n    Ashmedai is the Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit, iii. 8, vi. 14,\n    etc, The Shameer is mentioned in Jer. xvii. i; Ezek. iii. 9;\n    Zech. vii. 12. The Seventy in the former passage and the Vulgate\n    passim take it for the diamond.\n\nSix things are said respecting the children of men, in three of which\nthey are like angels, and in three they are like animals. They have\nintelligence like angels, they walk erect like angels, and they converse\nin the holy tongue like angels. They eat and drink like animals, they\ngenerate and multiply like animals, and they relieve nature like\nanimals.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 16, col. 1.\n\nSix months did the Shechinah hesitate to depart from the midst of Israel\nin the wilderness, in hopes that they would repent. At last, when they\npersisted in impenitence, the Shechinah said, \"May their bones be\nblown;\" as it is written (Job xi. 20), \"The eyes of the wicked shall\nfail, they shall not escape, and their hopes shall be as the blowing out\nof the spirit.\"\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nSix names were given to Solomon:--Solomon, Jedidiah, Koheleth, Son of\nJakeh, Agur, and Lemuel.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 39.\n\nSix years old was Dinah when she gave birth to Asenath, whom she bore\nunto Shechem.\n\n_Sophrim_, chap. 21.\n\n\"And the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household\" (2 Sam. vi. 11).\nIn what did the blessing consist? Rav Yehudah bar Zavidah says it\nconsisted in this, that Hamoth, his wife, and her eight daughters-in-law\ngave birth each to six children at a time. (This is proved from 1 Chron.\nxxvi. 5, 8.)\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 63, col. 2.\n\nSix things were done by Hezekiah the king, but the sages praised him for\nthree only:--(1.) He dragged the bones of his father Ahaz on a hurdle of\nropes, for this they commended him; (2.) he broke to pieces the brazen\nserpent, for this they commended him; (3.) he hid the Book of Remedies,\nand for this too they praised him. For three they blamed him:--(1.) He\nstripped the doors of the Temple and sent the gold thereof to the King\nof Assyria; (2.) he stopped up the upper aqueduct of Gihon; (3.) he\nintercalated the month Nisan.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 56, col. 1.\n\nThe hiding of the Book of Remedies, harsh and inhuman as it might seem,\nwas dictated by high moral considerations. It seemed right that the\ntransgressor should feel the weight of his sin in the suffering that\nfollowed, and that the edge of judgment should not be dulled by a too\neasy access to anodyne applications. The reason for stopping the\naqueduct of Gihon is given in 2 Chron. xxxii. 3, 4. The inhabitants of\nJerusalem did the very same thing when the Crusaders besieged the city,\nA.D. 1099. Rashi tries to explain why this stratagem was not commended;\nthe reason he gives is that Hezekiah ought to have trusted God, who had\nsaid (2 Kings xix. 34), \"I will defend the city.\"\n\nSix things are said of the horse:--It is wanton, it delights in the\nstrife of war, it is high-spirited, it despises sleep, it eats much and\nit voids little. There are some that say it would fain kill its own\nmaster.\n\nIbid., fol. 113, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that there are six sorts of fire:--(1.) Fire that\neats but drinks not, i.e., common fire; (2.) fire that drinks but does\nnot eat, i.e., a fever; (3.) fire that eats and drinks, i.e., Elijah, as\nit is written (1 Kings xviii. 38), \"And licked up the water that was in\nthe trench;\" (4.) fire that burns up moist things as soon as dry, i.e.,\nthe fire on the altar; (5.) fire that counteracts other fire, i.e., like\nthat of Gabriel; (6.) fire that consumes fire, for the Master has said\n(Sanhed., fol. 38, col. 2), \"God stretched out His finger among the\nangels and consumed them,\" i.e., by His own essential fire.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 2.\n\nFor six months David was afflicted with leprosy; for it is said (Ps. li.\n7), \"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be\nwhiter than snow.\" At that time the Shechinah departed from him; for it\nis said (Ps. li. 12), \"Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;\" and\nthe Sanhedrin kept aloof from him, for it is said (Ps. cxix. 79), \"Let\nthose that fear thee turn unto me.\" That this ailment lasted six months\nis proved from 1 Kings ii. 11, where it is said, \"And the days that\nDavid reigned over Israel were forty years; seven years he reigned in\nHebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem;\" whereas in 2\nSam. v. 5, it is said, \"In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and\nsix months.\" The reason why these six months are omitted in Kings is\nbecause during that period he was afflicted with leprosy.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 107, col. 1.\n\nThe tables of stone were six ells long, six broad, and three thick.\n\n_Nedarim_, fol. 38, col. 8.\n\n    It may help the reader to some idea of the strength of Moses if\n    we work out arithmetically the size and probable weight of these\n    stone slabs according to the Talmud. Taking the cubit or ell at\n    its lowest estimate, that is eighteen inches, each slab, being\n    nine feet long, nine feet wide, and four and a half feet thick,\n    would weigh upward of twenty-eight tons, reckoning thirteen\n    cubic feet to the ton,--the right estimate for such stone as is\n    quarried from the Sinaitic cliff. The figures are 9 X 9 X 9/2 =\n    729/2 = 364.5 X 173.5 = 63240.75 = 28 tons, 4 cwt., 2 qrs., 16\n    lbs. avoirdupois.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that these six things possess medicinal\nvirtue:--Cabbage, lungwort, beetroot, water, and certain parts of the\noffal of animals, and some also say little fishes.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 29, col. 1.\n\nOver six the Angel of Death had no dominion, and these were:--Abraham,\nIsaac, and Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Respecting the first three\nit is written, \"in all\" (Gen. xxiv. 1), \"of all\" (Gen. xxvii. 33) \"all\"\n(A.V. \"enough,\" Gen. xxxiii. 11). Respecting the last three it is\nwritten, \"by the mouth of Jehovah\" (see Num. xxxiii. 38, and Deut.\nxxxiv. 5).\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 17, col. i.\n\n    According to Jewish tradition, there are 903 kinds of death, as\n    is elicited by a Kabbalistic rule called gematria, from the word\n    outlets (Ps. lxviii. 20); the numeric value of the letters of\n    which word is 903. Of these 903 kinds of death, the divine kiss\n    is the easiest. God puts His favorite children to sleep, the\n    sleep of death, by kissing their souls away. It was thus\n    Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob fell asleep, as may be inferred from\n    the word all; that is to say, they had all the honor God could\n    confer upon them. Moses and Aaron fell asleep by the divine\n    kiss, for it is plainly stated to have been \"by the mouth of\n    Jehovah.\" So also Miriam passed away, only the Scripture does\n    not say lest the scoffer should find fault. We are also informed\n    that quinsy is the hardest death of all. (See _Berachoth_, fol.\n    8, col. 1.)\n\n\"These six of barley gave he me.\" What does this mean? It cannot surely\nbe understood of six barleycorns, for it could not be the custom of Boaz\nto give a present of six grains of barley. It must, therefore, have been\nsix measures. But was it usual for a woman to carry such a load as six\nmeasures would come to? What he intended by the number six was to give\nher a hint that in process of time six sons would proceed from her, each\nof which would be blessed with six blessings; and these were David, the\nMessiah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. David, as it is written\n(1 Sam. xvi. 8), (1.) \"Cunning in playing,\" (2.) \"and a mighty and\nvaliant man,\" (3.) \"a man of war,\" (4.) \"prudent in matters,\" (5.) \"a\ncomely person,\" (6.) and \"the Lord is with him.\" The Messiah, for it is\nwritten (Isa. xi. 2), \"And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,\"\nviz, (1.) \"The spirit of wisdom and (2.) understanding, (3.) the spirit\nof counsel and (4.) might, (5.) the spirit of knowledge, and (6.) the\nfear of the Lord.\" Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, for regarding\nthem it is written (Dan. i. 4), (1.) \"Young men in whom was no blemish,\"\n(2.) \"handsome in looks,\" (3.) \"intelligent in wisdom,\" (4.) \"acquainted\nwith knowledge,\" (5.) \"and understanding science, and such as (6.) had\nability to stand in the palace of the king,\" etc. But what is the\nmeaning of unblemished? Rav Chama ben Chanania says it means that not\neven the scar of a lancet was upon them.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 93, cols, 1, 2.\n\n    The words \"not even the scar of a lancet was upon them,\" bespeak\n    the prevalence of blood-letting in the East, and the absence of\n    the scar of the lancet on the persons of Daniel and his\n    companions is a testimony to their health of body and moral\n    temperance and purity.\n\n    In Taanith (fol. 21, col. 2) mention is made of a certain\n    phlebotomist--a noteworthy exception to the well-known rule (see\n    Kiddushin, fol. 82, col. 2) that phlebotomists are to be\n    regarded as morally depraved, and in the same class with\n    goldsmiths, perfumers, hairdressers, etc.,--Abba Umna by name,\n    who had a special mantle with slits in the sleeves for females,\n    so that he could surgically operate upon them without seeing\n    their naked arms, while he himself was covered over head and\n    shoulders in a peculiar cloak, so that his own face could not by\n    any chance be seen by them.\n\n    From Shabbath, fol. 156, col. 1, we learn that a person born\n    under the influence of Maadim, i.e., Mars, will in one way or\n    another be a shedder of blood, such as a phlebotomist, a butcher,\n    a highwayman, etc., etc.\n\nSix blasts of the horn were blown on Sabbath-eve. The first was to set\nfree the laborers in the fields from their work; those that worked near\nthe city waited for those that worked at a distance and all entered the\nplace together. The second blast was to warn the citizens to suspend\ntheir employments and shut up their shops. At the third blast the women\nwere to have ready the various dishes they had prepared for the Sabbath\nand to light the lamps in honor of the day. Then three more blasts were\nblown in succession, and the Sabbath commenced.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 35, col. 2.\n\nHe who passes seven nights in succession without dreaming deserves to be\ncalled wicked.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 14, col. 1.\n\nGehinnom has seven names:--Sheol (Jonah ii. 2), Avadon (Ps. lxxxviii.\n11), Shachath (Ps. xvi. 2), Horrible pit (Ps. xl. 2), Miry clay (Ps. xl.\n2), the Shadow of death (Ps. cvii. 14), the Subterranean land.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 19, col. 1.\n\nA dog in a strange place does not bark for seven years.\n\nIbid., fol. 61, col. 1.\n\nSeven things were formed before the creation of the world:--The Law,\nRepentance, Paradise, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the\nname of the Messiah.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 54, col. 1.\n\n    The Midrash Yalkut (p. 7) enumerates the same list almost word\n    for word, and the Targum of Ben Uzziel develops the tradition\n    still further, while the Targum Yerushalmi fixes the date of the\n    origin of the seven prehistoric wonders at \"two thousand years\n    before the creation of the world.\"\n\nSeven things are hid from the knowledge of a man:--The day of death, the\nday of resurrection, the depth of judgment (i.e., the future reward or\npunishment), what is in the heart of his fellow-man, what his reward\nwill be, when the kingdom of David will be restored, and when the\nkingdom of Persia will fall.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 54, col. 2.\n\nSeven are excommunicated before heaven:--A Jew who has no wife, and even\none who is married but has no male children; and he that has sons but\ndoes not train them up to study the law; he who does not wear\nphylacteries on his forehead and upon his arm and fringes upon his\ngarment, and has no mezuzah on his doorpost; and he who goes barefooted.\n\nIbid., fol. 113, col. 2.\n\nThere are seven skies:--Villon, Raakia, Shechakim, Zevul, Maaon,\nMaachon, and Aravoth.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 12, col. 2.\n\nSeven days before the Day of Atonement they removed the high priest from\nhis own residence to the chamber of the President, and appointed another\npriest as his deputy in case he should meet with such an accident as\nwould incapacitate him from going through the service of the day. Rabbi\nYehudah says they also had to betroth him to another woman lest his own\nwife should die meanwhile, for it is said, \"And he shall make an\natonement for himself and for his house,\"--his house, that is, his wife.\nIn reference to this precautionary rule it was observed, there might\nthen be no end to the matter (Rashi), should this woman die also.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 2, col. 1.\n\nThey associated with the high priest the senior elders of the Sanhedrin,\nwho read over to him the _agenda_ of the day, and then said to him, \"My\nlord high priest, read thou for thyself; perhaps thou hast forgotten it,\nor maybe thou hast not learned it at all.\" On the day before the Day of\nAtonement he was taken to the East Gate when they caused oxen, rams, and\nlambs to pass before him, that he might become well-versed and expert in\nhis official duties. During the whole of the seven (preparatory) days\nneither victuals nor drink were withheld from him, but toward dusk on\nthe eve of the Day of Atonement they did not allow him to eat much, for\nmuch food induces sleep. Then the elders of the Sanhedrin surrendered\nhim to the elders of the priesthood, and these conducted him to the hall\nof the house of Abtinas, and there they swore him in; and after bidding\nhim good-bye, they went away. In administering the oath they said, \"My\nlord high priest, we are ambassadors of the Sanhedrin; thou art our\nambassador and the ambassador of the Sanhedrin as well. We adjure thee,\nby Him who causes His name to dwell in this house, that thou alter not\nanything that we have told thee!\" Then they parted, both they and he\nweeping. He wept because they suspected he was a Sadducee, and they wept\nbecause the penalty for wrongly suspecting persons is scourging. If he\nwas a learned man he preached (during the night); if not, learned men\npreached before him. If he was a ready reader, he read; if not, others\nread to him. What were the books read over to him? Job, Ezra, and the\nChronicles. Zechariah the son of Kevootal says, \"I have often read\nbefore him the Book of Daniel.\" If he became drowsy, the juniors of the\npriestly order fillipped their middle fingers before him, and said, \"My\nlord high priest, stand up and cool thy feet upon the pavement.\" Thus\nthey kept him engaged till the time of slaughtering (the sacrifices).\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 18, cols, 1, 2; fol. 19, col. 2.\n\n    Sacerdos nascitur, non fit,--a priest is born, not made, we may\n    truly say, just altering one word of a well-known proverb. His\n    father was a priest, and so were his forefathers as far back as\n    the time of Aaron; his sons and his sons' sons after him will\n    belong to the priestly order, and so the name was far too often\n    only the badge for exclusive and hereditary privilege. This\n    rule, that applies to the priests, holds good also with regard\n    to the Levites. (_Berachoth_, fol. 29, col. 1.)\n\nThere was a town in the land of Israel called Gophnith, where there were\neighty couples of brother priests who married eighty couples of sister\npriestesses in one night.\n\n_Berachoth_ fol. 44, col. 1.\n\nFlay a carcass and take thy fee, but say not it is humiliating because I\nam a priest, I am a great man.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 113, col. 1.\n\n    Philo Jud\u00e6us, De Sac. Honor, (p. 833), says, \"The hides of the\n    burnt-offerings proved a rich perquisite of the priesthood.\"\n\nThe number of high priests who officiated in succession during the 410\nyears of the continuance of the first Temple was only eighteen, but the\nnumber who held office during the 420 years of the second Temple\namounted to more than three hundred, most of them having died within a\nyear after their entrance upon the office. The reason assigned by the\nTalmud for the long lives of the former and the short lives of the\nlatter is the text given in Prov. x. 27, \"The fear of the Lord\nprolongeth days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.\"\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 9, col. 1.\n\nBefore a priest could be admitted into active service in the Temple he\nhad to undergo bodily inspection at the hands of the syndicate of the\nSanhedrin. If they found the least defect in his body, even a mole with\nhair upon it, he was ordered to dress in black and be dismissed; but if\nhe was perfectly free from blemish, he was arrayed in white, and at once\nintroduced to his brother priests and official duties.\n\nIbid., fol. 19, col. 1.\n\nThe daughters of a male proselyte who has married the daughter of a\nfemale proselyte are eligible to marry priests.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 57, col. 1.\n\nIf thou seest an impudent priest, think not evil of him; for it is said\n(Hosea iv. 4), \"Thy people are as they that strive with the priest\" (see\nchap. ii. p. 25, Note c.).\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 70, col. 2.\n\nSo long as there is a diadem on the head of the priest, there is a crown\non the head of every man. Remove the diadem from the head of the high\npriest and you take away the crown from the head of all the people.\n(This is a Talmudic comment on Ezek. xxi. 31; A. Ver., 26.)\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 7, col. 1.\n\nA king shaved his head every day, a high priest did the same once a\nweek, and an ordinary priest once a month.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 22, col. 2.\n\nWhen a priest performs the service of the Temple in a state of\ndefilement, his brother priests are not required to lead him before the\ntribunal, but the juniors of the priestly order are to drag him out into\nthe hall and brain him with clubs.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 81, col. 2.\n\nWhen kings were anointed, the holy oil was laid on the forehead in the\nform of a coronet, and when, says Rabbi Mansi bar Gadda, priests were\nanointed, the operation was performed in the shape of the Greek letter\nk.\n\n_Horayoth_, fol. 12, col. 1.\n\nA learned man who is of illegitimate birth is preferable to an ignorant\npriest.\n\nIbid., fol. 13, col. 1.\n\nA priest who makes no confession during service has no part in the\npriesthood. (He forfeits his emoluments.)\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 18, col. 2.\n\nThe bald-headed, the dwarfed, and the blear-eyed are ineligible for the\npriesthood.\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 43, col. 2.\n\nRav Chisda says, \"The portions that fall to the priests are not to be\neaten except roasted and that with mustard,\" because Scripture says\n(Num. xviii. 8), \"by reason of the anointing,\" i.e., by way of\ndistinction, for only kings (who, of course, are anointed) eat roast\nmeat with mustard.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 132, col. 2.\n\nIf a case of mistaken identity should occur between the child of a\npriestess and the child of her female slave, so that the one cannot be\ndistinguished from the other, they both are to eat of the heave-offering\nand to receive one share from the threshing-floor. When grown up, each\nis to set the other free.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 42, col. 2.\n\nFrom the old clothes of the priests the wicks were made for the lamps in\nthe Temple.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 21, col. 1.\n\nScripture authority is given in proof that the very garments possessed\nthe faculty of making atonement for sin every whit as effectually as\nanimal sacrifices. We are taught that the priest's shirt atones for\nmurder, his drawers atone for whoredom, his mitre for pride, his girdle\nfor evil thoughts, his breastplate for injustice, his ephod for\nidolatry; his overcoat atones for slander, and the golden plate on his\nforehead atones for impudence.\n\n_Zevachim_, fol. 88, col. 2.\n\n    All this and a great deal more on the subject may be found in\n    the Selichoth for Yom Kippur.\n\nFor seven years was the land of Israel strewn with brimstone and salt.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 54, col. 1.\n\n\"Then shall we raise against him seven shepherds\" (Micah. v. 5). Who are\nthese seven shepherds? David in the middle: Adam, Seth, and Methuselah\non his right hand; Abraham, Jacob, and Moses on his left.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 52, col. 2.\n\nWho were the seven prophetesses? The answer is, Sarah, Miriam, Deborah,\nHannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther.\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 14, col. 2.\n\nIt is lawful to look into the face of a bride for seven days after her\nmarriage, in order to enhance the affection with which she is regarded\nby her husband, and there is no Halachah (or law) like this.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 17, col. 1.\n\n    The Rabbis are especially careful to caution their daughters to\n    guard against such habits as might lower them in the regard of\n    their husbands, lest they should lose aught of that purifying\n    and elevating power which they exercised as maidens. It is thus,\n    for instance, Rav Chisda counsels his daughters: \"Be ye modest\n    before your husbands and do not even eat before them. Eat not\n    vegetables or dates in the evening, and touch not strong drink.\"\n    (_Shabbath_, fol. 140, col. 2.)\n\nOnce upon a time a demon in the shape of a seven-headed dragon came\nforth against Rav Acha and threatened to harm him, but the Rabbi threw\nhimself on his knees, and every time he fell down to pray he knocked off\none of these heads, and thus eventually killed the dragon.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 29, col. 2.\n\nOn the seventh of the month Adar, Moses died, and on that day the manna\nceased to come down from heaven.\n\nIbid., fol. 38, col. 1.\n\n    The seventh of Adar is still, and has long been, kept sacred as\n    the day of the death of Moses our Rabbi--peace be with him!--and\n    that on the authority of T.B. Kiddushin (as quoted above), and\n    Soteh, fol. 10, col. 2; but Josephus (Book iv. chap. 8, sec. 49)\n    most distinctly affirms that Moses died \"on the first day of the\n    month,\" and the Midrash on Esther may be quoted in corroboration\n    of his statement. The probability is that the Talmud is right on\n    this matter, but it is altogether wrong in connecting with this\n    event the stoppage of the manna (see Josh. v. 10, 12).\n\nSeven years did the nations of the world cultivate their vineyards with\nno other manure than the blood of Israel. Rabbi Chiya, the son of Abin,\nsays that Rabbi Yehoshua, the son of Korcha, said, \"An old man, an\ninhabitant of Jerusalem, related to me that Nebuzaradan, captain of the\nguard, killed in this valley 211 myriads (about 2,110,000), and in\nJerusalem he slaughtered upon one stone 94 myriads (940,000), so that\nthe blood flowed until it reached the blood of Zechariah, in order that\nthat might be fulfilled which is said (Hosea iv. 2), 'And blood toucheth\nblood.'\"\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 57, col. 1.\n\nThe seventh of Adar, on which Moses died, was the same day of the same\nmonth on which he was born.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 10, col. 2.\n\nA male hy\u00e6na after seven years becomes a bat; this after seven years, a\nvampire; this after other seven years, a nettle; this after seven years\nmore, a thorn; and this again after seven years is turned into a demon.\nIf a man does not devoutly bow during the repetition of the daily prayer\nwhich commences, \"we reverently acknowledge,\" his spine after seven\nyears becomes a serpent.\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 16, col. 1.\n\nIt is related of Benjamin the righteous, who was keeper of the poor-box,\nthat a woman came to him at a period of famine and solicited food. \"By\nthe worship of God,\" he replied, \"there is nothing in the box.\" She then\nexclaimed, \"O Rabbi, if thou dost not feed me I and my seven children\nmust needs starve.\" Upon which he relieved her from his own private\npurse. In course of time he fell ill and was nigh unto death. Then the\nministering angels interceded with the Holy One--blessed be He!--and\nsaid, \"Lord of the Universe, Thou hast said he that preserveth one\nsingle soul of Israel alive is as if he had preserved the life of the\nwhole world; and shall Benjamin the righteous, who preserved a poor\nwoman and her seven children, die so prematurely?\" Instantly the\ndeath-warrant which had gone forth was torn up, and twenty-two years\nwere added to his life.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 11, col. 1.\n\nSeven prophets have prophesied to the nations of the world, and these\nwere Balaam and his father, Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the\nShuhite, Zophar the Naamathite, and Elihu the son of Barachel the\nBuzite.\n\nIbid., fol. 15. col. 2.\n\nThere are seven who are not consumed by the worm in the grave, and these\nare Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, and Benjamin\nthe son of Jacob.\n\nIbid., fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nSeven men form an unbroken series from the creation down to our own\ntime. Methuselah saw Adam, Shem saw Methuselah, Jacob saw Shem, Amram\nsaw Jacob, and Ahijah the Shilonite saw Amram, and Ahijah was seen by\nElijah, who is alive to this day.\n\nIbid., fol. 121, col. 2.\n\nSeven years' famine will not affect the artisan.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 29, col. 1.\n\nSeven years of pestilence will not cause a man to die before his time.\n\nIbid.\n\n\"And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were\nupon the earth\" (Gen. vii. 10). Why this delay of seven days? Rav says\nthey were the days of mourning for Methuselah; and this teaches us that\nmourning for the righteous will defer a coming calamity. Another\nexplanation is, that the Holy One--blessed be He!--altered the course of\nnature during these seven days, so that the sun arose in the west and\nset in the east.\n\nIbid., fol. 108, col. 2.\n\nThe first step in transgression is evil thought, the second scoffing,\nthe third pride, the fourth outrage, the fifth idleness, the sixth\nhatred, and the seventh an evil eye.\n\n_Derech Eretz Zuta_, chap. 6.\n\nSeven things cause affliction:--Slander, shedding of blood, perjury,\nadultery, pride, robbery, and envy.\n\n_Erchin_, fol. 17, col. 2.\n\nA ram has but one voice while alive but seven after he is dead. How so?\nHis horns make two trumpets, his hip-bones two pipes, his skin can be\nextended into a drum, his larger intestines can yield strings for the\nlyre and the smaller chords for the harp.\n\n_Kinnim_, chap. 3, mish. 6.\n\nRav Chisda said, The soul of a man mourns over him the first seven days\nafter his decease; for it is said (Job xiv. 22), \"And his soul shall\nmourn over him.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 152, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that a man should not drink water on Wednesdays\nand Saturdays after night-fall, for if he does, his blood, because of\nrisk, will be upon his own head. What risk? That from an evil spirit who\non these evenings prowls abroad. But if the man be thirsty, what is he\nto do? Let him repeat over the water the seven voices ascribed to the\nLord by David in Psalm xxix. 3-9, \"The voice of the Lord is upon the\nwaters,\" etc.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 112, col. 1.\n\nSeven precepts did Rabbi Akiva give to his son Rabbi Yehoshua:--(1.) My\nson, teach not in the highest place of the city; (2.) Dwell not in a\ncity where the leading men are disciples of the wise; (3.) Enter not\nsuddenly into thine own house, and of course not into thy neighbor's;\n(4.) Do not go about without shoes; (5.) Rise early and eat in summer\ntime because of the heat, and in winter time because of the cold; (6.)\nMake thy Sabbath as a week-day rather than depend for support on other\npeople; (7.) Strive to keep on close friendly terms with the man whom\nfortune favors (lit. on whom the present hour smiles). Rav Pappa adds,\n\"This does not refer to buying or selling, but to partnership.\"\n\nIbid.\n\nHow is it proved that mourning should be kept up for seven days? It is\nwritten (Amos viii. 10), \"I will turn your feasts into mourning,\" and\nthese in many cases lasted seven days.\n\n_Moed Katon_, fol 20, col. 1.\n\nRav Chisda said there are seven kinds of gold:--Gold, good gold, the\ngold of Ophir, purified gold, beaten gold, shut-up gold, and gold of\nParvain.\n\n_Yoma_ fol. 44, col. 2.\n\n    The shut-up gold (1 Kings vi. 12) was of the purest and rarest\n    quality, so that when it appeared in the market for sale, all\n    shops in the locality were \"shut up,\" for there could be no sale\n    of any other gold before that. All gold-dealers \"shut up\" their\n    shops in order to be present on so rare an occasion; and hence\n    the name of this kind of gold--\"shut-up gold.\"\n\nEach day of the Feast of Tabernacles they walked round the altar once,\nand said, \"O Lord, save us, we beseech Thee! O Lord, prosper us, we\nbeseech Thee!\" But on the last day they encompassed it seven times. On\ntheir departure they said, \"Beauty belongeth to thee, O altar! Beauty\nbelongeth to thee, O altar!\"\n\n_Succah_, fol. 45, col. 1.\n\n    It deserves to be noted here for the information of some of our\n    readers that the words translated above, Save now, or Save, we\n    beseech thee, are the original of our word Hosanna. The 25th and\n    26th verses of Psalm cxviii, which begin with this expression,\n    were repeated at the Feast of Tabernacles; and hence the bundles\n    of palm and willow branches (carried on this occasion), the\n    prayers, and the festival itself, were so named, i.e. Hosanna.\n\nThe Tempter is known by seven distinctive epithets:--(1) The Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--calls him evil; as it is said, \"For the imagination\nof man's heart is evil.\" (2.) Moses calls him uncircumcised; as it is\nsaid (Deut. x. 16), \"Circumcise therefore the uncircumcised foreskin of\nyour heart.\" (3.) David calls him unclean; as it is said (Ps. li. 10),\n\"Create in me a clean heart, O God!\" Consequently there must be an\nunclean one. (4.) Solomon calls him enemy; as it is said (Prov. xxv. 21,\n22), \"If thine enemy hunger, give him bread to eat; if he be thirsty,\ngive him water to drink; for thus thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his\nhead, and the Lord shall reward thee\" (i.e., oppose him with the law.\nThe word rendered bread, is metaphorically taken for the law, Prov. ix.\n5, so that give him water to drink means also the law, Isa. lv.\n1--Rashi. And the Lord reward thee, read not reward, but cause him to\nmake peace with thee, not to war against thee.) (5.) Isaiah calls him\nstumbling-block; as it is said (Isa. lvii. 14), \"Cast ye up, cast ye up,\nprepare the way, take up the stumbling-block out of the way of my\npeople.\" (6.) Ezekiel calls him stone; as it is said (Ezek. xxxvi. 26),\n\"I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh and I will give\nyou a heart of flesh.\" (7.) Joel calls him the hidden one; as it is said\n(Joel ii. 20), \"I will remove far from you the hidden one,\" i.e., the\ntempter who remains hidden in the heart of man; \"and I will drive him\ninto a land barren and desolate,\" i.e., where the children of men do not\nusually dwell; \"with his face toward the former sea,\" i.e., with his\neyes set upon the first Temple, which he destroyed, slaying the\ndisciples of the wise that were in it; \"and his hinder part toward the\nlatter sea,\" i.e., with his eyes set on the second Temple, which he\ndestroyed, also slaying the disciples of the wise that were in it.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 52, col. 1.\n\nOnce a Jewish mother with her seven sons suffered martyrdom at the hands\nof the Emperor. The sons, when ordered by the latter to do homage to the\nidols of the Empire, declined, and justified their disobedience by\nquoting each a simple text from the sacred Scriptures. When the seventh\nwas brought forth, it is related that Caesar, for appearance' sake,\noffered to spare him if only he would stoop and pick up a ring from the\nground which had been dropped on purpose. \"Alas for thee, O Caesar!\"\nanswered the boy; \"if thou art so zealous for thine honor, how much more\nzealous ought we to be for the honor of the Holy One--blessed be He!\" On\nhis being led away to the place of execution, the mother craved and\nobtained leave to give him a farewell kiss. \"Go, my child,\" said she,\n\"and say to Abraham, Thou didst build an altar for the sacrifice of one\nson, but I have erected altars for seven sons.\" She then turned away and\nthrew herself down headlong from the roof and expired, when the echo of\na voice was heard exclaiming (Ps. cxiii. 9), \"The joyful mother of\nchildren\" (or, the mother of the children rejoiceth).\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 57, col. 2.\n\n    The story of this martyrdom is narrated at much greater length\n    in the Books of Maccabees (Book iii. chap. 7, Book iv. chaps.\n    8-18). In a Latin version the names are given, that of the\n    mother Solomona, and her sons respectively Maccabeus, Aber,\n    Machir, Judas, Achaz, Areth, while the hero of our Talmudic\n    reference, the seventh and last, is styled Jacob. Josephus,\n    Ant., Book xii. chap. 6, sec. 4, may also be referred to for\n    further and varying details.\n\nThe land of Israel was not destroyed till the seven courts of judgment\nhad fallen into idolatry, and these are they:--Jeroboam, the son of\nNebat; Baasha, the son of Ahijah; Ahab, the son of Omri; Jehu, the son\nof Nimshi; Pekah, the son of Remaliah; Menahem, the son of Gadi; and\nHoshea, the son of Elah; as it is written (Jer. xv. 9), \"She that hath\nborne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone\ndown while it is yet day; she hath been ashamed and confounded.\"\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 88, col. 1.\n\n\"He stood and measured the earth; he beheld and freed the Gentiles\n(A.V., he drove asunder the nations, Hab. iii. 6); he beheld that the\nseven precepts which the children of Noah accepted were not observed; he\nstood up and set their property free for the service of Israel.\"\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 38, col. 1.\n\n    This is one of the weightier expositions met with from time to\n    time in the Talmud, in which one recognizes a more than\n    ordinarily deep and earnest feeling on the part of the\n    commentator. The interpreter expresses himself as a man instinct\n    with the exclusive Hebrew spirit, and as such claims his title\n    to the whole inheritance. It is a claim abstractly defensible,\n    and the just assertion of it is the basis of all rights over\n    others. The only question here is whether the Jew alone is\n    invested with the privilege. There can be little doubt that the\n    principle on which he claims enfeoffment in the estate is a\n    sound one, that the earth belongs in no case to the sons of\n    Belial, only to the sons of God.\n\nSeven things distinguish an ill-bred man and seven a wise man:--The wise\nman (1.) does not talk before his superior in wisdom and years; (2.) he\ndoes not interrupt another when speaking; (3.) he is not hasty to make\nreply; (4.) his questions are to the point, and his answers are\naccording to the Halachah; (5.) his subjects of discourse are orderly\narranged, the first subject first and the last last; (6.) if he has not\nheard of a thing, he says, I have not heard it; and (7.) he confesseth\nthe truth. The characteristics of the ill-bred man are just the contrary\nof these.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 5, mish. 10.\n\nIf a man does not work during the six days of the week, he may be\nobliged to work all the seven.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 11.\n\nSeven have no portion in the world to come:--A notary; a schoolmaster,\nthe best of physicians, a judge who dispenses justice in his own native\ntown, a wizard, a congregational reader (or law-officer), and a butcher.\n\n_Avoth d Rab. Nathan_, chap. 37.\n\nSeven attributes avail before the Throne of Glory, and these\nare:--Wisdom, righteousness, judgment, grace, mercy, truth, and peace.\n\nIbid., chap. 36.\n\nThere are seven points in which a righteous man excels another:--(1.)\nThe wife of the one is more comely than the other's; (2.) so are the\nchildren of the one as compared with those of the other; (3.) if the two\npartake of one dish, each enjoys the taste according to his doings; (4.)\nif the two dye in one vat, by one the article is dyed properly, by the\nother not; (5, etc.) the one excels the other in wisdom, in\nunderstanding, in knowledge, and stature, as it is said (Prov. xii. 26),\n\"The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor.\"\n\nIbid., chap. 37.\n\nSeven patriarchs were covenant-makers:--Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,\nMoses, Aaron, Phinehas, and David.\n\n_Derech Eretz Zuta_, chap. 1.\n\nSeven liquids are comprehended under the generic term drink (Lev. xi.\n34):--Dew, water, wine, oil, blood, milk, and honey.\n\n_Machshirin_, chap. 6, mish 6.\n\nFor tertian fever take seven small grapes from seven different vines;\nseven threads from seven different pieces of cloth; seven nails from\nseven different bridges; seven handfuls of ashes from seven different\nfireplaces; seven bits of pitch from seven ships, one piece from each;\nseven scrapings of dust from as many separate doorways; seven cummin\nseeds; seven hairs from the lower jaw of a dog and tie them upon the\nthroat with a papyrus fibre.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 66, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis teach that the precept relating to the lighting of a candle\nat the Feast of Dedication applies to a whole household, but that those\nwho are particular light a candle for each individual member, and those\nthat are extremely particular light up eight candles on the first day,\nseven on the second, decreasing the number by one each day. This is\naccording to the school of Shammai; but the school of Hillel say that he\nshould light up one on the first day, two on the second, increasing the\nnumber by one each of the eight days of the fast.... What is the origin\nof the feast of Dedication? On the twenty-fifth day of Kislev (about\nDecember), the eight days of the Dedication commence, during which term\nno funeral oration is to be made, nor public fast to be decreed. When\nthe Gentiles (Greeks) entered the second Temple, it was thought they had\ndefiled all the holy oil they found in it; but when the Hasmoneans\nprevailed and conquered them, they sought and found still one jar of oil\nstamped with the seal of the High Priest, and therefore undefiled.\nThough the oil it contained would only have sufficed for one day, a\nmiracle was performed, so that the oil lasted to the end of the week\n(during which time more oil was provided and consecrated for the future\nservice of the Temple). On the anniversary of this occasion the Feast of\nDedication was instituted.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 21, col. 2.\n\n    The Feast of Dedication is annually celebrated by all Jews\n    everywhere, to commemorate the purifying of the Temple and the\n    restoration of its worship after its desecration by Antiochus\n    Epiphanes, of which an account may be found in 1 Maccabees iv.\n    52-59. It is very probable that some of our Christmas\n    festivities are only adaptations of the observances of this\n    Jewish feast in symbolism of Christian ideas. During the eight\n    days of the festival they light up wax candles or oil lamps,\n    according to the rubric of the school of Hillel. Previous to the\n    lighting, the following benedictions are pronounced:--\n\n    \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God! King of the universe, who\n    hath sanctified us with Thy commandment, and commanded us to\n    light the light of Dedication.\"\n\n    \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God! King of the universe, who\n    wrought miracles for our fathers in those days and in this\n    season.\"\n\n    \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Our God! King of the universe, who\n    hath preserved us alive, sustained us, and brought us to enjoy\n    this season.\"\n\n    After the lighting, the following form is repeated:--\"These\n    lights we light to praise Thee for the miracles, wonders,\n    salvation, and victories which Thou didst perform for our\n    fathers in those days and in this season by the hands of Thy\n    holy priests. Wherefore by command these lights are holy all the\n    eight days of the Dedication, neither are we permitted to make\n    any other use of them, but to view them, that we may return\n    thanks to Thy name for Thy miracles, wonderful works, and\n    salvation.\"\n\n    Another commemorative formula is repeated six or seven times a\n    day during this festival; viz, during morning and evening\n    prayers and after each meal.\n\nRabbi Yoshua ben Levi has said a man should never utter an indecent\nword, for the Scripture (Gen. vii. 6) uses eight letters more rather\nthan make use of a word which, without them, would be indecent.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 3, col. i.\n\n    In the passage referred to, the words \"that are not clean\" are\n    used instead of \"unclean\"; but see verse 2; there another word\n    for not is used, which brings down the excess to five letters.\n\nWhen the doors of the Temple were opened the creaking of the hinges was\nheard at the distance of eight Sabbath days' journeys.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 39, col. 2.\n\n    It may be proper to remark that the journey is about nine\n    furlongs, or a mile and one-eighth, so that the distance alluded\n    to is nearly ten miles.\n\nThe eight princes alluded to in Micah (v. 5) are Jesse, Saul, Samuel,\nAmos, Zephaniah, Zedekiah, the Messiah, and Elijah.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 52, col. 2.\n\nIt is related of Rabbi Shimon, the son of Gamaliel, that at the\nrejoicing during the festival of the drawing of water on the Feast of\nTabernacles, he threw eight flaming torches, one after the other in\nquick succession, into the air, and caught them again as they descended\nwithout suffering one to touch another. He also (in fulfillment of Ps.\ncii. 14) stooped and kissed the stone floor, supporting himself upon his\ntwo thumbs only,--a feat which no one else could perform. And this is\nwhat is termed stooping properly.\n\nIbid., fol. 53, col. 1.\n\nLevi once in the presence of Rabbi (the Holy) conjured with eight\nknives. Samuel in the presence of Shavur the king (of Persia, Sapor I,\n240-273) performed the same feat with eight cups of wine. Abaii in the\npresence of Rava did likewise with eight eggs; some say with four only.\n\nIbid.\n\nEight prophets, who were priests as well, were descended from Rahab the\nharlot, and these are they:--Neraiah, Baruch, Seraiah, Maaseiah,\nJeremiah, Hilkiah, Hanameel, and Shallum. Rabbi Yehudah says Huldah the\nprophetess was one of the grandchildren of Rahab.\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 14, col. 2.\n\nThe last eight verses of the Law (Torah) were written by Joshua.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 14, col. 1.\n\n    There is a touching story in this very same tract, fol. 15, col.\n    1, which is repeated in Menachoth, fol. 30, col. 1, and noticed\n    by Rashi in his commentary, to the effect that Moses himself\n    wrote the verses which record his own death at the dictation of\n    the Almighty. The account literally rendered is, \"The Holy\n    One--blessed be He!--spake, and Moses wrote in tears.\"\n\nThere are eight sects of Pharisees, viz, these:--(1.) The shoulder\nPharisee, i.e., he who, as it were, shoulders his good works to be seen\nof men. (2.) The time-gaining Pharisee, he who says, \"Wait a while; let\nme first perform this or that good work.\" (3.) The compounding Pharisee,\ni.e., he who says, \"May my few sins be deducted from my many virtues,\nand thus atoned for\" (or the blood-letting Pharisee, i.e., he who for\nfear lest he should look by chance on a woman shuts his eyes and wounds\nhis face). (4.) The Pharisee who so bends his back, stooping with his\nhead toward the ground, that he wears the appearance of an inverted\nmortar. (5.) The Pharisee who proudly says, \"Remains there a virtue\nwhich I ought to perform and have not?\" (6.) The Pharisee who is so out\nof love for the reward which he hopes to earn by his observances. (7.)\nThe Pharisee who is so from fear lest he should expose himself to\npunishment. (8.) The Pharisee who is born so.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 37.\n\n    Both Talmuds as a rule enumerate only seven sorts of Pharisees\n    (T. Yerush, Berachoth, fol. 13, Soteh, fol. 20, T. Babli, fol.\n    22, col. 2, and elsewhere); but Rabbi Nathan, as above, adds a\n    new species to the genus. The freehand sketches of Pharisees\n    given in the Talmud are the reverse of complimentary. In the\n    words of the late E. Deutsch, who was a Talmudist of no mean\n    repute, \"the Talmud inveighs even more bitterly and caustically\n    than the New Testament against what it calls the plague of\n    Pharisaism, 'the dyed ones,' 'who do evil deeds like Zimri, and\n    require a goodly reward like Phinehas,' 'they who preach\n    beautifully, but do not act beautifully.' Parodying their\n    exaggerated logical arrangements, their scrupulous divisions and\n    subdivisions, the Talmud distinguishes seven classes of\n    Pharisees, one of whom only is worthy of that name. The real and\n    only Pharisee is he 'who does the will of his Father which is in\n    heaven because he loves Him.'\"\n\nHe who neglects to wear phylacteries transgresseth eight commandments.\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 44, col. 1.\n\nThe following extract states the occasion when the wearing of\nphylacteries was prescribed as an equivalent that would be accepted\ninstead of the observance of the law:--\"Rabbi Eliezer said the\nIsraelites complained before God one day, 'We are anxious to be occupied\nday and night in the law, but we have not the necessary leisure.' Then\nthe Holy One--blessed be He!--said to them, 'Perform the commandment of\nthe phylacteries, and I will count it as if you were occupied day and\nnight in the law.'\" (_Yalhut Shimeoni_). Phylacteries, fringes, and\nMezuzah, these three preserve one from sin; as it is said (Eccl. iv. 2),\n\"A threefold cord is not quickly broken;\" as also in Ps. xxxiv. 7, \"The\nangel of the Lord encampeth about them that fear Him, and delivereth\nthem.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 43, col. 2.\n\nThe harp in the time of the Messiah will have eight strings; as it is\nwritten (Ps. xii. 1), \"The chief musician upon eight,\" etc.\n\n_Eirchin_, fol. 13, col. 2.\n\nOn the ninth day of the month Ab (about August) both the first Temple\nand the second were destroyed.\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 18, col. 2.\n\n    In 2 Kings xxv. 8, the seventh of Ab is the date given for the\n    first of these events, whereas Jeremiah (lii. 12) mentions the\n    tenth as the fatal day. Josephus (Wars of the Jews, Book vi.\n    chap. 4, sec. 15) coincides with the latter.\n\nOn the ninth of Ab one must abstain from eating and drinking, and\nanointing one's self, and wearing shoes, and matrimonial intercourse. He\nmay not read the Bible, the Talmud, the Midrash, the Halachoth, or the\nHaggadoth, excepting such portions as he is not in the habit of reading,\nsuch he may then read. The lamentations, Job, and the hard words of\nJeremiah should engage his study. Children should not go to school on\nthis day, because it is said (Ps. xix. 8), \"The statutes of the Lord are\nright, rejoicing the heart.\"\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 30, col. 1.\n\n    Nowadays, on the date referred to, Jews do not wear their\n    tallith and phylacteries at morning prayer; by this act laying\n    aside the outward signs of their covenant with God; but,\n    contrary to custom, they put them on in the evening, when the\n    fast is nearly over.\n\nHe who does any work on the ninth of Ab will never see even a sign of\nblessing. The sages say, whoso does any work on that day and does not\nlament over Jerusalem will never see her joy; for it is said (Isa. lxvi.\n10), \"Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her; rejoice for joy,\nall ye that mourn for her.\"\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 30, col. 2.\n\nIf there be nine shops all selling the meat of animals which have been\nlegally butchered, and one selling the meat of animals which have not,\nand if a person who has bought meat does not know at which of these\nshops he bought it, he is not entitled to the benefit of the doubt; the\nmeat he has purchased is prohibited.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 15, col. 1.\n\nA woman prefers one measure of frivolity to nine measures of Pharisaic\nsanctimoniousness.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 20, col. 1.\n\nThe Talmud has much to say, and does say a great deal, about women. And\nalthough what it says tends rather to discountenance than to promote\ntheir development, it is not insensible to what they might become under\nrefinement of culture, and occasionally enforces the duty of attending\nto their higher education. In proof of both positions we appeal to the\nfollowing quotations:--\n\nIn the Mishna, from which the above quotation is taken, we are told that\nBen Azai (the son of impudence) says, a man is bound to instruct his\ndaughter in the law, although Rabbi Eliezer, who always assumes an\noracular air, and boasts that the Halachah is always according to his\ndecision (_Bava Metzia_, fol. 59, col. 2), insists, on the other hand,\nthat he who instructs his daughter in the law must be considered as\ntraining her into habits of frivolity; and the saying above ascribes to\nthe sex such a power of frivolity as connects itself evidently with the\nforegone conclusion that they are by nature incapable of being developed\ninto any solidity of worth or character. The Gemara, Tosephoth, and\nRashi as well all support Rabbi Eliezer in laying a veto on female\neducation, for fear lest, with the acquisition of knowledge, women might\nbecome cunning, and do things on the sly which ought not to be done by\nthem. Literally the saying is:--For from it (i.e., the acquisition of\nknowledge) she comes to understand cunning, and does things on the\nquiet.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 21, col. 2, Rashi.\n\nAnother good reason for neglecting female education those who take the\nTalmud as an authority find in these words: women are light-minded,\ni.e., of shallow natural endowment, on which any serious discipline\nwould be thrown away.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 80, col. 2.\n\nAnother argument to the same effect is, that there is no distinct\ncommand in the law of Moses inculcating the duty; for in Deut. xi. 19 it\nis merely said, \"And ye shall teach them to your children,\" a command\nwhich, as it passes refracted through the Rabbinic medium, becomes your\nsons, but not your daughters.\n\nIbid., fol. 29, col. 2.\n\nAs the immediately preceding command, so interpreted, cannot be carried\nout by any one not favored with male children, the well-known Talmudic\ndictum acquires force and point, \"Blessed is the man whose children are\nsons, but luckless is he whose children are daughters.\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nA man prefers one measure obtained by his own earning to nine measures\ncollected by the exertion of his neighbor.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 38, col. 1.\n\nNine have entered alive into paradise, and these are they:--Enoch, the\nson of Jared; Elijah; the Messiah; Eliezer, the servant of Abraham;\nHiram, king of Tyre; Ebed Melech, the Ethiopian; Jabez, the son of Rabbi\nYehuda the prince; Bathia, the daughter of Pharaoh; and Sarah, the\ndaughter of Asher. Some say also Rabbi Yoshua, the son of Levi.\n\n_Derech Eretz Zuta_, chap. 1.\n\n    As the last-mentioned personage, Rabbi Yoshua, entered paradise\n    \"not by the door,\" but some \"other way,\" it may be interesting\n    to not a few to know how he succeeded, and here accordingly we\n    append the story of the feat. As Rabbi Yoshua's earthly career\n    drew to a close, the angel of death was instructed to wait upon\n    him, and at the same time show all respect for his wishes. The\n    Rabbi, remarking the courteous demeanor of his visitant,\n    requested him, before he despatched him, to favor him with a\n    glimpse of the place he was to occupy in paradise above, and\n    meantime commit to him his sword, as a gage that he would grant\n    his petition and not take advantage of him on the journey. This\n    request being granted and the sword delivered up, the Rabbi and\n    his attendant took the road, pacing along till they halted\n    together just outside the gates of the celestial city. Here the\n    angel assisted the Rabbi to climb the wall, and proceeded to\n    point out the place he would occupy some day in the future, when\n    deftly throwing himself over, he left the angel standing outside\n    and holding him fast by the skirt of his garment. When pressed\n    to return, he swore he would not go back, protesting that, as he\n    had never sought to be relieved of the obligation of his oath on\n    earth, he would not be cajoled or coerced into an act of perjury\n    within the precincts of heaven. He declined at first to give up\n    the sword of the angel, and would have stood to his point but\n    for the echo of a voice which peremptorily ordered its immediate\n    restoration. (See _Kethuboth_ fol. 77, col. 2.)\n\nWhere is it taught that when ten join together in prayer the Shechinah\nis with them? In Ps. lxxxii. 4, where it is said, \"God standeth in the\ncongregation of the mighty.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 1.\n\n    According to Rabbinic law, it takes at least ten men to\n    constitute a legally convened congregation. Nearly a thousand\n    pounds were expended every year by the synagogues of the\n    metropolis to hire (minyan) men to make up the congregational\n    number, and thus ensure the due observance of this regulation.\n\nWhen the Holy One--blessed be He!--enters the synagogue, and does not\nfind ten men present, His anger is immediately stirred; as it is said\n(Isa. i. 2), \"Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? When I called,\nthere was none to answer?\"\n\nIbid., fol. 6, col. 2.\n\n    The passion of anger here ascribed to God is by not a few\n    regarded as an attribute wholly alien to the proper nature of\n    the Deity. Such, however, is evidently not the judgment of the\n    Talmudists. Nor is this surprising when we see elsewhere how\n    boldly they conceive and how freely they speak of the Divine\n    Majesty. The Rabbis are not in general a shamefaced generation,\n    and are all too prone to deal familiarly with the most sacred\n    realities. The excerpts which follow amply justify this\n    judgment.\n\nGod is represented as roaring like a lion, etc., etc.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 3, col. 1. See chap. iii.\n\nGod is said to wear phylacteries.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 1.\n\nThis is referred to in the morning service for Yom Kippur, where it is\nsaid He showed \"the knot of the phylacteries to the meek one\" (i.e.,\nMoses).\n\nHe is said to pray; for it is written (Isa. lvi. 7), \"Them will I bring\nto my holy mountain, and make them joyful in the house of my prayer.\" It\nis thus He prays: \"May it please me that my mercy may overcome my anger,\nthat all my attributes may be invested with compassion, and that I may\ndeal with my children in the attribute of kindness, and that out of\nregard to them I may pass by judgment.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 7, col. 1.\n\nHe is a respecter of persons; as it is written (Num. vi. 26), \"The Lord\nlift up His countenance upon thee.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 20, col. 2.\n\nWhen accused by Elijah of having turned Israel's heart back again (1\nKings xviii. 37), He confesseth the evil He had done (Micah iv. 6).\n\nIbid., fol. 31, col. 2.\n\nGod, when charged by Moses as being the cause of Israel's idolatry,\nconfesseth the justice of that accusation by saying (Num. xiv. 20), \"I\nhave pardoned according to thy word.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 32, col. 1.\n\nHe drops two tears into the ocean, and this causes the earth to quake.\n\nIbid., fol. 59, col. 1.\n\nHe is represented as a hairdresser; for it is said He plaited Eve's hair\n(and some have actually enumerated the braids as 700).\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 18, col. 1.\n\nIn a Hagada (see Sanhedrin, fol. 95, col. 2), God is conceived as acting\nthe barber to Sennacherib, a sort of parody on Isaiah vii. 20.\n\nHe is said to have created the evil as well as the good passions in man.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 61, col. 1.\n\nGod weeps every day.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 3, col. 2.\n\nHe dresses Himself in a veil and shows Moses the Jewish Liturgy, saying\nunto him, \"When the Israelites sin against me, let them copy this\nexample, and I will pardon their sins.\"\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 17, col. 2.\n\nGod is said to have regretted creating certain things.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 52, col, 2.\n\nGod is represented as irrigating the land of Israel, but leaving the\nrest of the earth to be watered by an angel.\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 10, col. 1.\n\nIt is said that He will make a dance for the righteous, and as He places\nHimself in the centre, they will point at Him with their fingers, and\nsay (Isa. xxv. 9), \"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him;...\nwe will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nGod is said to have prevaricated in making peace between Abraham and\nSarah, which is not so surprising; for while one Rabbi teaches that\nprevarication is under certain circumstances allowable, another asserts\nit absolutely as a duty; for it is written (1 Sam. xvi. 2), \"And Samuel\nsaid, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said,\nTake a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord.\"\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 65, col. 2.\n\n    This teaching may be easily matched by parallels from heathen\n    literature, but we have room only for two or three\n    examples:--Maximus Tyrius says, \"There is nothing (essentially)\n    decorous in truth, yea, truth is sometimes hurtful and lying\n    profitable.\" Darius is represented by Herodotus (Book iii., p.\n    191) as saying, \"When telling falsehood is profitable, let it be\n    told.\" Menander says, \"A lie is better than an annoying truth.\"\n\nGod utters a curse against those who remain single after they are twenty\nyears of age; and those who marry at sixteen please him, and those who\ndo so at fourteen still more.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 29, col. 2.\n\nElijah binds and God flogs the man who marries an unsuitable wife.\n\nIbid., fol. 70, col. 1.\n\nGod acknowledges His weakness in argument, \"My children have vanquished\nme! my children have vanquished me!\" He exclaims. \"They have defeated me\nin argument.\"\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 59, col. 2.\n\nGod's decision was controverted by the Academy in heaven, and the matter\nin debate was finally settled by a Rabbi, who had to be summoned from\nearth to heaven expressly to adjudicate in the case.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 86, col. 1.\n\n    The classical student will recognize in this a parallel to the\n    Greek myth in which the Olympian divinities refer their debate\n    in the matter of the apple of discord to the judgment of Paris.\n    May there not in both fables lie a dim forefeeling of the time\n    when Justice shall transfer her seat from the skies, so that\n    whatever her ministers bind on earth may be bound in heaven?\n\nGod will bear testimony before all the nations of the earth that His\npeople Israel have kept the whole of the law.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 3, col. 1.\n\nGod is occupied for twelve hours every day in study, at work, or at\nplay.\n\nIbid., fol. 3, col. 2.\n\nGod does not act without first consulting the assembly above; as it is\nsaid (Dan. iv. 17), \"This matter is by the decree of the watchers and\nthe demand of the word of the Holy One,\" etc.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 38, col. 2.\n\nGod Himself is described as exacting an atonement for His own\nmiscreations; as, for instance, His diminishing the size of the moon.\n\n_Shevuoth_, fol. 9, col. 1.\n\nThe general height of the Levites was ten ells.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 92, col. 1.\n\nTen things cause hemorrhoids:--Eating cane leaves, the foliage and\ntendrils of the vine, the palate of cattle, the backbones of fish,\nhalf-cooked salt fish, wine lees, etc.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 55, col. 1.\n\nTen things provoke a desperate relapse in a convalescent:--Eating beef,\nfat meat, broiled meat, fowl, or roasted eggs, shaving, eating cress,\ntaking milk or cheese, or indulging in a bath. Some say also eating\nwalnuts, others say eating cucumbers, which are as dangerous to the body\nas swords.\n\nIbid., fol. 57, col. 2.\n\nTen curses were pronounced against Eve:--The words \"greatly multiply,\"\n\"thy sorrow\" (alluding to rearing a family), \"thy conception,\" \"in\nsorrow shalt thou bring forth,\" \"thy desire shall be to thy husband,\"\n\"he shall rule over thee,\" express six of these. The remainder are:--She\nshould be wrapped up like a mourner (that is, she should not appear in\npublic without having her head covered); she was restricted to one\nhusband, though he might have more wives than one, and was to be kept\nwithin doors like a prisoner.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 100, col. 2.\n\nTen things were created during the twilight of the first Sabbath-eve.\nThese were:--The well that followed Israel in the wilderness, the manna,\nthe rainbow, the letters of the alphabet, the stylus, the tables of the\nlaw, the grave of Moses, the cave in which Moses and Elijah stood, the\nopening of the mouth of Balaam's ass, the opening of the earth to\nswallow the wicked (Korah and his clique). Rav Nechemiah said, in his\nfather's name, also fire and the mule. Rav Yosheyah, in his father's\nname, added also the ram which Abraham offered up instead of Isaac, and\nthe Shameer. Rav Yehudah says the tongs also, etc.\n\n_Psachim_, fol. 54, col 1.\n\nTo the ten things said to have been created on Sabbath-eve some add the\nrod of Aaron that budded and bloomed, and others malignant demons and\nthe garments of Adam.\n\nIbid.\n\nRav Yehuda said, in the name of Rav, ten things were created on the\nfirst day:--Heaven and earth, chaos and confusion, light and darkness,\nwind and water, the measure of day and the measure of night. \"Heaven and\nearth,\" for it is written, \"In the beginning God made the heavens and\nthe earth.\" \"Chaos and confusion,\" for it is written, \"And the earth was\nchaos and confusion.\" \"Light and darkness,\" for it is written, \"And\ndarkness was upon the face of the abyss.\" \"Wind and water,\" for it is\nwritten, \"The wind of God hovered over the face of the waters.\" \"The\nmeasure of day and the measure of night,\" for it is written, \"Morning\nand evening were one day.\"\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 12, col. 1.\n\nTen facts witness to the presence of a supernatural power in the\nTemple:--No premature birth was ever caused by the odor of the\nsacrifices; the carcasses never became putrid; no fly was ever to be\nseen in the slaughter-houses; the high-priest was never defiled on the\nday of atonement; no defect was ever found in the wave-sheaf, the two\nwave-loaves, or the shewbread; however closely crowded the people were,\nevery one had room enough for prostration; no serpent or scorpion ever\nstung a person in Jerusalem; and no one had ever to pass the night\nwithout sleeping-accommodation in the city.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 1.\n\nTradition teaches that Rabbi Yossi said:--The Shechinah has never\ndescended below, nor did Moses and Elijah ever ascend on high; for it is\nsaid (Ps. cxv. 16), \"The heavens, even the heavens, are the Lords; but\nthe earth hath he given to the children of men.\" True, it is written, he\nadmitted (Exod. xix. 20), \"And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai;\" but\nthat, he remarked, was ten handbreadths above the summit. And true, too,\nis it written (Zech. xiv. 4), \"And His feet shall stand in that day upon\nthe Mount of Olives;\" but that, too, he added, is ten handbreadths above\nit. And so, in like manner, Moses and Elijah halted ten handbreadths\nfrom heaven.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 5, col. 1.\n\nWhat entitles a place to rank as a large town? When there are in it ten\nunemployed men. Should there be fewer than that number, it is to be\nlooked upon as a village.\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 3, col. 2.\n\n    In places where there are not ten Batlanim, men of leisure, that\n    is, men always free to be present at every synagogue service, a\n    minyan (number) has to be hired for the purpose. The notion that\n    ten constitutes a congregation is based on the authority of Num.\n    xiv, 27, \"How long shall I bear with this congregation?\" As the\n    term \"congregation\" here refers to the ten spies who brought the\n    evil report, it is concluded forsooth that ten men, and never\n    less, is the orthodox minimum for a congregation.\n\nTen lights, said he, could not extinguish one; how shall one extinguish\nten?\n\nIbid., fol. 16, col. 2.\n\n    These words are said to have been spoken by Joseph to his\n    brethren, who, after the death of their father Jacob, feared\n    lest Joseph should revenge himself upon them (Gen. l. 21). The\n    Midrash and the Targums as usual furnish much additional\n    information.\n\nRav Assi said:--Nowadays, if a Gentile should betroth a Jewess, there is\nreason for regarding the betrothal as not therefore invalid, for he may\nbe a descendant of the ten tribes, and so one of the seed of Israel.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Yochanan said:--If, after the death of her husband, a woman should\nremain unmarried for ten years and then marry again, she will have no\nchildren. Rav Nachman added:--Provided she have not thought of marrying\nall the while; but if she had thought of marrying again, in that case\nshe will have children. Rava once said to Rav Chisda's daughter (who\nbore children to Rava, though she did not marry him until ten years\nafter her first husband's death), \"The Rabbis have their doubts about\nyou.\" She replied, \"I had always set my heart upon thee.\" A woman once\nsaid to Rav Yoseph, \"I waited ten years before I married again, and then\nI had children.\" \"Daughter,\" said he, \"do not bring the words of the\nwise into discredit. It is thou, not they, that are mistaken.\" Then the\nwoman confessed that she had been a transgressor.\n\nIbid., fol. 34, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis teach that if a man live with a wife ten years without issue\nhe should divorce her and give her the prescribed marriage portion, as\nhe may not be deemed worthy to be built up by her (that is, to have\nchildren by her).\n\nIbid., fol. 64, col. 2.\n\n    As a set-off we append here a romantic story paraphrased from\n    the Midrash Shir Hashirim. A certain Israelite of Sidon, having\n    lived many years with his wife without being blessed with\n    offspring, made up his mind to give her a bill of divorcement.\n    They went accordingly together to Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, that\n    legal effect might be given to the act of separation. Upon\n    presenting themselves before him, the Rabbi addressed them in\n    these fatherly accents:--\"My children,\" said he, \"your divorce\n    must not take place in pettishness or anger, lest people should\n    surmise something guilty or disgraceful as the motive for the\n    action. Let your parting, therefore, be like your meeting,\n    friendly and cheerful. Go home, make a feast, and invite your\n    friends to share it with you; and then to-morrow return and I\n    will ratify the divorce you seek for.\" Acting upon this advice,\n    they went home, got ready a feast, invited their friends, and\n    made merry together. \"My dear,\" said the husband at length to\n    his wife, \"we have lived for many a long year lovingly together,\n    and now that we are about to be separated, it is not because\n    there is any ill-will between us, but simply because we are not\n    blessed with a family. In proof that my love is unchanged, and\n    that I wish thee all good, I give thee leave to choose whatever\n    thou likest best in the house and carry it away with thee.\" The\n    wife with true womanly wit promptly replied, \"Well and good, my\n    dear!\" The evening thereafter glided pleasantly by, the wine-cup\n    went round freely and without stint, and all passed off well,\n    till first the guests one by one, and then the master of the\n    house himself, fell asleep, and lay buried in unconsciousness.\n    The lady, who had planned this result, and only waited its\n    _denouement_, immediately summoned her confidential handmaids\n    and had her lord and master gently borne away as he was to the\n    house of her father. On the following morning, as the stupor\n    wore off, he awoke, rubbing his eyes with astonishment. \"Where\n    am I?\" he cried. \"Be easy, husband dear,\" responded the wife in\n    his presence. \"I have only done as thou allowedst me. Dost thou\n    remember permitting me last night, in the hearing of our guests,\n    to take away from our house whatever best pleased me? There was\n    nothing there I cared for so much as thyself; thou art all in\n    all to me, so I brought thee with me here. Where I am there\n    shalt thou be; let nothing but death part us.\" The two thereupon\n    went back to Rabbi Shimon as appointed, and reported their\n    change of purpose, and that they had made up their minds to\n    remain united. So the Rabbi prayed for them to the Lord, who\n    couples and setteth the single in families. He then spoke his\n    blessing over the wife, who became thenceforth as a fruitful\n    vine, and honored her husband with children and children's\n    children.\n\n    A parallel to this, illustrative of wifely devotion, is recorded\n    in the early history of Germany. In the year 1141, during the\n    civil war in Germany between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, it\n    happened that the Emperor Conrad besieged the Guelph Count of\n    Bavaria in the Castle of Weinsberg. After a long and obstinate\n    defense the garrison was obliged at length to surrender, when\n    the Emperor, annoyed that they had held out so long and defied\n    him, vowed that he would destroy the place with fire and put all\n    to the sword except the women, whom he gallantly promised to let\n    go free and pass out unmolested. The Guelph Countess, when she\n    heard of this, begged as a further favor that the women might be\n    allowed to bear forth as much of their valuables as they could\n    severally manage to carry. The Emperor having pledged his word\n    and honor that he would grant this request, on the morrow at\n    daybreak, as the castle gates opened, he saw to his amazement\n    the women file out one by one, every married woman carrying her\n    husband with her young ones upon her back, and the others each\n    the friend or relation nearest and dearest to her. At sight of\n    this, the Emperor was tenderly moved, and could not help\n    according to the action the homage of his admiration. The result\n    was that not only was life and liberty extended to the Guelphs,\n    but the place itself was spared and restored in perpetuity to\n    its heroic defenders. The Count and his Countess were henceforth\n    treated by the Emperor with honor and affection, and the town\n    itself was for long after popularly known by the name of\n    Weihertreue, i.e., the abode of womanly fidelity.\n\nBenedictory condolences are recited by ten men, not reckoning the\nmourners; but nuptial blessings are recited by ten men, including the\nbridegroom.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 8. col. 2.\n\nThe Mishnic Rabbis have ordained that ten cups of wine be drunk in the\nhouse by the funeral party; three before supper, to whet the appetite;\nthree during supper, to aid digestion; and four after the meal, at the\nrecitation of the four benedictions. Afterward four complimentary cups\nwere added, one in honor of the precentors, one in honor of the\nmunicipal authorities, another in remembrance of the Temple, and the\nfourth in the memory of Rabbon Gamliel. Drunkenness so often ensued on\nthese occasions that the number had to be curtailed to the original ten\ncups. The toast to the memory of Rabbon Gamliel was to commemorate his\nendeavors to reduce the extravagant expenses at burials, and the\nconsequent abandonment of the dead by poor relations. He left orders\nthat his own remains should be buried in a linen shroud, and since then,\nsays Rav Pappa, corpses are buried in canvas shrouds about a zouz in\nvalue.\n\nIbid., fol. 8, col. 2.\n\nAt the age of ten years a child should begin to study the Mishna.\n\nIbid., fol. 50, col. 1.\n\nRabbi the Holy, when dying, lifted up his ten fingers toward heaven and\nsaid:--\"Lord of the Universe, it is open and well-known unto Thee that\nwith these ten fingers I have labored without ceasing in the law, and\nnever sought after any worldly profit with even so much as my little\nfinger; may it therefore please Thee that there may be peace in my\nrest!\" A voice from heaven immediately responded (Isa. lvii. 2), \"He\nshall enter peace: they shall rest in their beds.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 104, col. 2.\n\nTen measures of wisdom came down to the world; the land of Israel\nreceived nine and the rest of the world but one only. Ten measures of\nbeauty came down to the world; Jerusalem monopolized nine and the rest\nof the world had only one. Ten measures of riches came down to the\nworld; Rome laid hold of nine and left the rest of the world but one for\na portion. Ten measures of poverty came down to the world; nine fell to\nthe lot of Babylon and one to the rest of the world. Ten measures of\npride came down to the world; Elam appropriated nine and to the rest of\nthe world but one remained over. Ten measures of bravery came to the\nworld; Persia took nine, leaving but one for the rest of the world. Ten\nmeasures of vermin came to the world; nine fell to the Medes and one to\nthe rest of the world. Ten measures of sorcery came down to the world;\nEgypt received nine and one was shared by the rest of the world. Ten\nmeasures of plagues came into the world; nine measures were alloted to\nthe swine and the rest of the world had the other. Ten measures of\nfornication came into the world; nine of these belong to the Arabs and\nto the rest of the world the other. Ten measures of impudence found its\nway into the world; Mishan appropriated nine, leaving one to the rest of\nthe world. Ten measures of talk came into the world; women claimed nine,\nleaving the tenth to the rest of the world. Ten measures of early rising\ncame into the world; they of Ethiopia received nine and the rest of the\nworld one only. Ten measures of sleep came to the world; the servants\ntook nine of them, leaving one measure to the rest of the world.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 49, col. 2.\n\nTen different sorts of people went up from Babylon:--(1.) Priests, (2.)\nLevites, (3.) Israelites, (4.) Disqualified Cohanim, (5.) Freedmen, (6.)\nIllegitimate, (7.) Nethinim, (8.) Unaffiliated ones, and (10.)\nFoundlings.\n\nIbid., fol. 63, col. 1.\n\nTen characteristics mark the phlebotomist:--He walks sideling along; he\nis proud; he stoops awhile before seating himself; he has an envious and\nevil eye; he is a gourmand, but he defecates little at a time; he is\nsuspected of incontinence, robbery, and murder.\n\nIbid., fol. 82, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Chanena ben Agil asked Rabbi Cheya ben Abba, \"Why does the word,\n'signifying that it may be well with thee' not occur in the first copy\nof the ten commandments (Exod. xx.) as it does in the second?\" (Deut.\nv.) He replied, \"Before thou askest me such a question, first tell me\nwhether the word occurs in Deuteronomy or not? for I don't know if it\ndoes.\" The required answer was given by another Rabbi, \"The omission of\nthe word in the first publication of the ten commandments is due to the\nforesight of what was to befall the first tables, for if the word good\nhad been in the tables, and broken withal, then goodness would have\nceased to bless the sons of Israel.\"\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 55, col. 1.\n\n    The Tosephoth in Bava Bathra (fol. 113, col. 1) ingenuously\n    admits that the Rabbis were occasionally ignorant of the letter\n    of Scripture. The above quotation may be taken as a sample of\n    several in corroboration.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that when pestilence is abroad no one should walk\nalong the middle of the road, for there the angel of death would be sure\nto cross him. Neither when there is pestilence in a town should a person\ngo to the synagogue alone, because there, provided no children are\ntaught there, and ten men are not met to pray there, the angel of death\nhides his weapons. The Rabbis have also taught that (like the Banshee of\nIreland), the howling of dogs indicates the approach of the angel of\ndeath, whereas when they sport it is a sign that Elijah the prophet is\nat hand, unless one of them happen to be a female, for it is her\npresence among them, and not any super-natural instinct, that is to be\nunderstood as the cause of the demonstration.\n\nIbid., fol. 60, col. 2.\n\nTen constitutions were founded by Ezra:--The reading of a portion of\nScripture during the afternoon prayers on the Sabbath-day, and during\nmorning prayers on the second and fifth days of the week (a rule that is\nto this day observed in orthodox places of worship), and this for the\nreason that three days should not pass by without such an exercise; to\nhold courts for the due administration of justice on the second and\nfifth days of the week, when the country people came to hear the public\nreading of the Scriptures; to wash their garments, etc., on the fifth\nday, and to prepare for the coming Sabbath; to eat garlic on the sixth\nday of the week, as this vegetable has the property of promoting\nsecretions (see Exod. xxi. 10); that the wife should be up betimes and\nbake the bread, so as to have some ready in case any one should come\nbegging; that the women should wear a girdle round the waist for decency\nsake; that they should comb their hair before bathing; that peddlers\nshould hawk their perfumes about the streets in order that women should\nsupply themselves with such things as will attract and please their\nhusbands; and that certain unfortunates (see Lev. xv.) should bathe\nthemselves before they came to the public reading of the law.\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 82, col. 1.\n\nTen things are said about Jerusalem:--(1.) No mortgaged house was\neventually alienated from its original owner (which was the case\nelsewhere in Jewry). (2.) Jerusalem never had occasion to behead a\nheifer by way of expiation for an unproved murder (see Deut. xxi. 1-9).\n(3.) She never could be regarded as a repudiated city (Deut. xiii. 12,\netc.). (4.) No appearance of plagues in any house at Jerusalem rendered\nthe house unclean, because the words of Lev. xiv. 34, are \"your\npossession,\" an expression which could not apply to Jerusalem, as it had\nnever been portioned among the ten tribes. (5.) Projecting cornices and\nbalconies were not to be built in the city. (6.) Limekilns were not to\nbe erected there. (7.) No refuse heaps were allowed in any quarter. (8.)\nNo orchards or gardens were permitted, excepting certain flower-gardens,\nwhich had been there from the times of the earlier prophets. (9.) No\ncocks were reared in Jerusalem. (10.) No corpse ever remained over night\nwithin its walls; the funeral had to take place on the day of the\ndecease.\n\nIbid., fol. 82, col. 2.\n\nIn the Book of Psalms David included those which were composed by ten\nelders:--Adam (Ps. cxxxix.); Melchizedek (Ps. cx.); Abraham (Ps.\nlxxxix.); Moses (Ps. xc.); the others alluded to were by Heman,\nJeduthun, Asaph, and the three sons of Korah.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 14, col. 2.\n\nA man once overheard his wife telling her daughter that, though she had\nten sons, only one of them could fairly claim her husband as his father.\nAfter the father's death it was found that he had bequeathed all his\nproperty to one son, but that the testament did not mention his name.\nThe question therefore, arose, which of the ten was intended? So they\ncame one and all to Rabbi Benaah and asked him to arbitrate between\nthem. \"Go,\" said he to them, \"and beat at your father's grave, until he\nrises to tell you to which of you it was that he left the property.\" All\nexcept one did so; and he, because by so doing he showed most respect\nfor his father's memory, was presumed to be the one on whom the father\nhad fixed his affections; he accordingly was supposed to be the one\nintended, and the others were therefore excluded from the patrimony. The\ndisappointed ones went straight to the government and denounced the\nRabbi. \"Here is a man,\" said they, \"who arbitrarily deprives people of\ntheir rights, without proof or witnesses.\" The consequence was that the\nRabbi was sent to prison, but he gave the authorities such evidence of\nhis shrewdness and sense of justice, that he was soon restored to\nfreedom.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 58, col. 1.\n\nTill ten generations have passed speak thou not contemptuously of the\nGentiles in the hearing of a proselyte.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 94, col. 1.\n\nThe ten tribes will never be restored, for it is said (Deut. xxiii. 28),\n\"God cast them into another land, as it is this day.\" As this day passes\naway without return, so also they have passed away never more to return.\nSo says Rabbi Akiva, but Rabbi Eleazar says, \"'As it is this day'\nimplies that, as the day darkens and lightens up again, so the ten\ntribes now in darkness shall in the future be restored to light.\" The\nRabbis have thus taught that the ten tribes will have no portion in the\nworld to come; for it is said (Deut. xxix. 28), \"And the Lord rooted\nthem out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great\nindignation.\" \"And he rooted them out of their land,\" that is, from this\nworld, \"and cast them into another land,\" that is, the World to come. So\nsays Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Shimon ben Yehuda says, \"If their designs\ncontinue as they are at this day, they will not return, but if they\nrepent they will return.\" Rabbi (the Holy) says, \"They will enter the\nworld to come, for it is said (Isa. xxvii. 13), 'And it shall come to\npass in that day that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall\ncome which were ready to perish.'\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 110, col. 2.\n\nTen things are detrimental to study:--Going under the halter of a camel,\nand still more passing under its body; walking between two camels or\nbetween two women; to be one of two men that a woman passes between; to\ngo where the atmosphere is tainted by a corpse; to pass under a bridge\nbeneath which no water has flowed for forty days; to eat with a ladle\nthat has been used for culinary purposes; to drink water that runs\nthrough a cemetery. It is also dangerous to look at the face of a\ncorpse, and some say also to read inscriptions on tombstones.\n\n_Horayoth_, fol. 13, col. 2.\n\nTen strong things were created in the world (of which the one that comes\nafter is stronger than that which preceded). A mountain is strong, but\niron can hew it in pieces; the fire weakens the iron; the water quenches\nthe fire; the clouds carry off the water; the wind disperses the clouds;\nthe living body resists the wind; fear enervates the body; wine\nabolishes fear; sleep overcomes wine, and death is stronger than all\ntogether; yet it is written (Prov. x. 2), \"And alms delivereth from\ndeath\" (the original word has two meanings, righteousness and alms).\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 10, col. 1.\n\nWith the utterance of ten words was the world created.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 5, mish. 1.\n\nThere were ten generations from Adam to Noah, to show how great is God's\nlong-suffering, for each of these went on provoking Him more and more,\ntill His forbearance relenting, He brought the flood upon them.\n\nIbid., mish. 2.\n\nThere were ten generations from Noah to Abraham, to show that God is\nlong-suffering, since all those succeeding generations provoked Him,\nuntil Abraham came, and he received the reward that belonged to all of\nthem.\n\n_Avoth_, mish. 3.\n\n    The greatest sinner is uniformly presumed throughout the Talmud\n    to have a certain amount of merit, and therefore a corresponding\n    title to reward (see chap. 2, No. 10 = Ps. xxxvii. 35-37). Much\n    of this last is enjoyed by the wicked themselves in the present\n    world, and the surplus is often transferred to the credit of the\n    righteous in the world to come (see \"Genesis\", page 482, No. 173\n    = Matt. xiii. 12).\n\nAbraham our father was tested ten times; in every case he stood firm;\nwhich shows how great the love of our father Abraham was.\n\nIbid., mish. 4.\n\nTen miracles were wrought for our forefathers in Egypt, and ten at the\nRed Sea. Ten plagues did the Holy One--blessed be He!--inflict on the\nEgyptians in Egypt, and ten at the sea. Ten times did our ancestors\ntempt God in the wilderness, as it is said (Num. xiv. 22), \"And have\ntempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice.\"\n\nIbid., mish. 5, 6, 7.\n\nTen times did God test our forefathers, and they were not so much as\nonce found to be perfect.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 34.\n\nTen times the Shechinah came down unto the world:--At the garden of Eden\n(Gen. iii. 8); at the time of the Tower (Gen. xi. 5); at Sodom (Gen.\nxviii. 21); in Egypt (Exod. iii. 8); at the Red Sea (Ps. xviii. 9); on\nMount Sinai (Exod. xix. 20); into the Temple (Ezek. xliv. 2); in the\npillar of cloud (Num. xi. 25). It will descend in the days of Gog and\nMagog, for it is said (Zech. xiv. 4), \"And His feet shall stand in that\nday upon the Mount of Olives\" (the tenth is omitted in the original).\n\nIbid.\n\nThe Shechinah made ten gradual ascents in passing from place to\nplace:--From the cover of the ark to the cherub (2 Sam. xxii. 11);\nthence to the threshold of the house (Ezek. ix. 3); thence to the\ncherubim (Ezek. x. 18); thence to the roof of the Temple (Prov. xxi. 9);\nthence to the wall of the court (Amos vii. 7); thence to the altar (Amos\nix. 1); thence to the city (Micah vi. 9); thence to the mount (Ezek. xi.\n23); thence to the wilderness (Prov. xxi. 9); whence the Shechinah went\nup, as it is said (Hosea v. 15), \"I will go and return to my place.\"\n\n_Avoth d Rab. Nathan_, chap. 34.\n\nTen different terms are employed to express the title of\nprophet:--Ambassador, Faithful, Servant, Messenger, Seer, Watchman, Seer\nof Vision, Dreamer, Prophet, Man of God.\n\nIbid.\n\nTen distinct designations are applied to the Holy Spirit:--Proverb,\nInterpretation, Dark, Saying, Oracle, Utterance, Decree, Burden,\nProphecy, Vision.\n\nIbid.\n\nTen are designated by the term Life or Living:--God, the law, Israel,\nthe righteous, the garden of Eden, the tree of life, the land of Israel,\nJerusalem, benevolence, the sages; and water also is described as life,\nas it is said (Zech. xiv. 8), \"And it shall be in that day that living\nwater shall go out from Jerusalem.\"\n\nIbid.\n\nIf there are ten beds piled upon one another, and if beneath the\nlowermost there be any tissue woven of linen and wool (Lev. xix. 19), it\nis unlawful to lie down upon them.\n\n_Tamid_, fol. 27, col. 2.\n\nAlexander of Macedon proposed ten queries to the elders of the\nsouth:--\"Which are more remote from each other, the heavens from the\nearth or the east from the west?\" They answered, \"The east is more\nremote from the west, for when the sun is either in the east or in the\nwest, any one can gaze upon him; but when the sun is in the zenith or\nheaven, none can gaze at him, he is so much nearer.\" The Mishnaic\nRabbis, on the other hand, say they are equidistant; for it is written\n(Ps. ciii. 11, 12), \"As the heavens are from the earth, ... so is the\neast removed from the west.\" Alexander then asked, \"Were the heavens\ncreated first or was the earth?\" \"The heavens,\" they replied, \"for it is\nsaid, 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.'\" He then\nasked, \"Was light created first or was darkness?\" They replied, \"This is\nan unanswerable question.\" They should have answered darkness was\ncreated first, for it is said, \"And the earth was without form and void,\nand darkness was upon the face of the deep,\" and after this, \"And God\nsaid, Let there be light, and there was light.\"\n\n_Tamid._, fol. 31, col. 2.\n\nThere are ten degrees of holiness, and the land of Israel is holy above\nall other lands.\n\n_Kelim_, chap. i, mish. 6.\n\nThere are ten places which, though Gentile habitations are not\nconsidered unclean:--(1.) Arab tents; (2.) A watchman's hut; (3.) The\ntop of a tower; (4.) A fruit-store; (5.) A summer-house; (6.) A\ngatekeeper's lodge; (7.) An uncovered courtyard; (8.) A bath-house; (9.)\nAn armory; (10.) A military camp.\n\n_Oholoth_ chap. 18, mish. 10.\n\n\"An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the congregation of the Lord,\neven to the tenth generation,\" etc. (Deut. xxiii. 4). One day Yehuda, an\nAmmonite prophet, came into the academy and asked, \"May I enter the\ncongregation (if I marry a Jewess)?\" Rabban Gamliel said unto him, \"Thou\nart not at liberty to do so;\" but Rabbi Joshua interposed and\nmaintained, \"He is at liberty to do so.\" Then Rabban Gamliel appealed to\nScripture, which saith, \"An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the\ncongregation of the Lord, even to the tenth generation.\" To this Rabbi\nJoshua retorted and asked, \"Are then these nations still in their own\nnative places? Did not Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, transplant the\nnations? as it is said (Isa. x. 13), 'I have removed the bounds of the\npeople, and have robbed their treasures, and have put down the valor of\nthe inhabitants.'\" Rabban Gamliel replied, \"Scripture saith (Jer. xlix.\n6), 'Afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of\nAmmon,' and so,\" he argued, \"they must have already returned.\" Rabbi\nJoshua then promptly rejoined, \"Scripture saith (Jer. xxx. 3), 'I will\nbring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah,' and these have\nnot returned yet.\" And on this reasoning the proselyte was permitted to\nenter the congregation.\n\n_Yadayim_, chap. 4, mish. 4.\n\nGo and learn from the tariff of donkey-drivers, ten miles for one zouz,\neleven for two zouzim.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\nWhen Israel went up to Jerusalem to attend the festivals, they had to\nstand in the Temple court closely crowded together, yet when prostrated\nthere was a wide space between each of them (Rashi says about four\nells), so that they could not hear each other's confession, which might\nhave caused them to blush. They had, however, when prostrated, to extend\neleven ells behind the Holy of Holies.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 1,\n\nIn the days of Joel, the son of Pethuel, there was a great dearth,\nbecause (as is said in Joel i. 4) \"That which the palmerworm hath left\nhath the locust eaten,\" etc. That year the month of Adar (about March)\npassed away and no rain came. When some rain fell, during the following\nmonth, the prophet said unto Israel, \"Go ye forth and sow.\" They\nreplied, \"Shall he who has but a measure or two of wheat or barley eat\nand live or sow it and die?\" Still the prophet urged, \"Go forth and\nsow.\" Then they obeyed the prophet, and in eleven days the seed had\ngrown and ripened; and it is with reference to that generation that it\nis said (Ps. cxxvi. 5), \"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.\"\n\n_Taanith_ fol. 5, col. 1.\n\nWhat is a female in her minority? One who is between eleven years and\none day, and twelve years and one day. When younger or older than these\nages she is to be treated in the usual manner.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 100, col. 2.\n\nWhoever gives a prutah to a poor man has six blessings bestowed upon\nhim, and he that speaks a kind word to him realizes eleven blessings in\nhimself (see Isa. lviii. 7, 8).\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\n    On the next page of the same tract it is said, \"For one prutah\n    given as alms to a poor man one is made partaker of the beatific\n    vision.\" (See also Midrash Tillim on Ps. xvii. 15.)\n\n    The prutah was the smallest coin then current. It is estimated\n    to have been equal to about one-twentieth of an English penny.\n    In some quarters of Poland the Jews have small thin bits of\n    brass, with the Hebrew word prutah impressed upon them, for the\n    uses in charity on the part of those among them that cannot\n    afford to give a kreutzer to a poor man. The poor, when they\n    have collected a number of these, change them into larger coin\n    at the almoner's appointed by the congregation. Thus even the\n    poor are enabled to give alms to the poor. (See my \"Genesis,\" p.\n    277, No. 31.)\n\nRabbi Yochanan said eleven sorts of spices were mentioned to Moses on\nSinai. Rav Hunna asked, \"What Scripture text proves this?\" (Exod. xxx.\n34), \"Take unto thee sweet spices\" (the plural implying two), \"stacte,\nmyrrh, and galbanum\" (these three thus making up five), \"sweet spices\"\n(the repetition doubling the five into ten), \"with pure frankincense\"\n(which makes up eleven).\n\n_Kerithoth_, fol. 6, col. 2.\n\n\"Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken and forgotten me\" (Isa. xlix. 14).\nThe community of Israel once pleaded thus with the Holy One--blessed be\nHe!--\"Even a man who marries a second wife still bears in mind the\nservices of the first, but Thou, Lord, hast forgotten me.\" The Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--replied, \"Daughter, I have created twelve\nconstellations in the firmament, and for each constellation I have\ncreated thirty armies, and for each army thirty legions, each legion\ncontaining thirty divisions, each division thirty cohorts, each cohort\nhaving thirty camps, and in each camp hang suspended 365,000 myriads of\nstars, as many thousands of myriads as there are days in the year; all\nthese have I created for thy sake, and yet thou sayest, 'Thou hast\nforsaken and forgotten me!' Can a woman forget her sucking-child, that\nshe should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may\nforget, yet will I not forget thee.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 32, col. 2.\n\nNo deceased person is forgotten from the heart (of his relatives that\nsurvive him) till after twelve months, for it is said (Ps. xxxi. 12), \"I\nam forgotten as a dead man out of mind; I am like a lost vessel\" (which,\nas Rashi explains, is like all lost property, not thought of as lost for\ntwelve months, for not till then is proclamation for it given up).\n\nIbid., fol. 58, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yossi, and Rabbi Shimon (ben Yochai) were sitting\ntogether, and Yehudah ben Gerim (the son, says Rashi, of proselyte\nparents) beside them. In the course of conversation Rabbi Yehudah\nremarked, \"How beautiful and serviceable are the works of these Romans!\nThey have established markets, spanned rivers by bridges, and erected\nbaths.\" To this remark Rabbi Yossi kept silent, but Rabbi Shimon\nreplied, \"Yea, indeed; but all these they have done to benefit\nthemselves. The markets they have opened to feed licentiousness, they\nhave erected baths for their own pleasure, and the bridges they have\nraised for collecting tolls.\" Yehudah ben Gerim thereupon went direct\nand informed against them, and the report having reached the Emperor's\nears, an edict was immediately issued that Rabbi Yehudah should be\npromoted, Rabbi Yossi banished to Sepphoris, and Rabbi Shimon taken and\nexecuted. Rabbi Shimon and his son, however, managed to secret\nthemselves in a college, where they were purveyed to by the Rabbi's\nwife, who brought them daily bread and water. One day mistrust seized\nthe Rabbi, and he said to his son, \"Women are light-minded; the Romans\nmay tease her and then she will betray us.\" So they stole away and hid\nthemselves in a cave. Here the Lord interposed by a miracle, and created\na carob-tree bearing fruit all the year round for their support, and\nopened a perennial spring for their refreshment. To save their clothes\nthey laid them aside except at prayers, and to protect their naked\nbodies from exposure they would at other times sit up to their necks in\nsand, absorbed in study. After they had passed twelve years thus in the\ncave, Elijah was sent to inform them that the Emperor was dead, and his\ndecree powerless to touch them. On leaving the cave, they noticed some\npeople plowing and sowing, when one of them exclaimed, \"These folk\nneglect eternal things and trouble themselves with the things that are\ntemporal.\" As they fixed their eyes upon the place, fire came and burnt\nit up. Then a Bath Kol was heard exclaiming, \"What! are ye come forth to\ndestroy the world I have made? Get back to your cave and hide you.\"\nThither accordingly they returned, and after they had stopped there\ntwelve months longer, they remonstrated, pleading that even the judgment\nof the wicked in Gehenna lasted no longer than twelve months; upon which\na Bath Kol was again heard from heaven, which said, \"Come ye forth from\nyour cave.\" Then they arose and obeyed it.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 33, col 2.\n\nRabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said that at every utterance which proceeded\nfrom the mouth of the Holy One--blessed be He!--on Mount Sinai, Israel\nreceded twelve miles, being conducted gently back by the ministering\nangels; for it is said (Ps. lxviii. 12), \"The angels of hosts kept\nmoving.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 88, col. 2.\n\nA Sadducee once said to Rabbi Abhu, \"Ye say that the souls of the\nrighteous are treasured up under the throne of glory; how then had the\nWitch of Endor power to bring up the prophet Samuel by necromancy?\" The\nRabbi replied, \"Because that occurred within twelve months after his\ndeath; for we are taught that during twelve months after death the body\nis preserved and the soul soars up and down, but that after twelve\nmonths the body is destroyed and the soul goes up never to return.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 152, col. 2.\n\nClever answers to puzzling questions like the above, are of frequent\noccurrence in the Talmud; and we select here a few out of the many\nspecimens of Rabbinical ready wit and repartee.\n\nTurnus Rufus once said to Rabbi Akiva, \"If your God is a friend to the\npoor, why doesn't he feed them?\" To which he promptly replied, \"That we\nby maintaining them may escape the condemnation of Gehenna.\" \"On the\ncontrary,\" said the Emperor, \"the very fact of your maintaining the poor\nwill condemn you to Gehenna. I will tell thee by a parable whereto this\nis like. It is as if a king of our own flesh and blood should imprison a\nservant who has offended him, and command that neither food nor drink\nshould be given him, and as if one of his subjects in spite of him\nshould go and supply him with both. When the king hears of it will he\nnot be angry with that man? And ye are called servants, as it is said\n(Lev. xxv. 55), 'For unto me the children of Israel are servants.'\" To\nthis Rabbi Akiva replied, \"And I too will tell thee a parable whereunto\nthe thing is like. It is like a king of our own flesh and blood who,\nbeing angry with his son, imprisons him, and orders that neither food\nnor drink be given him, but one goes and gives him both to eat and\ndrink. When the king hears of it will he not handsomely reward that man?\nAnd we are sons, as it is written (Deut. xiv. 1), 'Ye are the sons of\nthe Lord your God.'\" \"True,\" the Emperor replied, \"ye are both sons and\nservants; sons when ye do the will of God; servants when ye do not; and\nnow ye are not doing the will of God.\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 10, col. 1.\n\nCertain philosophers once asked the elders at Rome, \"If your God has no\npleasure in idolatry, why does He not destroy the objects of it?\" \"And\nso He would,\" was the reply, \"if only such objects were worshiped as the\nworld does not stand in need of; but you idolaters will worship the sun\nand moon, the stars and the constellations. Should He destroy the world\nbecause of the fools there are in it? No! The world goes on as it has\ndone all the same, but they who abuse it will have to answer for their\nconduct. On your philosophy, when one steals a measure of wheat and sows\nit in his field it should by rights produce no crop; nevertheless the\nworld goes on as if no wrong had been done, and they who abuse it will\none day smart for it.\"\n\n_Avoda Zarah_, fol. 54, col. 2.\n\nAntoninus Caesar asked Rabbi (the Holy), \"Why does the sun rise in the\neast and set in the west?\" \"Thou wouldst have asked,\" answered the\nRabbi, \"the same question if the order had been reversed.\" \"What I\nmean,\" remarked Antoninus, \"is this, is there any special reason why he\nsets in the west?\" \"Yes,\" replied Rabbi, \"to salute his Creator (who is\nin the east), for it is said (Neh. ix. 6), 'And the host of heaven\nworship Thee.'\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 91, col. 2.\n\nCaesar once said to Rabbi Tanchum, \"Come, now, let us be one people.\"\n\"Very well,\" said Rabbi Tanchum, \"only we, being circumcised, cannot\npossibly become like you; if, however, ye become circumcised we shall be\nalike in that regard anyhow, and so be as one people.\" The Emperor said,\n\"Thou hast reasonably answered, but the Roman law is, that he who\nnonpluses his ruler and puts him to silence shall be cast to the lions.\"\nThe word was no sooner uttered than the Rabbi was thrown into the den,\nbut the lions stood aloof and did not even touch him. A Sadducee, who\nlooked on, remarked, \"The lions do not devour him because they are not\nhungry,\" but, when at the royal command, the Sadducee himself was thrown\nin, he had scarcely reached the lions before they fell upon him and\nbegan to tear his flesh and devour him.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 39, col. 1.\n\nA certain Sadducee asked Rabbi Abhu, \"Since your God is a priest, as it\nis written (Exod. xxv. 2), 'That they bring Me an offering,' in what did\nHe bathe Himself after He was polluted by the burial (Num. xix. 11, 18)\nof the dead body of Moses? It could not be in the water, for it is\nwritten (Isa. xl. 12), 'Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His\nhand?' which therefore are insufficient for Him to bathe in.\" The Rabbi\nreplied, \"He bathed in fire, as it is written (Isa. lxvi. 15), 'For\nbehold the Lord will come with fire.'\"\n\nIbid.\n\nTurnus Rufus asked this question also of Rabbi Akiva, \"Why is the\nSabbath distinguished from other days?\" Rabbi Akiva replied, \"Why art\nthou distinguished from other men?\" The answer was, \"Because it hath\npleased my Master thus to honor me.\" And so retorted Akiva, \"It hath\npleased God to honor His Sabbath.\" \"But what I mean,\" replied the other,\n\"was how dost thou know that it is the Sabbath-day?\" The reply was, \"The\nriver Sambatyon proves it; the necromancer proves it; the grave of thy\nfather proves it, for the smoke thereof rises not on the Sabbath.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 65, col. 2.\n\n    See Bereshith Rabba, fol. 4, with reference to what is here said\n    about Turnus Rufus and his father's grave. The proof from the\n    necromancer lies in the allegation that his art was unsuccessful\n    if practiced on the Sabbath-day. The Sambatyon, Rashi says, is a\n    pebbly river which rushes along all the days of the week except\n    the Sabbath, on which it is perfectly still and quiet. In the\n    Machsor for Pentecost (D. Levi's ed. p. 81), it is styled \"the\n    incomprehensible river,\" and a footnote thereto informs us that\n    \"This refers to the river said to rest on the Sabbath from\n    throwing up stones, etc., which it does not cease to do all the\n    rest of the week.\" (See Sanhedrin, fol. 65, col. 2; Yalkut on\n    Isaiah, fol. 3, 1; Pesikta Tanchuma. See also Shalsheleth\n    Hakabbala and Yuchsin.)\n\nThose Israelites and Gentiles who have transgressed with their bodies\n(the former by neglecting to wear phylacteries, and the latter by\nindulging in sensuous pleasures), shall go down into Gehenna, and there\nbe punished for twelve months, after which period their bodies will be\ndestroyed and their soul consumed, and a wind shall scatter their ashes\nunder the soles of the feet of the righteous; as it is said (Mal. iv.\n3), \"And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be as ashes\nunder the soles of your feet.\" But the Minim, the informers, and the\nEpicureans, they who deny the law and the resurrection of the dead, they\nwho separate themselves from the manners of the congregation, they who\nhave been a terror in the land of the living, and they who have sinned\nand have led the multitude astray, as did Jeroboam the son of Nebat and\nhis companions,--these shall go down into Gehenna, and there be judged\nfor generations upon generations, as it is said (Isa. lxvi, 24), \"And\nthey shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have\ntransgressed against me,\" etc. Gehenna itself shall be consumed but they\nshall not be burned up in the destruction; as it is said (Ps. xlix, 14;\nHeb. xv.), \"And their figures shall consume hell from being a dwelling.\"\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nOnce when Israel went up by pilgrimages to one of the three annual\nfeasts at Jerusalem (see Exod. xxxiv. 23, 24), it so happened that there\nwas no water to drink. Nicodemon ben Gorion therefore hired of a\nfriendly neighbor twelve huge reservoirs of water promising to have them\nreplenished against a given time, or failing this to forfeit twelve\ntalents of silver. The appointed day came and still the drought\ncontinued, and therewith the scarcity of water; upon which the creditor\nappeared and demanded payment of the forfeit. The answer of Nicodemon to\nthe demand was, \"There's time yet; the day is not over.\" The other\nchuckled to himself, inwardly remarking, \"There's no chance now; there's\nbeen no rain all the season,\" and off he went to enjoy his bath. But\nNicodemon sorrowful at heart, wended his way to the Temple. After\nputting on his prayer scarf, as he prayed, he pleaded, \"Lord of the\nUniverse! Thou knowest that I have not entered into this obligation for\nmy own sake, but for Thy glory and for the benefit of Thy people.\" While\nhe yet prayed the clouds gathered overhead, the rain fell in torrents,\nand the reservoirs were filled to overflowing. On going out of the house\nof prayer he was met by the exacting creditor, who still urged that the\nmoney was due to him, as he said, the rain came after sunset. But in\nanswer to prayer the clouds immediately dispersed, and the sun shone out\nas brightly as ever.\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 19. col. 2.\n\n    Nicodemon ben Gorion of the above story is by some considered to\n    be the Nicodemus of St. John's Gospel, iii. 1-10; vii. 50; xix\n    30.\n\nWould that my husband were here and could listen to me; I should permit\nhim to stay away another twelve years.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 63. col. 1.\n\n    Hereto hangs a tale stranger than fiction, yet founded on fact.\n    Rabbi Akiva was once a poor shepherd in the employ of Calba\n    Shevua, one of the richest men in all Jerusalem. While engaged\n    in that lowly occupation his master's only daughter fell in love\n    with him, and the two carried on a clandestine courtship for\n    some time together. Her father, hearing of it, threatened to\n    disinherit her, to turn her out of doors and disown her\n    altogether, if she did not break off her engagement. How could\n    she connect herself with one who was the base-born son of a\n    proselyte, a reputed descendant of Sisera and Jael, an ignorant\n    fellow that could neither read nor write, and a man old enough\n    to be her father? Rachel--for that was her name--determined to\n    be true to her lover, and to brave the consequences by marrying\n    him and exchanging the mansion of her father for the hovel of\n    her husband. After a short spell of married life she prevailed\n    upon her husband to leave her for a while in order to join a\n    certain college in a distant land, where she felt sure that his\n    talents would be recognized and his genius fostered into\n    development worthy of it. As he sauntered along by himself he\n    began to harbor misgivings in his mind as to the wisdom of the\n    step, and more than once thought of returning. But when musing\n    one day at a resting-place a waterfall arrested his attention,\n    and he remarked how the water, by its continual dropping, was\n    wearing away the solid rock. All at once, with the tact for\n    which he was afterward so noted, he applied the lesson it\n    yielded to himself. \"So may the law,\" he reasoned, \"work its way\n    into my hard and stony heart;\" and he felt encouraged and\n    pursued his journey. Under the tuition of Rabbi Eliezer, the son\n    of Hyrcanus, and Rabbi Yehoshua, the son of Chananiah, his\n    native ability soon began to appear, his name became known to\n    fame, and he rose step by step until he ranked as a professor in\n    the very college which he had entered as a poor student. After\n    some twelve years of hard study and diligent service in the law\n    he returned to Jerusalem, accompanied by a large number of\n    disciples. On nearing the dwelling of his devoted wife he caught\n    the sound of voices in eager conversation. He paused awhile and\n    listened at the door, and overheard a gossiping neighbor blaming\n    Rachel for her _m\u00e9salliance_, and twitting her with marrying a\n    man who could run away and leave her as a widow for a dozen of\n    years or more on the crazy pretext of going to college. He\n    listened in eager curiosity, wondering what the reply would be.\n    To his surprise, he heard his self-sacrificing wife exclaim,\n    \"Would that my husband were here and could listen to me; I\n    should permit, nay, urge him to stay other twelve years, if it\n    would benefit him.\" Strange to say Akiva taking the hint from\n    his wife, turned away and left Jerusalem without ever seeing\n    her. He went abroad again for a time, and then returned for\n    good; this time, so the story says, with twice twelve thousand\n    disciples. Well-nigh all Jerusalem turned out to do him honor,\n    every one striving to be foremost to welcome him. Calba Shevua,\n    who for many a long year had repented of his hasty resolution,\n    which cost him at once his daughter and his happiness, went to\n    Akiva to ask his opinion about annulling this vow. Akiva replied\n    by making himself known as his quondam servant and rejected\n    son-in-law. As we may suppose, the two were at once reconciled,\n    and Calba Shevua looked upon himself as favored of Heaven above\n    all the fathers in Israel.\n\nThe Rabbis say that at first they used to communicate the Divine name of\ntwelve letters to every one. But when the Antinomians began to abound,\nthe knowledge of this name was imparted only to the more discreet of the\npriestly order, and they repeated it hastily while the other priests\npronounced the benediction of the people. (What the name was, says\nRashi, is not known.) Rabbi Tarphon, the story goes on to say, once\nlistened to the high priest, and overheard him hurriedly pronouncing\nthis name of twelve letters while the other priests were blessing the\npeople.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 71, col. 1.\n\nTwelve hours there are in the day:--The first three, the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--employs in studying the law; the next three He sits\nand judges the whole world; the third three He spends in feeding all the\nworld; during the last three hours He sports with the leviathan; as it\nis said (Ps. civ. 26), \"This leviathan Thou hast created to play with\nit.\"\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 3, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Yochanan bar Chanena said:--The day consists of twelve hours.\nDuring the first hour Adam's dust was collected from all parts of the\nworld; during the second it was made into a lump; during the third his\nlimbs were formed; during the fourth his body was animated; during the\nfifth he stood upon his legs; during the sixth he gave names to the\nanimals; during the seventh he associated with Eve; during the eighth\nCain and a twin sister were born (Abel and his twin sister were born\nafter the Fall, says the Tosephoth); during the ninth Adam was ordered\nnot to eat of the forbidden tree; during the tenth he fell, during the\neleventh he was judged; and during the twelfth he was ejected from\nparadise; as it is said (Ps. xlix. 13, A.V. 12), \"Man (Adam) abode not\none night in his dignity.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 38, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Akiva used to say:--Of five judgments, some have lasted twelve\nmonths, others will do so;--those of the deluge, of Job, of the\nEgyptians, of Gog and Magog, and of the wicked in Gehenna.\n\n_Edioth_, chap. 2, mish. 10.\n\nPlagues come upon those that are proud, as was the case with Uzziah (2\nChron. xxvi. 16), \"But when he was strong (proud), his heart was lifted\nup to destruction.\" When the leprosy rose up in his forehead, the Temple\nwas cleft asunder twelve miles either way.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 9.\n\n    This hyperbole is evidently a mere fiction joined on to a truth\n    for the purpose of frightening the proud into humility. The end\n    sanctifieth the means, as we well know from other instances\n    recorded in the Talmud.\n\nThose who mourn for deceased relatives are prohibited from entering a\ntavern for thirty days, but those who mourn for either father or mother\nmust not do so for twelve months.\n\n_Semachoth_, chap. 9.\n\nA creature that has no bones in his body does not live more than twelve\nmonths.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 58, col. 1.\n\nThe Alexandrians asked Rabbi Joshua twelve questions; three related to\nmatters of wisdom, three to matters of legend, three were frivolous, and\nthree were of a worldly nature--viz, how to grow wise, how to become\nrich, and how to ensure a family of boys.\n\n_Niddah_, fol. 69, col. 2.\n\nThere was once a man named Joseph, who was renowned for honoring the\nSabbath-day. He had a rich neighbor, a Gentile, whose property a certain\nfortune-teller had said would eventually revert to Joseph the\nSabbatarian. To frustrate this prediction the Gentile disposed of his\nproperty, and with the proceeds of the sale he purchased a rare and\ncostly jewel which he fixed to his turban. On crossing a bridge a gust\nof wind blew his turban into the river and a fish swallowed it. This\nfish being caught, was brought on a Friday to market, and, as luck would\nhave it, it was bought by Joseph in honor of the coming Sabbath. When\nthe fish was cut up the jewel was found, and this Joseph sold for\nthirteen purses of gold denarii. When his neighbor met him, he\nacknowledged that he who despised the Sabbath the Lord of the Sabbath\nwould be sure to punish.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 119, col. 1.\n\n    This story cannot fail to remind those who are conversant with\n    Herodotus or Schiller of the legend of King Polycrates, which\n    dates back five or six centuries before the present era.\n    Polycrates, the king of Samos, was one of the most fortunate of\n    men, and everything he took in hand was fabled to prosper. This\n    unbroken series of successes caused disquietude to his friends,\n    who saw in the circumstance foreboding of some dire disaster;\n    till Amasis, king of Egypt, one of the number advised him to\n    spurn the favor of fortune by throwing away what he valued\n    dearest. The most valuable thing he possessed was an emerald\n    signet-ring, and this accordingly he resolved to sacrifice. So,\n    manning a galley, he rowed out to the sea, and threw the ring\n    away into the waste of the waters. Some five or six days after\n    this, a fisherman came to the palace and made the king a present\n    of a very fine fish that he had caught. This the servants\n    proceeded to open, when, to their surprise, they came upon a\n    ring, which on examination proved to be the very ring which had\n    been cast away by the king their master. (See Herodotus, book\n    iii.)\n\n    Among the many legends that have clustered round the memory of\n    Solomon, there is one which reads very much like an adaptation\n    of this classic story. The version the Talmud gives of this\n    story is quoted in another part of this Miscellany (chap. vi.\n    No. 8, note), but in Emek Hammelech, fol. 14, col. 4, we have\n    the legend in another form, with much amplitude and variety of\n    detail, of which we can give here only an outline. When the\n    building of the Temple was finished, the king of the demons\n    begged Solomon to set him free from his service, and promised in\n    return to teach him a secret he would be sure to value. Having\n    cajoled Solomon out of possession of his signet-ring, he first\n    flung the ring into the sea, where it was swallowed by a fish,\n    and then taking up Solomon himself, he cast him into a foreign\n    land some four hundred miles away, where for three weary long\n    years he wandered up and down like a vagrant, begging his bread\n    from door to door. In the course of his rambles he came to Mash\n    Kemim, and was so fortunate as to be appointed head cook at the\n    palace of the king of Ammon (Ana Hanun, see 1 Kings xii. 24;\n    LXX.). While employed in this office, Naama, the king's daughter\n    (see 1 Kings xiv. 21, 31, and 2 Chron. xii. 13), fell in love\n    with him, and, determining to marry him, eloped with him for\n    refuge to a distant land. One day as Naama was preparing a fish\n    for dinner, she found in it a ring, and this turned cut to be\n    the very ring which the king of the demons had flung into the\n    sea, and the loss of which had bewitched the king out of his\n    power and dominion. In the recovery of the ring the king both\n    recovered himself and the throne of his father David.\n\n    The occurrence of a fish and a ring on the arms of the city of\n    Glasgow memorializes a legend in which we find the same singular\n    combination of circumstances. A certain queen of the district\n    one day gave her paramour a golden ring which the king her\n    husband had committed to her charge as a keepsake. By some means\n    or other the king got to know of the whereabouts of the ring,\n    and cleverly contriving to secure possession of it, threw it\n    into the sea. He then went straight to the queen and demanded to\n    know where it was and what she had done with it. The queen in\n    her distress repaired to St. Kentigern, and both made full\n    confession of her guilt and her anxiety about the recovery of\n    the ring, that she might regain the lost favor of her husband.\n    The saint set off at once to the Clyde, and there caught a\n    salmon and the identical ring in the mouth of it. This he handed\n    over to the queen, who returned it to her lord with such\n    expressions of penitence that the restoration of it became the\n    bond and pledge between them of a higher and holier wedlock.\n\nThere were thirteen horn-shaped collecting-boxes, and thirteen tables,\nand thirteen devotional bowings in the Temple service. Those who\nbelonged to the houses of Rabbi Gamliel and of Rabbi Chananiah, the\npresident of the priests, bowed fourteen times. This extra act of bowing\nwas directed to the quarter of the wood store, in consequence of a\ntradition they inherited from their ancestors that the Ark of the\nCovenant was hidden in that locality. The origin of the tradition was\nthis:--A priest, being once engaged near the wood store, and observing\nthat part of the plaster differed from the rest, went to tell his\ncompanions, but died before he had time to relate his discovery. Thus it\nbecame known for certain that the Ark was hidden there.\n\n_Shekalim_ chap. 3, hal, 1.\n\n    It is more than probable that the Chananiah, mentioned above, is\n    the person alluded to in the Acts, chap, xxiii. 2, as \"the high\n    priest Ananias.\" For the tradition about the Ark. see also 2\n    Macc. ii. 4, 5.\n\nThere were thirteen horn-shaped collecting-boxes in the Temple, and upon\nthem were inscribed new shekels, old shekels, turtle-dove offerings,\nyoung-pigeon offerings, fire-wood, contributions for Galbanus, gold for\nthe mercy-seat; and six boxes were inscribed for voluntary\ncontributions. New shekels were for the current year, old shekels were\nfor the past one.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 55, col, 2.\n\nOnce on account of long-continued drought Rabbi Eliezer proclaimed\nthirteen public fasts, but no rain came. At the termination of the last\nfast, just as the congregation was leaving the synagogue, he cried\naloud, \"Have you then prepared graves for yourselves?\" Upon this all the\npeople burst into bitter cries, and rain came down directly.\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 25, col. 2.\n\nA boy at thirteen years of age is bound to observe the usual fasts in\nfull, i.e., throughout the whole day. A girl is bound to do so when only\ntwelve. Rashi gives this as the reason:--A boy is supposed to be weaker\nthan a girl on account of the enervating effect of much study.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 5, col. 1.\n\nA poor man once came to Rava and begged for a meal. \"On what dost thou\nusually dine?\" asked Rava. \"On stuffed fowl and old wine,\" was the\nreply. \"What!\" said Rava, \"art thou not concerned about being so\nburdensome to the community?\" He replied, \"I eat nothing belonging to\nthem, only what the Lord provides; as we are taught (Ps. cxlv. 15),\n'The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in his\nseason.' It is not said in their season, for so we learn that God\nprovides for each individual in his season of need.\" While they were\nthus talking, in came Rava's sister, who had not been to see him for\nthirteen years, and she brought him as a present a stuffed fowl and some\nold wine also. Rava marveled at the coincidence, and turning to his poor\nvisitor said, \"I beg thy pardon, friend; rise, I pray thee, and eat.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 67, col. 2.\n\nSo great is circumcision that thirteen covenants were made concerning\nit. Tosafoth says that covenant is written thirteen times in the chapter\nof circumcision.\n\n_Nedarim_, fol. 31, col. 2.\n\nRabbi (the Holy) says sufferings are to be borne with resignation. He\nhimself bore them submissively for thirteen years; for six he suffered\nfrom lithiasis, and for seven years from stomatitis (or, as some say,\nsix years from the former and seven from the latter). His groans were\nheard three miles off.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 85, col. 1.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught thirteen things respecting breakfast\n(morning-morsel):--It counteracts the effects of heat, cold or draught;\nit protects from malignant demons; it makes wise the simple by keeping\nthe mind in a healthy condition; it enables a man to come off clear from\na judicial inquiry; it qualifies him both to learn and to teach the law;\nit makes him eagerly listened to, to have a retentive memory, etc.\n\nIbid. fol. 107, col. 2.\n\nThe land of Israel is in the future to be divided among thirteen tribes,\nand not, as at first, among twelve.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 122, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Abhu once complimented Rav Saphra before the Minim by singling him\nout in their hearing as a man distinguished by his learning, and this\nled them to exempt him from tribute for thirteen years. It so happened\nthat these Minim once posed Saphra about that which is written in Amos\niii. 2, \"You only have I known of all the families of the earth;\ntherefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.\" \"Ye say you are\nGod's friends, but when one has a friend does he pour out his wrath upon\nhim?\" To this Rav Saphra make no reply. They then put a rope round his\nneck and tormented him. When he was in this sorry plight, Rabbi Abhu\ncame up and inquired why they tormented him thus. To this they made\nanswer, \"Didst thou not tell us that he was a very learned man, and he\ndoes not even know how to explain a text of Scripture?\" \"Yes, I did so\nsay,\" replied Rabbi Abhu; \"he is an adept in the Talmud only, but not in\nthe Scriptures.\" \"Thou knowest the Scriptures;\" they replied, \"and why\nought he not to know them as well?\" \"I have daily intercourse with you,\"\nsaid the Rabbi, \"and therefore I am obliged to study the Scriptures, but\nhe, having no intercourse with you, has no need to trouble himself, and\ndoes not at all care about them.\"\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 4, col. 1.\n\n    In order to understand aright the grounds on which Rabbi Abhu\n    would fain excuse Rav Saphra for not caring at all about the\n    Scriptures, certain passages from both Talmuds should be read,\n    which, in the usual metaphorical style of the Rabbis, set forth\n    the respective merits of Scripture and Tradition. The three\n    times three in Sophrim (chap. 15), in which the Scripture is\n    compared to water, the Mishna to wine, and the Gemara to mulled\n    wine, and that in which the Scripture is likened to salt, the\n    Mishna to pepper, and the Gemara to spice, and so on, are too\n    well known to need more than passing mention; but far less\n    familiar and much more explicit is the exposition of Zech. viii.\n    10, as given in T.B. Chaggigah, fol. 10, col. 1, where,\n    commenting on the Scripture text, \"Neither, was there any peace\n    to him that went out or came in,\" Rav expressly says, \"He who\n    leaves a matter of Halachah for a matter of Scripture shall\n    never more have peace;\" to which Shemuel adds, \"Aye, and he also\n    who leaves the Talmud for the Mishna;\" Rabbi Yochanan chiming in\n    with \"even from Talmud to Talmud;\" as if to say, \"And he who\n    turns from the Babli to the Yerushalmi, even he shall have no\n    peace.\" If we refer to the Mishna (chap. 1, hal. 7) of Berachoth\n    in the last-named Talmud, we read there that Rabbi Tarphon,\n    bent, while on a journey, on reading the Shema according to the\n    school of Shammai, ran the risk of falling into the hands of\n    certain banditti whom he had not noticed near him. \"It would\n    have served you right,\" remarked one, \"because you did not\n    follow the rule of Hillel.\" In the Gemara to this passage Rabbi\n    Yochanan says, \"The words of the scribes are more highly valued\n    than the words of the law, for, as Rabbi Yuda remarks, 'If Rabbi\n    Tarphon had not read the Shema at all he would only have broken\n    a positive command,' but since he transgressed the rule of\n    Hillel he was guilty of death, for it is written, 'He who breaks\n    down a hedge (the Rabbinic hedge to the law, of course), a\n    serpent shall bite him'\" (Eccles. x. 8). Then Rabbi Chanina, the\n    son of Rabbi Ana, in the name of Rabbi Tanchum, the son of Rabbi\n    Cheyah, says, \"The words of the elders are more important than\n    the words of the prophets.\" A prophet and an elder, whom do they\n    resemble? They are like two ambassadors sent by a king to a\n    province. About the one he sends word saying, \"If he does not\n    present credentials with my signature and seal, trust him not;\"\n    whereas the other is accredited without any such token; for in\n    regard to the prophet it is written (Deut. xiii. 2), \"He giveth\n    thee a sign or token;\" while in reference to the elders it is\n    written (Deut. xvii. 11), \"According to the decision which they\n    may say unto thee shalt thou do; thou shalt not depart from the\n    sentence which they may tell thee, to the right or to the left.\"\n    Rashi's comment on this text is worth notice: \"Even when they\n    tell thee that right is left and left is right.\" In a word, a\n    wise man (i.e., a Rabbi) is better than a prophet. (_Bava\n    Bathra_ fol. 12, col. 1.)\n\nOved, the Galilean, has expounded that there are thirteen _vavs_ (i.e.,\nthe letter _vav_ occurs thirteen times) in connection with wine. _Vav_\nin Syriac means woe.\n\n_Sanhedrin_ fol. 70, col. 1.\n\n    The Rabbis have a curious Haggada respecting the origin of the\n    culture of the vine. Once while Noah was hard at work breaking\n    up the fallow ground for a vineyard, Satan drew near and\n    inquired what he was doing. On ascertaining that the patriarch\n    was about to cultivate the grape, which he valued both for its\n    fruit and its juice, he at once volunteered to assist him at his\n    task, and began to manure the soil with the blood of a lamb, a\n    lion, a pig, and a monkey. \"Now,\" said he, when his work was\n    done, \"of those who taste the juice of the grape, some will\n    become meek and gentle as the lamb, some bold and fearless as\n    the lion, some foul and beastly as the pig, and others\n    frolicsome and lively as the monkey.\" This quaint story may be\n    found more fully detailed in the Midrash Tanchuma (see Noah) and\n    the Yalkut on Genesis. The Mohammedan legend is somewhat\n    similar. It relates how Satan on the like occasion used the\n    blood of a peacock, of an ape, of a lion, and of a pig, and it\n    deduces from the abuse of the vine the curse that fell on the\n    children of Ham, and ascribes the color of the purple grape to\n    the dark hue which thenceforth tinctured all the fruit of their\n    land as well as their own complexions.\n\nAt thirteen years of age, a boy becomes bound to observe the (613)\nprecepts of the law.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 5.\n\nRabbi Ishmael says the law is to be expounded according to thirteen\nlogical rules.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 63, col. 1.\n\n    The thirteen rules of Rabbi Ishmael above referred to are not to\n    be found together in any part of the Talmud, but they are\n    collected for repetition in the Liturgy, and are as follows:--\n\n    1. Inference is valid from minor to major.\n\n    2. From similar phraseology.\n\n    3. From the gist or main point of one text to that of other\n    passages.\n\n    4. Of general and particular.\n\n    5. Of particular and general.\n\n    6. From a general, or a particular and a general, the ruling\n    both of the former and the latter is to be according to the\n    middle term, i.e., the one which is particularized.\n\n    7. From a general text that requires a particular instance, and\n    _vice vers\u00e0_.\n\n    8. When a particular rule is laid down for something which has\n    already been included in a general law, the rule is to apply to\n    all.\n\n    9. When a general rule has an exception, the exception mitigates\n    and does not aggravate the rule.\n\n    10. When a general rule has an exception not according\n    therewith, the exception both mitigates and aggravates.\n\n    11. When an exception to a general rule is made to substantiate\n    extraneous matter, that matter cannot be classed under the said\n    general rule, unless the Scripture expressly says so.\n\n    12. The ruling is to be according to the context, or to the\n    general drift of the argument.\n\n    13. When two texts are contradictory, a third is to be sought\n    that reconciles them.\n\nRabbi Akiva was forty years of age when he began to study, and after\nthirteen years of study he began publicly to teach.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan._\n\nThirteen treasurers and seven directors were appointed to serve in the\nTemple. (More there might be, never less.)\n\n_Tamid_, fol. 27, col. 1.\n\nThirteen points of law regulate the decisions that require to be made\nrelative to the carcass of a clean bird.\n\n_Taharoth_, chap. i, mish. 1.\n\nA man must partake of fourteen meals in the booth during the Feast of\nTabernacles.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 27, col. 1.\n\nTraditional chronology records that the Israelites killed the Paschal\nlamb on the fourteenth day of Nisan, the month on which they came out of\nEgypt. They came out on the fifteenth; that day was a Friday.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 88, col. 1.\n\nThe fifteen steps were according to the number of the Songs of Degrees\nin the Psalms. It is related that whosoever has not seen the joy at the\nannual ceremony of the water-drawing, has not seen rejoicing in his\nlife. At the conclusion of the first part of the Feast of Tabernacles,\nthe Priests and Levites descended into the women's ante-court, where\nthey made great preparations (such as erecting temporary double\ngalleries, the uppermost for women, and those under for men). There were\ngolden candelabra there, each having four golden bowls on the top, four\nladders reaching to them, and four of the young priests with cruses of\noil ready to supply them, each cruse holding one hundred and twenty logs\nof oil. The lamp-wicks were made of the worn-out drawers and girdles of\nthe priests. There was not a court in all Jerusalem that was not lit up\nby the illumination of the \"water-drawing.\" Holy men, and men of\ndignity, with flaming torches in their hands, danced before the people,\nrehearsing songs and singing praises. The Levites, with harps, lutes,\ncymbals, trumpets, and innumerable musical instruments, were stationed\non the fifteen steps which led from the ante-court of Israel to the\nwomen's court; the Levites stood upon the steps and played and sang. Two\npriests stood at the upper gate which led from the ante-court for Israel\nto that for the women, each provided with a trumpet, and as soon as the\ncock crew they blew one simple blast, then a compound or fragmentary\none, and then a modulated or shouting blast. This was the preconcerted\nsignal for the drawing of the water. As soon as they reached the tenth\nstep, they blew again three blasts as before. When they came to the\nante-court for women, they blew another three blasts, and after that\nthey continued blowing till they came to the east gate. When they\narrived at the east gate, they turned their faces westward (i.e., toward\nthe Temple), and said, \"Our fathers, who were in this place, turned\ntheir backs toward the Temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the\nEast, for they worshiped the sun in the East; but we turn our eyes to\nGod!\" Rabbi Yehudah says, \"These words were repeated, echoing, 'We are\nfor God, and unto God are our eyes directed!'\"\n\n_Succah_, fol. 51, col. 1, 2.\n\nRabbon Shimon ben Gamliel has said there were no such gala-days for\nIsrael as the fifteenth of Ab and the Day of Atonement, when the young\nmaidens of Jerusalem used to resort to the vineyard all robed in white\ngarments, that were required to be borrowed, lest those should feel\nhumiliated who had none of their own. There they danced gleefully,\ncalling to the lookers-on and saying, \"Young men, have a care; the\nchoice you now make may have consequences.\"\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 26, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Elazar the Great said, \"From the fifteenth of Ab the influence of\nthe sun declines, and from that day they leave off cutting wood for the\naltar fire, because it could not be properly dried (and green wood might\nharbor vermin, which would make it unfit for use).\"\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nHe who eats turnips to beef, and sleeps out in the open air during the\nnight of the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the months of summer (that\nis, when the moon is full), will most likely bring on an ague fever.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 70, col. 1.\n\nA lad should, at the age of fifteen, begin to apply himself to the\nGemara.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 5.\n\n\"So I bought her to me for fifteen\" (Hosea iii. 2), that is, on the\nfifteenth day of Nisan, when Israel was redeemed from the bondage of\nEgypt. \"Silver;\" this refers to the righteous. \"An homer and a\nhalf-homer;\" these equal forty-five measures, and are the forty-five\nrighteous men for whose sake the world is preserved. I don't know\nwhether there are thirty here (that is, in Babylon), and fifteen in the\nland of Israel, or _vice vers\u00e0_; as it is said (Zech. xi. 13), \"I took\nthe thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of\nthe Lord.\" It stands to reason that there are thirty in the land of\nIsrael, and, therefore, fifteen here. Abaii says that the greater part\nare to be found under the gable end of the synagogue. Rav Yehudah says\nthe reference is to the thirty righteous men always found among the\nnations of the world for whose sake they are preserved (but see No. 103\n_infra_). Ulla says it refers to the thirty precepts received by the\nnations of the world, of which, however, they keep three only; i.e. they\ndo not enter into formal marriage-contracts with men; they do not expose\nfor sale the bodies of such animals as have died from natural causes;\nand they have regard for the law.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 92, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Cheyah bar Abba says, \"I once visited a house-holder at Ludkia,\nand they placed before him a golden table so loaded with silver plate,\nbasins, cups, bottles and glasses, besides all sorts of dishes,\ndelicacies, and spices, that it took sixteen men to carry it. When they\nset the table in its place they said (Ps. xxiv. 1), 'The earth is the\nLord's and the fullness thereof,' and upon removing it, they said (Ps.\ncxv. 16), 'The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's, but the earth\nhath He given to the children of men.' I said, 'Son, how hast thou come\nto deserve all this?' 'I was,' replied he, 'a butcher by trade, and I\nalways set apart for the Sabbath the best of the cattle.' 'How happy art\nthou,' I remarked (adds Rabbi Cheyah), 'to have merited such a reward,\nand blessed be God who has thus rewarded thee.'\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 119, col. 1.\n\nRash Lakish said, \"I have seen the flow of milk and honey at Tzipori; it\nwas sixteen miles by sixteen miles.\"\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 6, col. 1.\n\n    Rashi explains the above as follows:--The goats fed upon figs\n    from which honey distilled, and this mingled with the milk which\n    dropped from the goats as they walked along. On the spot arose a\n    lake which covered an area of sixteen miles square. (See also\n    Kethuboth, fol. iii, col. 2.)\n\nA cedar tree once fell down in our place, the trunk of which was so wide\nthat sixteen wagons were drawn abreast upon it.\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 57, col. 2.\n\n    Who can estimate the loss the world sustains in its ignorance of\n    the trees of the Talmud? What a sapling in comparison with this\n    giant cedar of Lebanon must the far-famed Mammoth tree have been\n    which was lately cut down in California, and was the largest\n    known to the present generation!\n\nRabbi Yochanan plaintively records, \"I remember the time when a young\nman and a young woman sixteen or seventeen years of age could walk\ntogether in the streets and no harm came of it.\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 91, col. 2.\n\nOn the deposition of Rabbon Gamliel, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah was\nchosen as his successor to the presidential chair of the academy. On\nbeing told of his elevation, he consulted with his wife as to whether or\nnot he should accept the appointment. \"What if they should depose thee\nalso?\" asked his wife. He replied, \"Use the precious bowl while thou\nhast it, even if it be broken the next.\" But she rejoined, \"Thou art\nonly eighteen years old, and how canst thou at such an age expect folks\nto venerate thee?\" By a miracle eighteen of his locks turned suddenly\ngray, so that he could say, \"I am as one of seventy.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 27, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that Shimon Happikoli had arranged the eighteen\nbenedictions before Rabbon Gamliel at Javneh. Rabbon Gamliel appealed to\nthe sages, \"Is there not a man who knows how to compose an imprecation\nagainst the Sadducees?\" Then Samuel the Little stood up and extemporized\nit.\n\nIbid., fol. 28, col. 2.\n\n    The \"imprecation against the Sadducees\" stands twelfth among the\n    collects of the Shemoneh Esreh. It is popularly known as\n    \"Velama-leshinim\" from its opening words, and is given thus in\n    modern Ashkenazi liturgies:--\"Oh, let the slanderers have no\n    hope, all the wicked be annihilated speedily, and all the\n    tyrants be cut off, hurled down and reduced speedily; humble\n    Thou them quickly in our days. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who\n    destroyest enemies and humblest tyrants.\" There has been much\n    misconception with regard to this collect against heretics.\n    There is every reason to believe it was composed without any\n    reference whatever to the Christians. One point of interest,\n    however, in connection with it is worth relating here. Some have\n    sought to identify the author of it, Samuel the Little, with the\n    Apostle Paul, grounded the conclusion on his original Hebrew\n    name, Saul. They take Paulus as equal to _pusillus_, which means\n    \"very little\" or \"the less,\" and answers to the word _Hakaton_,\n    a term of similar import. Samuel, however, died a good Jew (see\n    Semachoth, chap. 8), and Rabbon Gamliel Hazaken and Rabbi\n    Eleazar ben Azariah pronounced a funeral oration at his burial.\n    \"His key and his diary were placed on his coffin, because he had\n    no son to succeed him.\" (See also Sanhedrin, fol. ii, col. 1.)\n\nEighteen denunciations did Isaiah make against the people of Israel, and\nhe recovered not his equanimity until he was able to add, \"The child\nshall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against\nthe honorable\" (Isa. iii. 5).\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 14, col. 1.\n\nThe Rabbis have related that there was once a family in Jerusalem the\nmembers of which died off regularly at eighteen years of age. Rabbi\nYochanan ben Zacchai shrewdly guessed that they were descendants of Eli,\nregarding whom it is said (1 Sam. ii. 25), \"And all the increase of\nthine house shall die in the flower of their age;\" and he accordingly\nadvised them to devote themselves to the study of the law, as the\ncertain and only means of neutralizing the curse. They acted upon the\nadvice of the Rabbi; their lives were in consequence prolonged; and they\nthenceforth went by the name of their spiritual father.\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 18, col. 1.\n\nEighteen handbreadths was the height of the golden candlestick.\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 28, col. 2.\n\nIf a man remain unmarried after the age of twenty, his life is a\nconstant transgression. The Holy One--blessed be He!--waits until that\nperiod to see if one enters the matrimonial state, and curses his bones\nif he remain single.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 29, col. 2.\n\nA woman marrying under twenty years of age will bear till she is sixty;\nif she marries at twenty she will bear until she is forty; if she\nmarries at forty she will not have any family.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 119, col. 2.\n\nAt twenty pursue the study of the law.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 5.\n\nRabbi Yehudah says the early Pietists used to suffer some twenty days\nbefore death from diarrhoea, the effect of which was to purge and purify\nthem for the world to come; for it is said, \"As the fining pot for\nsilver, and the furnace for gold, so is a man to his praise\" (Prov.\nxxvii. 21).\n\n_Semachoth_, chap. 3, mish. 10.\n\n    It may not be out of place to append two or three parallel\n    passages here by way of illustration:--\"Bodily suffering purges\n    away sin\" (_Berachoth_, fol. 5, col. 1). \"He who suffers will\n    not see hell\" (_Eiruvin_, fol. 41, col. 2). \"To die of diarrhoea\n    is an augury for good, for most of the righteous die of that\n    ailment\" (_Kethuboth_, fol. 103, col. 2, and elsewhere).\n\nThe bathing season at (the hot baths of) Dimsis lasted twenty-one days.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 147, col. 2.\n\nA fowl hatches in twenty-one days, and the almond tree ripens its fruit\nin twenty-one days.\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 8, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Levi says the realization of a good dream may be hopefully\nexpected for twenty-two years; for it is written (Gen. xxxvii. 2),\n\"These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph being seventeen years old\nwhen he had the dreams.\" And it is written also (Gen. xli. 46), \"And\nJoseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh,\" etc. From\nseventeen to thirty are thirteen, to which add the seven years of plenty\nand the two years of famine, which make the sum total of twenty-two.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 55, col. 2.\n\n    In the pages which precede and follow the above quotation there\n    is much that is interesting on the subject of dreams and their\n    interpretation, and one is strongly tempted to append\n    selections, but we refrain in order to make room for a prayer\n    which occurs in the morning service for the various festivals,\n    and is given in the preceding context:--\"Sovereign of the\n    Universe! I am thine, and my dreams are thine. I have dreamed a\n    dream, but know not what it portendeth. May it be acceptable in\n    Thy presence, O Lord my God, and the God of my fathers, that all\n    my dreams concerning myself and concerning all Israel may be for\n    my good. Whether I have dreamt concerning myself, or whether I\n    have dreamt concerning others, or whether others have dreamt\n    concerning me, if they be good, strengthen and fortify them,\n    that they may be accomplished in me, as were the dreams of the\n    righteous Joseph; and if they require cure, heal them as Thou\n    didst Hezekiah, king of Judah, from his sickness; as Miriam the\n    prophetess from her leprosy, and Naaman from his leprosy; as the\n    bitter waters of Marah by the hands of our legislator Moses, and\n    those of Jericho by the hands of Elisha. And as Thou wast\n    pleased to turn the curse of Balaam, the son of Beor, to a\n    blessing, be pleased to convert all my dreams concerning me and\n    all Israel to a good end. Oh, guard me; let me be acceptable to\n    Thee, and grant me life. Amen.\" (The translation of this prayer\n    is borrowed from the Jewish liturgy.)\n\nRabbi Levi said, \"Come and see how unlike the character of the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--is to that of those who inherit the flesh and blood\nof humanity. God blessed Israel with twenty-two benedictions and cursed\nthem with eight curses (Lev. xxvi. 3-13, xv. 43). But Moses, our Rabbi,\nblessed them with eight benedictions and cursed them with twenty-two\nimprecations\" (see Deut. xxviii. 1-4, xv. 68).\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 59, col. i.\n\nOnce as they were journeying to Chesib (in Palestine), some of Rabbi\nAkiva's disciples were overtaken by a band of robbers, who demanded to\nknow where they were going to. \"We are going to Acco,\" was the reply;\nbut on arriving at Chesib, they went no farther. The robbers then asked\nthem who they were? \"Disciples of Rabbi Akiva,\" they replied. Upon\nhearing this the robbers exclaimed, \"Blessed surely is Rabbi Akiva and\nhis disciples too, for no man can ever do them any harm.\" Once as Rabbi\nMenasi was traveling to Thurtha (in Babylonia), some thieves surprised\nhim on the road and asked him where he was bound for. \"For Pumbeditha,\"\nwas the reply; but upon reaching Thurtha, he stayed and went no farther.\nThe highwaymen, thus balked, retorted, \"Thou art the disciple of Yehuda\nthe deceiver!\" \"Oh, you know my master, do you?\" said the Rabbi. \"Then\nin the name of God be every one of you anathematized.\" For twenty-two\nyears thereafter they carried on their nefarious trade, but all their\nattempts at violence ended only in disappointment. Then all save one of\nthem came to the Rabbi and craved his pardon, which was immediately\ngranted. The one who did not come to confess his guilt and obtain\nabsolution was a weaver, and he was eventually devoured by a lion. Hence\nthe proverbs, \"If a weaver does not humble himself, he shortens his\nlife;\" and, \"Come and see the difference there is between the thieves of\nBabylon and the banditti of the land of Israel.\"\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 26, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was twenty-two years of age when, contrary to\nthe wishes of his father, he went to Rabbon Yochanan ben Zaccai\npurposing to devote himself to the study of the law. By the time he\narrived at Rabbon Yochanan's he had been without food four-and-twenty\nhours, and yet, though repeatedly asked whether he had had anything to\neat, refused to confess he was hungry. His father having come to know\nwhere he was, went one day to the place on purpose to disinherit him\nbefore the assembled Rabbis. It so happened that Rabbon Yochanan was at\nthat time lecturing before some of the great men of Jerusalem, and when\nhe saw the father enter, he pressed Rabbi Eliezer to deliver an\nexposition. So racy and cogent were his observations that Rabbon\nYochanan rose and styled him his own Rabbi, and thanked him in the name\nof the rest for the instruction he had afforded them. Then the father of\nRabbi Eliezer said, \"Rabbis, I came here for the purpose of\ndisinheriting my son, but now I declare him sole heir of all I have, to\nthe exclusion of his brothers.\"\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 6.\n\n    The father of Eliezer acts more magnanimously by his son than\n    does the father of St. Francis. Like the Rabbi, as Mr. Ruskin\n    relates in his \"Mornings in Florence,\" St. Francis, one of whose\n    three great virtues was obedience, \"begins his spiritual life by\n    quarreling with his father. He 'commercially invests' some of\n    his father's goods in charity. His father objects to that\n    investment, on which St. Francis runs away, taking what he can\n    find about the house along with him. His father follows to claim\n    his property, but finds it is all gone already, and that St.\n    Francis has made friends with the Bishop of Assisi. His father\n    flies into an indecent passion, and declares he will disinherit\n    him; on which St. Francis, then and there, takes all his clothes\n    off, throws them frantically in his father's face, and says he\n    has nothing more to do with clothes or father.\"\n\nNot the same strict scrutiny is required in money matters as in cases of\ncapital punishment; for it is said (Lev. xxiv. 23), \"Ye shall have one\nmanner of law.\" What distinction is there made between them? With regard\nto money matters three judges are deemed sufficient, while in cases of\ncapital offense twenty-three are required, etc.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 32, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, \"In twenty-four cases doth the tribunal\nexcommunicate for the honor of a Rabbi, and all are explained in our\nMishna.\" Rabbi Elazer interposed and asked, \"Where are they?\" The reply\nwas, \"Go and seek, and thou shalt find.\" He went accordingly and sought,\nbut found only three--the case of the man who lightly esteems the\nwashing of hands; of him who whispers evil behind the bier of a disciple\nof the wise; and of him who behaves haughtily toward the Most High.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 19, col. 1.\n\n    There are three degrees of excommunication, i.e., separation,\n    exclusion, and execration. That mentioned in the above extract\n    is of the lowest degree, and lasts never less than thirty days.\n    The second degree of excommunication is a prolongation of the\n    first by thirty days more. The third or highest degree lasts for\n    an indefinite time. See Moed Katon, fol. 17, col. 1; Shevuoth,\n    fol. 36, col. 1; and consult Index II. appended.\n\nA certain matron once said to Rabbi Yehuda ben Elaei, \"Thy face is like\nthat of one who breeds pigs and lends money on usury.\" He replied,\n\"These offices are forbidden me by the rules of my religion, but between\nmy residence and the academy there are twenty-four latrin\u00e6; these I\nregularly visit as I need.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 55, col. 1.\n\n    The Rabbi meant to say that paying attention to the regular\n    action of his excretory organs was the secret of his healthy\n    looks, and to imply that a disordered stomach is the root of\n    most diseases,--a physiological opinion well worthy of regard by\n    us moderns.\n\nRav Birim says that the venerable Rav Benaah once went to all the\ninterpreters of dreams in Jerusalem, twenty-four in number. Every one of\nthem gave a different interpretation, and each was fulfilled; which\nsubstantiates the saying that it is the interpretation and not the dream\nthat comes true.\n\nIbid., fol. 55, col. 2.\n\nTwenty-four fasts were observed by the men of the Great Synagogue, in\norder that the writers of the books, phylacteries, and Mezuzahs might\nnot grow rich, lest in becoming rich they might be tempted not to write\nany more.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 50, col. 2.\n\nWhen Solomon was desirous of conveying the Ark into the Temple, the\ndoors shut themselves of their own accord against him. He recited\ntwenty-four psalms, yet they opened not. In vain he cried, \"Lift up your\nheads, O ye gates\" (Ps. xxiv. 9). But when he prayed, \"O Lord God, turn\nnot Thy face away from Thine anointed; remember the mercies of David,\nThy servant\" (2 Chron. vi. 42), then the gates flew open at once. Then\nthe enemies of David turned black in the face, for all knew by this that\nGod had pardoned David's transgression with Bathseheba.\n\n_Moed Katon_, fol. 9, col. 1.\n\n    In the Midrash Rabbah (Devarim, chap. 15) the same story is\n    told, with this additional circumstance among others, that a\n    sacred respect was paid to the gates when the Temple was sacked\n    at the time of the Captivity. When the glorious vessels and\n    furniture of the Temple were being carried away into Babylon,\n    the gates, which were so zealous for the glory of God, were\n    buried on the spot (see Lam. ii. 9), there to await the\n    restoration of Israel. This romantic episode is alluded to in\n    the closing service for the Day of Atonement.\n\nThere are twenty-four species of unclean birds, but the clean birds are\ninnumerable.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 63, col. 2.\n\nIn twenty-four places priests are called Levites, and this is one of\nthem (Ezek. xliv. 15), \"But the priests, the Levites, the sons of\nZadok.\"\n\n_Tamid_, fol. 27, col. 1.\n\nThere are twenty-four extremities of members in the human body which do\nnot suffer defilement in the case of diseased flesh (see Lev. xiii. 10,\n24). The tip-ends of the fingers and toes, the edges of the ears, the\ntip of the nose, etc.\n\n_Negaim_, chap. 6, mish. 7.\n\nTwenty-five children is the highest number there should be in a class\nfor elementary instruction. There should be an assistant appointed, if\nthere be forty in number; and if fifty, there should be two competent\nteachers. Rava says, \"If there be two teachers in a place, one teaching\nthe children more than the other, the one that teaches less is not to be\ndismissed, because if so, the other is liable to lapse into negligence\nalso.\" Rav Deimi of Nehardaa, on the other hand, thinks the dismissal of\nthe former will make the latter all the more eager to teach more, both\nout of fear lest he also be dismissed, and out of gratitude that he has\nbeen preferred to the other. Mar says, \"The emulation of the scribes (or\nteachers) increaseth wisdom.\" Rava also says, \"When there are two\nteachers, one teaching much but superficially, and one teaching\nthoroughly but not so much, the former is to be preferred, for the\nchildren will, in the long run, improve most by learning much.\" Rav\nDeimi of Nehardaa, however, thinks the latter is to be preferred, for a\nmistake or an error once learned is difficult to unlearn; as it is\nwritten in 1 Kings xi. 16, \"For six months did Joab remain there with\nall Israel, until he cut off every male in Edom.\" When David asked Joab\nwhy he killed only the males and not the females, he replied, \"Because\nit is written in Deut. xxv. 19, 'Thou shalt blot out the male portion of\nAmalek.'\" \"But,\" said David, \"we read 'the remembrance of Amalek.'\" To\nthis Joab replied, \"My teacher taught me to read zachar and not\nzeichar,\" i.e., male, and not remembrance. The teacher of Joab was sent\nfor; and being found guilty of having taught his pupil in a superficial\nmanner, he was condemned to be beheaded. The poor teacher pleaded in\nvain for his life, for the king's judgment was based on Scripture (Jer.\nxlviii. 10), \"Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully,\nand cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 21, col. 1.\n\nThe Romans faithfully observed their compact with Israel for twenty-six\nyears. After that time they began to oppress them.\n\n_Avoda Zarah_, fol. 8, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that a small salt fish will cause death if\npartaken of after seven, seventeen, or twenty-seven days; some say after\ntwenty-three days. This is said with reference to half-cooked fish, but\nwhen properly cooked there is no harm in it. Neither does any harm\nresult from eating half-cooked fish, if strong drink be taken after it.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 44, col. 2.\n\nOn the twenty-eighth day of Adar there came good news to the Jews. The\nRoman Government had passed a decree ordaining that they should neither\nstudy the law, nor circumcise their children, nor observe the\nSabbath-days. Yehudah ben Shamua and his associates went to consult a\ncertain matron, whom all the magnates of Rome were in the habit of\nvisiting. She advised them to come at night and raise a loud outcry\nagainst the decree they complained of. They did so, and cried, \"O\nheavens! are we not your brethren? are we not the children of one\nmother?\" (Alluding to Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.) \"Wherein\nare we worse than all other nations and tongues, that you should oppress\nus with such harsh decrees?\" Thereupon the decrees were revoked; to\ncommemorate which the Jews established a festival.\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 19, col. 1.\n\nThe renewal of the moon comes round in not less than twenty-nine days\nand a half and forty minutes.\n\nIbid., fol. 25, col. 1.\n\nRav Mari reports that Rabbi Yochanan had said, \"He who indulges in the\npractice of eating lentils once in thirty days keeps away quinsy, but\nthey are not good to be eaten regularly because by them the breath is\ncorrupted.\" He used also to say that mustard eaten once in thirty days\ndrives away sickness, but if taken every day the action of the heart is\napt to be affected.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 40, col. 1.\n\nHe who eats unripe dates and does not wash his hands will for thirty\nday be in constant fear, without knowing why, of something untoward\nhappening.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 111, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that the lighter kind of excommunication is not\nto last less than thirty days, and censure not less than seven. The\nlatter is inferred from what is said in Num. xii. 14, \"If her father had\nbut spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days?\"\n\n_Moed Katon_, fol. 16, col. 1.\n\nIf we meet a friend during any of the thirty days of his mourning for a\ndeceased relative, we must condole with him but not salute him; but\nafter that time he may be saluted but not condoled with. If a man\n(because he has no family) re-marries within thirty days of the death of\nhis wife, he should not be condoled with at home (lest it might hurt the\nfeelings of his new partner); but if met with out of doors, he should be\naddressed in an undertone of voice, accompanied with a slight\ninclination of the head.\n\nIbid., fol. 21, col. 2.\n\nDuring the thirty days of mourning for deceased friends or relatives,\nthe bereaved should not trim their hair; but if they have lost their\nparents, they are not to attend to such matters until their friends\nforce them to do so.\n\nIbid., fol. 22, col. 2.\n\n\"And Haman told them of the glory of his riches and the multitude of his\nchildren\" (Esth. v. 11). And how many children were there? Rav said\nthirty; ten had died, ten were hanged, and ten went about begging from\ndoor to door. The Rabbis say, \"Those that went about begging from door\nto door were seventy; for it is written (1 Sam. ii. 5), 'They that were\nfull have hired themselves for bread.'\"\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 15, col. 2.\n\nWhen Rabbi Chanena bar Pappa was about to die, the Angel of Death was\ntold to go and render him some friendly service. He accordingly went and\nmade himself known to him. The Rabbi requested him to leave him for\nthirty days, until he had repeated what he had been learning; for it is\nsaid, \"Blessed is he who comes here with his studies in his hand.\" He\naccordingly left, and at the expiration of thirty days returned to him.\nThe Rabbi then asked to be shown his place in Paradise, and the Angel of\nDeath consented to show him while life was still in him. Then said the\nRabbi, \"Lend me thy sword, lest thou surprise me on the road and cheat\nme of my expectation.\" To this the Angel of Death said, \"Dost thou mean\nto serve me as thy friend Rabbi Yoshua did?\" and he declined to intrust\nthe sword to the Rabbi.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 77, col. 2.\n\nIf a man says to a woman, \"Thou art betrothed to me after thirty days,\"\nand in the interim another comes and betroths her, she is the second\nsuitor's.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 58, col 2.\n\nIf one finds a scroll, he may peruse it once in thirty days, but he must\nnot teach out of it, nor may another join him in reading it; if he does\nnot know how to read, he must unroll it. If a garment be found, it\nshould be shaken and spread out once in thirty days, for its own sake\n(to preserve it), but not for display. Silver and copper articles should\nbe used to take care of them, but not for the sake of ornament. Gold and\nglass vessels he should not meddle with--till the coming of Elijah.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 29, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Zira so inured his body (to endurance) that the fire of Gehenna\nhad no power over it. Every thirty days he experimented on himself,\nascending a fiery furnace, and finally sitting down in the midst of it\nwithout being affected by the fire. One day, however, as the Rabbis\nfixed their eyes upon him, his hips became singed, and from that day\nonward he was noted in Jewry as the little man with the singed hips.\n\nIbid., fol. 85, col. 1.\n\nAn Arab once said to Rabbah bar Channah, \"Come and I will show thee the\nplace where Korah and his accomplices were swallowed up.\" \"There,\" says\nthe Rabbi, \"I observed smoke coming out from two cracks in the ground.\nInto one of these he inserted some wool tied on to the end of his spear,\nand when he drew it out again it was scorched. Then he bade me listen. I\ndid so, and as I listened heard them groan out, 'Moses and his law are\ntrue, but we are liars.' The Arab then told me that they come round to\nthis place once in every thirty days, being stirred about in the\nhell-surge like meat in the boiling caldron.\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 74, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Yochanan, in expounding Isa. liv. 12, said, \"The Holy One--blessed\nbe He!--will bring precious stones and pearls, each measuring thirty\ncubits by thirty, and polishing them down to twenty cubits by ten, will\nplace them in the gates of Jerusalem.\" A certain disciple contemptuously\nobserved, \"No one has ever yet seen a precious stone as large as a small\nbird's egg, and is it likely that such immense ones as these have any\nexistence?\" He happened one day after this to go forth on a voyage, and\nthere in the sea he saw the angels quarrying precious stones and pearls\nlike those his Rabbi had told him of, and upon inquiry he learned that\nthey were intended for the gates of Jerusalem. On his return he went\nstraight to Rabbi Yochanan and told him what he had seen and heard.\n\n\"Raca!\" said the latter, \"hadst thou not seen them thou wouldst have\nkept on deriding the words of the wise!\" Then fixing his gaze intently\nupon him, he with the glance of his eye reduced to a heap of bones the\ncarcass of his body.\n\nIbid., fol. 75, col. 1.\n\nHe who lends unconditionally a sum of money to his neighbor is not\nentitled to demand it back within thirty days thereafter.\n\n_Maccoth_, fol. 3, col. 2.\n\nIf a man has lost a relative, he is forbidden to engage in business\nuntil thirty days after the death. In the case of the decease of a\nfather or a mother, he is not to resume work until his friends rebuke\nhim and urge him to return.\n\n_Semachoth_, chap. 9.\n\nIt is unlawful for one to enter a banqueting-house for thirty days after\nthe death of a relative; but he must refrain from so doing for twelve\nmonths after the demise of either father or mother, unless on the behest\nof some higher requirement of piety.\n\nIbid.\n\nBut I know not whether there are thirty righteous men here and fifteen\nin the land of Israel, or _vice vers\u00e2_.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 92, col. 1.\n\nThirty days in a year are equivalent to a whole year.\n\n_Niddah_, fol. 44, col. 2.\n\n\"Moses, thou didst say unto me, 'What is Thy name?' And now thou dost\nsay, 'Neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.' Now shalt thou see\nwhat I will do to Pharaoh (Exod. v. 23, vi. 1), but not what I am about\nto do to the thirty-one kings.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. III, col. 1.\n\nWhen Rav Deimi arrived at Babylon, he reported that the Romans had\nfought thirty-two battles with the Greeks without once conquering them,\nuntil they allied themselves with Israel, on the stipulation that where\nRome appointed the commanding officers the Jews should appoint the\ngovernors, and _vice vers\u00e2_.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 8, col. 2.\n\nManasseh did penance thirty-three years.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 103, col. 1.\n\nBalaam was thirty-three years of age when Phineas, the robber, slew him.\n\nIbid., fol. 106, col. 2.\n\nFor thirty-four years the kingdom of Persia lasted contemporaneously\nwith the Temple.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 9, col. 1.\n\nAbaii has said, \"There are never fewer than thirty-six righteous men in\nevery generation who receive the presence of the Shechinah; for it is\nsaid (Isa. xxx. 18), 'Blessed are all those who wait upon Him.'\" The\nnumerical value (by Gematria) of Him, is thirty-six.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 97, col. 2.\n\nThe sons of Esau, of Ishmael, and of Keturah went on purpose to dispute\nthe burial (of Jacob); but when they saw that Joseph had placed his\ncrown upon the coffin, they did the same with theirs. There were\nthirty-six crowns in all, tradition says. \"And they mourned with a great\nand very sore lamentation.\" Even the very horses and asses joined in it,\nwe are told. On arriving at the Cave of Machpelah, Esau once more\nprotested, and said, \"Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and\nRebekah, are all buried here. Jacob disposed of his share when he buried\nLeah in it, and the remaining one belongs to me.\" \"But thou didst sell\nthy share with thy birthright,\" remonstrated the sons of Jacob. \"Nay,\"\nrejoined Esau, \"that did not include my share in the burial-place.\"\n\"Indeed it did,\" they argued, \"for our father, just before he died, said\n(Gen. l. 5), 'In my grave which I have bought for myself.'\" \"Where are\nthe title-deeds?\" demanded Esau. \"In Egypt,\" was the answer. And\nimmediately the swift-footed Naphthali started for the records. (\"So\nlight of foot was he,\" says the Book of Jasher, \"that he could go upon\nthe ears of corn without crushing them.\") Hushim, the son of Dan, being\ndeaf, asked what was the cause of the commotion. On being told what it\nwas, he snatched up a club and smote Esau so hard that his eyes dropped\nout and fell upon the feet of Jacob; at which Jacob opened his eyes and\ngrimly smiled. This is that which is written (Ps. lviii. 10), \"The\nrighteous shall rejoice when he sees vengeance; he shall wash his feet\nin the blood of the wicked.\" Then Rebekah's prophecy came to pass (Gen.\nxxvii. 45), \"Why shall I be deprived also of you both in one day?\" For\nalthough they did not both die on the same day, they were both buried on\nthe same day.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 13, col. 1.\n\n    This story slightly varied, is repeated in the Book of Jasher\n    and in the Targum of Ben Uzziel.\n\nThe principal works of the hand are forty save one:--To sow, to plow, to\nreap, to bind in sheaves, to thrash, to winnow, to sift corn, to grind,\nto bolt meal, to knead, to bake, to shear, to wash wool, to comb wool,\nto dye it, to spin, to warp, to shoot two threads, to weave two threads,\nto cut and tie two threads, to tie, to untie, to sew two stitches, to\ntear two threads with intent to sew, to hunt game, to slay, to skin, to\nsalt a hide, to singe, to tan, to cut up a skin, to write two letters,\nto scratch out two letters with intent to write, to build, to pull down,\nto put out a fire, to light a fire, to smite with a hammer, to convey\nfrom one Reshuth [a private property in opposition to a public] to\nanother.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 73, col. 1.\n\nKing Yanai had a single tree on the royal mound, whence once a month\nthey collected forty seahs (about fifteen bushels) of young pigeons of\nthree different breeds.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 44, col. 1.\n\nForty years before the destruction of the Temple the Sanhedrin were\nexiled, and they sat in the Halls of Commerce.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 15, col. 1.\n\nUntil one is forty eating is more advantageous than drinking. After that\nage the rule is reversed.\n\nIbid., fol. 152, col. 1.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that during the forty years in which Simeon the\nJust officiated in the Temple the lot always fell on the right (see Lev.\nxvi. 8-10). After that time it sometimes fell on the right and sometimes\non the left. The crimson band also, which in his time had always turned\nwhite, after that period sometimes turned white, and at others it did\nnot change color at all.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 39, col. 1.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught:--Forty years before the destruction of the\nTemple the lot did not fall on the right, and the crimson band did not\nturn white; the light in the west did not burn, and the gates of the\nTemple opened of themselves, so that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zacchai rebuked\nthem, and said, \"O Temple! Temple! why art thou dismayed? I know thy end\nwill be that thou shalt be destroyed, for Zachariah the son of Iddo has\nalready predicted respecting thee (Zech. xi. i), 'Open thy doors, O\nLebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.'\"\n\nIbid., fol. 39, col. 2.\n\nDuring the forty years that Israel were in the wilderness there was not\na midnight in which the north wind did not blow.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 71, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Zadok fasted forty years that Jerusalem might not be destroyed,\nand so emaciated was he, that when he ate anything it might be seen\ngoing down his throat.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 56, col. 1.\n\nForty days before the formation of a child a Bath Kol proclaims, \"The\ndaughter of so-and-so shall marry the son of so-and-so; the premises of\nso-and-so shall be the property of so-and-so.\"\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 2, col. 1.\n\nRav Hunna and Rav Chasda were so angry with one another that they did\nnot meet for forty years. After that Rav Chasda fasted forty days for\nhaving annoyed Rav Hunna, and Rav Hunna forty days for having suspected\nRav Chasda.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 33, col. 1.\n\nA female who marries at forty will never have any children.\n\nHe who eats black cummin the weight of a denarius will have his heart\ntorn out; so also will he who eats forty eggs or forty nuts, or a\nquarter of honey.\n\n_Tract Calah._\n\nHe that cooks in milk the nerve Nashe on a yearly festival, and then\neats it, receives five times forty stripes save one, etc.\n\n_Baitza_, fol. 12, col. 1.\n\nHe who passes forty consecutive days without suffering some affliction\nhas received his good reward in his lifetime (_cf._ Luke xvi. 25).\n\n_Erachin_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nIf a bath contain forty measures of water and some mud, people may,\naccording to Rabbi Elazar, immerse themselves in the water of it, but\nnot in the mud; while Rabbi Yehoshua says they may do so in both.\n\n_Mikvaoth_, chap. ii. 10.\n\nRav Yehudah said in the name of Rav:--The Divine name, which consists of\nforty-two letters, is revealed only to him who is prudent and meek, who\nhas reached the meridian of life, is not prone to wrath, not given to\ndrink, and not revengeful. He that knows that name, and acts\ncircumspectly in regard to it, and retains it sacredly, is beloved in\nheaven and esteemed on earth; He inspires men with reverence, and is\nheir both to the world that now is and that which is to come.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 71, col. 1.\n\nA man should always devote himself to the study of the law and to the\npractice of good deeds, even if he does not do so for their own sake, as\nself-satisfied performance may follow in due course. Thus, in recompense\nfor the forty-two sacrifices he offered, Balak was accounted worthy to\nbecome the ancestor of Ruth. Rav Yossi bar Hunna has said, Ruth was the\ndaughter of Eglon, the grandson of Balak, king of Moab.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 105, col. 2.\n\nThese are the forty-five righteous men for whose sake the world is\npreserved.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 92, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Meir had a disciple named Sumchus, who in every case assigned\nforty-eight reasons why one thing should be called clean and why another\nshould be called unclean, though Scripture declared the contrary. (A\nstriking illustration of Rabbinical ingenuity!)\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 13, col. 2.\n\nForty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied unto Israel, and\nthey have neither diminished nor added to that which is written in the\nlaw, except the reading of the Book of Esther.\n\n_Megillah_, fol. 14, col. 1.\n\n    The Rabbis teach that in future (in the days of the Messiah) all\n    Scripture will be abolished except the Book of Esther, also all\n    festivals except the feast of Purim. (See _Menorath Hamaor_,\n    fol. 135, col. 1.)\n\nBy forty-eight things the law is acquired. These are study, attention,\ncareful conversation, mental discernment, solicitude, reverential fear,\nmeekness, geniality of soul, purity, attention to the wise, mutual\ndiscussion, debating, sedateness, learning in the Scripture and the\nMishna, not dabbling in commerce, self-denial, moderation in sleep,\naversion to gossip, etc., etc.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 6.\n\nWhen God gave the law to Moses, He assigned forty-nine reasons in every\ncase for pronouncing one thing unclean and as many for pronouncing other\nthings clean.\n\n_Sophrim_, chap. 16, mish. 6.\n\nHe that has fifty zouzim, and trades therewith, may not glean what is\nleft in the corner of the field (Lev. xix. 9). He that takes it, and has\nno right to it, will come to want before the day of his departure. And\nif one who is entitled to it leaves it to others more needy, before he\ndies he will not only be able to support himself, but be a stay to\nothers.\n\n_Peah_, chap. 8, mish. 9.\n\nFifty measures of understanding were created in the world, and all\nexcept one were given to Moses; as it is said (Ps. viii. 5), \"Thou hast\nmade him a little lower than the angels.\"\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 21, col, 2.\n\nPoverty in a house is harder to bear than fifty plagues.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol 116, col. 1.\n\n    The above saying is based on Job xix. 21, compared with Exod.\n    viii. 19.\n\nFor fifty-two years no man traveled through the land of Judea.\n\n_Yoma_. fol. 54, col. 1.\n\nBlack cummin is one of the sixty deadly drugs.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 40, col. 1.\n\nUlla and Rav Chasda were once traveling together, when they came up to\nthe gate of the house of Rav Chena bar Chenelai. At sight of it Rav\nChasda stooped and sighed. \"Why sighest thou?\" asked Ulla, \"seeing, as\nRav says, sighing breaks the body in halves; for it is said (Ezek. xxi.\n6), 'sigh, therefore, O son of man, with the breaking of thy loins;' and\nRabbi Yochanan says a sigh breaks up the whole constitution; for it is\nsaid (Ezek. xxi. 7), 'And it shall be when they say unto thee, Wherefore\nsighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings because it cometh,\nand the whole heart shall melt,'\" etc. To this Rav Chasda replied, \"How\ncan I help sighing over this house, where sixty bakers used to be\nemployed during the day, and sixty during the night, to make bread for\nthe poor and needy; and Rav Chena had his hand always at his purse, for\nhe thought the slightest hesitation might cause a poor but respectable\nman to blush; and besides he kept four doors open, one to each quarter\nof the heavens, so that all might enter and be satisfied? Over and above\nthis, in time of famine he scattered wheat and barley abroad, so that\nthey who were ashamed to gather by day might do so by night; but now\nthis house has fallen into ruin, and ought I not to sigh?\"\n\nIbid., fol. 58, col. 2.\n\nEgypt is a sixtieth of Ethiopia, Ethiopia a sixtieth of the world, the\nworld is a sixtieth part of the garden of Eden, the garden itself is but\na sixtieth of Eden, and Eden a sixtieth of Gehenna. Hence the world in\nproportion to Gehenna is but as the lid to a caldron.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 94, col. 1.\n\nThey led forth Metatron and struck him sixty bastinadoes with a cudgel\nof fire.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 15, col. 1.\n\n    In the context of the foregoing quotation occurs an anecdote of\n    Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah which is too racy to let pass, and too\n    characteristic to need note or comment. One day Elisha ben\n    Abuyah was privileged to pry into Paradise, where he saw the\n    recording angel Metatron on a seat registering the merits of the\n    holy of Israel. Struck with astonishment at the sight, he\n    exclaimed, \"Is it not laid down that there is no sitting in\n    heaven, no shortsightedness or fatigue?\" Then Metatron, thus\n    discovered, was ordered out and flogged with sixty lashes from a\n    fiery scourge. Smarting with pain, the angel asked and obtained\n    leave to cancel the merits of the prying Rabbi. One day--it\n    chanced to be on Yom Kippur and Sabbath--as Elisha was riding\n    along by the wall where the Holy of Holies once stood, he heard\n    a Bath Kol proclaiming, \"Return, ye backsliding children, but\n    Acher abide thou in thy sin\" (Acher was the Rabbi's nickname). A\n    faithful disciple of his hearing this, and bent on reclaiming\n    and reforming him, invited him to go and hear the lads of a\n    school close by repeat their lessons. The Rabbi went, and from\n    that to another and another, until he had gone the round of a\n    dozen seminaries, in the last of which he called up a lad to\n    repeat a verse who had an impediment in his speech. The verse\n    happened to be Ps. l. 16, \"But unto the wicked, God saith, Why\n    dost thou declare my law?\" Acher fancied the boy said, and to\n    Elisha (his own name), instead of and to Rasha, that is, the\n    wicked. This roused the Rabbi into such fury of passion, that he\n    sprang to his feet, exclaiming, \"If I only had a knife at hand I\n    would cut this boy into a dozen pieces, and send a piece to each\n    school I have visited!\"\n\nA woman of sixty runs after music like a girl of six.\n\n_Moed Katon_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\nRabba, who only studied the law, lived forty years; Abaii, who both\nstudied the law and exercised benevolence, lived sixty.\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 18, col. 1.\n\nThe manna which came down upon Israel was sixty ells deep.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 76, col. 1.\n\nIt is not right for a man to sleep in the daytime any longer than a\nhorse sleeps. And how long is the sleep of a horse? Sixty respirations.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 26, col. 2.\n\nAbaii says, \"When I left Rabbah, I was not at all hungry; but when I\narrived at Meree, they served up before me sixty dishes, with as many\nsorts of viands, and I ate half of each, but as for hotch-potch, which\nthe last dish contained, I ate up all of it, and would fain have eaten\nup the dish too.\" Abaii said, \"This illustrates the proverb, current\namong the people, 'The poor man is hungry, and does not know when he has\neaten enough; or, there is always room for a tit-bit.'\"\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 7, col. 2.\n\nThere are sixty kinds of wine; the best of all is the red aromatic wine,\nand bad white wine is the worst.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 70, col. 1.\n\nSamson's shoulders were sixty ells broad.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 10, col. 1.\n\nEbal and Gerizim were sixty miles from Jordan.\n\nIbid., fol. 36, col. 1.\n\nOne who makes a good breakfast can outstrip sixty runners in a race (who\nhave not).\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 92, col. 2.\n\nA (hungry) person who looks on while another eats, experiences sixty\nunpleasant sensations in his teeth.\n\nIbid.\n\nHis wife made him daily sixty sorts of dainties, and these restored him\nagain.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 84, col. 2.\n\n    Rabbi Blazar, the son of Rabbi Shimon, once vindictively caused\n    a man to be put to death, merely because he had spoken of him as\n    Vinegar the son of Wine, a round-about way of reproaching him\n    that he was the bad son of a good father, though it turned out\n    afterward that the condemned man deserved death for a crime that\n    he was not known to be guilty of at the time of his execution;\n    yet the mind of the Rabbi was ill at ease, and he voluntarily\n    did penance by subjecting himself in a peculiar fashion to great\n    bodily suffering. Sixty woolen cloths were regularly spread\n    under him every night, and these were found soaked in the\n    morning with his profuse perspiration. The result of this was\n    greater and greater bodily prostration, which his wife strove,\n    as related above, day after day to repair, detaining him from\n    college, lest the debates there should prove too much for his\n    weakened frame. When his wife found that he persisted in\n    courting these sufferings, and that her tender care, as well as\n    her own patrimony, were being lavished on him in vain, she tired\n    of her assiduity, and left him to his fate. And now, waited on\n    by some sailors, who believed they owed to him deliverance from\n    a watery grave, he was free to do as he liked. One day, being\n    ministered to by them after a night's perspiration of the kind\n    referred to, he went straight to college, and there decided\n    sixty doubtful cases against the unanimous dissent of the\n    assembly. Providential circumstances, which happened afterward,\n    both proved that he was right in his judgment and that his wife\n    was wrong in suffering her fondness for him to stand in the way\n    of the performance of his public duties.\n\nElijah frequently attended the Rabbi's seat of instruction, and once, on\nthe first of a month, he came in later than usual. Rabbi asked what had\nkept him so late. Elijah answered, \"I have to wake up Abraham, Isaac,\nand Jacob one after the other, to wash the hands of each, and to wait\nuntil each has said his prayers and retired to rest again.\" \"But,\" said\nRabbi, \"why do they not all get up at the same time?\" The answer was,\n\"Because if they prayed all at once, their united prayers would hurry on\nthe coming of the Messiah before the time appointed.\" Then said Rabbi,\n\"Are there any such praying people among us?\" Elijah mentioned Rabbi\nCheyah and his sons. Then Rabbi announced a fast, and the Rabbi Cheyah\nand his sons came to celebrate it. In the course of repeating the\nShemoneh Esreh [a prayer consisting of eighteen Collects, which is\nrepeated three times each day] they were about to say, \"Thou restoreth\nlife to the dead\" when the world was convulsed, and the question was\nasked in heaven, \"Who told them the secret?\" So Elijah was bastinadoed\nsixty strokes with a cudgel of fire. Then he came down like a fiery\nbear, and dashing in among the people, scattered the congregation.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 85, col. 2.\n\nWhen love was strong, we could lie, as it were, on the edge of a sword;\nbut now, when love is diminished, a bed sixty ells wide is not broad\nenough for us.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 7, col. 1.\n\nThe pig bears in sixty days.\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 8, col. 1.\n\nSixty iron mines are suspended in the sting of a gnat.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 58, col. 2.\n\nAn egg once dropped out of the nest of a bird called Bar-Yuchnei, which\ndeluged sixty cities and swept away three hundred cedars. The question\ntherefore arose, \"Does the bird generally throw out its eggs?\" Rav Ashi\nreplied, \"No; that was a rotten one.\"\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 57, col. 2.\n\nEverybody knows why a bride enters the nuptial chamber, but against him\nwho sullies his lips by talking about it, the decree for good, though of\nseventy years' standing, shall be reversed into a decree for evil. Rav\nChasda says, \"Whosoever disgraces his mouth (by evil communication),\nGehenna shall be deepened for him; for it is said in Prov. xxii. 14, 'A\ndeep pit for the mouth of strange words (immoral talk).'\" Rav Nachman\nbar Yitzchak says, \"The same punishment will be inflicted on him who\nlistens to it and is silent; for it is said (Prov. xxii. 14), 'And he\nthat is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.'\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 33, col. 1.\n\n(Jer. xxiii. 29), \"Like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces,\" so\nis every utterance which proceedeth from the mouth of God, divided\nthough it be into seventy languages.\n\nIbid., fol. 88, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Eliezer asked, \"For whose benefit were those seventy bullocks\nintended?\" See Num. xxix. 12-36. For the seventy nations into which the\nGentile world is divided; and Rashi plainly asserts that the seventy\nbullocks were intended to atone for them, that rain might descend all\nover the world, for on the Feast of Tabernacles judgment is given\nrespecting rain, etc. Woe to the Gentile nations for their loss, and\nthey know not what they have lost! for as long as the Temple existed,\nthe altar made atonement for them; but now, who is to atone for them?\n\n_Succah_, fol. 55, col. 2.\n\nChoni, the Maagol, once saw in his travels an old man planting a\ncarob-tree, and he asked him when he thought the tree would bear fruit.\n\"After seventy years,\" was the reply. \"What!\" said Choni, \"dost thou\nexpect to live seventy years and eat the fruit of thy labor?\" \"I did not\nfind the world desolate when I entered it,\" said the old man; \"and as my\nfathers planted for me before I was born, so I plant for those that will\ncome after me.\"\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 23, col. 1.\n\nMordecai was one of those who sat in the hall of the Temple, and he knew\nseventy languages.\n\n_Megillah_, fol. 13, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught:--During a prosperous year in Israel, a place\nthat is sown with a single measure of seed produces five myriad cors of\ngrain. In the tilled districts of Zoan, one measure of seed produces\nseventy cors; for we are told that Rabbi Meir said he himself had\nwitnessed in the vale of Bethshean an instance of one measure of seed\nproducing seventy cors. And there is no better land anywhere than the\nland of Egypt; for it is said, \"As the garden of the Lord, like the land\nof Egypt.\" And there is no better land in ail Egypt than Zoan, where\nseveral kings have resided; for it is written (Isa. xxx. 4), \"His\nprinces were in Zoan.\" In all Israel there was no more unsuitable soil\nthan Hebron, for it was a burying-place, and yet Hebron was seven times\nmore prolific than Zoan; for it is written (Num. xiii. 22), \"Now Hebron\nwas built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.\" For it is said (Gen. x. 6),\n\"And the sons of Ham, Cush, Mizraim (that is, Egypt), Phut, and Canaan\"\n(that is, Israel). It must, therefore, mean that it was seven times more\nprolific (the verb meaning both to build and to produce) than Zoan. This\nis only in the unsuitable soil of the land of Israel, Hebron, but in the\nsuitable soil (the increase) is five hundred times. All this applies to\na year of average return, but in one of special prosperity, it is\nwritten (Gen. xxvi. 12), \"Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in\nthe same year an hundredfold, and the Lord blessed him.\" (The word\nyears, is conveniently overlooked in working out the argument.)\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 112, col. 1.\n\nThe astrologers in Egypt said to Pharaoh, \"What! shall a slave whose\nmaster bought him for twenty pieces of silver rule over us?\" Pharaoh\nreplied, \"But I find him endowed with kingly qualities.\" \"If that is the\ncase,\" they answered, \"he must know seventy languages.\" Then came the\nangel Gabriel, and taught him seventy languages.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 36, col. 2.\n\nWhen the leviathan makes the deep boil, the sea does not recover its\ncalm for seventy years; for it is said (Job xli. 32), \"One would think\nthe deep is to be hoary,\" and we cannot take the word \"hoary\" to imply a\nterm of less than seventy years.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 75, col. 1.\n\nAbba Chalepha Keruya once remarked to Rav Cheyah bar Abba, \"The sum\ntotal of Jacob's family thou findest reckoned at seventy, whereas the\nnumbers added up make only sixty-nine. How is that?\" Rav Cheyah made\nanswer that the particle in verse 15, implies that Dinah must have been\none of twin-sisters. \"But,\" objected the other, \"the same particle\noccurs also in connection with Benjamin, to say nothing of other\ninstances.\" \"Alas!\" said Rav Cheyah, \"I am possessed of a secret worth\nknowing, and thou art trying to worm it out of me.\" Then interposed Rav\nChama bar Chanena, \"The number may be made up by reckoning Jochebed in,\nfor of her it is said (Num. xxvi. 59) 'that her mother bare her to Levi\nin Egypt;' her birth took place in Egypt, though she was conceived on\nthe journey.\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 123, cols, 1, 2.\n\nRav Yehudah says in the name of Shemuel:--There is yet another festival\nin Rome, which is observed only once in seventy years, and this is the\nmanner of its celebration. They take an able-bodied man, without\nphysical defect, and cause him to ride upon the back of a lame one. They\ndress up the former in the garments of Adam (such as God made for him in\nParadise), and cover his face with the skin of the face of Rabbi\nIshmael, the high priest, and adorn his neck with a precious stone. They\nilluminate the streets, and then lead the two men through the city, a\nherald proclaiming before them, \"The account of our Lord was false; it\nis the brother of our Lord that is the deceiver! He that sees this\nfestival sees it, and he that does not see it now will never see it.\nWhat advantage to the deceiver is his deception, and to the crafty his\ncraftiness?\" The proclamation finishes up thus--\"Woe to this one when\nthe other shall rise again!\"\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 11, col. 2.\n\n    The Targum Yarushalmi informs us that the Lord God wrought for\n    Adam and his wife robes of honor from the cast-off skin of the\n    serpent. We learn elsewhere that Nimrod came into possession of\n    Adam's coat through Ham, who stole it from Noah while in the\n    Ark. The glib tongue of tradition also tells how Esau slew\n    Nimrod and appropriated the garment, and wore it for luck when\n    hunting; but that on the day when he went to seek venison at the\n    request of his dying parent, in his hurry he forgot the\n    embroidered robe of Adam, and had bad luck in consequence. Then\n    Jacob borrowed the left-off garment, and kept it for himself.\n    The mask alluded to is accounted for thus:--The daughter of a\n    Roman emperor took a fancy to have the skin of Rabbi Ishmael's\n    face, and it accordingly, when he was dead, was taken off, and\n    so embalmed as to retain its features, expression, and\n    complexion, and the Jews say that it is still preserved among\n    the relics at Rome. The able-bodied man in this prophetic\n    mystery-play represents Esau, and the limping man is intended\n    for Jacob. Rome (or Esau) is uppermost in that ceremonial, but\n    the time is coming when Jacob will rise and invest himself in\n    the blessings he so craftily obtained the reversion of.\n\nRabbi Yochanan said:--None were elected to sit in the High Council of\nthe Sanhedrin except men of stature, of wisdom, of imposing appearance,\nand of mature age; men who knew witchcraft and seventy languages, in\norder that the High Council of the Sanhedrin should have no need of an\ninterpreter.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nYehudah and Chiskiyah, the sons of Rabbi Cheyah, once sat down to a meal\nbefore Rabbi (the Holy) without speaking a word. \"Give the boys some\nwine,\" said Rabbi, \"that they may have boldness to speak.\" When they had\npartaken of the wine, they said, \"The son of David will not come until\nthe two patriarchal houses of Israel are no more,\" that is, the head of\nthe Captivity in Babylon and the Prince in the land of Israel; for it is\nwritten (Isa. viii. 14), \"And he shall be for a sanctuary, and for a\nstone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel.\"\n\"Why, children,\" said Rabbi (who was patriarch of Tiberias), \"you are\nthrusting thorns into my eyes.\" Rabbi Cheyah said, \"Do not be offended\nat them. Wine is given with seventy, and so is a secret (the numerical\nvalue of each of these words is seventy); when wine enters the secret\noozes out.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 38, col. 1.\n\nA certain star appears once in seventy years and deceives the sailors\n(who guide their vessels by the position of the heavenly bodies; and\nthis star appears sometimes in the north and sometimes in the\nsouth.--_Rashi_.)\n\n_Horayoth_, fol. 10, col. 1.\n\nAs eating olive berries causes one to forget things that he has known\nfor seventy years, so olive oil brings back to the memory things which\nhappened seventy years before.\n\nIbid., fol. 13, col. 2,\n\nThe outside of the shell of the purple mollusk resembles the sea in\ncolor; its bodily conformation is like that of a fish; it rises once in\nseventy years; its blood is used to dye wool purple, and therefore this\ncolor is dear.\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 44, col. 1.\n\nThe bearing-time of the flat-headed otter lasts seventy years; a\nparallel may be found in the carob-tree, from the planting to the\nripening of the pods of which is seventy years.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 8, col. 1.\n\nThe Sanhedrin consisted of seventy-one members. It is recorded that\nRabbi Yossi said, \"Seldom was there contention in Israel, but the\njudicial court of seventy-one sat in the Lishkath-hagazith, i.e., Paved\nHall, and two (ordinary) courts of justice consisting of twenty-three,\none of which sat at the entrance of the Temple-Mount, and the other at\nthe entrance of the ante-court; and also (provincial) courts of justice,\nalso comprising twenty-three members, which held their sessions in all\nthe cities of Israel. When an Israelite had a question to propose, he\nasked it first of the court in his own city. If they understood the\ncase, they settled the matter; but if not, they applied to the court of\nthe next city. If the neighboring justices could not decide, they went\ntogether and laid the case in debate before the court which held its\nsession at the entrance of the Temple-Mount. If these courts, in turn,\nfailed to solve the problem, they appealed to the court that sat in the\nentrance of the ante-court, where a discussion was entered into upon the\nmoot points of the case; if no decision could be arrived at, they all\nreferred to the (supreme) court of seventy-one, where the matter was\nfinally decided by the majority of votes.\"\n\nAs the disciples of Shammai and Hillel multiplied who had not studied\nthe law thoroughly, contentions increased in Israel to such an extent\nthat the law lost its unity and became as two.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 88, col. 2.\n\nThe Sanhedrin sat in a semicircle, in order that they might see one\nanother; and two notaries stood before them, the one on the right and\nthe other on the left, to record the pros and cons in the various\nprocesses. Rabbi Yehudah says there were three such notaries, one for\nthe pros, one for the cons, and one to record both the pros and the\ncons.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 36, col. 2.\n\nThe witnesses (in capital cases) were questioned on seven points, as\nfollows:--In what Shemitah (or septennial cycle) did it occur? In which\nyear (of the cycle)? In what month? Upon what day? At what hour? In what\nplace? ... The more one questioned the more he was commended. (See Deut.\nxiii. 15; A.V., ver. 14.)\n\nIbid., fol. 40, col. 1.\n\nIn connection with the foregoing subject, let us string together some of\nthe gems of forensic wisdom to be met with in the Talmud. A score or so\nof bona fide quotations, respecting judges, criminals and criminal\npunishment, and witnesses, will serve to illustrate this part of our\nsubject.\n\nJUDGES.\n\nThe judge, says the Scripture, who for but one hour administers justice\naccording to true equity, is a partner, as it were, with God in His work\nof creation.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 10, col. 1.\n\nDespicable is the judge who judges for reward; yet his judgment is law,\nand must, as such, be respected.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 105, col. 1.\n\nThe judge who accepts a bribe, however perfectly righteous otherwise,\nwill not leave this world with sane mind.\n\nIbid., fol. 105, col. 2.\n\nA judge will establish the land if, like a king, he want nothing; but he\nwill ruin it if, like a priest, he receive gifts from the\nthreshing-floor.\n\nIbid.\n\nOnce when Shemuel was crossing a river in a ferryboat, a man lent a\nsustaining hand to prevent him from falling. \"What,\" said the Rabbi,\n\"have I done for thee, that thou art so attentive with thy services?\"\nThe man replied, \"I have a lawsuit before thee.\" \"In that case,\" said\nShemuel, \"thy attention has disqualified me from judging in thy\nlawsuit.\"\n\nAmeimar was once sitting in judgment, when a man stepped forward and\nremoved some feathers that were clinging to his hair. Upon this the\njudge asked, \"What service have I done thee?\" The man replied, \"I have a\ncase to bring up before thee, my lord.\" The Rabbi replied, \"Thou hast\ndisqualified me from being judge in the matter.\"\n\nMar Ukva once noticed a man politely step up and cover some saliva which\nlay on the ground before him. \"What have I done for thee?\" said the\nRabbi. \"I have a case to bring before thee,\" said the man. \"Thou hast\nbribed me with thy kind attention,\" said the Rabbi; \"I cannot be thy\njudge.\"\n\nRabbi Ishmael, son of Rabbi Yossi, had a gardener who regularly brought\nhim a basket of grapes every Friday. Bringing it once on a Thursday, the\nRabbi asked him the reason why he had come a day earlier. \"My lord,\"\nsaid the gardener, \"having a lawsuit to come off before thee to-day, I\nthought by so doing I might save myself the journey to-morrow.\" Upon\nthis the Rabbi both refused to take the basket of grapes, though they\nwere really his own, and declined to act as judge in the process. He,\nhowever, appointed two Rabbis to judge the case in his stead, and while\nthey were investigating the evidence in the litigation he kept pacing up\nand down, and saying to himself, if the gardener were sharp he might say\nso-and-so in his own behalf. He was at one time on the point of speaking\nin defense of his gardener, when he checked himself and said, \"The\nreceivers of bribes may well look to their souls. If I feel partial who\nhave not even taken a bribe of what was my own, how perverted must the\ndisposition of those become who receive bribes at the hands of others!\"\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 105, col. 1.\n\nThe judge who takes a bribe only provokes wrath, instead of allaying it;\nfor is it not said (Prov. xxi. 14), \"A reward in the bosom bringeth\nstrong wrath\"?\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\nLet judges know with whom and before whom they judge, and who it is that\nwill one day exact account of their judgments; for it is said (Ps.\nlxxxii. 1), \"God standeth in the assembly of God, and judgeth with the\njudges.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 6, col. 2.\n\nA judge who does not judge justly causeth the Shechinah to depart from\nIsrael; for it is said (Ps. xii. 5), \"For the oppression of the poor,\nthe sighing of the needy, now will I depart, saith the Lord.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 7, col. 1.\n\nThe judge should ever regard himself as if he had a sword laid upon his\nthigh, and Gehenna were yawning near him; as it is said (Solomon's Song,\niii. 7, 8), \"Behold the bed of Solomon (the judgment-seat of God),\nthreescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. They all\nhold swords, being expert in war (with injustice). Every one has his\nsword upon his thigh, for fear of the night\" (the confusion that would\nfollow).\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 109, col. 2; _Sanhedrin_, fol. 7, col. 1.\n\nSeven have, in the popular regard, no portion in the world to come: a\nnotary, a schoolmaster, the best of doctors, a judge in his native\nplace, a conjuror, a congregational reader, and a butcher.\n\n_Avoth d' Rabbi Nathan_, chap. 36.\n\nWITNESSES.\n\nAn ignoramus is ineligible for a witness.\n\nThe following are ineligible as witnesses of the appearance of the new\nmoon:--Dice-players, usurers, pigeon-fliers, sellers of the produce of\nthe year of release, and slaves. This is the general rule; in any case\nin which women are inadmissible as witnesses, they also are inadmissible\nhere.\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 22, col. 1.\n\nTwo disciples of the wise happened to be shipwrecked with Rabbi Yossi\nben Simaii, and the Rabbi allowed their widows to re-marry on the\ntestimony of women. Even the testimony of a hundred women is only equal\nto the evidence of one man (and that only in a case like the foregoing;\nit is inadmissible in any other matter).\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 115, col. 1.\n\n\"Whosoever is not instructed in Scripture, in the Mishna, and in good\nmanners,\" says Rabbi Yochanan, \"is not qualified to act as a witness.\"\n\"He who eats in the street,\" say the Rabbis, \"is like a dog;\" and some\nadd that such a one is ineligible as a witness, and Rav Iddi bar Avin\nsays the Halachah is as \"some say.\"\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 40, col. 2.\n\nEven when a witness is paid, his testimony is not thereby invalidated.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 58, col. 2.\n\nTestimony that is invalidated in part is invalidated entirely.\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol, 73, col. 1.\n\nLet witnesses know with whom and before whom they bear testimony, and\nwho will one day call them to account; for it is said (Deut. xix. 17),\n\"Both the men between whom the controversy is shall stand before the\nLord.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 6, col. 2.\n\nThose that eat another thing (i.e., not pork, but those who receive\ncharity from a Gentile.--Rashi and Tosefoth) are disqualified from being\nwitnesses. When is this the case? When done publicly; but if in secret,\nnot so.\n\nIbid., fol. 26, col. 2.\n\nHe who swears falsely in a capital case is unreliable as a witness in\nany other suit at law; but if he has perjured himself in a civil case\nonly, his evidence may be relied upon in cases where life and death are\nconcerned.\n\nIbid., fol. 27, col. 1.\n\nHe who disavows a loan is fit to be a witness; but he who disowns a\ndeposit in trust is unfit.\n\n_Shevuoth_, fol. 40, col. 2.\n\nShimon ben Shetach says, \"Fully examine the witnesses; be careful with\nthy words, lest from them they learn to lie.\"\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 1.\n\nCRIMINALS AND CRIMINAL PUNISHMENTS.\n\nFour kinds of capital punishment were decreed by the court of\njustice:--Stoning, burning, beheading, and strangling; or as Rabbi\nShimon arranges them--Burning, stoning, strangling, and beheading. As\nsoon as the sentence of death is pronounced, the criminal is led out to\nbe stoned, the stoning-place being at a distance from the court of\njustice; for it is said (Lev. xxiv. 14), \"Bring forth him that hath\ncursed without the camp.\" Then one official stands at the door of the\ncourt of justice with a flag in his hand, and another is stationed on\nhorseback at such a distance as to be able to see the former. If,\nmeanwhile, one comes and declares before the court, \"I have something\nfurther to urge in defense of the prisoner,\" the man at the door waves\nhis flag, and the mounted official rides forward and stops the\nprocession. Even if the criminal himself says, \"I have yet something to\nplead in my defense,\" he is to be brought back, even four or five times\nover, provided there is something of importance in his deposition. If\nthe evidence is exculpatory, he is discharged; if not, he is led out to\nbe stoned. As he proceeds to the place of execution, a public crier goes\nbefore him and proclaims, \"So-and-so, the son of So-and-so, goes out to\nbe stoned because he has committed such-and-such a crime, and So-and-so\nand So-and-so are the witnesses. Let him who knows of anything that\npleads in his defense come forward and state it.\" When about ten yards\nfrom the stoning-place, the condemned is called upon to confess his\nguilt. (All about to be executed were urged to confess, as by making\nconfession every criminal made good a portion in the world to come; for\nso we find it in the case of Achan, when Joshua said unto him (Josh.\nvii. 19), \"My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel,\nand make confession unto him,\" etc. \"And Achan answered Joshua and said,\nIndeed I have sinned.\" But where are we taught that his confession was\nhis atonement? Where it is said (Ibid., v. 25), \"And Joshua said, Why\nhast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day;\" as if to\nsay, \"This day thou shalt be troubled, but in the world to come thou\nshalt not be troubled.\") About four yards from the stoning-place they\nstripped off the criminal's clothes, covering a male in front, but a\nfemale both before and behind. These are the words of Rabbi Yehudah; but\nthe sages say a man was stoned naked, but not a female.\n\nThe stoning-place was twice the height of a man, and this the criminal\nascended. One of the witnesses then pushed him from behind, and he\ntumbled down upon his chest. He was then turned over upon his back: if\nhe was killed, the execution was complete; but if not quite dead, the\nsecond witness took a heavy stone and cast it upon his chest; and if\nthis did not prove effectual, then the stoning was completed by all\npresent joining in the act; as it is said (Deut. xvii. 7), \"The hands of\nthe witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward\nthe hands of all the people.\"\n\n\"Criminals who were stoned dead were afterward hanged.\" These are the\nwords of Rabbi Eliezer; but the sages say none were hanged but the\nblasphemer and the idolater. \"They hanged a man with his face toward the\npeople, but a woman with her face toward the gallows.\" These are the\nwords of Rabbi Eliezer; but the sages say a man is hanged, but no woman\nis hanged.... How then did they hang the man? A post was firmly fixed\ninto the ground, from which an arm of wood projected, and they tied the\nhands of the corpse together and so suspended it. Rabbi Yossi says, \"The\nbeam simply leaned against a wall, and so they hung up the body as\nbutchers do an ox or a sheep, and it was soon afterward taken down\nagain, for if it remained over night a prohibition of the law would have\nbeen thereby transgressed.\" For it is said (Deut. xxi. 23), \"His body\nshall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise\nbury him that day; for he that is hanged is accursed of God,\" etc. That\nis to say, people would ask why this one was hanged; and as the reply\nwould needs be, \"Because he blasphemed God,\" this would lead to the use\nof God's name under circumstances in which it would be blasphemed.\n\nThe sentence of burning was carried out thus:--They fixed the criminal\nup to his knees in manure, and a hard cloth wrapped in a softer material\nwas passed round his neck. One of the witnesses, taking hold of this,\npulled it one way, and another the other, until the criminal was forced\nto open his mouth; then a wick of lead was lighted and thrust into his\nmouth, the molten lead running down into his bowels and burning them.\nRabbi Yehudah asks, \"If the criminal should die in their hands, how\nwould that fulfill the commandment respecting burning?\" But they\nforcibly open his mouth with a pair of tongues and the lighted wire (the\nmolten lead) is thrust into his mouth, so that it goes down into his\nbowels and burns his inside.\n\nThe sentence of beheading was executed thus:--They sometimes cut off the\ncriminal's head with a sword, as is done among the Romans. But Rabbi\nYehudah says this was degrading, and in some cases they placed the\nculprit's head upon the block and struck it off with an ax. Some one\nremarked to him that such a death is more degrading still.\n\nThe sentence of strangling was carried out thus:--They fixed the\ncriminal up to his knees in manure, and having twined a hard cloth\nwithin a soft one round his neck, one witness pulled one way and the\nother pulled in an opposite direction till life was extinct.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 42, col. 2; fol. 49, col. 2; fol. 52, cols. 1, 2.\n\n    The above, which has been translated almost literally from the\n    Talmud, may serve to remove many misconceptions now current as\n    to the modes of capital punishment that obtained in Jewry.\n\n    In further illustration of this topic, we will append some of\n    the legal decisions that are recorded in the Talmud,\n    authenticating each by reference to folio and column. Examples\n    might be multiplied by the score, but a sufficient number will\n    be quoted to give a fair idea of Rabbinic jurisprudence.\n\nIf one who intends to kill a beast (accidentally) kill a man; or if,\npurposing to kill a Gentile, he slay an Israelite; or if he destroy a\nfoetus in mistake for an embryo, he shall be free; i.e., not guilty.\n\nIbid., fol. 78, col. 2.\n\nHe who has been flogged and exposes himself again to the same punishment\nis to be shut up in a narrow cell, in which he can only stand upright,\nand be fed with barley till he burst.\n\nIbid., fol. 81, col. 2.\n\nIf one commits murder, and there is not sufficient legal evidence, he is\nto be shut up in a narrow cell and fed with \"the bread of adversity and\nthe water of affliction\" (Isa. xxx. 20). They give him this diet till\nhis bowels shrink, and then he is fed with barley till (as it swells in\nhis bowels) his intestines burst.\n\nIbid.\n\nA woman who is doomed, being _enceinte_, to suffer the extreme penalty\nof the law, is first beaten, about the womb, lest a mishap occur at the\nexecution.\n\n_Erachin_, fol. 7, col. 1.\n\nIf a woman who has vowed the vow of a Nazarite drink wine or defile\nherself by contact with a dead body (see Num. vi. 2-6), she is to\nundergo the punishment of forty stripes.\n\n_Nazir_, fol. 23, col. 1.\n\nThe Rabbis teach that when the woman has to be flogged, the man has only\nto bring a sacrifice; and that if she is not to be flogged, the man is\nnot required to bring a sacrifice. (This is in reference to Lev. xix.\n20, 21.)\n\n_Kerithoth_, fol. 11, col. 1.\n\nRav Yehudah says, \"He that eats a certain aquatic insect, the swallowing\nof which while drinking would involve no penalty whatever--Tosefoth,\nreceives forty stripes save one (the penalty for transgressing the\nnegative precepts), for it belongs to the class of 'creeping things that\ndo creep upon the earth' (Lev. xi. 29).\" Rav Yehudah once gave a\npractical exemplification of this ruling of his.\n\nAbaii says, \"He that eats a particular animalcule found in stagnant\nwater, receives four times forty stripes save one. For eating an ant\nthis penalty is five times repeated, and for eating a wasp it is\ninflicted six times.\"\n\n_Maccoth_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\nWhen one is ordered to construct a booth, or to prepare a palm-branch\nfor the Feast of Tabernacles, or to make fringes, and does not do so, he\nis to be flogged till his soul comes out of him.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 132, col. 2.\n\nOnce on a time, as the Rabbis relate, the wicked Government sent two\nofficers to the wise men of Israel, saying, \"Teach us your law.\" This\nbeing put into their hands, three times over they perused it; and when\nabout to leave they returned it, remarking, \"We have carefully studied\nyour law, and find it equitable save in one particular. You say: When\nthe ox of an Israelite gores to death the ox of an alien, its owner is\nnot liable to make compensation; but if the ox of an alien gore to death\nthe ox of an Israelite, its owner must make full amends for the loss of\nthe animal; whether it be the first or second time that the ox has so\nkilled another (in which case an Israelite would have to pay to another\nIsraelite only half the value of the loss), or the third time (when he\nwould be fined to the full extent of his neighbor's loss). Either\n'neighbor' (in Exod. xxi. 35, for such the word signifies in the\noriginal Hebrew, though the Authorized Version has another) is taken\nstrictly as referring to an Israelite only, and then an alien should be\nexempted as well; or if the word 'neighbor' is to be taken in its widest\nsense, why should not an Israelite be bound to pay when his ox gores to\ndeath the ox of an alien?\" \"This legal point,\" was the answer, \"we do\nnot tell the Government.\" As Rashi says in reference to the preceding\nHalacha, \"an alien forfeits the right to his own property in favor of\nthe Jews.\"\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 38, col. 1.\n\nPtolemy, the king (of Egypt), assembled seventy-two elders of Israel and\nlodged them in seventy-two separate chambers, but did not tell them why\nhe did so. Then he visited each one in turn and said, \"Write out for me\nthe law of Moses your Rabbi.\" The Holy One--blessed be He!--went and\ncounseled the minds of every one of them, so that they all agreed, and\nwrote, \"God created in the beginning,\" etc.\n\n_Megillah_, fol. 9, col. 1.\n\n    The Talmudic story of the origin of the Septuagint agrees in the\n    main with the account of Aristeas and Josephus, but Philo gives\n    the different version. Many of the Christian fathers believed it\n    to be the work of inspiration.\n\nAbraham was as tall as seventy-four people; what he ate and drank was\nenough to satisfy seventy-four ordinary men, and his strength was\nproportionate.\n\n_Sophrim_, chap. 21, 9.\n\nThe venerable Hillel had eighty disciples, thirty of whom were worthy\nthat the Shechinah should rest upon them, as it rested upon Moses our\nRabbi; and thirty of them were worthy that the sun should stand still\n(for them), as it did for Joshua the son of Nun; and twenty of them\nstood midway in worth. The greatest of all of them was Jonathan ben\nUzziel, and the least of all was Rabbi Yochanan ben Zacchai. It is said\nof Rabbi Yochanan ben Zacchai that he did not leave unstudied the Bible,\nthe Mishna, the Gemara, the constitutions, the legends, the minutiae of\nthe law, the niceties of the scribes, the arguments _\u00e0 fort\u00ecori_ and\nfrom similar premises, the theory of the change of the moon, the\nGematria, the parable of the unripe grapes and the foxes, the language\nof demons, of palm-trees, and of ministering angels.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 134, col. 1.\n\nA male criminal is to be hanged with his face toward the people, but a\nfemale with her face toward the gibbet. So says Rabbi Eliezer; but the\nsages say the man only is hanged, not the woman. Rabbi Eliezer retorted,\n\"Did not Simeon the son of Shetach hang women in Askelon?\" To this they\nreplied, \"He indeed caused eighty women to be hanged, though two\ncriminals are not to be condemned in one day.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 45, col. 2.\n\n    We may here repeat the story of the execution of the eighty\n    women here alluded to, as that is told by Rashi on the preceding\n    page of the Talmud. Once a publican, an Israelite but a sinner,\n    and a great and good man of the same place, having died on the\n    same day, were about to be buried. While the citizens were\n    engaged with the funeral of the latter, the relations of the\n    other crossed their path, bearing the corpse to the sepulchre.\n    Of a sudden a troop of enemies came upon the scene and caused\n    them all to take to flight, one faithful disciple alone\n    remaining by the bier of his Rabbi. After a while the citizens\n    returned to inter the remains they had so unceremoniously left,\n    but by some mistake they took the wrong bier and buried the\n    publican with honor, in spite of the remonstrance of the\n    disciple, while the relatives of the publican buried the Rabbi\n    ignominiously. The poor disciple felt inconsolably distressed,\n    and was anxious to know for what sin the great man had been\n    buried with contempt, and for what merit the wicked man had been\n    buried with such honor. His Rabbi then appeared to him in a\n    dream, and said, \"Comfort thou thy heart, and come I will show\n    thee the honor I hold in Paradise, and I will also show thee\n    that man in Gehenna, the hinge of the door of which even now\n    creaks in his ears. (Which were formed into sockets for the\n    gates of hell to turn in.) But because once on a time I listened\n    to contemptuous talk about the Rabbis and did not check it, I\n    have suffered an ignoble burial, while the publican enjoyed the\n    honor that was intended for me because he once distributed\n    gratuitously among the poor of the city a banquet he had\n    prepared for the governor, but of which the governor did not\n    come to partake.\" The disciple having asked the Rabbi how long\n    this publican was to be thus severely treated, he replied,\n    \"Until the death of Simeon the son of Shetach, who is to take\n    the publican's place in Gehenna.\" \"Why so?\" \"Because, though he\n    knows there are several Jewish witches in Askelon, he idly\n    suffers them to ply their infernal trade and does not take any\n    steps to extirpate them.\" On the morrow the disciple reported\n    this speech to Simeon the son of Shetach, who at once proceeded\n    to take action against the obnoxious witches. He engaged eighty\n    stalwart young men, and choosing a rainy day, supplied each with\n    an extra garment folded up and stowed away in an earthern\n    vessel. Thus provided, they were each at a given signal to\n    snatch up one of the eighty witches and carry her away, a task\n    they would find of easy execution, as, except in contact with\n    the earth, these creatures were powerless. Then Simeon the son\n    of Shetach, leaving his men in ambush, entered the rendezvous of\n    the witches, who, accosting him, asked, \"Who art thou?\" He\n    replied, \"I am a wizard, and am come to experiment in magic.\"\n    \"What trick have you to show?\" they said. He answered, \"Even\n    though the day is wet, I can produce eighty young men all in dry\n    clothes.\" They smiled incredulously and said, \"Let us see!\" He\n    went to the door, and at the signal the young men took the dry\n    clothes out of the jars and put them on, then starting from\n    their ambush, they rushed into the witches' den, and each\n    seizing one, lifted her up and carried her off as directed. Thus\n    overpowered, they were brought before the court, convicted of\n    malpractices and led forth to execution.\n\n    _Sanhedrin_, fol. 44, col. 2.\n\n(Exod. xxiii. 35), \"And I will take away sickness from the midst of\nthee.\" It is taught that sickness (Machlah) means the bile. But why is\nit termed Machlah? Because eighty-three diseases are in it. Machlah by\nGematria equals eighty-three; and all may be avoided by an early\nbreakfast of bread and salt and a bottle of water.\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 92, col. 2.\n\nIf in a book of the law the writing is obliterated all but eighty-five\nletters--as, for instance, in Num. x. 35, 36, \"And it came to pass when\nthe ark set forward,\" etc.,--it may be rescued on the Sabbath from a\nfire, but not otherwise.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 116, col. 1.\n\nElijah said to Rabbi Judah the brother of Rav Salla the Pious, \"The\nworld will not last less than eighty-five jubilees, and in the last\njubilee the son of David will come.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 97, col 2.\n\nThere was not a single individual in Israel who had not ninety Lybian\ndonkeys laden with the gold and silver of Egypt.\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 5, col. 2.\n\n(2 Sam. xix. 35), \"Can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink?\"\nFrom this we learn that in the aged the sense of taste is destroyed....\nRav says, \"Barzillai the Gileadite reports falsely, for the cook at the\nhouse of Rabbi (the Holy) was ninety-two years old, and yet could judge\nby taste of what was cooking in the pot.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 152, col. 1.\n\nRava said, \"Life, children, and competency do not depend on one's merit,\nbut on luck; for instance, Rabbah and Rav Chasda were both righteous\nRabbis; the one prayed for rain and it came, and the other did so\nlikewise with the like result; yet Rav Chasda lived ninety-two years and\nRabbah only forty. Rav Chasda, moreover, had sixty weddings in his\nfamily during his lifetime, whereas Rabbah had sixty serious illnesses\nin his during the short period of his life. At the house of the former\neven the dogs refused to eat bread made of the finest wheat flour,\nwhereas the family of the latter were content to eat rough bread of\nbarley and could not always obtain it.\" Rava also added, \"For these\nthree things I prayed to Heaven, two of which were and one was not\ngranted unto me. I prayed for the wisdom of Rav Hunna and for the riches\nof Rav Chasda, and both these were granted unto me; but the humility and\nmeekness of Rabbah, the son of Rav Hunna, for which I also prayed, was\nnot granted.\"\n\n_Moed Katon_, fol. 28, col. 1.\n\nThe judges who issued decrees at Jerusalem received for salary\nninety-nine manahs from the contributions of the chamber.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 105, col. 1.\n\nNinety-nine die from an evil eye for one who dies in the usual manner.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 107, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught us who they are that are to be accounted rich.\n\"Every one,\" says Rabbi Meir, \"who enjoys his riches.\" But Rabbi Tarphon\nsays, \"Every one who has a hundred vineyards and a hundred fields, with\na hundred slaves to labor in them.\" Rabbi Akiva pronounces him well off\nwho has a wife that is becoming in all her ways.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 25, col. 2.\n\nA light for one is a light for a hundred.\n\nIbid., fol. 122, col. 1.\n\nWhen a Gentile lights a candle or a lamp on the Sabbath-eve for his own\nuse, an Israelite is permitted to avail himself of its light, as a light\nfor one is a light for a hundred; but it is unlawful for an Israelite to\norder a Gentile to kindle a light for his use.\n\nA hundred Rav Papas and not one (like) Ravina!\n\nA hundred zouzim employed in commerce will allow the merchant meat and\nwine at his table daily, but a hundred zouzim employed in farming will\nallow their owner only salt and vegetables.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 63, col. 1.\n\nA hundred women are equal to only one witness (compare Deut. xvii. 6 and\nxix. 15).\n\nIbid., fol. 88, col. 2.\n\nIf song should cease, a hundred geese or a hundred measures of wheat\nmight be offered for one zouz, and even then the buyer would refuse\npaying such a sum for them.\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 48, col. 1.\n\n    Rav says, \"The ear that often listens to song shall be rooted\n    out.\" Music, according to the idea here, raises the price of\n    provisions. Do away with music and provisions will be so\n    abundant that a goose would be considered dear at a penny.\n    Theatres and music-halls are abominations to orthodox Jews, and\n    the Talmud considers the voice of a woman to be immoral.\n\nWhen Rabbi Zira returned to the land of Israel he fasted a hundred times\nin order that he might forget the Babylonian Talmud.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 85, col. 1.\n\n    This passage, as also that on another page, will appear\n    surprising to many a reader, as we confess it does to ourselves.\n    We must, however, give the Talmud great credit for recording\n    such passages, and also the custodians of the Talmud for not\n    having expunged them from its pages.\n\n\"Ye shall hear the small as well as the great\" (Deut. i. 17). Resh\nLakish said, \"A lawsuit about a prutah (the smallest coin there is)\nshould be esteemed of as much account as a suit of a hundred manahs.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 8, col. 1.\n\nRav Yitzchak asks, \"Why was Obadiah accounted worthy to be a prophet?\"\nBecause, he answers, he concealed a hundred prophets in a cave; as it is\nsaid (1 Kings xviii. 4), \"When Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord,\nObadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifty in a cave.\" Why by\nfifties? Rabbi Eliezer explains, \"He copied the plan from Jacob, who\nsaid, 'If Esau come to one company and smite it, then the other company\nwhich is left may escape.'\" Rabbi Abuhu says, \"It was because the caves\nwould not hold any more.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 39, col. 2.\n\n\"And it came to pass after these things that God did test Abraham\" (Gen.\nxxii. 1). After what things? Rabbi Yochanan, in the name of Rabbi Yossi\nben Zimra, replies, \"After the words of Satan, who said, 'Lord of the\nUniverse! Thou didst bestow a son upon that old man when he was a\nhundred years of age, and yet he spared not a single dove from the\nfestival to sacrifice to Thee.' God replied, 'Did he not make this\nfestival for the sake of his son? and yet I know he would not refuse to\nsacrifice that son at my command.' To prove this, God did put Abraham to\nthe test, saying unto him, 'Take now thy son;' just as an earthly king\nmight say to a veteran warrior who had conquered in many a hard-fought\nbattle, 'Fight, I pray thee, this severest battle of all, lest it should\nbe said that thy previous encounters were mere haphazard skirmishes.'\nThus did the Holy One--blessed be He!--address Abraham, 'I have tried\nthee in various ways, and not in vain either; stand this test also, for\nfear it should be insinuated that the former trials were trivial and\ntherefore easily overcome. Take thy son.' Abraham replied, 'I have two\nsons.' 'Take thine only son.' Abraham answered, 'Each is the only son of\nhis mother.' 'Take him whom thou lovest.' 'I love both of them,' said\nAbraham. 'Take Isaac.' Thus Abraham's mind was gradually prepared for\nthis trial. While on the way to carry out this Divine command Satan met\nhim, and (parodying Job iv. 2-5) said, 'Why ought grievous trials to be\ninflicted upon thee? Behold thou hast instructed many, and thou hast\nstrengthened the weak hands. Thy words have supported him that was\nfalling, and now this sore burden is laid upon thee.' Abraham answered\n(anticipating Ps. xxvi. 11), 'I will walk in my integrity.' Then said\nSatan (see Job iv. 6), 'Is not the fear (of God) thy folly? Remember, I\npray thee, who ever perished being innocent?' Then finding that he could\nnot persuade him, he said (perverting Job iv. 12), 'Now a word came to\nme by stealth. I overheard it behind the veil (in the Holy of Holies\nabove). A lamb will be the sacrifice, and not Isaac.' Abraham said, 'It\nis the just desert of a liar not to be believed even when he speaks the\ntruth.'\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 89, col. 2.\n\nIt is better to have ten inches to stand upon than a hundred yards to\nfall.\n\n_Avoth d' Rab. Nathan_, chap. 1.\n\nWhen Israel went up to Jerusalem to worship their Father who is in\nheaven, they sat so close together that no one could insert a finger\nbetween them, yet when they had to kneel and to prostrate themselves\nthere was room enough for them all to do so. The greatest wonder of all\nwas that even when a hundred prostrated themselves at the same time\nthere was no need for the governor of the synagogue to request one to\nmake room for another.\n\nIbid., chap. 35.\n\nA man is bound to repeat a hundred blessings every day.\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 43, col. 2.\n\n    This duty, as Rashi tells us, is based upon Deut. x. 12,\n    altering the word what into a hundred, by the addition of a\n    letter.\n\n    This is what the so-called Pagan Goethe, intent on self-culture\n    as the first if not the final duty of man, makes Serlo in his\n    \"Meister\" lay down as a rule which one should observe daily.\n    \"One,\" he says, \"ought every day to hear a little song, read a\n    good poem, see a fine picture, and, if possible, speak a few\n    reasonable words.\" The contrast between this advice and that of\n    the Talmud here and elsewhere is suggestive of reflections.\n\nHe who possesses one manah may buy, in addition to his bread, a litra of\nvegetables; the owner of ten manahs may add to his bread a litra of\nfish; he that has fifty manahs may add a litra of meat; while the\npossessor of a hundred may have pottage every day.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 84, col. 1.\n\nBen Hey-Hey said to Hillel, \"What does this mean that is written in Mal.\niii. 18, 'Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and\nthe wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not'?\nDoes the righteous here mean him that serveth God, and the wicked him\nthat serveth Him not? Why this repetition?\" To this Hillel replied, \"The\nexpressions, 'he that serveth God, and he that serveth Him not,' are\nboth to be understood as denoting 'perfectly righteous,' but he who\nrepeats his lesson a hundred times is not to be compared with one who\nrepeats it a hundred and one times.\" Then said Ben Hey-Hey, \"What!\nbecause he has repeated what he has learned only one time less than the\nother, is he to be considered as 'one who serveth Him not'?\" \"Yes!\" was\nthe reply; \"go and learn a lesson from the published tariff of the\ndonkey-drivers--ten miles for one zouz, eleven for two.\"\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\n    Hillel was great and good and clever, but his exposition of\n    Scripture, as we see from the above, is not always to be\n    depended upon. If, indeed, he was the teacher of Jesus, as some\n    suppose him to have been, then Jesus must, even from a\n    Rabbinical stand-point, be regarded as greater than Hillel the\n    Great, for He never handled the Scriptures with such\n    irreverence.\n\nOne hundred and three chapters (or psalms) were uttered by David, and he\ndid not pronounce the word Hallelujah until he came to contemplate the\ndownfall of the wicked; as it is written (Ps. civ. 35), \"Let the sinners\nbe consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the\nLord, O my soul, Hallelujah!\" Instead of one hundred and three we ought\nto say a hundred and four, but we infer from this that \"Blessed is the\nman,\" etc., and \"Why do the heathen rage?\" etc., are but one psalm.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\n    One of the most charming women that we find figuring in the\n    Talmud was the wife of Rabbi Meir, Beruriah by name; and as we\n    meet with her in the immediate context of the above quotation,\n    it may be well to introduce her here to the attention of the\n    reader. The context speaks of a set of ignorant fellows\n    (probably Greeks) who sorely vexed the soul of Rabbi Meir, her\n    husband, and he ardently prayed God to take them away. Then\n    Beruriah reasoned with her husband thus:--\"Is it, pray, because\n    it is written (Ps. civ. 35), 'Let the sinners be consumed'? It\n    is not written 'sinners,' but 'sins.' Besides, a little farther\n    on in the text it is said, 'And the wicked will be no more;'\n    that is to say, 'Let sins cease, and the wicked will cease too.'\n    Pray, therefore, on their behalf that they may be led to\n    repentance, and these wicked will be no more.\" This he therefore\n    did, and they repented and ceased to vex him. Of this excellent\n    and humane woman it may well be said, \"She openeth her mouth\n    with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness\" (Prov.\n    xxxi. 26). Her end was tragic. She was entrapped by a disciple\n    of her husband, and out of shame she committed suicide. See\n    particulars by Rashi in Avodah Zarah, fol. 18, col. 2.\n\nThe Hasmoneans ruled over Israel during the time of the second Temple a\nhundred and three years; and for a hundred and three the government was\nin the hands of the family of Herod.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 9, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Yochanan the son of Zacchai lived a hundred and twenty years;\nforty he devoted to commerce, forty to study, and forty to teaching.\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 30, col. 2.\n\nOne hundred and twenty elders, and among them several prophets, bore a\npart in composing the Eighteen Blessings (the Shemonah Esreh).\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 17, col. 2.\n\n    A similar tradition was current among the early Christians, with\n    reference to the composition of the Creed. Its different\n    sentences were ascribed to different apostles. However fitly\n    this tradition may represent the community of faith with which\n    the prophets on the one hand and the apostles on the other were\n    inspired, it is not recommended by the critic as a proceeding\n    calculated to ensure unity in a work of art.\n\nRabbi Shemuel says advantage may be taken of the mistakes of a Gentile.\nHe once bought a gold plate as a copper one of a Gentile for four\nzouzim, and then cheated him out of one zouz into the bargain. Rav\nCahana purchased a hundred and twenty vessels of wine from a Gentile for\na hundred zouzim, and swindled him in the payment out of one of the\nhundred, and that while the Gentile assured him that he confidently\ntrusted to his honesty. Rava once went shares with a Gentile and bought\na tree, which was cut up into logs. This done, he bade his servant go to\npick him out the largest logs, but to be sure to take no more than the\nproper number, because the Gentile knew how many there were. As Rav Ashi\nwas walking abroad one day he saw some grapes growing in a roadside\nvineyard, and sent his servant to see whom they belonged to. \"If they\nbelong to a Gentile,\" he said, \"bring some here to me; but if they\nbelong to an Israelite, do not meddle with them.\" The owner, who\nhappened to be in the vineyard, overheard the Rabbi's order and called\nout, \"What! is it lawful to rob a Gentile?\" \"Oh, no,\" said the Rabbi\nevasively; \"a Gentile might sell, but an Israelite would not.\"\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 113, col. 2.\n\n    This is given simply as a sample of the teaching of the Talmud\n    on the subject both by precept and example. There is no\n    intention to cast a slight on general Jewish integrity, or\n    suggest distrust in regard to their ethical creed.\n\nRabbon Gamliel, Rabbi Eliezer ben Azaryah, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi\nAkiva once went on a journey to Rome, and at Puteoli they already heard\nthe noisy din of the city, though at a distance of a hundred and twenty\nmiles. At the sound all shed tears except Akiva, who began to laugh.\n\"Why laughest thou?\" they asked. \"Why do you cry?\" he retorted. They\nanswered, \"These Romans, who worship idols of wood and stone and offer\nincense to stars and planets, abide in peace and quietness, while our\nTemple, which was the footstool of our God, is consumed by fire; how can\nwe help weeping?\" \"That is just the very reason,\" said he, \"why I\nrejoice; for if such be the lot of those who transgress His laws, what\nshall the lot of those be who observe and do them?\"\n\n_Maccoth_, fol. 24, col. 2.\n\nWhen Adam observed that his sin was the cause of the decree which made\ndeath universal he fasted one hundred and thirty years, abstained all\nthat space from intercourse with his wife, and wore girdles of\nfig-leaves round his loins. All these years he lived under divine\ndispleasure, and begat devils, demons, and spectres; as it is said (Gen.\nv. 3), \"And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat in his own\nlikeness, after his image,\" which implies that, until the close of those\nyears, his offspring were not after his own image.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 18, col. 2.\n\nThere is a tradition that there was once a disciple in Yabneh who gave a\nhundred and fifty reasons to prove a reptile to be clean (which the\nScripture regards as unclean.--Compare Lev. xi. 29).\n\nIbid., fol 13, col 2.\n\nThe ablutionary tank made by Solomon was as large as a hundred and fifty\nlavatories.\n\nIbid., fol. 14, col. 1.\n\nA hundred and eighty years before the destruction of the Temple, the\nempire of idolatry (Rome) began the conquest of Israel.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 15, col. 1.\n\n    The empire of Rome was, some think, so designated, because it\n    strove with all its might to drag down the worship of God to the\n    worship of man, and resolve the cause of God into the cause of\n    the Empire.\n\nDuring the time of the second Temple Persia domineered over Israel for\nthirty-four years and the Greeks held sway a hundred and eighty.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 9, col. 1.\n\nFoolish saints, crafty villains, sanctimonious women, and\nself-afflicting Pharisees are the destroyers of the world. What is it to\nbe a foolish saint? To see a woman drowning in the river and refrain\nfrom trying to save her because of the look of the thing. Who is to be\nregarded as a crafty villain? Rabbi Yochanan says, \"He who prejudices\nthe magistrates by prepossessing them in favor of his cause before his\nopponent has had time to make his appearance.\" Rabbi Abhu says, \"He who\ngives a denarius to a poor man to make up for him the sum total of two\nhundred zouzim; for it is enacted that he who possesses two hundred\nzouzim is not entitled to receive any gleanings, neither what is\nforgotten in the field, nor what is left in the corner of it (see Lev.\nxxiii. 22), nor poor relief either. But if he is only one short of the\ntwo hundred zouzim, and a thousand people give anything to him, he is\nstill entitled to the poor man's perquisites.\"\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 21, col. 2.\n\nThe cup of David in the world to come will contain two hundred and\ntwenty-one logs; as it is said (Ps. xxiii. 5), \"My cup runneth over,\"\nthe numerical value of the Hebrew word, \"runneth over,\" being two\nhundred and twenty-one.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 76, col. 2.\n\n    In the world to come the Holy One will make a grand banquet for\n    the righteous from the flesh of the leviathan. _Bava Bathra_,\n    fol. 75, col. 1. (See the Morning Service for the middle days of\n    the Feast of Tabernacles.) God will make a banquet for the\n    righteous on the day when He shows His mercy to the posterity of\n    Isaac. After the meal the cup of blessing will be handed to\n    Abraham, in order that he may pronounce the blessing, but he\n    will plead excuse because he begat Ishmael. Then Isaac will be\n    told to take the cup and speak the benediction of grace, but he\n    also will plead his unworthiness because he begat Esau. Next\n    Jacob also will refuse because he married two sisters. Then\n    Moses, on the ground that he was unworthy to enter the land of\n    promise, or even to be buried in it; and finally Joshua will\n    plead unworthiness because he had no son. David will then be\n    called upon to take the cup and bless, and he will respond,\n    \"Yea, I will bless, for I am worthy to bless, as it is said (Ps.\n    cxvi. 13), 'I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the\n    name of the Lord.'\" P'sachim, fol. 119, col. 2. This cup, as we\n    are told above, will contain two hundred and twenty-one logs\n    (which the Rabbis tell us, is the twenty-fourth part of a seah,\n    therefore this cup will hold rather more than one-third of a\n    hogshead of wine).\n\nBeruriah once found a certain disciple who studied in silence. As soon\nas she saw him she spurned him and said, \"Is it not thus written (2 Sam.\nxxiii. 5), 'Ordered in all and sure'? If ordered with all the two\nhundred and forty-eight members of thy body, it will be sure; if not, it\nwill not be sure.\" It is recorded that Rabbi Eliezer had a disciple who\nalso studied in silence, but that after three years he forgot all that\nhe had learned.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 53, col. 2, and fol. 54, col. 1.\n\n    In continuation of the above we read that Shemuel said to Rav\n    Yehudah, \"Shrewd fellow, open thy mouth when thou readest, etc.,\n    so that thy reading may remain and thy life may be lengthened;\n    as it is written in Prov. iv. 22, 'For they are life unto those\n    that find them;' read not, 'that find them,' but read, 'that\n    bring them forth by the mouth,' i.e., that read them aloud.\" It\n    was and is still a common custom in the East to study aloud.\n\nAs an anathema enters all the two hundred and forty-eight members of the\nbody, so does it issue from them all. Of the entering-in of the anathema\nit is written (Josh. vi. 17), \"And the city shall be accursed;\" by\nGematria amounting to two hundred and forty-eight. Of the coming-out of\nthe anathema it is written (Hab. iii. 2), \"In wrath remember mercy;\" a\ntransposition of the letters of the word for accursed, also amounting by\nGematria to two hundred and forty-eight. Rabbi Joseph says, \"Hang an\nanathema on the tail of a dog and he will still go on doing mischief.\"\n\n_Moed Katon_, fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nThe human body has two hundred and forty-eight members:--Thirty in the\nfoot--that is, six in each toe--ten in the ankle, two in the thigh, five\nin the knee, one in the hip, three in the hip-ball, eleven ribs, thirty\nin the hand--that is, six in each finger--two in the fore-arm, two in\nthe elbow, one in the upper arm, four in the shoulder. Thus we have one\nhundred and one on each side; to this add eighteen vertebrae in the\nspine, nine in the head, eight in the neck, six in the chest, and five\nin the loins.\n\n_Oholoth_, chap. I, mish. 8.\n\n    See also Eiruvin, fol. 53, col. 2, and the Musaph for the second\n    day of Pentecost. In the Musaph for the New Year there is a\n    prayer that runs thus, \"Oh, deign to hear the voice of those who\n    glorify Thee with all their members, according to the number of\n    the two hundred and forty-eight affirmative precepts. In this\n    month they blow thirty sounds, according to the thirty members\n    of the soles of their feet; the additional offerings of the day\n    are ten, according to the ten in their ankles; they approach the\n    altar twice, according to their two legs; five are called to the\n    law, according to the five joints in their knees; they observe\n    the appointed time to sound the cornet on the first day of the\n    month, according to the one in their thigh; they sound the horn\n    thrice, according to the three in their hips; lo! with the\n    additional offering of the new moon they are eleven, according\n    to their eleven ribs; they pour out the supplication with nine\n    blessings, according to the muscles in their arms, and which\n    contain thirty verses, according to the thirty in the palms of\n    their hands; they daily repeat the prayer of eighteen blessings,\n    according to the eighteen vertebrae in the spine; at the\n    offering of the continual sacrifice they sound nine times,\n    according to the nine muscles in their head,\" etc., etc.\n\nIt is related of Rabbi Ishmael's disciples that they dissected a low\nwoman who had been condemned by the Government to be burned, and upon\nexamination they found that her body contained two hundred and fifty-two\nmembers.\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 45, col. 1.\n\nThe regular period of gestation is either two hundred and seventy-one,\ntwo hundred and seventy-two, or two hundred and seventy-three days.\n\n_Niddah_, fol. 38, col. 1.\n\nRevere the memory of Chananiah ben Chiskiyah, for had it not been for\nhim the Book of Ezekiel would have been suppressed, because of the\ncontradictions it offers to the words of the law. By the help of three\nhundred bottles of oil, which were brought up into an upper chamber, he\nprolonged his lucubrations, till he succeeded in reconciling all the\ndiscrepancies.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 13, col. 2.\n\nIt is related of Johanan, the son of Narbai, that he used to eat three\nhundred calves, and to drink three hundred bottles of wine, and to\nconsume forty measures of young pigeons by way of dessert. (Rashi says\nthis was because he had to train many priests in his house.)\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 57, col. 1.\n\nThe keys of the treasury of Korah were so many that it required three\nhundred white mules to carry them. These, with the locks, were said to\nbe made of white leather.\n\nIbid., fol. 119, col. 1.\n\n    The Midrash repeats the same story, and adds, \"His wealth was\n    his ruin.\" \"He is as rich as Korah\" is now a Jewish proverb.\n\nRav Chiya, the son of Adda, was tutor to the children of Resh Lakish,\nand once absented himself from his duties for three days. On his return\nhe was questioned as to the reason of his conduct, and he gave the\nfollowing reply: \"My father bequeathed to me a vine, trained on high\ntrellis-work as a bower, from which I gathered the first day three\nhundred bunches, each of which yielded a gerav of wine (a gerav is a\nmeasure containing as much as 288 egg-shells would contain). On the\nsecond day I again gathered three hundred bunches of smaller size, two\nonly producing one gerav (one bunch yielding the quantity of wine 144\negg-shells would contain). The third day I also gathered three hundred\nbunches, but only three bunches to the gerav, and have yet left more\nthan half of the grapes free for any one to gather them.\" Thereupon Resh\nLakish observed to him, \"If thou hadst not been so negligent (losing\ntime in the instruction of my children), it would have yielded still\nmore.\"\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 111, col. 2.\n\nThere were three hundred species of male demons in Sichin, but what the\nfemale demon herself was like is known to no one.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 68, col. 1.\n\n\"Now, when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon\nhim, they came each from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildah the\nShuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment\ntogether to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him\" (Job ii. 11).\nWhat is meant when it is said, \"They had made an appointment together\"?\nRab. Yehudah says in the name of Rav, \"This is to teach that they all\ncame in by one gate.\" But there is a tradition that each lived three\nhundred miles away from the other. How then came they to know of Job's\nsad condition? Some say they had wreaths, others say trees (each\nrepresenting an absent friend), and when any friend was in distress the\none representing him straightway began to wither. Rava said, \"Hence the\nproverb, 'Either a friend as the friends of Job, or death.'\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\n    Rashi tenders this explanation, that Job and his friends had\n    each wreaths with their names engraved on them, and if\n    affliction befell any one his name upon the wreath would change\n    color.\n\nRabbi Yochanan says that Rabbi Meir knew three hundred fables about\nfoxes, but we have only three of them, viz, \"The fathers have eaten sour\ngrapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge\" (Ezek. xviii. 2);\n\"Just balances and just weights\" (Lev. xix. 36); \"The righteous is\ndelivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead\" (Prov. xi.\n8).\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 38, col. 2, and fol. 39, col. 1.\n\n    Quite apropos to this we glean the following from Rashi:--A fox\n    once induced a wolf to enter a Jewish dwelling to help the\n    inmates to get ready the Sabbath meal. No sooner did he enter\n    than the whole household set upon him, and so belabored him with\n    cudgels that he was obliged to flee for his life. For this trick\n    the wolf was indignant at the fox, and sought to kill him, but\n    he pacified him with the remark, \"They would not have beaten\n    thee if thy father had not on a former occasion belied\n    confidence, and eaten up the choicest pieces that were set aside\n    for the meal.\" \"What!\" rejoined the wolf, \"the fathers have\n    eaten sour grapes, and shall the children's teeth be set on\n    edge?\" \"Well,\" interrupted the fox, \"come with me now and I will\n    show thee a place where thou mayest eat and be satisfied.\" He\n    thereupon took him to a well, across the top of which rested a\n    transverse axle with a rope coiled round it, to each extremity\n    of which a bucket was attached. The fox, entering the bucket,\n    which happened to be at the top, soon descended by his own\n    weight to the bottom of the well, and thereby raised the other\n    bucket to the top. On the wolf inquiring at the fox why he had\n    gone down there, he replied, because he knew there was meat and\n    cheese to eat and be satisfied, in proof of which he pointed to\n    a cheese, which happened to be the reflection of the moon on the\n    water. Upon which the wolf inquired, \"And how am I to get down\n    beside you?\" The fox replied, \"By getting into the bucket at the\n    top.\" He did as directed, and as he descended the bucket with\n    the fox rose to the top. The wolf in this plight again appealed\n    to the fox. \"But how am I to get out?\" The reply was, \"The\n    righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in\n    his stead;\" and is it not written, \"Just balances just weights?\"\n\nWhen Rabbi Eliezer, on his deathbed, taught Rabbi Akiva three hundred\nparticulars to be observed in regard to the white spot covered with hair\nwhich was the sign of leprosy, the former lifted up his arms and placed\nthem on his chest and exclaimed, \"Woe is me, because of these my two\narms, these two scrolls of the law, that are about to depart from this\nworld; for if all the seas were ink, and all the reeds were quills, and\nall the men were scribes, they could not record all I have learned and\nall I have taught, and how much I have heard at the lips of sages in the\nschools. And what is more, I also taught three hundred laws based on the\ntext, 'A witch shall not live.'\"\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 25.\n\n    This truly Oriental exaggeration, which Rabbi Eliezer ben\n    Azariah so complacently applies to himself, was spoken also of\n    Rabbi Yochanan before him (Bereshith Rabba); an acrostic poem in\n    the Morning Service for Pentecost adopts the same hyperbole\n    almost word for word, and turns it to very pious account. It is\n    interesting to note how contemporary sacred literature abounds\n    in similar hyperbolic expressions. In John xxi 25 it is said,\n    \"There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if\n    they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world\n    itself could not contain the books that should be written.\"\n    Cicero, too, speaks of a glory of such a weight that even heaven\n    itself is scarcely able to contain it; and Livy, on one\n    occasion, describes the power of Rome as with difficulty\n    restrained within the limits of the world.\n\n    Here it may not be out of place if we introduce a few of the\n    many passages in the Talmud that treat of enchantment and\n    witchcraft, as well as magic, charms, and omens. The list of\n    quotations might be extended to a hundred, but we must confine\n    ourselves to a score or so.\n\nThe daughters of Israel burn incense for (purposes of) sorcery.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 53, col. 1.\n\nBen Azai (son of impudence), says, \"... he who seats himself and then\nfeels ... (which must not be explained), the effects of witchcraft, even\nwhen practiced in Spain, will come upon him. What is the remedy when one\nforgets and first sits down and then feels?.... When he rises let him\nsay, 'Not these and not of these; not the witchcraft of sorcerers and\nnot the sorcery of witches.'\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 62, col. 1.\n\nThe daughters of Israel in later generations lapsed into the practice of\nwitchcraft.\n\n_Eiruvin_ fol. 64, col. 2.\n\nAmeimar says, \"The superior of the witches told me that when a person\nmeets any of them he should mutter thus, 'May a potsherd of boiling dung\nbe stuffed into your mouths, you ugly witches! may the hair with which\nyou perform your sorcery be torn from your heads, so that ye become\nbald. May the wind scatter the crumbs wherewith ye do your divinations.\nMay your spices be scattered and may the wind blow away the saffron you\nhold in your hands for the practicing of sorcery.'\"\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 110, cols, 1, 2.\n\nYohanna, the daughter of Ratibi, was a widow, who bewitched women in\ntheir confinement. See Rashi on _Soteh_, fol. 22, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua, says, \"Since\nthe destruction of the Temple a day has not passed without a curse; the\ndew does not come down with a blessing, and the fruits have lost their\nproper taste.\" Rabbi Yossi adds, \"Also the lusciousness of the fruit is\ngone.\" Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says, \"With the decay of purity the taste\nand aroma (of the fruit) has disappeared, and with the tithes and\nrichness of the corn.\" The sages say, \"Lewdness and witchcraft ruin\neverything.\"\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 48, col. 1.\n\nA certain magician used to strip the dead of their shrouds. Once when he\ncame to the tomb of Rav Tovi bar Mathna he was seized and held fast by\nthe beard, but Abaii having interceded on behalf of his friend, the grip\nwas let go and he was set at liberty. Next year he came again on the\nsame errand, and again he was seized by the beard. This time Abaii's\nintercession was of no avail, and he was not liberated until they\nbrought a pair of scissors and cut off his beard.\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 58, col. 1\n\nNone were allowed to sit in the Sanhedrin unless they had a knowledge of\nmagic.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Shimon said, \"An enchanter is one who passeth the exudation of\nseven different sorts of male creatures over the eye.\" The sages say he\nis one who practices and palms off optical illusions. Rabbi Akiva says,\n\"He is one who calculates times and hours, and says To-day is good to\nstart on a journey, To-morrow will be a lucky day for selling, The year\nbefore the Sabbatical year is generally good for growing wheat, The\npulling up of pease will preserve them from being spoiled.\" According to\nthe Rabbis, \"An enchanter is he who augurs ill when his bread drops from\nhis mouth, or if he drops the stick that supports him from his hand, or\nif his son calls after him, or a crow caws in his hearing, or a deer\ncrosses his path, or he sees a serpent at his right hand or a fox on his\nleft, or if he says to the tax-gatherer, 'Do not begin with me the first\nin the morning'; or, 'It is the first of the month'; or, 'It is the exit\nof the Sabbath,' i.e., the commencement of a new week.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 65, col. 2.\n\n\"By the term witch,\" the Rabbis say, \"we are to understand either male\nor female.\" \"If so,\" it is asked, \"why the term 'witch,' in Exod. xxii.\n18, in the Hebrew verse 17, is in the feminine gender?\" \"Because,\" it is\nanswered, \"most women are witches.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 67, col. 1.\n\nIf the proud (in Israel) were to cease, the magicians would also cease;\nas it is written (Isa. i. 25), \"I will purge away thy dross and take\naway all thy tin.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 98, col. 1.\n\nAmong those who have no portion in the world to come is he who reads the\nbooks of the strangers, foreign books, books of outsiders. See also\nSanhedrin, fol. 90, col. 1. Now Rav Yoseph says, \"It is unlawful to read\nthe Book of the Son of Sirach, ... because it is written therein\n(Ecclesiasticus xlii. 9, etc., as quoted, or rather misquoted, in the\nTalmud), 'A daughter is a false treasure to her father: because of\nanxiety for her he cannot sleep at night; when she is young, for fear\nshe should be seduced; in her virginity lest she play the harlot; in her\nmarriageable age, lest she should not get married; and when married,\nlest she should be childless; and when grown old, lest she practice\nwitchcraft.'\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 100, col. 2.\n\nHe who multiplieth wives multiplieth witchcraft.\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 2.\n\nMost donkey-drivers are wicked, but most sailors are pious. The best\nphysicians are destined for hell, the most upright butcher is a partner\nof Amalek. Bastards are mostly cunning, and servants mostly handsome.\nThose who are well-descended are bashful, and children mostly resemble\ntheir mother's brother. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai bids us \"kill the best\nof Gentiles\" (modern editions qualify this by adding, in time of war),\n\"and smash the head of the best of serpents.\" \"The best among women,\" he\nsays, \"is a witch.\" Blessed is he who does the will of God!\n\n_Sophrim_, chap. 15, hal. 10.\n\nOn the Sabbath one may carry a grasshopper's egg as a charm against\nearache, the tooth of a living fox to promote sleep, the tooth of a dead\nfox to prevent sleep, and the nail of one crucified (as a remedy) for\ninflammation or swelling. For cutaneous disorders he is to repeat Baz\nBaziah, Mass Massiah, Cass Cassiah, Sharlaii, and Amarlaii (names of\nangels), etc.... As the mules do not increase and multiply, so may the\nskin disease not increase and spread upon the body of N., the son of the\nwoman N., etc.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 67, col. 1.\n\n\"For night-blindness, let a man take a hair-rope and bind one end of it\nto his own leg and the other to a dog's, then let children clatter a\npotsherd after him, and call out, 'Old man! dog! fool! cock!' Let him\nnow collect seven pieces of meat from seven (different) houses; let him\nset them on the cross-bar of the threshold, then let him eat them on the\ntown middens; and after that let him undo the hair-rope, then let him\nsay thus: 'Blindness of So-and-so, son of Mrs. So-and-so, leave\nSo-and-so, son of Mrs. So-and-so, and be brushed into the pupil of the\neye of the dog.'\" (Quoted from \"The Fragment,\" by Rev. W.H. Lowe of\nCambridge.)\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 69, col. 1.\n\nAccording to the Rabbis, a man should not drink water by night, for thus\nhe exposes himself to the power of Shavriri, the demon of blindness.\nWhat then should he do if he is thirsty? If there be another man with\nhim, let him rouse him up and say, \"I am thirsty;\" but if he be alone,\nlet him tap upon the lid of the jug (to make the demon fancy there's\nsome one with him), and addressing himself by his own name and the name\nof his mother, let him say, \"Thy mother has bid thee beware of Shavriri,\nvriri, riri, iri, ri,\" in a white cup. Rashi says by this incantation\nthe demon gradually contracts and vanishes as the sounds of the word\nShavriri decrease.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 12, col. 2.\n\nA python is a familiar spirit who speaks from his armpits; a wizard is\none who speaks with the mouth. As the Rabbis have taught, a familiar\nspirit is one who speaks from his joints and his wrists; a wizard is one\nwho, putting a certain bone into his mouth, causes it to speak.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 65, cols, 1, 2.\n\nHe who says to a raven \"Croak,\" and to a hen raven, \"Droop thy tail and\nturn it this way as a lucky sign,\" is an imitator of the ways of the\nAmorites (Lev. xviii. 3).\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 67, col. 2.\n\nWomen going out on the Sabbath-day are allowed, as the Rabbis teach, to\ncarry with them a certain stone believed to counteract abortion.\n\nAbaii interrupts his exposition of this Halachah in order to enumerate\ncertain antidotes to chronic fever which, he says, he had learned from\nhis mother. Take a new zouz and then procure its weight in sea-salt;\nhang this round the neck, suspended by a papyrus fibre, so that it may\nrest just in the hollow in front. If this does not answer, go where two\nor more roads meet and watch for the first big ant that is going home\nloaded; lay hold of it and place it in a brass tube; stop up the end of\nthe tube with lead, putting as many seals upon it as possible; then\nshake it, saying the while, \"My load be upon thee, and thine upon me.\"\nTo this Rav Acha, the son of Rav Hunna, objected to Rav Ashi, and asked,\n\"Might not the ant have been already laden with another man's fever?\"\n\"True,\" observed the other; \"nevertheless let him say, 'My load be upon\nthee as well as thine own.'\" If this be not effective, then take a new\nearthenware pot, and going to the nearest stream, say, \"Stream, stream,\nlend me a pot full of water for one who is on a visit to me.\" Wave it\nseven times round thy head and then throw the water back again, saying,\n\"Stream, stream, take back thy borrowed water for my guest came and went\nthe same day.\"\n\nRav Hunna then adds a prescription for a tertian fever, and Rabbi\nYochanan gives the following as effective against a burning fever:--Take\nan iron knife, and having fastened a papyrus fibre to the nearest\nbramble, cut off a piece and say, \"And the Angel of the Lord appeared to\nhim in a flame of fire,\" etc., as in Exod. iii. 2. On the morrow cut off\nanother piece and say, \"The Lord saw that he (the fever) turned aside;\"\nthen upon the third day say, \"Draw not hither,\" and stooping down, pray,\n\"Bush, bush! the Holy One--blessed be He!--caused His Shechinah to lodge\nupon thee, not because thou art the loftiest, for thou art the lowest of\nall trees; and as when thou didst see the fire of Hananiah, Mishael, and\nAzariah, thou didst flee therefrom, so see the fire (fever) of this\nsufferer and flee from it.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 66, col. 2, etc.\n\nRabba once created a man (out of dust) and sent him to Rabbi Zira, who\nhaving addressed the figure and received no answer, said, \"Thou art\n(made) by witchcraft; return to thy native dust.\" Rav Chaneanah and Rav\nOshayah sat together every Sabbath-eve studying the book Yetzirah (i.e.,\nthe book of Creation), until they were able to create for themselves a\ncalf (as large as a) three-year old, and they did eat thereof.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 65, col, 2.\n\nYannai once turned in to a certain inn, and asked for water to drink,\nwhen they gave him (Shethitha, i.e., water mixed with flour). He noticed\nthat the lips of the woman who brought it moved (and so suspecting that\nsomething was wrong), he poured out a little of it and it became\nscorpions. He then said, \"I have drunk of thine, now thou shalt drink of\nmine.\" The woman drank and was transformed into an ass, which he mounted\nand rode to the market-place. One of her companions having come up,\nbroke the spell, and the ass he had ridden was on the spot transformed\nback again into a woman. In reference to the above, Rashi na\u00efvely\nremarks that \"we are not to suppose that Yannai was a Rabbi, for he was\nnot held in esteem, because he practiced witchcraft.\" But Rashi is\nmistaken; see Sophrim, chap. 16, hal. 6.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 67, col. 2.\n\nTen measures of witchcraft came into the world; Egypt received nine\nmeasures, and the rest of the world one.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 49, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis say that on the Sabbath serpents and scorpions may be tamed\nby charming; that a metal ring, such as may be carried on the Sabbath,\nmay be applied as a remedy to a sore eye; but that demons may not be\nconsulted on that day about lost property. Rabbi Yossi has said, \"This\nought not to be done even on week-days.\" Rav Hunna says, \"The Halachah\ndoes not enjoin as Rabbi Yossi says, and even he prohibits it only\nbecause of the risk there is in consulting demons. For instance, Rav\nYitzchak bar Yoseph was once desperately delivered from the attacks of a\nvicious demon by a cedar-tree opening of its own accord and enclosing\nhim in its trunk.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 101, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Yochanan ben Zachai acquired a knowledge of the language of angels\nand demons for purposes of incantation.\n\n_Bava Bathira_, fol. 134, col. 1.\n\n\"Neither shall ye use enchantments\" ... (Lev. xix. 26). Such, for\ninstance, as those practiced with cats, fowls, and fishes.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 66, col. 1.\n\nRav Ketina happened once, in his travels, to hear the noise of an\nearthquake just as he came opposite to the abode of one who was wont to\nconjure with human bones. Happening to mutter aloud to himself as he\npassed, \"Does the conjurer really know what that noise is?\" a voice\nanswered, \"Ketina, Ketina, why shouldn't I know? When the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--thinks of His children who dwell in sorrowful\ncircumstances among the nations of the earth, He lets fall two tears\ninto the great sea, and His voice is heard from one end of the world to\nthe other, and that is the rumbling noise we hear.\" Upon which Rav\nKetina protested, \"The conjurer is a liar, his words are not true; they\nmight have been true, had there been two rumbling noises.\" The fact was,\ntwo such noises were heard, but Rav Ketina would not acknowledge it,\nlest, by so doing, he should increase the popularity of the conjurer.\nRav Ketina is of the opinion that the rumbling noise is caused by God\nclapping His hands together, as it is said (Ezek. xxi, 22; A.V., ver.\n17), \"I will also smite My hands together, and I will cause My fury to\nrest.\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 59, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Elazar ben Azariah proclaimed this anathema with the blast of\nthree hundred trumpets:--\"Whoever shall take drink from the hand of a\nbride, no matter whether she be the daughter of a disciple of the wise\nor the daughter of an Amhaaretz, it is all one as if he drunk it from\nthe hand of a harlot.\" Again, it is said, \"He who receives a cup from\nthe hands of a bride and drinks it therefrom, has no portion whatever in\nthe world to come.\"\n\n_Tract Calah._\n\nThere was a place for collecting the ashes in the middle of the altar,\nand there were at times in it nearly as much as three hundred cors\n(equal to about 2830 bushels) of ashes. On Rava remarking that this must\nbe an exaggeration, Rav Ammi said the law, the prophets, and the sages\nare wont to use hyperbolical language. Thus the law speaks of \"Cities\ngreat and walled up to heaven\" (Deut. i. 28); the prophets speak of \"the\nearth rent with the sound of them\" (1 Kings i. 40); the sages speak as\nabove and also as follows. There was a golden vine at the entrance of\nthe Temple, trailing on crystals, on which devotees who could used to\nsuspend offerings of fruit and grape clusters. \"It happened once,\" said\nRabbi Elazer ben Rabbi Zadoc, \"that three hundred priests were counted\noff to clear the vine of the offerings.\"\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 90, col. 2.\n\nThree hundred priests were told off to draw the veil (of the Temple)\naside; for it is taught that Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel declared in the\nname of Rabbi Shimon the Sagan (or high priest's substitute), that the\nthickness of the veil was a handbreadth. It was woven of seventy-two\ncords, and each cord consisted of twenty-four strands. It was forty\ncubits long and twenty wide. Eighty-two myriads of damsels worked at it,\nand two such veils were made every year. When it became soiled, it took\nthree hundred priests to immerse and cleanse it.\n\n_Chullin._\n\nWhen Moses was about to enter Paradise he turned to Joshua and said, \"If\nany doubtful matters remain, ask me now and I will explain them.\" To\nthis Joshua replied, \"Have I ever left thy side for an hour and gone\naway to any other? Hast thou not thyself written concerning me (Exod.\nxxxiii. 11), 'His servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed\nnot out of the Tabernacle?'\" As a punishment for this pert reply, which\nmust have distressed and confounded his master, Joshua's power of brain\nwas immediately weakened, so that he forgot three hundred Halachahs, and\nseven hundred doubts sprang up to perplex him. All Israel then rose up\nto murder him, but the Holy One--blessed be He!--said unto him, \"To\nteach thee the Halachahs and their explanation is impossible, but go and\ntrouble them with work; as it is said (Josh. i. 1), 'Now after the death\nof Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake\nunto Joshua,'\" etc.\n\n_Temurah_, fol. 16, col. 1.\n\nIn the future God will assign to each righteous man three hundred and\nten worlds as an inheritance; for it is said (Prov. viii. 21), \"That I\nmay cause those that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill their\ntreasures.\" By Gematria equals three hundred and ten.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 100, col. 1, and _Okitzin_, chap. 3, mish. 12.\n\nAn old woman once complained before Rav Nachman that the Head of the\nCaptivity and certain Rabbis with him were enjoying themselves in her\nbooth, which they had surreptitiously taken possession of and would not\nsurrender, but Rav Nachman gave no heed to her remonstrance. Then she\nraised her voice and cried aloud, \"A woman whose father had three\nhundred and eighteen slaves is now pleading before you, and you paying\nno heed to her!\" Upon which Rav Nachman turned to his associates and\nsaid, \"She is a bawling woman, but she has no right to claim the booth,\nonly the value of its timber.\"\n\n_Succah_, fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nElijah the Tishbite once said to Rav Yehudah, the brother of Rav Salla\nthe Holy, \"You ask why the Messiah does not come, even though it is just\nnow the Day of Atonement.\" \"And what,\" asked the Rabbi, \"does the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--say to that?\" \"He says, 'Sin lieth at the door'\"\n(Gen. iv. 7). \"And what has Satan to say?\" \"He has no permission to\naccuse any one on the Day of Atonement.\" \"How do we know this?\" Ramma\nbar Chamma replied, \"Satan by Gematria equals three hundred and\nsixty-four, therefore on that number of days only has he permission to\naccuse; but on the Day of Atonement (i.e., the 365th day) he cannot\naccuse.\"\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 20, col. 1.\n\nRav Yitzchak said, \"What is the meaning of that which is written (Ps.\ncxl. 8), 'Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; further not his\nwicked device, lest they exalt themselves. Selah?'\" It is the prayer of\nJacob to the Lord of the universe that He would not grant to Esau, \"the\nwicked, the desires of his heart.\" \"Further not his wicked device,\" this\nrefers to Germamia of Edom (i.e., Rome), for if they (the Romans) were\nsuffered to go forward they would destroy the whole world! Rav Chama bar\nChanena said, \"There are three hundred crowned heads in Germamia of\nEdom, and there are three hundred and sixty-five dukes in Babylon. These\nencounter each other daily, and one of them commits murder, and they\nstrive to set up a king.\"\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 6, col. 2.\n\nIn the great city (of Rome) there were three hundred and sixty-five\nstreets, and in each street there were three hundred and sixty-five\npalaces, and in every one of these there were three hundred and\nsixty-five steps, each of which palaces contained sufficient store to\nmaintain the whole world.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 118, col. 2.\n\nThere are three hundred and sixty-five negative precepts.\n\nThere were three hundred and ninety-four courts of law in Jerusalem, and\nas many synagogues; also the same number of high schools, colleges, and\nacademies, and as many offices for public notaries.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 105, col. 1.\n\nRav Hunna had four hundred casks of wine which had turned into vinegar.\nOn hearing of his misfortune, Rav Yehudah, the brother of Rav Salla the\nHoly, or, as some say, Rav Adda bar Ahavah, came and visited him,\naccompanied by the Rabbis. \"Let the master,\" said they, \"examine himself\ncarefully.\" \"What!\" said he, \"do you suppose me to have been guilty of\nwrong-doing?\" \"Shall we then,\" said they, \"suspect the Holy One--blessed\nbe He!--of executing judgment without justice?\" \"Well,\" said Rav Hunna,\n\"if you have heard anything against me, don't conceal it.\" \"It has been\nreported to us,\" said they, \"that the master has withheld the gardener's\nshare of the prunings.\" \"What else, pray, did he leave me?\" retorted Rav\nHunna; \"he has stolen all the produce of my vineyard.\" They replied,\n\"There is a saying that whoever steals from a thief smells of theft.\"\n\"Then,\" said he, \"I hereby promise to give him his share.\" Thereupon,\naccording to some, the vinegar turned to wine again; and, according to\nothers, the price of vinegar rose to the price of wine.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 5, col. 2.\n\nRav Adda bar Ahavah once saw a Gentile woman in the market-place wearing\na red head-dress, and supposing that she was a daughter of Israel, he\nimpatiently tore it off her head. For this outrage he was fined a fine\nof four hundred zouzim. He asked the woman what her name was, and she\nreplied, \"My name is Mathan.\" \"Methun, Methun,\" he wittily rejoined, \"is\nworth four hundred zouzim.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 20, col. 1.\n\n    Methun means patience and Mathan two hundred. The point lies\n    either in the application of the term Methun, which means\n    patience, as if to say, had he been so patient as to have first\n    ascertained what the woman was, he would have saved his four\n    hundred zouzim; or in the identity of the sound Mathan, i.e.,\n    two hundred, which doubled, equals four hundred. This has long\n    since passed into a proverb, and expresses the value of\n    patience.\n\n    From the foregoing extract it would seem that it was not the\n    fashion among Jewish females to wear head-dresses of a red\n    color, as it was presumed to indicate a certain lightness on the\n    part of the wearer; so Rav Adda in his pious zeal thought he was\n    doing a good work in tearing it off from the head of the\n    supposed Jewess. \"Patience, patience is worth four hundred\n    zouzim.\"\n\n    Custom among the Jews had then, as now, the force of religion.\n    The Talmud says, \"A man should never deviate from a settled\n    custom. Moses ascended on high and did not eat bread (for there\n    it is not the custom); angels came down to earth and did eat\n    bread (for here it is the custom so to do).\" Bava Metzia, fol.\n    86, col. 2.\n\n    In the olden time it was not the fashion for a Jew to wear black\n    shoes (Taanith, fol. 22, col. 1). Even now, in Poland, a pious\n    Jew, or a Chasid, would on no account wear polished boots or a\n    short coat, or neglect to wear a girdle. He would at once lose\n    caste and be subjected to persecution, direct or indirect, were\n    he to depart from a custom. Custom is law, is an oft-quoted\n    Jewish proverb, one among the most familiar of their household\n    words, as \"Custom is a tyrant,\" is among ours. Another saying we\n    have is, \"Custom is the plague of wise men, but is the idol of\n    fools.\"\n\nThe following anecdotes are related by way of practically illustrating\nPs. ii. 11, \"Rejoice with trembling.\" Mar, the son of Ravina, made a\ngrand marriage-feast for his son, and when the Rabbis were at the height\nof their merriment on the occasion, he brought in a very costly cup,\nworth four hundred zouzim, and broke it before them, and this occasioned\nthem sorrow and trembling. Rav Ashi made a grand marriage-feast for his\nson, and when he noticed the Rabbis in high jubilation, he brought in a\ncostly cup of white glass and broke it before them, and this made them\nsorrowful. The Rabbis challenged Rav Hamnunah on the wedding of his son\nRavina, saying, \"Give us a song, sir,\" and he sung, \"Woe be to us, for\nwe must die! Woe be to us, for we must die!\" \"And what shall we sing?\"\nthey asked in chorus by way of response. He replied, \"Sing ye, 'Alas!\nwhere is the law we have studied? where the good works we have done?\nthat they may protect us from the punishment of hell!'\" Rabbi Yochanan,\nin the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, says, \"It is unlawful for a man\nto fill his mouth with laughter in this world, for it is said in Ps.\ncxxvi., 'Then (but not now) will our mouth be filled with laughter,'\"\netc. It is related of Resh Lakish that he never once laughed again all\nthe rest of his life from the time that he heard this from Rabbi\nYochanan, his teacher.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 30, col. 2, and fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nA man once laid a wager with another that he would put Hillel out of\ntemper. If he succeeded he was to receive, but if he failed he was to\nforfeit, four hundred zouzim. It was close upon Sabbath-eve, and Hillel\nwas washing himself, when the man passed by his door, shouting, \"Where\nis Hillel? where is Hillel?\" Hillel wrapped his mantle round him and\nsallied forth to see what the man wanted. \"I want to ask thee a\nquestion,\" was the reply. \"Ask on, my son,\" said Hillel. Whereupon the\nman said, \"I want to know why the Babylonians have such round heads?\" \"A\nvery important question, my son,\" said Hillel; \"the reason is because\ntheir midwives are not clever.\" The man went away, but after an hour he\nreturned, calling out as before, \"Where is Hillel? where is Hillel?\"\nHillel again threw on his mantle and went out, meekly asking, \"What now,\nmy son?\" \"I want to know,\" said he, \"why the people of Tadmor are\nweak-eyed?\" Hillel replied, \"This is an important question, my son, and\nthe reason is this, they live in a sandy country.\" Away went the man,\nbut in another hour's time he returned as before, crying out, \"Where is\nHillel? where is Hillel?\" Out came Hillel again, as gentle as ever,\nblandly requesting to know what more he wanted. \"I have a question to\nask,\" said the man. \"Ask on, my son,\" said Hillel. \"Well, why have the\nAfricans such broad feet?\" said he. \"Because they live in a marshy\nland,\" said Hillel. \"I have many more questions to ask,\" said the man,\n\"but I am afraid that I shall only try thy patience and make thee\nangry.\" Hillel, drawing his mantle around him, sat down and bade the man\nask all the questions he wished. \"Art thou Hillel,\" said he, \"whom they\ncall a prince in Israel?\" \"Yes,\" was the reply. \"Well,\" said the other,\n\"I pray there may not be many more in Israel like thee!\" \"Why,\" said\nHillel, \"how is that?\" \"Because,\" said the man, \"I have betted four\nhundred zouzim that I could put thee out of temper, and I have lost them\nall through thee.\" \"Be warned for the future,\" said Hillel; \"better it\nis that thou shouldst lose four hundred zouzim, and four hundred more\nafter them, than it should be said of Hillel he lost his temper!\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 31, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Perida had a pupil to whom he had to rehearse a lesson four\nhundred times before the latter comprehended it. One day the Rabbi was\nhurriedly called away to perform some charitable act, but before he went\nhe repeated the lesson in hand the usual four hundred times, but this\ntime his pupil failed to learn it. \"What is the reason, my son,\" said he\nto his dull pupil, \"that this time my repetitions have been thrown\naway?\" \"Because, master,\" naively replied the youth, \"my mind was so\npre-occupied with the summons you received to discharge another duty.\"\n\"Well, then,\" said the Rabbi to his pupil, \"let us begin again.\" And he\nrepeated the lesson a second four hundred times.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 54, col. 2.\n\nBetween Azel and Azel (1 Chron. viii. 38 and ix. 44), there are four\nhundred camel-loads of critical researches due to the presence of\nmanifold contradictions.\n\n_Psachim_. fol. 62, col. 2.\n\nEgypt has an area of four hundred square miles.\n\nIbid., fol. 94, col. 1.\n\nThe Targum of the Pentateuch was executed by Onkelos the proselyte at\nthe dictation of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, and the Targum of the\nprophets was executed by Jonathan ben Uzziel at the dictation of Haggai,\nZachariah, and Malachi (!), at which time the land of Israel was\nconvulsed over an area of four hundred square miles.\n\n_Meggillah_, fol. 3, col. 1.\n\nMar Ukva was in the habit of sending on the Day of Atonement four\nhundred zouzim to a poor neighbor of his. Once he sent the money by his\nown son, who returned bringing it back with him, remarking, \"There is no\nneed to bestow charity upon a man who, as I myself have seen, is able to\nindulge himself in expensive old wine.\" \"Well,\" said his father, \"since\nhe is so dainty in his taste, he must have seen better days. I will\ntherefore double the amount for the future.\" And this accordingly he at\nonce remitted to him.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 67, col. 2.\n\n\"And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, ... ye shall carry\nup my bones from hence\" (Gen. l. 25). Rabbi Chanena said, \"There is a\nreason for this oath. As Joseph knew that he was perfectly righteous,\nwhy then, if the dead are to rise in other countries as well as in the\nland of Israel, did he trouble his brethren to carry his bones four\nhundred miles?\" The reply is, \"He feared lest, if buried in Egypt, he\nmight have to worm his way through subterranean passages from his grave\ninto the land of Israel.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 111, col. 1.\n\n    To this day among the Polish Jews the dead are provided for\n    their long subterranean journey with little wooden forks, with\n    which, at the sound of the great trumpet, they are to dig and\n    burrow their way from where they happen to be buried till they\n    arrive in Palestine. To avoid this inconvenience there are some\n    among them who, on the approach of old age, migrate to the Holy\n    Land, that their bones may rest there against the morning of the\n    resurrection.\n\nRav Cahana was once selling ladies' baskets when he was exposed to the\ntrial of a sinful temptation. He pleaded with his tempter to let him off\nand he promised to return, but instead of doing so he went up to the\nroof of the house and threw himself down headlong. Before he reached the\nground, however, Elijah came and caught him, and reproached him, as he\ncaught him up, with having brought him a distance of four hundred miles\nto save him from an act of willful self-destruction. The Rabbi told him\nthat it was his poverty which had given to the temptation the power of\nseduction. Thereupon Elijah gave him a vessel full of gold denarii and\ndeparted.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 40, col. 1.\n\n\"Pashur, the son of Immer the priest\" (Jer. xx. 1) had four hundred\nservants, and every one of them rose to the rank of the priesthood. One\nconsequence was that an insolent priest hardly ever appeared in Israel\nbut his genealogy could be traced to this base-born, low-bred ancestry.\nRabbi Elazar said, \"If thou seest an impudent priest, do not think evil\nof him, for it is said (Hos, iv. 4), 'Thy people are as they that strive\nwith the priest.'\"\n\nIbid., fol. 70, col. 2.\n\nDavid had four hundred young men, handsome in appearance and with their\nhair cut close upon their foreheads, but with long flowing curls behind,\nwho used to ride in chariots of gold at the head of the army. These were\nmen of power (men of the fist, in the original), the mighty men of the\nhouse of David, who went about to strike terror into the world.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 76, col. 2.\n\nFour hundred boys and as many girls were once kidnapped and torn from\ntheir relations. When they learned the purpose of their capture, they\nall exclaimed, \"Better drown ourselves in the sea; then shall we have an\ninheritance in the world to come.\" The eldest then explained to them the\ntext (Ps. lxviii. 22), \"The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan; I\nwill bring again from the depths of the sea.\" \"From Bashan,\" i.e., from\nthe teeth of the lion; \"from the depths of the sea,\" i.e., those that\ndrown themselves in the sea. When the girls heard this explanation they\nat once jumped all together into the sea, and the boys with alacrity\nfollowed their example. It is with reference to these that Scripture\nsays (Ps. xliv. 22), \"For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we\nare counted as sheep for the slaughter.\"\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 57, col. 2.\n\nThere were four hundred synagogues in the city of Byther, in each there\nwere four hundred elementary teachers, and each had four hundred pupils.\nWhen the enemy entered the city they pierced him with their pointers;\nbut when at last the enemy overpowered them, he wrapped them in their\nbooks and then set fire to them; and this is what is written (Lam. iii.\n51), \"Mine eye affecteth my heart because of all the daughters of my\ncity.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 58, col 1.\n\n    The total population of Byther must have been something enormous\n    when the children in it amounted to 64,000,000! The elementary\n    teachers alone came to 160,000.\n\nOnce when the Hasmonean kings were engaged in civil war it happened that\nHyrcanus was outside Jerusalem and Aristobulus within. Every day the\nbesieged let down a box containing gold denarii, and received in return\nlambs for the daily sacrifices. There chanced to be an old man in the\ncity who was familiar with the wisdom of the Greeks, and he hinted to\nthe besiegers in the Greek language that so long as the Temple services\nwere kept up the city could not be taken. The next day accordingly, when\nthe money had been let down, they sent back a pig in return. When about\nhalf-way up the animal pushed with its feet against the stones of the\nwall, and thereupon an earthquake was felt throughout the land of Israel\nto the extent of four hundred miles. At that time it was the saying\narose, \"Cursed be he that rears swine, and he who shall teach his son\nthe wisdom of the Greeks.\" (See Matt. viii. 30.)\n\n_Soteh_, fol. 49, col. 2.\n\nIf one strikes his neighbor with his fist, he must pay him one sela; if\nhe slaps his face, he is to pay two hundred zouzim; but for a\nback-handed slap the assailant is to pay four hundred zouzim. If he\npulls the ear of another, or plucks his hair, or spits upon him, or\npulls off his mantle, or tears a woman's head-dress off in the street,\nin each of these cases he is fined four hundred zouzim.\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 90, col. 1.\n\nThere was once a dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and the Mishnic sages as\nto whether a baking-oven, constructed from certain materials and of a\nparticular shape, was clean or unclean. The former decided that it was\nclean, but the latter were of a contrary opinion. Having replied to all\nthe objections the sages had brought against his decision, and finding\nthat they still refused to acquiesce, the Rabbi turned to them and said,\n\"If the Halacha (the law) is according to my decision, let this\ncarob-tree attest.\" Whereupon the carob-tree rooted itself up and\ntransplanted itself to a distance of one hundred, some say four hundred,\nyards from the spot. But the sages demurred and said, \"We cannot admit\nthe evidence of a carob-tree.\" \"Well, then,\" said Rabbi Eliezer, \"let\nthis running brook be a proof;\" and the brook at once reversed its\nnatural course and flowed back. The sages refused to admit this proof\nalso. \"Then let the walls of the college bear witness that the law is\naccording to my decision;\" upon which the walls began to bend, and were\nabout to fall, when Rabbi Joshuah interposed and rebuked them, saying,\n\"If the disciples of the sages wrangle with each other in the Halacha,\nwhat is that to you? Be ye quiet!\" Therefore, out of respect to Rabbi\nJoshuah, they did not fall, and out of respect to Rabbi Eliezer they did\nnot resume their former upright position, but remained toppling, which\nthey continue to do to this day. Then said Rabbi Eliezer to the sages,\n\"Let Heaven itself testify that the Halacha is according to my\njudgment.\" And a Bath Kol or voice from heaven was heard, saying, \"What\nhave ye to do with Rabbi Eliezer? for the Halacha is on every point\naccording to his decision!\" Rabbi Joshuah then stood up and proved from\nScripture that even a voice from heaven was not to be regarded, \"For\nThou, O God, didst long ago write down in the law which Thou gavest on\nSinai (Exod. xxiii. 2), 'Thou shalt follow the multitude.'\" (See\ncontext.) We have it on the testimony of Elijah the prophet, given to\nRabbi Nathan, on an oath, that it was with reference to this dispute\nabout the oven God himself confessed and said, \"My children have\nvanquished me! My children have vanquished me!\"\n\n_Bava Metzia_ fol. 59, col. 1.\n\n    In the sequel to the above we are told that all the legal\n    documents of Rabbi Eliezer containing his decisions respecting\n    things \"clean\" were publicly burned with fire, and he himself\n    excommunicated. In consequence of this the whole world was\n    smitten with blight, a third in the olives, a third in the\n    barley, and a third in the wheat; and the Rabbi himself, though\n    excommunicated, continued to be held in the highest regard in\n    Israel.\n\nThe Rabbis said to Rabbi Hamnuna, \"Rav Ami has written or copied four\nhundred copies of the law.\" He replied to them, \"Perhaps only (Deut.\nxxxiii. 4) 'Moses commanded us a law.'\" (He meant he did not imagine\nthat any one man could possibly write out four hundred complete copies\nof the Pentateuch.)\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 14, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Chanena said, \"If four hundred years after the destruction of the\nTemple one offers thee a field worth a thousand denarii for one\ndenarius, don't buy it.\"\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\nWe know by tradition that the treatise \"Avodah Zarah,\" which our father\nAbraham possessed, contained four hundred chapters, but the treatise as\nwe now have it contains only five.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 14, col. 2.\n\nThe camp of Sennacherib was four hundred miles in length.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 95, col. 2.\n\n\"Curse ye Meroz,\" etc. (Judges v. 23). Barak excommunicated Meroz at the\nblast of four hundred trumpets (lit. horns or cornets).\n\n_Shevuoth_, fol. 36, col. 1.\n\nWhat is the meaning where it is written (Ps. x. 27), \"The fear of the\nLord prolongeth days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened;\"\n\"The fear of the Lord prolongeth days\" alludes to the four hundred and\nten years the first Temple stood, during which period the succession of\nhigh priests numbered only eighteen. But \"the years of the wicked shall\nbe shortened\" is illustrated by the fact that during the four hundred\nand twenty years that the second Temple stood the succession of high\npriests numbered more than three hundred. If we deduct the forty years\nduring which Shimon the Righteous held office, and the eighty of Rabbi\nYochanan, and the ten of Rabbi Ishmael ben Rabbi, it is evident that not\none of the remaining high priests lived to hold office for a whole year.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 9, col. 1.\n\n\"The souls which they had gotten in Haran\" (Gen. xii. 5). From this time\nto the giving of the law was four hundred and forty-eight years.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 9, col. 1.\n\nA young girl and ten of her maid-servants were once kidnapped, when a\ncertain Gentile bought them and brought them to his house. One day he\ngave a pitcher to the child and bade her fetch him water, but one of her\nservants took the pitcher from her, intending to go instead. The master,\nobserving this, asked the maid why she did so. The servant replied, \"By\nthe life of thy head, my lord, I am one of no less than five hundred\nservants of this child's mother.\" The master was so touched that he\ngranted them all their freedom.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 17.\n\nC\u00e6sar once said to Rabbi Yoshua ben Chananja, \"This God of yours is\ncompared to a lion, as it is written (Amos iii. 8), 'The lion hath\nroared, who will not fear?' Wherein consists his excellency? A horseman\nkills a lion.\" The Rabbi replied, \"He is not compared to an ordinary\nlion, but to a lion of the forest Ilaei.\" \"Show me that lion at once,\"\nsaid the Emperor. \"But thou canst not behold him,\" said the Rabbi. Still\nthe Emperor insisted on seeing the lion; so the Rabbi prayed to God to\nhelp him in his perplexity. His prayer was heard; the lion came forth\nfrom his lair and roared, upon which, though it was four hundred miles\naway, all the walls of Rome trembled and fell to the ground. Approaching\nthree hundred miles nearer, he roared again, and this time the teeth of\nthe people dropped out of their mouths and the Emperor fell from his\nthrone quaking. \"Alas! Rabbi, pray to thy God that He order the lion\nback to his abode in the forest.\"\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 59, col. 2.\n\n    All this is as nothing compared to the voice of Judah, which\n    made all Egypt quake and tremble, and Pharaoh fall from his\n    throne headlong, etc., etc. See Jasher, chap. 64, verses 46, 47.\n\nThe distance from the earth to the firmament is five hundred years'\njourney, and so it is from each successive firmament to the next,\nthroughout the series of the seven heavens.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 94, col. 2.\n\n\"Now, as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel upon the earth\nby the living creatures\" (Ezek. i. 15). Rabbi Elazar says it was an\nangel who stood upon the earth, and his head reached to the living\ncreatures. It is recorded in a Mishna that his name is Sandalphon, who\ntowers above his fellow-angels to a height of five hundred years'\njourney; he stands behind the chariot and binds crowns on the head of\nhis Creator.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 13, col. 2.\n\n    In the Liturgy for the Feast of Tabernacles it is said that\n    Sandalphon gathers in his hands the prayers of Israel, and,\n    forming a wreath of them, he adjures it to ascend as an orb for\n    the head of the supreme King of kings.\n\nThe mount of the Temple was five hundred yards square.\n\n_Middoth_, chap. 2.\n\nOne Scripture text (1 Chron. xxi. 25) says, \"So David gave to Ornan for\nthe place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.\" And another Scripture\n(2 Sam. xxiv. 24) says, \"So David bought the threshing-floor and the\noxen for fifty shekels of silver.\" How is this? David took from each\ntribe fifty shekels, and they made together the total six hundred, i.e.,\nhe took silver to the value of fifty shekels of gold.\n\n_Zevachim_, fol. 116, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Samlai explains that six hundred and thirteen commandments were\ncommunicated to Moses; three hundred and sixty-five negative, according\nto the number of days in the year, and two hundred and forty-eight\npositive, according to the number of members in the human body. Rav\nHamnunah asked what was the Scripture proof for this. The reply was\n(Deut. xxxiii. 4), \"Moses commanded us a law\" (Torah), which by Gematria\nanswers to six hundred and eleven. \"I am,\" and \"Thou shalt have no\nother,\" which we heard from the Almighty Himself, together make up six\nhundred and thirteen.\n\n_Maccoth_, fol. 23, col. 2.\n\n    David, we are told, reduced these commandments here reckoned at\n    six hundred and thirteen, to eleven, and Isaiah still further to\n    six, and then afterward to two. \"Thus saith the Eternal, Observe\n    justice and act righteously, for my salvation is near.\" Finally\n    came Habakkuk, and he reduced the number to one\n    all-comprehensive precept (chap. ii. 4), \"The just shall live by\n    faith.\" (See _Maccoth_, fol. 24, col. 1.)\n\nThe precept concerning fringes is as weighty as all the other precepts\nput together; for it is written, says Rashi (Num. xv. 39), \"And remember\nall the commandments of the Lord.\" Now the numerical value of the word\n\"fringes\" is six hundred, and this with eight threads and five knots\nmakes six hundred and thirteen.\n\n_Shevuoth_, fol. 29, col. 1.\n\n\"For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem\nand from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread and the\nwhole stay of water, the mighty man and the man of war, the judge and\nthe prophet,\" etc. (Isa. iii. 1, 2). By \"the stay\" is meant men mighty\nin the Scriptures, and by \"the staff\" men learned in the Mishna; such,\nfor instance, as Rabbi Yehudah ben Tima and his associates. Rav Pappa\nand the Rabbis differed as to the Mishna; the former said there were six\nhundred orders of the Mishna, and the latter that there were seven\nhundred orders. \"The whole stay of bread\" means men distinguished in the\nTalmud; for it is said, \"Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine\nwhich I have mingled\" (Prov. ix. 5). And \"the whole stay of water\" means\nmen skillful in the Haggadoth, who draw out the heart of man like water\nby means of a pretty story or legend, etc.\n\n_Chaggigah_, fol. 14, col. 1.\n\nThere are seven hundred species of fish, eight hundred of locusts,\ntwenty-four of birds that are unclean, while the species of birds that\nare clean cannot be numbered.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 63, col. 2.\n\n\"The same was Adino the Eznite,\" etc. (2 Sam. xxiii. 8). This mighty man\nwhen studying the law was as pliant as a worm; but when engaged in war\nhe was as firm and unyielding as a tree; and when he discharged an arrow\nhe killed eight hundred men at one shot.\n\n_Moed Katon_, fol. 16, col. 2.\n\n\"Ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land\" (Deut. iv. 26). The\nterm soon uttered by the Lord of the Universe means eight hundred and\nfifty-two years.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 38, col. 1.\n\nThere are nine hundred and three sorts of deaths in the world; for the\nexpression occurs (Ps. lxviii. 20), \"Issues of death.\" The numerical\nvalue of \"issues\" is nine hundred and three. The hardest of all deaths\nis by quinsy, and the easiest is the Divine kiss (of which Moses, Aaron,\nand Miriam died). Quinsy is like the forcible extraction of prickly\nthorns from wool, or like a thick rope drawn through a small aperture;\nthe kiss referred to is like the extracting of a hair from milk.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 8, col. 1.\n\nWhen Moses went up on high, the ministering angels asked, \"What has one\nborn of a woman to do among us?\" \"He has come to receive the law,\" was\nthe Divine answer. \"What!\" they remonstrated again, \"that cherished\ntreasure which has lain with Thee for nine hundred and seventy-four\ngenerations before the world was created, art Thou about to bestow it\nupon flesh and blood? What is mortal man that Thou art mindful of him,\nand the son of earth that Thou thus visitest him? O Lord! our Lord! is\nnot Thy name already sufficiently exalted in the earth? Confer Thy glory\nupon the heavens\" (Ps. viii. 4, 6). The Holy One--blessed be He!--then\ncalled upon Moses to refute the objection of the envious angels. \"I\nfear,\" pleaded he, \"lest they consume me with the fiery breath of their\nmouth.\" Thereupon, by way of protection, he was bid approach and lay\nhold of the throne of God; as it is said (Job xxvi. 9), \"He lays hold of\nthe face of His throne and spreads His cloud over him.\" Thus encouraged,\nMoses went over the Decalogue, and demanded of the angels whether they\nhad suffered an Egyptian bondage and dwelt among idolatrous nations, so\nas to require the first commandment; or were they so hardworked as to\nneed a day of rest, etc., etc. Then the angels at once confessed that\nthey were wrong in seeking to withhold the law from Israel, and they\nthen repeated the words, \"O Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the\nearth!\" (Ps. viii. 9), omitting the words, \"Confer Thy glory upon the\nheavens.\" And not only so, but they positively befriended Moses, and\neach of them revealed to him some useful secret; as it is said (Ps.\nlxviii. 18), \"Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast captured spoil, thou\nhast received gifts; because they have contemptuously called thee man.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 88, col. 2.\n\nNine hundred and seventy-four generations before the world was created\nthe law was written and deposited in the bosom of the Holy One--blessed\nbe He!--and sang praises with the ministering angels.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 31.\n\nIf one is sick and at the point of death, he is expected to confess, for\nall confess who are about to suffer the last penalty of the law. When a\nman goes to the market place, let him consider himself as handed over to\nthe custody of the officers of judgment. If he has a headache, let him\ndeem himself fastened with a chain by the neck. If confined to his bed,\nlet him regard himself as mounting the steps to be judged; for when this\nhappens to him, he is saved from death only if he have competent\nadvocates, and these advocates are repentance and good works. And if\nnine hundred and ninety-nine plead against him, and only one for him, he\nis saved; as it is said (Job xxxiii. 23), \"If there be an interceding\nangel, one among a thousand to declare for man his uprightness, then He\nis gracious unto him and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 32, col. 1.\n\nRav Hunna says, \"A quarrel is like a breach in the bank of a river; when\nit is once made it grows wider and wider.\" A certain man used to go\nabout and say, \"Blessed is he who submits to a reproach and is silent,\nfor a hundred evils depart from him.\" Shemuel said to Rav Yehuda, \"It is\nwritten in Scripture (Prov. xvii. 14), 'The beginning of strife is as\nwhen one letteth out water.'\" Strife is the beginning of a hundred\nlawsuits.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 7, col. 1.\n\nWhen Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh, she introduced to him a\nthousand different kinds of musical instruments, and taught him the\nchants to the various idols.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 56, col. 2.\n\nWhen Buneis, the son of Buneis, called on Rabbi (the Holy), the latter\nexclaimed, \"Make way for one worth a hundred manahs!\" Presently another\nvisitor came, and Rabbi said, \"Make way for one worth two hundred\nmanahs.\" Upon which Rabbi Ishmael, the son of Rabbi Yossi, remonstrated,\nsaying, \"Rabbi, the father of the first-comer, owns a thousand ships at\nsea and a thousand towns ashore!\" \"Well,\" replied Rabbi, \"when thou\nseest his father, tell him to send his son better clad next time.\" Rabbi\npaid great respect to those that were rich, and so did Rabbi Akiva.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 86, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Elazer ben Charsom inherited from his father a thousand towns and\na thousand ships, and yet he went about with a leather sack of flour at\nhis back, roaming from town to town and from province to province in\norder to study the law. This great Rabbi never once set eye on his\nimmense patrimony, for he was engaged in the study of the law all day\nand all night long. And so strange was he to his own servants, that\nthey, on one occasion, not knowing who he was, pressed him against his\nwill to do a day's work as a menial; and though he pleaded with them as\na suppliant to be left alone to pursue his studies in the law, they\nrefused, and swore, saying, \"By the life of Rabbi Elazer ben Charsom,\nour master, we will not let thee go till thy task is completed.\" He then\nlet himself be enforced rather than make himself known to them.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 35, col. 2.\n\nThe wife of Potiphar coaxed Joseph with loving words, but in vain. She\nthen threatened to immure him in prison, but he replied (anticipating\nPs. cxlvi. 7), \"The Lord looseth the prisoners.\" Then she said, \"I will\nbow thee down with distress; I will blind thine eyes.\" He only answered\n(_ibid._, ver. 8), \"The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind and raiseth\nthem that are bowed down.\" She then tried to bribe him with a thousand\ntalents of silver if he would comply with her request, but in vain.\n\nIbid.\n\n    A Midrash tells us that Potiphar's wife not only falsely accused\n    Joseph herself, but that she also suborned several of her female\n    friends to do likewise. The Book of Jasher, which embodies the\n    Talmudic story quoted above, tells us that an infant in the\n    cradle spoke up and testified to Joseph's innocence, and that\n    while Joseph was in prison his inamorata daily visited him. More\n    on this topic may be found in the Koran, chap. xii. The amours\n    of Joseph and Zulieka, as told by the glib tongue of tradition,\n    fitly find their consummation in marriage, and certain Moslems\n    affect to see in all this an allegorical type of Divine love, an\n    allegory which some other divines find in the Song of Solomon.\n\nThe thickness of the earth is a thousand paces or ells.\n\n_Succah_, fol. 53, col. 2.\n\n    The crust of the earth as far as the abyss is a thousand ells,\n    and the abyss under the earth is fifteen thousand. There is an\n    upper and a lower abyss mentioned in Taanith, fol. 25, col. 2.\n    Riddia, the angel who has the command of the waters, and resides\n    between the two abysses, says to the upper, \"disperse thy\n    waters,\" and to the lower, \"let thy waters flow up.\"\n\nMany may ask after thy peace, but tell thy secret only to one of a\nthousand.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 63, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that if the value of stolen property is a\nthousand, and the thief is only worth, say, five hundred, he is to be\nsold into slavery twice. But if the reverse, he is not to be sold at\nall.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 18, col. 2.\n\nThe Behemoth upon a thousand hills (Ps. l. 10), God created them male\nand female, but had they been allowed to propagate they would have\ndestroyed the whole world. What did He do? He castrated the male and\nspayed the female, and then preserved them that they might serve for the\nrighteous at the Messianic banquet; as it is said (Job xl. 16), \"His\nstrength is in his loins (i.e., the male), and his force in the navel of\nhis belly\" (i.e., the female).\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 74, col. 2.\n\n    This provision for the coming Messianic banquet is considered of\n    sufficient importance to be mentioned year after year in the\n    service for the Day of Atonement and also at the Feast of\n    Tabernacles. The remark of D. Levi, that the feast here referred\n    to is to be understood allegorically, involves rather sweeping\n    consequences, as it is open to any one to annihilate many other\n    expectations on the same principle.\n\nThe Holy One--blessed be He!--will add to Jerusalem gardens extending to\na thousand times their numerical value, which equals one hundred and\nsixty-nine, etc.\n\nIbid., fol. 75, col. 2.\n\n\"Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much\" (2 Kings xxi. 16).\nHere (in Babylon) it is interpreted to mean that he murdered Isaiah, but\nin the West (i.e., in Palestine) they say that he made an image of the\nweight of a thousand men, which was the number he massacred every day\n(as Rashi says, by the heaviness of its weight).\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 103, col. 2.\n\n    See Josephus, Antiq., Book X. chap, iii., sec. 1, for\n    corroborative evidence. Tradition says that Manasseh caused\n    Isaiah to be sawn asunder with a wooden saw. (See also Yevamoth,\n    fol. 49, col. 2; Sanhedrin, fol. 103, col. 2.)\n\n    Nowhere in the Talmud do we find the name of the great image\n    here referred to. What if we christen it the \"Juggernaut of the\n    Talmud\"? May the tradition not be a prelusion or a reflex of\n    that man-crushing monster? Anyhow, scholars are aware of a\n    community of no inconsiderable extent between the conceptions\n    and legends of the Hindoos and the Rabbis. One notable contrast,\n    however, between this Juggernaut and that of the Hindoos is,\n    that whereas in both cases the innocent suffered for the guilty,\n    in the former that sacrifices were exacted to propitiate Satan,\n    while in the latter they were freely offered in supposed\n    propitiation of the gods.\n\nThe food consumed by Og, king of Bashan, consisted of a thousand oxen\nand as many of all sorts of other beasts, and his drink consisted of a\nthousand measures, etc.\n\n_Sophrim_, chap. 21, mish. 9.\n\nSolomon made ten candelabra for the Temple; for each he set aside a\nthousand talents of gold, which he refined in a crucible until they were\nreduced to the weight of one talent.\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 29, col. 1.\n\nThere was an organ in the Temple which produced a thousand kinds of\nmelody.\n\n_Eirchin_, fol. 11 col. 1.\n\n    The Magrepha, with its ten pipes and its ten-times-ten various\n    notes (Eirchin, fol. 10, col. 2, and fol. 11, col. 1), which was\n    said to have been used in the Temple service, must have been an\n    instrument far superior to any organ in use at the time\n    elsewhere.\n\nIf from a town numbering fifteen hundred footmen, such, for example, as\nthe village of Accho, nine people be borne forth dead in the course of\nthree successive days, it is a sure sign of the presence of the plague;\nbut if this happen in one day or in four, then it is not the plague.\n\n_Taanith_, fol. 21, col. 1.\n\nSeventeen hundred of the arguments and minute rules of the Scribes were\nforgotten during the days of mourning for Moses. Othniel, the son of\nKenaz, by his shrewd arguing restored them all as if they had never\nlapsed from the memory.\n\n_Temurah_, fol. 16, col. 1.\n\nThere was a great court at Jerusalem called Beth Yaazek, where all\nwitnesses (who could testify to the time of the appearance of the new\nmoon) used to assemble, and where they were examined by the authorities.\nGrand feasts were prepared for them as an inducement to them to come\n(and give in their testimony). Formerly they did not move from the place\nthey happened to be in when overtaken by the Sabbath, but Rabbon Gamliel\nthe elder ordained that they might in that case move two thousand cubits\neither way.\n\n_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 21, col. 2.\n\nHe that is abroad (on the Sabbath) and does not know the limit of the\nSabbath day's journey may walk two thousand moderate paces, and that is\na Sabbath day's journey.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 42, col. 1.\n\nRabbon Gamliel had a hollow tube, through which, when he looked, he\ncould distinguish a distance of two thousand cubits, whether by land or\nsea. By the same tube he could ascertain the depth of a valley or the\nheight of a palm tree.\n\nIbid., fol. 43, col. 2.\n\nHe who observes carefully the precepts respecting fringes will, as a\nreward, have two thousand eight hundred slaves to wait upon him; for it\nis said (Zech. viii. 23), \"Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days\nit shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of all languages\nof the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew,\nsaying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 32, col. 2.\n\n    Rashi's explanation of this matter is very simple. The merit of\n    the fringes lies in their being duly attached to \"the four\n    quarters\" or skirts of the garments (Deut. xxii. 12). There are\n    seventy nations in the whole world, and ten of each nation will\n    take hold of each corner of the garment, which gives 70 x 10 x 4\n    = 2800. Rabbi B'chai, commenting on Num. xv. 39, 40, repeats the\n    same story almost word for word.\n\n    This passage (Zech. viii. 23) has lately been construed by some\n    into a prophecy of the recent Berlin Congress, and the ten men\n    mentioned are found in the representatives of the contracting\n    parties, i.e., England, France, Germany, Turkey, Russia,\n    Austria, Italy, Greece, Roumania, and Servia.\n\nRav Hamnunah said, \"What is it that is written (1 Kings iv. 32), 'And he\nspoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and five'?\"\nIt is intended to teach that Solomon uttered three thousand proverbs\nupon each and every word of the law, and for every word of the Scribes\nhe assigned a thousand and five reasons.\n\n_Eiruvin_, fol. 21, col. 2.\n\nWhen Rabbi Eliezer was sick he was visited by Rabbi Akiva and his\nparty.... \"Wherefore have ye come?\" he asked. \"To learn the law,\" was\nthe reply. \"And why did you not come sooner?\" \"Because we had no\nleisure,\" said they. \"I shall be much surprised,\" said he, \"if you die a\nnatural death.\" Then turning to Rabbi Akiva he said, \"Thy death shall be\nthe worst of all.\" Then folding his arms upon his breast, he exclaimed:\n\"Woe unto my two arms! for they are like two scrolls of the law rolled\nup, so that their contents are hidden. Had they waited upon me, they\nmight have added much to their knowledge of the law, but now that\nknowledge will perish with me. I have in my time learned much and taught\nmuch, and yet I have no more diminished the knowledge of my Rabbis by\nwhat I have derived from them than the waters of the sea are reduced by\na dog lapping them. Over and above this I expounded three hundred,\" some\nallege he said three thousand, \"Halachahs with reference to the growing\nof Egyptian cucumbers, and yet no one except Akiva ben Yoseph has ever\nproposed a single question to me respecting them. He and I were walking\nalong the road one day when he asked me to instruct him regarding the\ncultivation of Egyptian cucumbers. I made but one remark, when the\nentire field became full of them. Then at his request I made a remark\nabout cutting them, when lo! they all collected themselves together in\none spot.\" Thus Rabbi Eliezer kept on talking, when all of a sudden he\nfell back and expired.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 68, col. 1.\n\n    The last words of this eminent Rabbi derive a tragic interest\n    from the fact that he died while under sentence of\n    excommunication.\n\nThree thousand Halachoth were forgotten at the time of mourning for\nMoses, and among them the Halachah respecting an animal intended for a\nsin-offering the owner of which died before sacrificing it.\n\n_Temurah_, fol. 16, col. 1.\n\nAll the prophets were rich men. This we infer from the account of Moses,\nSamuel, Amos, and Jonah. Of Moses, as it is written (Num. xvi. 15), \"I\nhave not taken one ass from them.\" Of Samuel, as it is written (1 Sam.\nxii. 3), \"Behold, here I am; witness against me before the Lord, and\nbefore His anointed, whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken?\"\nOf Amos, as it is written (Amos vii. 14), \"I was an herdsman and a\ngatherer of sycamore fruit,\" i.e., I am proprietor of my herds and own\nsycamores in the valley. Of Jonah, as it is written (Jonah i. 3), \"So he\npaid the fare thereof and went down into it.\" Rabbi Yochanan says he\nhired the whole ship. Rabbi Rumanus says the hire of the ship amounted\nto four thousand golden denarii.\n\n_Nedarim_, fol. 38, col. 1.\n\nFour thousand two hundred and thirty-one years after the creation of the\nworld, if any one offers thee for one single denarius a field worth a\nthousand denarii, do not buy it.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 9, col. 2.\n\n    Rashi gives this as the reason of the prohibition: For then the\n    restoration of the Jews to their own land will take place, so\n    that the denarius paid for a field in a foreign land would be\n    money thrown away.\n\nFour thousand two hundred and ninety-one years after the creation of the\nworld the wars of the dragons and the wars of Gog and Magog will cease,\nand the rest of the time will be the days of the Messiah; and the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--will not renew His world till after seven thousand\nyears.... Rabbi Jonathan said, \"May the bones of those who compute the\nlatter days (when the Messiah shall appear) be blown; for some say,\n'Because the time (of Messiah) has come and Himself has not, therefore\nHe will never come!' But wait thou for Him, as it is said (Hab. ii. 3),\n'Though He tarry, wait for Him.' Perhaps you will say, 'We wait, but He\ndoes not wait;' learn rather to say (Isa. xxx. 18), 'And therefore will\nthe Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you; and therefore will He\nbe exalted, that He may have mercy upon you.'\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 97, col. 2.\n\nIt is related of Rabbi Tarphon (probably the Tryphon of polemic fame)\nthat he was very rich, but gave nothing to the poor. Once Rabbi Akiva\nmet him and said, \"Rabbi, dost thou wish me to purchase for thee a town\nor two?\" \"I do,\" said he, and at once gave him four thousand gold\ndenarii. Rabbi Akiva took this sum and distributed it among the poor.\nSome time after Rabbi Tarphon met Rabbi Akiva and said, \"Where are the\ntowns thou purchasedst for me?\" The latter seized hold of him by the arm\nand led him to the Beth Hamedrash, where, taking-up a psalter, they read\ntogether till they came to this verse, \"He hath dispersed, he hath given\nto the poor, his righteousness endureth forever\" (Ps. cxii. 9). Here\nRabbi Akiva paused and said, \"This is the place I purchased for thee,\"\nand Rabbi Tarphon saluted him with a kiss.\n\n_Tract. Callah._\n\nThe Pentateuch contains five thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight\nverses. The Psalms have eight verses more than, and the Chronicles eight\nverses short of, that number.\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 30, col. 1.\n\n    The number of verses in the Pentateuch is usually stated at\n    5845, the mnemonic sign of which is a word in Isaiah xxx. 26,\n    the letters of which stand for 5845. The verse reads, \"Moreover,\n    the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun.\" The\n    Masorites tell us that the number of verses in the Psalms is\n    2527, and in the two Books of Chronicles 1656.\n\nThe world is to last six thousand years. Two thousand of these are\ntermed the period of disorder, two thousand belong to the dispensation\nof the law, and two thousand are the days of the Messiah; but because of\nour iniquities a large fraction of the latter term is already passed and\ngone without the Messiah giving any sign of His appearing.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 97, col. 1.\n\nAs the land of Canaan had one year of release in seven, so has the world\none millennium of release in seven thousand years; for it is said (Isa.\nii. 17), \"And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day;\" and again\n(Ps. xcii. 1), \"A psalm or song for the Sabbath day,\" which means a long\nSabbatic period; and again (Ps. xc. 4), \"For a thousand years in Thy\nsight are but as the day of yesterday.\"\n\nIbid.\n\nTradition records that the ladder (mentioned Gen. xxviii. 12) was eight\nthousand miles wide, for it is written, \"And behold the angels of God\nascending and descending upon it.\" Angels ascending, being in the\nplural, cannot be fewer than two at a time, and so likewise must those\ndescending, so that when they passed they were four abreast at least. In\nDaniel x. 6 it is said of the angel, \"His body was like Tarshish,\" and\nthere is a story that Tarshish extended two thousand miles.\n\n_Chullin_, fol. 91, col. 2.\n\nThe tithes from the herds of Elazer ben Azaryah amounted to twelve\nthousand calves annually.\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 54, col. 2.\n\nIt is said that Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of disciples\ndispersed about between Gabbath and Antipatris, and all of them died\nwithin a short period because they paid no honor to one another. The\nland was then desolate until Rabbi Akiva came among our Rabbis of the\nsouth and taught the law to Rabbis Meir, Yehudah, Yossi, Shimon, and\nElazer ben Shamua, who re-established its authority.\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 26, col. 2.\n\nAfter a lapse of twelve years, he returned accompanied by twelve\nthousand disciples, etc.\n\nRavah bar Nachmaini was impeached for depriving the revenue of the\npoll-tax on twelve thousand Jews, by detaining them annually at his\nacademy for one month in the spring, and for another month in the\nautumn; for great multitudes from various parts of the country were\nwont, at the two seasons of the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles,\nto come to hear him preach, so that when the king's officers came to\ncollect the taxes they found none of them at home. A royal messenger was\naccordingly despatched to apprehend him, but he failed to find him, for\nthe Rabbi fled to Pumbeditha, and from thence to Akra, to Agmi, Sichin,\nZeripha, Ein d'Maya, and back again to Pumbeditha. Arrived at this\nplace, both the royal messenger and the fugitive Rabbi happened to put\nup at the same inn. Two cups were placed before the former on a table,\nwhen, strange to say, after he had drunk and the table was removed, his\nface was forcibly turned round to his back. (This was done by evil\nspirits because he drank even numbers--against which we are earnestly\nwarned in _P'sachim_, fol. 110, col. 1.) The inn-keeper, fearing the\nconsequences of such a misfortune happening to so high an official at\nhis inn, sought advice of the lurking Rabbi, when the latter suggested\nthat the table be placed again before him with one cup only on it, and\nthus the even number would become odd, and his face would return to its\nnatural position. They did so, and it was as the Rabbi had said. The\nofficial then remarked to his host, \"I know the man I want is here,\" and\nhe hastened and found him. \"If I knew for certain,\" he said to the\nRabbi, \"that thy escape would cost my life only, I would let thee go,\nbut I fear bodily torture, and therefore I must secure thee.\" And\nthereupon he locked him up. Upon this the Rabbi prayed, till the prison\nwalls miraculously giving way he made his escape to Agma, where he\nseated himself at the root of a tree and gave himself up to meditation.\nWhile thus engaged he all at once heard a discussion in the academy of\nheaven on the subject of the hair mentioned in Lev. xiii. 25. The Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--declared the case to be \"clean,\" but the whole\nacademy were of a different opinion, and declared the case to be\n\"unclean.\" The question then arose, \"Who shall decide?\" \"Ravah bar\nNachmaini shall decide,\" was the unanimous reply, \"for he said, 'I am\none in matters of leprosy; I am one in questions about tents; and there\nis none to equal me.'\" Then the angel of death was sent for to bring him\nup, but he was unable to approach him, because the Rabbi's lips never\nceased repeating the law of the Lord. The angel of death thereupon\nassumed the appearance of a troop of cavalry, and the Rabbi,\napprehensive of being seized and carried off, exclaimed, \"I would rather\ndie through that one (meaning the angel of death) than be delivered into\nthe hands of the Government!\" At that very instant he was asked to\ndecide the question in dispute, and just as the verdict \"clean\" issued\nfrom his lips his soul departed from his body, and a voice was heard\nfrom heaven proclaiming, \"Blessed art thou, Ravah bar Nachmaini, for thy\nbody is clean. 'Clean' was the word on thy lips when thy spirit\ndeparted.\" Then a scroll fell down from heaven into Pumbeditha\nannouncing that Ravah bar Nachmaini was admitted into the academy of\nheaven. Apprised of this, Abaii, in company with many other Rabbis, went\nin search of the body to inter it, but not knowing the spot where he\nlay, they went to Agma, where they noticed a great number of birds\nhovering in the air, and concluded that the shadow of their wings\nshielded the body of the departed. There, accordingly, they found and\nburied him; and after mourning three days and three nights over his\ngrave, they arose to depart, when another scroll descended threatening\nthem with excommunication if they did so. They therefore continued\nmourning for seven days and seven nights, when, at the end of these, a\nthird scroll descended and bade them go home in peace. On the day of the\ndeath of this Rabbi there arose, it is said, such a mighty tempest in\nthe air that an Arab merchant and the camel on which he was riding were\nblown bodily over from one side of the river Pappa to the other. \"What\nmeaneth such a storm as this?\" cried the merchant, as he lay on the\nground. A voice from heaven answered, \"Ravah bar Nachmaini is dead.\"\nThen he prayed and fled, \"Lord of the universe, the whole world is\nThine, and Ravah bar Nachmaini is Thine! Thou art Ravah's and Ravah is\nThine; but wherefore wilt Thou destroy the world?\" On this the storm\nimmediately abated, and there was a perfect calm.\n\n_Bava Metzia_, fol. 86, col. 1.\n\n    The above seems to be a Rabbinical satire on the Talmud itself\n    although the orthodox Jews believe that every word in it is\n    historically true. Well, perhaps it is so; and we outsiders are\n    ignorant, and without the means of judging.\n\nNow we know what God does during the day, but how does He occupy Himself\nin the night-time? We may say He does the same as at day-time; or that\nduring the night He rides on a swift cherub over eighteen thousand\nworlds; as it is said (Ps. lxviii. 17), \"The chariots of God are twenty\nthousand,\" less two thousand Shinan; read not Shinan but She-einan,\ni.e., two thousand less than twenty thousand, therefore eighteen\nthousand.\n\n_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 3. col. 2.\n\nPrince Contrukos asked Rabbon Yochanan ben Zacchai how, when the\ndetailed enumeration of the Levites amounted to twenty-two thousand\nthree hundred (the Gershonites, 7500; the Kohathites, 8600; the\nMerarites, 6200, making in all 22,300), the sum total given is only\ntwenty-two thousand, omitting the three hundred. \"Was Moses, your\nRabbi,\" he asked, \"a cheat or a bad calculator?\" He answered, \"They were\nfirst-borns, and therefore could not be substitutes for the first-born\nof Israel.\"\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 5, col. 1.\n\n\"And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death\" (2 Chron.\nxxxii. 33). This is Hezekiah, king of Judah, at whose funeral thirty-six\nthousand people attended bare-shouldered, ... and upon his bier was laid\na roll of the law, and it was said, \"This man has fulfilled what is\nwritten in this book.\"\n\n_Bava Kama_, fol. 17, col. 1.\n\nSennacherib the wicked invaded Jewry with forty-five thousand princes in\ngolden coronets, and they had with them their wives and odalisques; also\neighty thousand mighty men clad in mail and sixty thousand swordsmen ran\nbefore him, and the rest were cavalry. With a similar army they came\nagainst Abraham, and a like force is to come up with Gog and Magog. A\ntradition teaches that the extent of his camp was four hundred parsaes\nor leagues, the extent of the horses' necks were forty parsaes. The\ntotal muster of his army was two hundred and sixty myriads of thousands,\nless one. Abaii asked, \"Less one myriad, or one thousand, or one\nhundred? or more literally less one?\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 95, col. 2.\n\nIn the immediate context of the above extract we have the following\nlegend concerning Sennacherib:--As Rabbi Abhu has said, \"Were it not for\nthis Scripture text it would be impossible to repeat what is written\n(Isa. vii. 20), 'In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that\nis hired, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head and\nthe hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.'\" The story\nis this:--The Holy One--blessed be He!--once disguised Himself as an\nelderly man and came to Sennacherib, and said, \"When thou comest to the\nkings of the East and of the West, to force their sons into thine army,\nwhat wilt thou say unto them?\" He replied, \"On that very account I am in\nfear. What shall I do?\" God answered him, \"Go and disguise thyself.\"\n\"How can I disguise myself?\" said he. God replied, \"Go and fetch me a\npair of scissors and I will cut thy hair.\" Sennacherib asked, \"Whence\nshall I fetch them?\" \"Go to yonder house and bring them.\" He went\naccordingly and observed a pair, but there he met the ministering angels\ndisguised as men, grinding date-stones. He asked them for the scissors,\nbut they said \"Grind thou first a measure of date-stones, and then thou\nshalt have the scissors.\" He did as he was told, and so obtained the\nscissors. It was dark before he returned, and God said unto him, \"Go and\nfetch some fire.\" This also he did, but while blowing the embers his\nbeard was singed. Upon which God came and shaved his head and his beard,\nand said, \"This is it which is written (Isa. vii. 20), 'It shall also\nconsume the beard.'\" Rav Pappa says this is the proverb current among\nthe people, \"Singe the face of a Syrian, and, if it pleases him, also\nset his beard in fire, and thou wilt not be able to laugh enough.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 95, col. 2, and fol. 96, col. 1.\n\n\"He hath cut off in His fierce anger all the horn of Israel,\" etc. (Lam.\nii. 3). These are the eighty thousand war-horns or battering-rams that\nentered the city of Byther, in which he massacred so many men, women,\nand children, that their blood ran like a river and flowed into the\nMediterranean Sea, which was a mile away from the place.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 57, col. 1.\n\nThat mule had a label attached to his neck on which it was stated that\nits breeding cost a hundred thousand zouzim.\n\n_Bechoroth_, fol. 8, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Yossi said, \"I have seen Sepphoris (Cyprus) in the days of its\nprosperity, and there were in it a hundred and eighty thousand marts for\nsauces.\"\n\n_Bava Bathra_, fol. 75, col. 2.\n\nRav Assi said three hundred thousand swordsmen went up to the Royal\nMount and there slaughtered the people for three days and three nights,\nand yet while on the one side of the mount they were mourning, on the\nother they were merry; those on the one side did not know the affairs of\nthose on the other.\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 57, col. 1.\n\nA certain disciple prayed before Rabbi Chanina, and said, \"O God! who\nart great, mighty, formidable, magnificent, strong, terrible, valiant,\npowerful, real and honored!\" He waited until he had finished, and then\nsaid to him, \"Hast thou ended all the praises of thy God? Need we\nenumerate so many? As for us, even the three terms of praise which we\nusually repeat, we should not dare to utter had not Moses, our master,\npronounced them in the law (Deut. x. 17), and had not the men of the\nGreat Synagogue ordained them for prayer; and yet thou hast repeated so\nmany and still seemest inclined to go on. It is as if one were to\ncompliment a king because of his silver, who is master of a thousand\nthousands of gold denarii. Wouldst thou think that becoming?\"\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 33, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Yossi ben Kisma relates, \"I once met a man in my travels and we\nsaluted one another. In reply to a question of his I said, 'I am from a\ngreat city of sages and scribes.' Upon this he offered me a thousand\nthousand golden denarii, and precious stones and pearls, if I would\nagree to go and dwell in his native place. But I replied, saying, 'If\nthou wert to give me all the gold and silver, all the precious stones\nand pearls in the world, I would not reside anywhere else than in the\nplace where the law is studied.'\"\n\n_Avoth_, chap. 6.\n\nThousands on thousands in Israel were named after Aaron; for had it not\nbeen for Aaron these thousands of thousands would not have been born.\nAaron went about making peace between quarreling couples, and those who\nwere born after the reconciliation were regularly named after him.\n\n_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 12.\n\nIt is related by the Rabbis that Rabbon Yochanan ben Zacchai was once\nriding out of Jerusalem accompanied by his disciples, when he saw a\nyoung woman picking barley out of the dung on the road. On his asking\nher name, she told him that she was the daughter of Nikodemon ben\nGorion. \"What has become of thy father's riches?\" said he, \"and what has\nbecome of thy dowry?\" \"Dost thou not remember,\" said she, \"that charity\nis the salt of riches?\" (Her father had not been noted for this virtue.)\n\"Dost thou not remember signing my marriage contract?\" said the woman.\n\"Yes,\" said the Rabbi, \"I well remember it. It stipulated for a million\ngold denarii from thy father, besides the allowance from thy husband,\"\netc.\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 66, col. 2.\n\nAbba Benjamin says, \"If our eye were permitted to see the malignant\nsprites that beset us, we could not rest on account of them.\" Abaii has\nsaid, \"They out-number us, they surround us as the earthed-up soil on\nour garden-beds.\" Rav Hunna says, \"Every one has a thousand at his left\nside and ten thousand at his right\" (Ps. xci. 7). Rava adds, \"The\ncrowding at the schools is caused by their pushing in; they cause the\nweariness which the Rabbis experience in their knees, and even tear\ntheir clothes by hustling against them. If one would discover traces of\ntheir presence, let him sift some ashes upon the floor at his bedside,\nand next morning he will see, as it were, the footmarks of fowls on the\nsurface. But if one would see the demons themselves, he must burn to\nashes the after-birth of a first-born black kitten, the offspring of a\nfirst-born black cat, and then put a little of the ashes into his eyes,\nand he will not fail to see them,\" etc., etc.\n\n_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 1.\n\nIn each camp there are suspended three hundred and sixty-five myriads of\nstars, etc.\n\nAgrippa, being anxious to ascertain the number of the male population of\nIsrael, instructed the priest to take accurate note of the Paschal\nlambs. On taking account of the kidneys, it was found that there were\nsixty myriad couples (which indicated) double the number of those that\ncame up out of Egypt, not reckoning those that were ceremonially unclean\nand those that were out traveling. There was not a Paschal lamb in which\nless than ten had a share, so that the number represented over six\nhundred myriads of men.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 64, col. 2.\n\n    \"It is unlawful to enumerate Israel even with a view to a\n    meritorious deed\" (_Yoma_, fol. 22, col. 2). From Rashi's\n    comment on the former text it seems that the priest merely held\n    up the duplicate kidneys, upon which the king's agent regularly\n    laid aside a pea or a pebble into a small heap, which were\n    afterwards counted up. See also Josephus, Book VI. chap. ix.\n    sec. 3.\n\n    It might not be amiss to remind the reader in passing that if\n    one were to reckon one hundred per minute for ten hours a day,\n    it would take no less than sixteen days six hours forty minutes\n    to count a million; and that it would take twenty men, reckoning\n    at the same rate, to sum up the total number stated in the text\n    in one day, so as to ascertain that there were 1,200,000\n    sacrifices at the Passover under notice, representing no less\n    than 12,000,000 celebrants.\n\nAt the time when Israel in their eagerness first said, \"We will do,\" and\nthen, \"We will hear\" (Exod. xxix. 7), there came sixty myriads of\nministering angels to crown each Israelite with two crowns, one for \"we\nwill do\" and one for \"we will hear.\" But when after this Israel sinned,\nthere came down a hundred and twenty myriads of destroying angels and\ntook the crowns away from them, as it is said (Exod. xxxiii. 6), \"And\nthe children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount\nHoreb.\" Resh Lakish says, \"The Holy One--blessed be He!--will, in the\nfuture, return them to us; for it is said (Isa. xxxv. 10), 'The ransomed\nof the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy\nupon their heads,' i.e., the joy they had in days of yore, upon their\nheads.\"\n\n_Shabbath_, fol. 88, col. 1.\n\nLet no one venture out alone at night-time on Wednesdays and Saturdays,\nfor Agrath, the daughter of Machloth, roams about accompanied by\neighteen myriads of evil genii, each one of which has power to destroy.\n\n_P'sachim_, fol. 112, col. 2.\n\nIt is related of Rabbi Elazar ben Charsom that his mother made him a\nshirt which cost two myriads of manahs, but his fellow-priests would not\nallow him to wear it, because he appeared in it as though he were naked.\n\n_Yoma_, fol. 35, col. 2.\n\nHe who has not seen the double gallery of the Synagogue in Alexandria of\nEgypt, has not seen the glory of Israel.... There were seventy-one seats\narranged in it according to the number of the seventy-one members of the\ngreater Sanhedrin, each seat of no less value than twenty-one myriads of\ngolden talents. A wooden pulpit was in the centre, upon which stood the\nreader holding a Sudarium (a kind of flag) in his hand, which he waved\nwhen the vast congregation were required to say Amen at the end of any\nbenediction, which, of course, it was impossible for all to hear in so\nstupendous a synagogue. The congregation did not sit promiscuously, but\nin guilds; goldsmiths apart, silversmiths apart, blacksmiths,\ncoppersmiths, embroiderers, weavers, etc., all apart from each other.\nWhen a poor craftsman came in, he took his seat among the people of his\nguild, who maintained him till he found employment. Abaii says all this\nimmense population was massacred by Alexander of Macedon. Why were they\nthus punished? Because they transgressed the Scripture, which says\n(Deut. xvii. 16), \"Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.\"\n\n_Succah_, fol. 51, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis teach that during a prosperous year in the land of Israel, a\nplace sown with a measure of seed produces five myriad cors (a cor being\nequal to thirty measures).\n\n_Kethuboth_, fol. 112, col. 1.\n\nRav Ulla was once asked, \"To what extent is one bound to honor his\nfather and mother?\" To which he replied, \"See what a Gentile of Askelon\nonce did, Dammah ben Nethina by name. The sages one day required goods\nto the value of sixty myriads, for which they were ready to pay the\nprice, but the key of the store-room happened to be under the pillow of\nhis father, who was fast asleep, and Dammah would not disturb him.\"\nRabbi Eliezer was once asked the same question, and he gave the same\nanswer, adding an interesting fact to the illustration: \"The sages were\nseeking after precious stones for the high priest's breastplate, to the\nvalue of some sixty or eighty myriads of golden denarii, but the key of\nthe jewel-chest happened to be under the pillow of his father, who was\nasleep at the time, and he would not wake him. In the following year,\nhowever, the Holy One--blessed be He!--rewarded him with the birth of a\nred heifer among his herds, for which the sages readily paid him such a\nsum as compensated him fully for the loss he sustained in honoring his\nparent.\"\n\n_Kiddushin_, fol. 31, col. 1.\n\n\"The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob\" (Lam. ii. 2).\nRavin came to Babylon and said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, \"These are\nthe sixty myriads of cities which King Yannai (Jannn\u00e6us) possessed on\nthe royal mount. The population of each equalled the number that went up\nout of Egypt, except that of three cities in which that number was\ndoubled. And these three cities were Caphar Bish (literally, the village\nof evil), so called because there was no hospice for the reception of\nstrangers therein; Caphar Shichlaiim (village of water-cresses), so\ncalled because it was chiefly on that herb that the people subsisted;\nCaphar Dichraya (the village of male children), so called, says Rabbi\nYochanan, because its women first gave birth to boys, and afterward to\ngirls, and then left off bearing.\" Ulla said, \"I have seen that place,\nand am sure that it could not hold sixty myriads of sticks.\" A Sadducee\nupon this said to Rabbi Chanina, \"Ye do not speak the truth.\" The\nresponse was, \"It is written (Jer. iii. 19), 'The inheritance of a\ndeer,' as the skin of a deer, unoccupied by the body of the animal,\nshrinks, so also the land of Israel, unoccupied by its rightful owners,\nbecame contracted.\"\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 57, col. 1.\n\nRabbi Yoshua, the son of Korcha, relates: \"An aged inhabitant of\nJerusalem once told me that in this valley two hundred and eleven\nthousand myriads were massacred by Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,\nand in Jerusalem itself he slaughtered upon one stone ninety-four\nmyriads, so that the blood flowed till it touched the blood of\nZachariah, that it might be fulfilled which is said (Hos. ii. 4), 'And\nblood toucheth blood.' When he saw the blood of Zachariah, and noticed\nthat it was boiling and agitated, he asked, 'What is this?' and he was\ntold that it was the spilled blood of the sacrifices. Then he ordered\nblood from the sacrifices to be brought and compared it with the blood\nof the murdered prophet, when, finding the one unlike the other, he\nsaid, 'If ye tell me the truth, well and good; if not, I will comb your\nflesh with iron currycombs!' Upon this they confessed, 'He was a\nprophet, and because he rebuked us on matters of religion, we arose and\nkilled him, and it is now some years since his blood has been in the\nrestless condition in which thou seest it.' 'Well,' said he, 'I will\npacify him.' He then brought the greater and lesser Sanhedrin and\nslaughtered them, but the blood of the prophet did not rest. He next\nslaughtered young men and maidens, but the blood continued restless as\nbefore. He finally brought school-children and slaughtered them, but the\nblood being still unpacified, he exclaimed, 'Zachariah! Zachariah! I\nhave for thy sake killed the best among them; will it please thee if I\nkill them all?' As he said this the blood of the prophet stood still and\nquiescent. He then reasoned within himself thus, 'If the blood of one\nindividual has brought about so great a punishment, how much greater\nwill my punishment be for the slaughter of so many!' In short, he\nrepented, fled from his house, and became a Jewish proselyte.\"\n\n_Gittin_, fol. 57, col. 2.\n\n    The same story is repeated in _Sanhedrin_, fol. 96, col. 2, with\n    some variations; notably this, among others, that it was because\n    the prophet prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem that they\n    put him to death.\n\n(Gen, xxvii. 2), \"The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the\nhands of Esau.\" The first-named \"voice\" alludes to the voice of\nlamentation caused by Hadrian, who had at Alexandria in Egypt massacred\ntwice the number of Jews that had come forth under Moses. The \"voice of\nJacob\" refers to a similar lamentation occasioned by Vespasian, who put\nto death in the city of Byther four hundred myriads, or, as some say,\nfour thousand myriads. \"The hands are the hands of Esau,\" that is, the\nempire which destroyed our house, burned our Temple, and banished us\nfrom our country. Or the \"voice of Jacob\" means that there is no\neffectual prayer that is not offered up by the progeny of Jacob; and\n\"the hands are the hands of Esau,\" that there is no victorious battle\nwhich is not fought by the descendants of Esau.\n\nIbid.\n\nTamar and Zimri both committed fornication. The former (actuated by a\ngood motive, see Gen. xxxviii. 26) became the ancestress of kings and\nprophets. The latter brought about the destruction of myriads in Israel.\nRav Nachman bar Yitzchak says, \"To do evil from a good motive is better\nthan observing the law from a bad one\" (e.g., Tamar and Zimri, Lot and\nhis daughters).\n\n_Nazir_, fol. 23, col. 2.\n\nThe Rabbis have taught that the text, \"And when it rested, he said,\nReturn, O Lord, to the myriads and thousands of Israel\" (Num. x. 36),\nintimates that the Shechinah does not rest upon less than two myriads\nand two thousands (two being the minimum plurality). Suppose one of the\ntwenty-two thousand neglect the duty of procreation, is he not the cause\nof the Shechinah's departure from Israel?\n\n_Yevamoth_, fol. 64, col. 1.\n\n\"And place over them to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds,\nand rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens\" (Exod. xviii. 21). The rulers\nof thousands were six hundred in number, the rulers of hundreds six\nthousand, of fifties twelve thousand, and rulers of tens six myriads.\nThe total number of rulers in Israel, therefore, was seven myriad eight\nthousand six hundred.\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 18, col. 1.\n\nOnce upon a time the people of Egypt appeared before Alexander of\nMacedon to complain of Israel. \"It is said (Exod. xii. 36), they argued,\n'The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that\nthey lent unto them,' etc.;\" and they prayed, \"Give us now back the gold\nand the silver that ye took from us.\" Givia ben Pesisa said to the wise\nmen (of Israel), \"Give me permission to plead against them before\nAlexander. If they overcome me, say, 'You have overcome a plebeian\nonly,' but if I overcome them, say, 'The law of Moses our master has\ntriumphed over you.'\" They accordingly gave him leave, and he went and\nargued thus, \"Whence do ye produce your proof?\" \"From the law,\" said\nthey. Then said he, \"I will bring no other evidence but from the law. It\nis said (Exod. xii. 40), 'The sojourning of the children of Israel, who\ndwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.' Pay us now the\nusufruct of the labor of the sixty myriads whom ye enslaved in Egypt for\nfour hundred and thirty years.\" Alexander gave the Egyptians three days'\ngrace to prepare a reply, but they never put in an appearance. In fact,\nthey fled away and left both their fields and vineyards.\n\nIbid., fol. 91, col. 1.\n\n\"And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you\" (Exod.\nxviii. 10). A tradition says, in the name of Rabbi Papyes, \"Shame upon\nMoses and upon the sixty myriads (of Israel), because they had not said,\n'Blessed be the Lord,' till Jethro came and set the example.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 94, col. 1.\n\n\"And let him dip his foot in oil\" (Deut. xxxiii. 24), the Rabbis say,\nrefers to the portion of Asher, which produces oil like a well. Once on\na time, they relate, the Laodiceans sent an agent to Jerusalem with\ninstructions to purchase a hundred myriads' worth of oil. He proceeded\nfirst to Tyre, and thence to Gush-halab, where he met with the oil\nmerchant earthing up his olive trees, and asked him whether he could\nsupply a hundred myriads' worth of oil. \"Stop till I have finished my\nwork,\" was the reply. The other, when he saw the business-like way in\nwhich he set to work, could not help incredulously exclaiming, \"What!\nhast thou really a hundred myriads' worth of oil to sell? Surely the\nJews have meant to make game of me.\" However he went to the house with\nthe oil merchant, where a female slave brought hot water for him to wash\nhis hands and feet, and a golden bowl of oil to dip them in afterward,\nthus fulfilling Deut. xxxiii. 24 to the very letter. After they had\neaten together, the merchant measured out to him the hundred myriads'\nworth of oil, and then asked whether he would purchase more from him.\n\"Yes,\" said the agent, \"but I have no more money here with me.\" \"Never\nmind,\" said the merchant; \"buy it and I will go with thee to thy home\nfor the money.\" Then he measured out eighteen myriads' worth more. It is\nsaid that he hired every horse, mule, camel, and ass he could find in\nall Israel to carry the oil, and that on nearing his city the people\nturned out to meet him and compliment him for the service he had done\nthem. \"Don't praise me,\" said the agent, \"but this, my companion, to\nwhom I owe eighteen myriads.\" This, says the narrator, illustrates what\nis said (Prov. xiii. 7), \"There is that maketh himself (appear to be)\nrich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath\ngreat riches.\"\n\n_Menachoth_, fol. 85, col. 2.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MIDRASHIM\n\n\n\"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the Aggadah, as explained in the\nMidrashim\"\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTORY NOTE\n\n\nThe Midrashim are ancient Rabbinical expositions of Holy Writ. The term\nMidrash (of which Midrashim is the plural form) occurs twice in the\nHebrew Bible (2 Chron. xiii. 22, and xxiv. 27); and in both passages it\nis represented in the Anglican version by the word \"story,\" while the\nmore correct translation, \"commentary,\" is relegated to the margin.\n\"Legendary exposition\" best expresses the full meaning of the word\nMidrash.\n\nThe Midrashim, for the most part, originated in a praiseworthy desire to\nfamiliarize the people with Holy Writ, which had, in consequence of\nchanges in the vernacular, become to them, in the course of time, almost\na dead letter. These Midrashim have little or nothing to do with the\nHalachoth or legal decisions of the Talmud, except in aim, which is that\nof illustration and explanation. They are not literal interpretations,\nbut figurative and allegorical, and as such enigmatic. They are,\nhowever, to be received as utterances of the sages, and some even regard\nthem of as binding obligation as the law of Moses itself. The following\nare fairly representative extracts.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MIDRASHIM\n\n\nThe name of Abraham always precedes those of Isaac and Jacob except in\none place (Lev. xxvi. 42), where it is said, \"And I will remember my\ncovenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my\ncovenant with Abraham will I remember;\" and thus we learn that all were\nof equal importance.\n\n_Midrash Rabbah_, Gen. chap. 1.\n\n    In the Selichoth for the Day of Atonement the above reversal of\n    the usual order of the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is\n    thus referred to: \"The first covenant Thou didst exalt, and the\n    order of the contracting parties to it Thou hast reversed.\"\n\nAbraham deserved to have been created before Adam, but the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--said, \"Should he pervert things as I make them,\nthen there will be no one to rectify them; so behold I will create Adam\nfirst, and if he should make things crooked, then Abraham following him\nwill make them straight again.\"\n\nIbid., chap. 14.\n\nAbram was called Abraham, and Isaac was also called Abraham; as it is\nwritten (Gen. xxv. 19), \"Isaac, Abraham's son, Abraham.\"\n\nIbid., chap. 63.\n\n\"And he lay down in that place\" (Gen. xxviii. 11). Rabbi Yuda said,\n\"There he lay down, but he did not lie down during all the fourteen\nyears he was hid in the house of Eber.\" Rabbi Nehemiah said, \"There he\nlay down, but he did not lie down all the twenty years in which he stood\nin the house of Laban.\"\n\nIbid., chap. 68.\n\nVayash Kihu, \"And kissed him\" (Gen. xxxiii. 4), Rabbi Yanai asks, \"Why\nis this word (in the original Hebrew) so pointed?\" \"It is to teach that\nEsau did not come to kiss him, but to bite him; only the neck of Jacob\nour father became as hard as marble, and this blunted the teeth of the\nwicked one.\" \"And what is taught by the expression 'And they wept'?\"\n\"The one wept for his neck and the other for his teeth.\"\n\n_Midrash Rabbah_, chap. 78.\n\n    Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai in Sifri deliberately controverts this\n    interpretation, and Aben Ezra says it is an \"exposition fit only\n    for children.\"\n\nEsau said, \"I will not kill my brother Jacob with bow and arrow, but\nwith my mouth I will suck his blood,\" as it is said (Gen. xxxiii. 4),\n\"And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and they\nwept.\" Read not \"and he kissed him,\" but read, \"and he bit him.\" The\nneck of Jacob, however, became as hard as ivory, and it is respecting\nhim that Scripture says (Cant. vii. 5), \"Thy neck is as a tower of\nivory,\"--so that the teeth of Esau became blunted; and when he saw that\nhis desire could not be gratified, he began to be angry, and gnashed his\nteeth, as it is said (Ps. cxii. 10), \"The wicked shall see it and be\ngrieved; he shall gnash with his teeth.\"\n\n_Pirke d'Rab. Eliezer_, chap. 36.\n\n    See also the previous quotation from the Midrash Rabbah. The\n    Targum of Jonathan and also the Yerushalmi record the same\n    fantastic tradition. In the latter it is given thus, \"And Esau\n    ran to meet him, and hugged him, and fell upon his neck and\n    kissed him. Esau wept for the crushing of his teeth, and Jacob\n    wept for the tenderness of his neck.\"\n\nAbraham made a covenant with the people of the land, and when the angels\npresented themselves to him, he thought they were mere wayfarers, and he\nran to meet them, purposing to make a banquet for them. This banquet he\ntold Sarah to get prepared, just as she was kneading cakes. For this\nreason he did not offer them the cakes which she had made, but \"ran to\nfetch a calf, tender and good.\" The calf in trepidation ran away from\nhim and hid itself in the cave of Machpelah, into which he followed it.\nHere he found Adam and Eve fast asleep, with lamps burning over their\ncouches, and the place pervaded with a sweet-smelling odor. Hence the\nfancy he took to the cave of Machpelah for a \"possession of a\nburying-place.\"\n\nIbid.\n\nShechem, the son of Hamor, assembled girls together playing on\ntambourines outside the tent of Dinah, and when she \"went out to see\nthem,\" he carried her off, ... and she bare him Osenath. The sons of\nJacob wished to kill her, lest the people of the land should begin to\ntalk scandal of the house of their father. Jacob, however, engraved the\nholy Name on a metal plate, suspended it upon her neck, and sent her\naway. All this being observed before the Holy One--blessed be He!--the\nangel Michael was sent down, who led her to Egypt, into the house of\nPotipherah; for Osenath was worthy to become the wife of Joseph.\n\n_Pirke d'Rab. Eliezer_, chap. 48.\n\n    In Yalkut Yehoshua 9, Osenath is styled a proselyte; and indeed\n    it might seem likely enough that Joseph induced her to worship\n    the true God. The Targum of Jonathan agrees with the version of\n    the Midrash above, while another tradition makes Joseph marry\n    Zuleika, the virgin widow of Potiphar, and says that she was the\n    same woman that is called Osenath (_Koran_, note to p. 193).\n\nWhen Joseph's brethren recognized him, and were about to kill him, an\nangel came down and dispersed them to the four corners of the house.\nThen Judah screamed with such a loud voice that all the walls of Egypt\nwere leveled with the dust, all the beasts were smitten to the ground,\nand Joseph and Pharaoh, their teeth having fallen out, were cast down\nfrom their thrones; while all the men that stood before Joseph had their\nheads twisted round with their faces toward their backs, and so they\nremained till the day of their death; as it is said (Job iv. 10), \"The\nroaring of the lion (Judah), and the voice of the fierce lion,\" etc.\n\n_Vayegash_, chap. 5.\n\nThe tradition of a legend in our possession says that Judah killed Esau.\nWhen? When Isaac died, Jacob and (the chiefs of) the twelve clans went\nto bury him; as it is written (Gen. xxxv. 29), \"And his sons Esau and\nJacob buried him.\" In the Midrash it is, \"And Esau and Jacob and his\nsons buried him,\" which fits the legend better. Arrived at the cave,\nthey entered it, and they stood and wept. The (heads of the) tribes, out\nof respect to Jacob, left the cave, that Jacob might not be put to shame\nin their presence. Judah re-entered it, and finding Esau risen up as if\nabout to murder Jacob, he instantly went behind him and killed him. But\nwhy did he not kill him from the front? Because the physiognomy of Esau\nwas exactly like that of Jacob, and it was out of respect to the latter\nthat he slew Esau from behind.\n\n_Midrash Shochar Tov_, chap. 18.\n\n    Tradition varies respecting the tragic end of Esau. The Book of\n    Jasher (chap. 56, v. 64) and the Targum of Jonathan (in Vayechi)\n    both say that Cushim the son of Dan slew Esau at the burial, not\n    of Isaac, but of Jacob, because he sought to hinder the funeral\n    obsequies, disputing the title to the sepulchre.\n\n\"Oh, that I had wings like a dove! for then I would fly away, and be at\nrest\" (Ps. lv. 6). This is spoken of Abraham. But why like a dove? Rabbi\nAzariah, in the name of Rabbi Yudan, says, \"Because all birds when tired\nrest on a rock or on a tree, but a dove, when tired of flying, draws in\none wing to rest it, and continues her flight with the other.\"\n\n_Bereshith Rabbah_, chap. 39.\n\nThe Holy One--blessed be He!--said unto Abraham, \"What should I tell\nthee? and with what shall I bless thee? Shall I tell thee to be\nperfectly righteous, or that thy wife Sarah be righteous before me? That\nye both are already. Or shall I say that thy children shall be\nrighteous? They are so already. But I will bless thee so that all thy\nchildren which shall in future ages come forth from thee shall be just\nlike thee.\" Whence do we learn this? From Gen xv. 5: \"And he said unto\nhim, So (like thee) shall thy seed be.\"\n\n_Bamidbar Rabbah_, chap. 2.\n\n\"Every man ... by his own standard\" (Num. ii. 2). The several princes of\nIsrael selected the colors for their banners from the color of the\nstones that were upon the breastplate of Aaron. From them other princes\nhave learned to adorn their standards with different distinguishing\ncolors. Reuben had his flag red, and leaves of mandrakes upon it.\nIssachar had his flag blue, and the sun and moon upon it. Naphtali had\non his flag an olive tree, for this reason that (Gen. xlix. 20) \"Out of\nAsher his bread shall be fat.\"\n\nIbid., chap. 7.\n\n\"And Abraham rose up early and saddled his ass\" (Gen. xxii. 3). This is\nthe ass on which Moses also rode when he came into Egypt; for it is said\n(Exod. iv. 20), \"And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon\nan ass.\" This is the ass on which the Son of David also shall ride; as\nit is said (Zech, ix. 9), \"Poor, and riding upon an ass.\"\n\n_Pirke d'Rab. Eliezer_, chap. 31.\n\n    In the morning service for Yom Kippur, there is an allusion to\n    the Scripture passage with which our quotation opens. It is said\n    that Abraham in \"his great joy perverted the usual order,\" which\n    a footnote explains thus--\"In the greatness of his joy, that he\n    had thus an opportunity of showing his obedience to God, he set\n    aside the usual order of things, which was that the servant\n    should saddle the ass, and saddled the ass himself, as mentioned\n    Gen. xxii. 3.\" The animal referred to in the above remarks is\n    spoken of in Sanhedrin, fol. 98, col. 1, as being of a hundred\n    colors.\n\nWhen Joseph saw the signs of Judah's anger, he began to tremble, and\nsaid (to himself), \"Woe is me, for he may kill me!\" And what were these\nsigns? Tears of blood rolling down from Judah's right eye, and the hair\nthat grew on his chest rising and penetrating through the five garments\nthat he wore. Joseph then kicked the marble seat on which he was\nsitting, so that it was instantly shattered into fragments. Upon this\nJudah observed, \"He is a mighty man, like one of us.\"\n\n_Yalkut Vayegash._\n\nAbraham married three wives--Sarah, a daughter of Shem; Keturah, a\ndaughter of Japheth; and Hagar, a daughter of Ham.\n\n_Yalkut, Job_, chap. 8.\n\n    Rashi supposes that Keturah was one and the same with Hagar--so\n    the Midrash, the Targum Yerushalmi, and that of Jonathan. The\n    latter says, \"Keturah, she is Hagar, who had been bound to him\n    from the beginning,\" but Aben Ezra and most of the commentators\n    contend that Keturah and Hagar are two distinct persons, and the\n    use of the plural concubines, in verse 6, bears them out in this\n    assertion.\n\nThe Holy One--blessed be He!--daily proclaims a new law in the heavenly\ncourt, and even all these were known to Abraham.\n\nIbid., chap. 37.\n\nA Gentile once asked Rabbi Yoshua ben Kapara, \"Is it true that ye say\nyour God sees the future?\" \"Yes,\" was the reply. \"Then how is it that it\nis written (Gen. vi. 6), 'And it grieved Him at His heart'?\" \"Hast\nthou,\" replied the Rabbi, \"ever had a boy born to thee?\" \"Yes,\" said the\nGentile; \"and I rejoiced and made others rejoice with me.\" \"Didst thou\nnot know that he would eventually die?\" asked the Rabbi. \"Yes,\" answered\nthe other; \"but at the time of joy is joy, and at the time of mourning,\nmourning.\" \"So it is before the Holy One--blessed be He!--seven days He\nmourned before the deluge destroyed the world.\"\n\n_Bereshith Rabbah_, chap. 27.\n\nAll the strength of the soul's mourning is from the third to the\nthirtieth day, during which time she sits on the grave, still thinking\nher beloved might yet return (to the body whence she departed). When she\nnotices that the color of the face is changed, she leaves and goes away;\nand this is what is written (Job. xiv. 22), \"But his flesh upon him\nshall have pain, and his soul shall mourn over him.\" Then the mouth and\nthe belly quarrel with one another, the former saying to the latter,\n\"All I have robbed and taken by violence I deposited in thee;\" and the\nlatter, having burst three days after its burial, saying to the former,\n\"There is all thou hast robbed and taken by violence! as it is written\n(Eccles. xii. 6), 'The pitcher is broken at the fountain.'\"\n\nIbid., chap. 100.\n\nJob said, \"Even the devil shall not dissuade me from comforting those\nthat mourn; for I would tell him that I am not better than my Creator,\nwho comforts Israel; as it is said (Isa. li. 12), 'I, even I, am He that\ncomforteth you.'\"\n\n_Psikta Nachmu._\n\nOnce Rabbi Shimon ben Yehozedek addressed Rabbi Sh'muel ben Nachman and\nsaid, \"I hear that thou art a Baal Aggadah; canst thou therefore tell me\nwhence the light was created?\" \"We learn,\" he replied in a whisper,\n\"that God wrapped Himself with light as with a garment, and He has\ncaused the splendor thereof to shine from one end of the world to the\nother.\" The other said, \"Why whisperest thou, I wonder, since Scripture\nsays so plainly (Ps. civ. 2) 'Who covereth Himself with light as with a\ngarment'?\" The reply was, \"I heard it in a whisper, and in a whisper I\nhave told it to thee.\"\n\n_Bereshith Rabbah_, chap. 3.\n\n\"As the tents of Kedar\" (Cant. i. 5). As the tents of the Ishmaelites\nare ugly without and comely within, so also the disciples of the wise,\nthough apparently wanting in beauty, are nevertheless full of Scripture,\nand of the Mishnah and of the Talmud, of the Halacha and of the\nAggadoth.\n\n_Shemoth Rabbah_, chap. 23.\n\n\"Write thou these words\" (Exod. xxxiv. 37). That applies to the Law, the\nProphets, and the Hagiographa, which were given in writing, but not to\nthe Halachoth, the Midrashim, the Aggadoth, and the Talmud, which were\ngiven by the mouth.\n\nIbid., chap. 47.\n\nRabbi Samlai said to Rabbi Yonathan, \"Instruct me in the Aggada.\" The\nlatter replied, \"We have a tradition from our forefathers not to\ninstruct either a Babylonian or a Daromean in the Aggada, for though\nthey are deficient in knowledge they are haughty in spirit.\"\n\n_Tal. Yerushalmi P'sachim_, v. fol. 32, col. 1.\n\nHe who transcribes the Aggada has no portion in the world to come; he\nwho expounds it is excommunicated; and he who listens to the exposition\nof it shall receive no reward.\n\n_Tal. Yerushalmi P'sachim, Shabbath_, xvi. fol. 30, col. 2.\n\n\"Day unto day uttereth speech\" (Ps. xix. 2, 3, 4); this means the Law,\nthe Prophets, and the Hagiographa. \"And night unto night showeth\nknowledge;\" this is the Mishnaioth. \"There is no speech or language\nwhere their voice is not heard;\" these are the Halachoth. \"Their line is\ngone out through all the earth;\" these are the Aggadoth, by which His\ngreat name is sanctified.\n\n_T. debei Aliahu_, chap. 2.\n\nRabbi Yeremiah, the son of Elazar, said, \"When the Holy One--blessed be\nHe!--created Adam, He created him an androgyne, for it is written (Gen.\nv. 2), 'Male and female created He them.'\" Rabbi Sh'muel bar Nachman\nsaid, \"When the Holy One--blessed be He!--created Adam, He created him\nwith two faces; then He sawed him asunder, and split him (in two),\nmaking one back to the one-half, and another to the other.\"\n\n_Midrash Rabbah_, chap. 8.\n\n\"And it repented the Lord that He had made man (Adam) on the earth, and\nit grieved Him at His heart\" (Gen. vi. 6). Rabbi Berachiah says that\nwhen God was about to create Adam, He foresaw that both righteous people\nand wicked people would come forth from him. He reasoned therefore with\nHimself thus: \"If I create him, then will the wicked proceed from him;\nbut if I do not create him, how then shall the righteous come forth?\"\nWhat then did God do? He separated the ways of the wicked from before\nHim, and assuming the attribute of mercy, so He created him. This\nexplains what is written (Ps. i. 6), \"For the Lord knoweth the way of\nthe righteous, but the way of the wicked shall be lost.\" The way of the\nwicked was lost before Him, but assuming to Himself the attribute of\nmercy, He created him. Rabbi Chanina says, \"It was not so! But when God\nwas about to create Adam, He consulted the ministering angels and said\nunto them (Gen. i. 26), 'Shall we make man in our image after our\nlikeness?' They replied, 'For what good wilt thou create him?' He\nresponded, 'That the righteous may rise out of him.' This explains what\nis written, 'For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way\nof the wicked shall be lost.' God informed them only about the\nrighteous, but He said nothing about the wicked, otherwise the\nministering angels would not have given their consent that man should be\ncreated.\"\n\n_Bereshith Rabbah_, chap. 8.\n\nRabbi Hoshaiah said, \"When God created Adam the ministering angels\nmistook him for a divine being, and were about to say, 'Holy! holy!\nholy!' before him. But God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, so\nthat all knew he was only a man. This explains what is written (Isa. ii.\n22), 'Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is\nhe to be accounted of'?\"\n\nIbid.\n\nRabbi Yochanan saith, \"Adam and Eve seemed as if they were about twenty\nyears old when they were created.\"\n\nIbid., chap. 14.\n\nRav Acha said when God was about to create Adam He consulted the\nministering angels, and asked them, saying, \"Shall we make man?\" They\nenquired, \"Of what good will this man be?\" He replied, \"His wisdom will\nbe greater than yours.\" One day, therefore, He brought together the\ncattle, the beasts, and the birds, and asked them the name of them\nseverally, but they knew not. He then caused them to pass before Adam,\nand asked him, \"What is the name of this and the other?\" Then Adam\nreplied, \"This is an ox, this is an ass,\" and so on. \"And thou, why is\nthy name Adam?\" (i.e. in Hebrew, man). \"I ought to be called Adam,\" was\nhis reply, \"for I was created from Adamah\" (the ground). \"And what is My\nname?\" \"It is meet Thou shouldst be called Lord, for Thou art Lord over\nall Thy creatures.\" Rav Acha says, \"'I am the Lord, that is My name'\n(Isa. xlii. 8). 'That is My name which Adam called Me.'\"\n\n_Bereshith Rabbah_, chap. 17.\n\nRabba Eliezer says Adam was skilled in all manner of crafts. What proof\nis there of this? It is said (Isa. xliv. 11), \"And the artisans, they\nare of Adam.\"\n\nIbid., chap. 24.\n\n\"And the Lord said, I will destroy man\" (Gen. vi. 7). Rabbi Levi, in the\nname of Rabbi Yochanan, says that even millstones were destroyed. Rabbi\nYuda, in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, declares even the very dust of Adam\nwas destroyed. Rabbi Yuda, in the name of Rabbi Shimon, insists that\neven the (resurrection) bone of the spine, from which God will one day\ncause man to sprout forth again, was destroyed.\n\nIbid., chap. 28.\n\n    Concerning the bone, the _os coccygis_, there is an interesting\n    story in Midrash Kohelet (fol. 114, 3), which may be\n    appropriately inserted here. Hadrian (whose bones may they be\n    ground, and his name blotted out) once asked Rabbi Joshua ben\n    Chanania, \"From what shall the human frame be reconstructed when\n    it rises again?\" \"From Luz in the backbone,\" was the answer.\n    \"Prove this to me,\" said Hadrian. Then the Rabbi took Luz, a\n    small bone of the spine, and immersed it in water, but it was\n    not softened; he put it into the fire, but it was not consumed;\n    he put it into a mill, but it could not be pounded; he placed it\n    upon an anvil and struck it with a hammer, but the anvil split\n    and the hammer was broken. (See also Zohar in \"Genesis,\" 206,\n    etc. etc.)\n\n\"A window shalt thou make to the ark\" (Gen. vi. 16). Rabbi Amma says,\n\"It was a real window.\" Rabbi Levi, on the other hand, maintained that\nit was a precious stone, and that during the twelve months Noah was in\nthe ark he had no need of the light of the sun by day nor of the moon by\nnight because of that stone, which he had kept suspended, and he knew\nthat it was day when it was dim, and night when it sparkled.\n\n_Bereshith Rabbah_, chap. 31.\n\n    The transparency, ascribed to the ark, has given rise to various\n    conjectures. The idea of Rabbi Levi, that it was a precious\n    stone, has the sanction of the Targum of Jonathan; which\n    volunteers the additional information that the gem was found in\n    the river Pison.\n\nNoah was deficient in faith, for he did not enter the ark till the water\nwas up to his ankles.\n\nIbid., chap. 32.\n\n\"And he sent forth a raven\" (Gen. viii. 7). The raven remonstrated,\nremarking, \"From all the cattle, beasts, and fowls thou sendest none but\nme.\" \"What need has the world for thee?\" retorted Noah; \"thou art good\nneither for food nor for sacrifice.\" Rabbi Eliezer says God ordered Noah\nto receive the raven, as the world would one day be in need of him.\n\"When?\" asked Noah. \"When the waters are dried up from off the earth,\nthere will in a time to come arise a certain righteous man who shall dry\nup the world, and then I shall want it.\" This explains what is written\n(1 Kings xvii. 6), \"And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the\nmorning.\"\n\nIbid., chap. 33.\n\nAt the time God said to the serpent, \"Upon thy belly thou shalt go\"\n(Gen. iii. 14), the ministering angels descended and lopped off his\nhands and his feet. Then his voice was heard from one end of the world\nto the other.\n\n_Bereshith Midrash Rabbah_, chap. 20.\n\nWhen God said to the serpent, \"And upon thy belly thou shalt go\" (Gen.\niii. 14), the serpent replied, \"Lord of the universe! if this be Thy\nwill, then I shall be as a fish of the sea without feet.\" But when God\nsaid to him, \"And dust shalt thou eat,\" he replied, \"If fish eat dust,\nthen I also will eat it.\" Then God seized hold of the serpent and tore\nhis tongue in two, and said, \"O thou wicked one! thou hast commenced (to\nsin) with thy evil tongue; thus I will proclaim it to all that come into\nthe world that it was thy tongue that caused thee all this.\"\n\n_Letters of Rabbi Akiva._\n\n\"And Noah only remained\" (Gen. vii. 23), except Og, king of Bashan, who\nsat on a beam of the ladders (which projected from the ark), and swore\nto Noah and his sons that he would be their slave forever. Noah made a\nhole in the ark through which he handed to Og his daily food. Thus he\nalso remained, as it is said (Deut. iii. 11), \"For only Og, king of\nBashan, remained.\"\n\n_Pirke d'Rab. Eliezer_, chap. 23.\n\n\"Unto Adam and his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins\" (Gen. iii.\n21), viz, to cover their nakedness; but with what? With fringes and\nphylacteries, \"Coats of skins,\" viz, the leathern straps of the\nphylacteries; \"and they sewed fig-leaves\" (Gen. iii. 7), viz, fringes;\n\"and made themselves aprons,\" this means the proclaiming of the Shema,\n\"Hear, O Israel,\" etc.\n\n_Yalkut Chadash._\n\n    The aprons, which some (as Rashi, for instance) take to denote\n    furs, the Targum of Jonathan says were made \"from the skin of\n    the serpent.\" The wardrobe of Adam afterward came into the\n    possession of Esau and Jacob (see Targ. Yon. in Toledoth, and p.\n    199, No. 161, _ante_).\n\nAll the presents which our father Jacob gave to Esau will one day be\nreturned by the nations of the world to the Messiah, and the proof of\nthis is (Ps. lxxii. 10), \"The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall\nreturn presents.\" It is not written here, \"They shall bring,\" but they\nshall restore or return.\n\n_Midrash Rabbah Vayishlach_, chap. 78.\n\nA philosopher once posed Rabbi Eliezer with the question, \"Does not the\nprophet say (Mal. i. 4), 'They shall build, but I will throw down'? and\ndo not buildings still exist?\" To which the Rabbi answered, \"The prophet\ndoes not speak of buildings, but of the schemes of designers. Ye all\nthink to contrive and build up devices, to destroy and make an end of\nus, but He bringeth your counsels to nought. He throweth them down, so\nthat your devices against us have no effect.\" \"By thy life,\" said the\nphilosopher, \"it is even so; we meet annually for the purpose of\ncompassing your ruin, but a certain old man comes and upsets all your\nprojects\" (namely, Elijah).\n\n_Yalkut Malachi._\n\nWhen Israel came out of Egypt, Samael rose to accuse them, and thus he\nspoke: \"Lord of the Universe! these have till now worshiped idols, and\nart Thou going to divide the sea for such as they?\" What did the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--then do? Job, one of Pharaoh's high counselors, of\nwhom it is written (Job i. 1), \"That man was perfect and upright,\" He\ntook and delivered to Samael, saying, as He did so, \"Behold, he is in\nthy hand; do with him as thou pleasest.\" God thought to divert his evil\ndesigns by keeping him thus occupied with Job, that Israel meanwhile\nmight cross the sea without any hindrance, after which He would return\nand rescue Job from his tender mercies. God then said to Moses, \"Behold\nI have delivered Job to Satan; make haste. Speak unto the children of\nIsrael that they go forward\" (Exod. xiv. 15).\n\n_Midrash Rabbah Shemoth_, chap. 21.\n\nNo man ever received a mite (in charity) from Job, and needed to receive\nsuch a second time (because of the good-luck it brought along with it).\n\nIbid.\n\n    A superstitious belief prevails to some extent in Poland, among\n    the Christian population as well as the Jews, that coins\n    obtained in certain circumstances bring luck apart altogether\n    from any virtue they may be supposed to convey from the giver. A\n    penny obtained, for instance, the first thing in the morning, by\n    stumbling on it in the street, by the sale of an article in the\n    market, or by gift of charity, is considered to bode luck, and\n    cherished as a pledge of good fortune by being slightly spat\n    upon several times on receipt, and then carefully stowed away,\n    for a longer or shorter period, in some safe sanctum. Job was\n    the luckiest man that ever lived; his very goats even were so\n    lucky as to kill the wolves that came to devour them; and a\n    beggar, as we see, who received a mite from his hands, never\n    needed afterward to beg an alms from him again. (See \"Genesis\n    according to the Talmud,\" p. 288, No. 16.)\n\n\"And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, etc.; for ye showed\nkindness to all the children of Israel\" (1 Sam. xv. 6). And did they\nshow kindness to all the children of Israel? No; but what is written is\nto teach that he who receives a disciple of the wise as a guest into his\nhouse, and gives him to eat and to drink, is as if he had shown kindness\nto all the children of Israel.\n\n_Midrash Sh'muel_, chap. 18.\n\nRabbi Levi says, \"When Solomon introduced the ark into the Temple, all\nthe woodwork thereof freshened with sap and began to yield fruit, as it\nis said (Ps. xcii. 13), 'Those that be planted in the house of the Lord\nshall flourish in the courts of our God.' And thus it continued to bear\nfruit, which abundantly supplied the juveniles of the priestly caste\ntill the time of Manasseh; but he, by introducing an image into the\nTemple, caused the Shechinah to depart and the fruit to wither; as it is\nsaid (Nah. i. 4), 'And the flower of Lebanon languisheth.'\"\n\n_Midrash Tillin Terumah._\n\nThe land of Israel is situated in the centre of the world, and Jerusalem\nin the centre of the land of Israel, and the Temple in the centre of\nJerusalem, and the Holy of holies in the centre of the Temple, and the\nfoundation-stone on which the world was grounded, is situated in front\nof the ark.\n\n_Midrash Tillin Terumah, Kedoshim._\n\n    In Ezek. v. 5 we read, \"I have set Jerusalem in the midst of the\n    nations and countries that are round about her.\" On the literal\n    interpretation of these words it was asserted that Jerusalem was\n    the very centre of the world, or, as Jerome quaintly called it,\n    \"the navel of the earth.\" In the Talmud we find a beautiful\n    metaphor in illustration of this view. It is in the last six\n    lines of the ninth chapter of Derech Eretz Zuta, which read\n    thus: \"Issi ben Yochanan, in the name of Shemuel Hakaton, says,\n    'The world is like the eyeball of man; the white is the ocean\n    which surrounds the world, the black is the world itself, the\n    pupil is Jerusalem, and the image in the pupil is the Temple.\n    May it be built in our own days, and in the days of all Israel!\n    Amen!'\" The memory of this conceit is kept alive to this day\n    among the Greek Christians, who still show the sacred stone in\n    the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. This notion is\n    not confined to Jewry. Classic readers will at once call to mind\n    the appellation Omphalos or navel applied to the temple at\n    Delphi (Pindar, Pyth., iv. 131, vi. 3; Eurip. Ion., 461; \u00c6sch.\n    Choeph., 1034; Eum. 40, 167; Strabo, etc.).\n\nTwo sparks issued from between the two cherubim and destroyed the\nserpents and scorpions and burned the thorns in the wilderness. The\nsmoke thereof, rising and spreading, perfumed the world, so that the\nnations said (Cant. iii. 6), \"Who is this that cometh out of the\nwilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed,\" etc.\n\n_Ibid., Vayakhel._\n\nBetter to lodge in the wilderness of the land of Israel than dwell in\nthe palaces outside of it.\n\n_Midrash Rabbah_, chap. 39.\n\n\"And give thee a pleasant land\" (a coveted land) (Jer. iii. 19). Why is\nit called a coveted land? Because the Temple was in it. Another reason\nwhy it was so called is, because the fathers of the world have coveted\nit. Rabbi Shimon ben Levi says, \"Because they (who are buried) there\nwill be the first to be raised in the days of the Messiah.\"\n\n_Shemoth Rabbah_, chap. 32.\n\n\"When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as He hath promised\nthee\" (Deut. xii. 20). Rabbi Yitzchak said, \"This scroll no man knows\nhow long and how broad it is, but when unrolled it speaks for itself,\nand shows how large it is. It is so with the land of Israel, which, for\nthe most part, consists of hills and mountains; but when the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--shall level it, as it is said (Isa. xl. 4), 'Every\nvalley shall be raised and every mountain and hill shall be made low,\nand the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth,'\nthen shall that land speak, as it were, for herself, and its extent\nstand revealed.\"\n\n_Devarim Rabbah_, chap. 4.\n\nBlessed are they who dwell in the land of Israel, for they have no sin,\nno iniquity, either in their lives or in their deaths.\n\n_Midrash Shochar Tov on Ps. lxxxv._\n\n\"Better is a dry morsel and quietness therewith\" (Prov. xvii. 1). This,\nsaith Rabbi, means the land of Israel, for even if a man have nothing\nbut bread and salt to eat, yet if he dwells in the land of Israel he is\nsure that he is a son of the world to come. \"Than a house full of\nsacrifices with strife.\" This means the outside of the land, which is\nfull of robbery and violence. Rabbi Y---- says, \"He who walks but an\nhour in the land of Israel, and then dies within it may feel assured\nthat he is a son of the world to come; for it is written (Deut. xxxii.\n43), 'And his earth shall atone for his people.'\"\n\n_Midrash Mishle._\n\n    See also the Talmud, Kethuboth, fol. 111, col. 1. Dr. Benisch\n    renders \"and make expiation for His ground and His people.\" The\n    Targums of Jonathan and the Yerushalmi have, \"He will make\n    atonement for His land and for His people;\" and Onkelos puts it\n    thus, \"He will show mercy unto His land and His people.\" Our\n    rendering, however, is in accordance with the sense given to it\n    in the Talmud. There are Jews who travel about the world with\n    bags of earth from the Holy Land, which they sell in small\n    quantities for high prices to such as can afford it, and believe\n    in its virtue as a protection against the worms of the grave.\n\nJerusalem is the light of the world; as it is said, \"And the Gentiles\nshall come to Thy light\" (Isa. lx. 3). And the light of Jerusalem is the\nHoly One--blessed be He!--as it is written, but \"the Lord shall be unto\nthee an everlasting light\" (Isa. Ix. 19).\n\n_Bereshith Rabbah_, chap. 59.\n\nTen portions of wisdom, ten portions of the law, and ten portions of\nhypocrisy are in the world; nine portions of each are in the land of\nIsrael and one outside of it.\n\n_Midrash Rabbah Esther._\n\n\"And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from\none Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith\nthe Lord\" (Isa. lxvi. 23). But how is it possible that all flesh shall\ncome every new moon and Sabbath to Jerusalem? Rabbi Levi saith, \"In the\nfuture Jerusalem will be as the land of Israel, and the land of Israel\nwill be as the whole world.\" But how will they come from the end of the\nworld every new moon and Sabbath? \"The clouds will come and carry them\nand bring them to Jerusalem, where they will perform their morning\nprayer, and will carry them back to their several homes; and this is the\nmeaning of the prophet's saying (Isa. Ix. 8), 'Who are these that fly as\na cloud (in the morning), and as the doves to their windows (in the\nevening)?'\"\n\n_Pesikta._\n\n\"He stood and measured the earth\" (Hab. iii. 6). Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai\nexpounded \"He stood and measured\" thus: \"The Holy One--blessed be\nHe!--measured all the nations, and He found none worthy to receive the\nlaw except the generation in the wilderness. He measured all the\nmountains, and He found none on which to give the law except Mount\nSinai. He measured all cities, and found none in which to build the\nTemple except Jerusalem. He measured all lands, and found none worthy to\nbe given unto Israel except the one now called the land of Israel. This\nit is that is written, 'He stood up and measured the earth.'\"\n\n_Vayekra Rabbah_, chap. 13.\n\n\"I went down to the bottoms of the mountains\" (Jonah ii. 6). From this\nwe learn that Jerusalem is situated on seven hills. The world's\n\"foundation-stone\" sank to \"the depths\" under the Temple of the Lord,\nand upon this the sons of Korah stand and pray. (They) pointed this out\nto Jonah. The fish said unto him, \"Jonah, behold thou art standing under\nthe Temple of the Lord; therefore pray, and thou shalt be answered.\"\n\n_Pirke d'Rab. Eliezer_, chap. 10.\n\n\"And there went out fire from the Lord\" (Lev. x. 2). Abba Yossi saith,\n\"Two threads of fire came out from the Holy of holies, and these were\ndisparted into four: two entered the nostrils of the one (i.e., Nadab),\nand two entered the nostrils of the other (i.e., Abihu), and thus\nconsumed them. Their souls were burned, but not their garments; for it\nis said, 'So they went near, and carried them in their coats'\" (ver. 5).\n\n_Torath Cohanim_, sec. _Shemini_.\n\nRabbi Jacob teaches that he who has no wife abideth without good,\nwithout help, without joy, without blessing or atonement, to which Rabbi\nYehoshua ben Levi adds, (yea) also without peace or life. Rabbi Cheya\nsays that he is not a perfect man, for it is said, \"And blessed them and\ncalled their name man\" (Gen. v. 2), where both are spoken of together as\none man.\n\n_Midrash Rabbah Bereshith_, chap. 17.\n\n\"My beloved is like a roe\" (1 Cant. ii. 9). As a roe leaps and skips\nfrom bush to bush, from covert to covert, from hedge to hedge, so\nlikewise does the Holy One--blessed be He!--pass from synagogue to\nsynagogue, and from academy to academy, that He may bless Israel.\n\n_Pesikta._\n\n(Cant. v. 1), \"I came into My garden,\" the synagogues and academies; \"My\nsister, My spouse,\" the congregation of Israel; \"I have gathered My\nmyrrh with My spice,\" the Bible (that is); \"I have eaten My honeycomb\nwith My honey\" (this means) the Halachoth, Midrashoth, and Aggadoth; \"I\nhave drank My wine with My milk,\" this alludes to the good works which\nare reserved for the sages of Israel. After that, \"Eat, O friends!\ndrink, yea, drink freely, O beloved!\"\n\n_Yalkut Eliezer_, fol. 41, col. 2.\n\nWhen Solomon brought the ark into the Temple and said, \"Lift up your\nheads, O ye gates! and the King of glory shall come in,\" the gates were\nready to fall upon him and crush his head, and they would have done so\nif he had not said at once, \"The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory\"\n(Ps. xxiv. 9, 10). The Holy One--blessed be He!--then said to the gates,\n\"Since ye have thus honored Me, by your lives! when I destroy My Temple,\nno man shall have dominion over you!\" This was to inform us that while\nall the vessels of the Temple were carried into captivity, the gates of\nthe Temple were stored away on the very spot where they were erected;\nfor it is said (Lam. ii. 9), \"Her gates are sunk into the ground.\"\n\n_Midrash Rabbah Devarim_, chap. 15.\n\n    We are reminded of this tradition in the conclusion service for\n    Yom Kippur, where we repeat, \"Speedily thou shalt open the\n    hidden gates to those who hold fast Thy law.\" The allusion is to\n    \"the gates of the Temple,\" which \"are supposed to be sunk in the\n    ground.\"\n\nRabbi Akiva once met on a journey a remarkably ugly man toiling along\nunder a great load of wood. Rabbi Akiva said unto him, \"I adjure thee to\ntell me whether thou art a man or a demon.\" \"Rabbi,\" said he, \"I was\nonce a man, and it is now some time since I left the world. Day after\nday I have to carry a load like this, under which I am obliged to bow\ndown, and submit three times a day to be burned.\" Then Rabbi Akiva asked\nhim, \"What was the reason of this punishment?\" and the reply was, \"I\ncommitted an immorality on the Day of Atonement.\" The Rabbi asked him if\nhe knew of anything by which he might obtain for him a remission of his\npunishment. \"I do,\" was the answer. \"When a son whom I have left behind\nme is called up to the (public) reading of the law, and shall say,\n'Blessed be the blessed Lord,' I shall be drawn out of hell and taken\ninto Paradise.\" The Rabbi noted down the name of the man and his\ndwelling-place, whither he afterward went and made inquiries about him.\nThe people of the place only replied, \"The name of the wicked shall rot\"\n(Prov. x. 7). Notwithstanding this, the Rabbi insisted, and said, \"Bring\nhis son to me.\" When they brought him, he taught the lad to repeat the\nblessing, which he did on the ensuing Sabbath at the public reading of\nthe law; upon which his father was immediately removed from hell to\nParadise. On the self-same night the father repaired direct to Rabbi\nAkiva, and gratefully expressed his hope that the Rabbi's mind might be\nas much at rest as his own was.\n\n_Midrash Assereth Hadibroht._\n\nThere are three things which a man does not wish for: Grass to grow up\namong his grain-crops; to have a daughter among his children; or that\nhis wine should turn to vinegar. Yet all these three are ordained to be,\nfor the world stands in need of them. Therefore it is said, \"O Lord, my\nGod, Thou art very great!... He causeth the grass to grow for the\ncattle\" (Ps. civ. 1, 14)\n\n_Midrash Tanchuma._\n\nThere are four cardinal points in the world, etc. The north point God\ncreated but left unfinished; for, said He, \"Whoever claims to be God,\nlet him come and finish this corner which I have left, and thus all will\nknow that he is God.\" This unfinished corner is the dwelling-place of\nthe harmful demons, ghosts, devils, and storms.\n\n_Pirke d'Rab. Eliezer_, chap. 3.\n\nA Min once asked Rabbi Akiva, \"Who created this world?\" \"The Holy\nOne--blessed be He!\"--was the reply. \"Give me positive proof of this,\"\nbegged the other. \"Come to-morrow,\" answered the Rabbi. On coming the\nnext day, the Rabbi asked, \"What are you dressed in?\" \"In a garment,\"\nwas the reply. \"Who made it?\" asked the Rabbi. \"A weaver,\" said the\nother. \"I don't believe thee,\" said the Rabbi; \"give me a positive proof\nof this.\" \"I need not demonstrate this,\" said the Min; \"it stands to\nreason that a weaver made it.\" \"And so thou mayest know that God created\nthe world,\" observed the Rabbi. When the Min had departed, the Rabbi's\ndisciples asked him, \"What is proof positive?\" He said, \"My children, as\na house implies a builder, and a garment a weaver, and a door a\ncarpenter, so likewise the existence of the world implies that the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--created it.\"\n\n_Midrash Terumah._\n\nWhen the Holy One--blessed be He!--created the world, it was a level\nexpanse free from mountains; but when Cain slew Abel his brother, whose\nblood was trodden down on the earth, He cursed the ground, and\nimmediately hills and mountains sprang into existence.\n\n_Midrash Vayosha._\n\n\"The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and behold ye are this day as\nthe stars of heaven for multitude\" (Deut. i. 10). Why did He bless them\nwith stars? As there are degrees above degrees among these stars, so\nlikewise are there degrees above degrees among Israel. Again, as these\nstars are without limit, without number, and of great power from one end\nof the world to the other, so likewise is Israel. (Cf. 1 Cor. xv. 41.)\n\n_Midrash Rabbah Devarim._\n\n\"Flee, my beloved\" (A.V. \"make haste,\" Cant. viii. 14). When Israel eat\nand drink, and bless and praise the Holy One--blessed be He!--He\nhearkeneth to their voice and is reconciled; but when the Gentiles eat\nand drink and blaspheme and provoke the Holy One--blessed be He!--He has\na mind to destroy His world, until the Law enters and pleads in defense,\n\"Lord of the universe! before Thou regardest those that blaspheme, look\nand behold Thy people Israel, who bless, and praise, and extol Thy great\nName, with the Law, and with songs and with praises!\" And the Holy\nSpirit shouts \"Flee, my beloved! flee from the Gentiles, and hold fast\nto Israel!\"\n\n_Midrash Rabbah Shir-Hashirim._\n\nRabbon Gamaliel called on Chilpa, the son of Caroyna, when the latter\nasked the Rabbi to pray on his behalf; and he prayed, \"The Lord grant\nthee according to thine own heart\" (Ps. xx. 4). Rabbi H----, son of\nRabbi Isaac, said, \"It was not so; he prayed thus, 'The Lord fulfill all\nthy petitions'; for a man often thinks in his heart to steal or commit\nsome other transgression, and therefore 'The Lord grant thee according\nto thine own heart,' is a prayer not to be offered on behalf of every\nman.\" But the answer was, \"His heart was perfect before his Creator, and\ntherefore he did so pray on his behalf.\"\n\n_Midrash Shochar Tov_, 20.\n\nThou wilt find that whithersoever the righteous go a blessing goes with\nthem. Isaac went down to Gerar, and a blessing followed him. \"Then Isaac\nsowed,\" etc. (Gen. xxvi. 12). Jacob went down to Laban (Gen. xxx. 27),\nand Laban said, \"I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed\nme for thy sake.\" Joseph went down to Potiphar, and \"the Lord blessed\nthe Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake\" (Gen. xxxix. 5). Thus also thou\nwilt find it was with the ark which came down to the house of Obed-edom,\netc. (2 Sam. vi. 11). Our forefathers came into the land and a blessing\nfollowed at their heels, as it is said (Deut. vi. 11), \"And houses full\nof good things,\" etc.\n\n_Yalkut Ekev._\n\n\"And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth\" (Num. xxiii. 5). An angel\ntook up his seat in Balaam's throat, so that when he wished to bless,\nthe angel permitted him, but when he desired to curse, the angel tickled\nhis throat and stopped him. \"Word\" in this place means simply an angel;\nas it is said (Ps. cvii. 20), \"He sent His word and healed them.\" Rabbi\nYochanan says, \"There was an iron nail in his throat which permitted him\nwhen he wished to bless, but rasped his throat and prevented him when\nabout to curse.\" \"Word\" in this place means only an iron nail; for it is\nsaid (Num. xxxi. 23), \"Every thing (or word, for the original has both\nmeanings) that may abide the fire.\"\n\nIbid.\n\nRabbi Avin said four kinds of excellency were created in the world: (1.)\nMan's excellency over the animal kingdom; (2.) the eagle's excellency\nover the feathered tribes; (3.) the excellency of the ox over domestic\ncattle; and (4.) the lion's excellency over the wild beasts. All were\nfixed under the chariot of God; as it is said (Ezek. i. 10), \"As for the\nlikeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, the face of a\nlion, the face of an ox, and the face of an eagle.\" And why all this? In\norder that they should not exalt themselves, but know that there is a\nkingdom of heaven over them; and on this account it is said (Eccles. v.\n8), \"He that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there be higher\nthan they.\" This is the meaning of Exod. xv. 1: \"He hath triumphed\ngloriously.\"\n\n_Midrash Shemoth_, chap. 23.\n\nNo man in Israel despised himself more than David when the precepts of\nthe Lord were concerned, and this is what he said before God (Ps. cxxxi.\n1, 2), \"'Lord, my heart was not haughty' when Samuel anointed me king.\n'Nor were mine eyes lofty' when I slew Goliath. 'Neither did I exercise\nmyself in matters too great and wonderful for me' when I brought up the\nark. 'Have I not behaved myself, and hushed my soul, as a babe that is\nweaned of his mother?' As a child which is not ashamed to uncover\nhimself before his mother, so have I likened myself before Thee, in not\nbeing ashamed to depreciate myself before Thee for Thy glory,\" etc. (See\n2 Sam. vi. 20, 21.)\n\n_Bamidbar_, chap. 4.\n\n\"I sleep, but my heart waketh\" (Cant. v. 2). The Synagogue of Israel\nsays \"I sleep\" with regard to the end of days, \"but my heart waketh\"\nwith regard to the redemption; \"I sleep\" with regard to redemption, but\nthe heart of the Holy One--blessed be He!--waketh to redeem me.\n\n_Midrash Shir Hashirim._\n\nRabbi Ishmael saith all the five fingers of the right hand of the Holy\nOne of Israel--blessed be He!--are severally the efficient causes of\nredemptions. (1.) With His little finger He pointed out to Noah how to\nconstruct the ark; as it is said (Gen. vi. 15), \"And thus thou shalt\nmake it.\" (2.) With the finger next to the little one He smote the\nEgyptians; as it is said (Exod. viii. 19), \"This is the finger of God.\"\n(3.) With the third finger from the little one He wrote the tables; as\nit is said (Exod. xxxi. 18), \"Tables of stone written by the finger of\nGod.\" (4.) With the fourth finger, that which is next the thumb, the\nHoly One--blessed be He!--pointed out to Moses how much the Israelites\nshould give as a ransom for their souls; as it is said (Exod. xxx. 13),\n\"This shall they give.\" (5.) With the thumb and the whole hand the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--will in the future destroy the children of Esau,\nfor they oppress the children of Israel, as also the children of\nIshmael, for they are their enemies; as it is said (Micah v. 9), \"Thine\nhand shall be uplifted upon thy adversaries, and all thy enemies shall\nbe cut off.\"\n\n_Pirke d'Rab. Eliezer_, chap. 48.\n\n\"For Mine own sake, for Mine own sake, will I do it\" (Isa. xlviii. 11).\nWhy this repetition? The Holy One--blessed be He!--said, \"As I redeemed\nyou when you were in Egypt for My name's sake\"--(Ps. cvi. 8), \"He saved\nthem for His name's sake,\"--\"so in like manner will I do it from Edom\nfor My own name's sake. Again, as I redeemed you in this world, so\nlikewise will I redeem you in the World to come;\" for thus He saith\n(Eccles. i. 9), \"The thing that hath been is that which shall be\" (Isa.\nli. 11); \"The redeemed of the Lord shall return;\" not the redeemed of\nElijah, nor the redeemed of the Messiah, but \"the redeemed of the Lord.\"\n\n_Midrash Shochar Tov Tehillim_, 107.\n\n\"Her children are gone into captivity before the enemy\" (Lam. i. 5).\nRabbi Isaac saith, \"Come and see how greatly beloved are the children!\"\nThe Sanhedrin were exiled, but the Shechinah was not exiled with them.\nThe Temple guards were exiled, but the Shechinah was not exiled with\nthem. But with the children the Shechinah also was exiled. This is that\nwhich is written (Lam. i. 5, 6), \"Her children are gone, ... and from\nthe daughter of Zion all her beauty (i.e., the Shechinah) is departed.\"\n\n_Midrash Rabbah Eicha._\n\n\"How doth the city sit solitary!\" (Lam. i. 1). Three have, in\nprophesying, made use of this word \"How\"--Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.\nMoses said (Deut. i. 12), \"How can I myself bear your cumbrance!\" Isaiah\nsaid (Isa. i. 21), \"How is the faithful city become an harlot!\" Jeremiah\nsaid (Lam. i. 1), \"How doth the city sit solitary!\" Rabbi Levi saith,\n\"The thing is like to a matron who has three friends; one saw her in her\nprosperity, another saw her in her dissipation, and the third saw her in\nher pollution. So Moses saw Israel in their glory and prosperity, and he\nsaid, 'How can I myself bear your cumbrance!' Isaiah saw them in their\ndissipation, and he said, 'How is the faithful city,' etc.; and Jeremiah\nsaw them in their pollution, and he said, 'How doth the city sit\nsolitary!'\"\n\n_Midrash Rabbah Eicha._\n\nHezekiah saith the judgment in Gehenna is six months' heat and six\nmonths' cold.\n\n_Midrash Reheh._\n\nGehenna has sixteen mouths, four toward each cardinal point. The\nGentiles say, \"Hell is for Israel, but Paradise is for us.\" The\nIsraelites say, \"Ours is Paradise.\"\n\n_Midrash Aggadath Bereshith._\n\nRabbi Yochanan ben Zachai says, that coming once upon a man who was\ngathering wood, he addressed him, but at first he made no reply.\nAfterward, however, he came up and said, \"Rabbi, I'm not a living man,\nbut a dead one.\" \"If thou art a dead man,\" said I, \"what is this wood\nfor?\" He replied, \"When I was alive upon earth, I and an associate of\nmine committed a certain sin in my shop, and when we were taken thence,\nwe were sentenced to the punishment of mutual burning; so I gather wood\nto burn him, and he does the same to burn me.\" I then asked him, \"How\nlong are you to be punished thus?\" He replied, \"When I came here my wife\nwas _enceinte_, and I know she gave birth to a boy. May I beg thee,\ntherefore, to see that the child is instructed by a teacher, for as soon\nas he is able to repeat, 'Bless ye the blessed Lord!' I shall be brought\nup hence and be free from this punishment in hell.\"\n\n_Tanu d'by Eliyahu._\n\nRabbi Berachia saith, \"In order that the Minim, apostates, and wicked\nIsraelites might not escape hell on account of their circumcision, the\nHoly One--blessed be He!--sends an angel to undo the effects of it, and\nthey straightway descend to their doom. When Gehenna sees this, she\nopens her mouth and licks them.\" This is the purport of (Isa. v. 14),\n\"And she opened her mouth to those without law\" (i.e., to those without\nthe sign of the covenant).\n\n_Midrash Rabbath Shemoth_, chap. 19.\n\n\"God hath also set the one over against the other\" (Eccles. vii. 14),\ni.e., the righteous and the wicked, in order that the one should atone\nfor the other. God created the poor and the rich, in order that the one\nshould be maintained by the other. He created Paradise and Gehenna, in\norder that those in the one should deliver those in the other. And what\nis the distance between them? Rabbi Chanina saith the width of the wall\n(between Paradise and Gehenna) is a handbreadth.\n\n_Yalkut Koheleth._\n\n\"Those passing through the valley of weeping make it a well; also\nblessings shall cover the teacher\" (Ps. lxxxiv. 6, A.V.). \"The valley of\nweeping\" is Gehenna. \"Make it a well,\" for their tears are like a well\nor spring. \"Also blessings shall cover the teacher.\" Rabbi Yochanan\nsaith, \"The praises of God that ascend from Gehenna are more than those\nthat ascend from Paradise, for each one that is a step higher than his\nneighbor praises God, and says, 'Happy am I that I am a step higher than\nthe one below me.' 'Also blessings shall cover the teacher,' for they\nwill acknowledge and say, 'Ye have taught well, and ye have instructed\nwell, but we have not obeyed.'\"\n\n_Yalkut Tehillim_, 84.\n\nThose of the house of Eliyahu have taught that Gehenna is above the sky,\nbut some say it is behind the mountains of darkness.\n\n_Tanu d'by Eliyahu._\n\nGehenna was created before Paradise; the former on the second day and\nthe latter on the third.\n\n_Yalkut_.\n\n    In T.B. P'sachim, fol. 54, col. 1, it is said that the reason of\n    the omission of the words, \"And God saw that it was good,\" in\n    respect to the second day of the creative week, was because\n    hell-fire was then created; but see the context.\n\nWhen Adam saw (through the Spirit) that his posterity would be condemned\nto Gehenna, he disobeyed the precept to procreate. But when he perceived\nthat after twenty-six generations the Israelites would accept the law,\nhe bestirred himself in compliance; as it is said (Gen. iv. 1), _Adam\nvero cognovit uxorem suam Hevam_.\n\n_Yalkut_.\n\n\"And the souls they had gotten in Haran\" (Gen. xii. 5). These are they\nwho had been made proselytes. Whoever attracts a Gentile and\nproselytizes him is as much as if he had created him. Abraham did so to\nmen and Sarah to women.\n\n_Bereshith Midrash Rabbah._\n\n\"Sing and rejoice\" (Zech. ii. 10). The Holy One--blessed be He!--will in\nthe future bring all the proselytes that were proselytized in this\nworld, and judge all the nations of the world in their presence. He will\nsay to them, \"Why have ye left Me and served idols, which are nothing?\"\nThey will reply and say, \"Had we applied at Thy door, Thou wouldst not\nhave received us.\" Then will He say to them, \"Let the proselytes that\nwere made from among you come forward and testify against you.\"\n\n_P'sikta._\n\nThese are the pious female proselytes--Hagar, Osenath, Zipporah,\nShiphrah, Puah, the daughter of Pharaoh (Bathia), Rahab, Ruth, and Jael.\n\n_Yalkut Yehoshua_, 9.\n\n\"The Lord keepeth the proselytes\" (Ps. cxlvi. 9). \"I esteem it a great\ncompliment on the part of the proselyte to leave his family and his\nfather's house and come to Me. Therefore I on My part will command\nrespecting him (Deut. x. 19), 'Love ye therefore the proselyted.'\"\n\n_Midrash Shochar Tov_, 146.\n\n\"I am a God near at hand\" (Jer. xxiii. 23). \"I am He who drew Jethro\nnear, and did not keep him at a distance\"; therefore thou also when a\nman comes to be proselytized in the name of Heaven, draw him near, do\nnot repulse him or keep him at a distance. From this thou art to learn\nthat while one repulses with the left hand he is to draw with the right,\nand not as Elisha did. (He repulsed Gehazi with both hands.)\n\n_Yalkut Jeremiah._\n\nShowers of rain are greater than the giving of the Law, for the giving\nof the Law was a gladsome event to Israel only, but rain is a cause of\njoy to the wide world, including cattle, beasts, and fowls.\n\n_Midrash Shochar Tov_, 117.\n\nDavid was a shepherd of Israel, and the Shepherd of David was the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--as it is said (Ps. xxiii. 1), \"The Lord is my\nShepherd.\"\n\n_Midrash Rabbah_, chap. 59.\n\nRav Pinchas says, \"David in the Psalms calls five times upon the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--to arise. (1.) 'Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!'\n(Ps. iii. 7). (2.) 'Arise, O Lord, in Thine anger!' (Ps. vii. 6). (3.)\n'Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail!' (Ps. ix. 19). (4.) 'Arise, O Lord;\nO God, lift up Thine hand: forget not the humble!' (Ps. x. 12). (5.)\n'Arise, O Lord; disappoint him!' But the Holy One--blessed be He!--said\nunto David, 'My son, though thou call upon Me many a time to arise, I\nwill not arise. But when do I arise? When thou seest the poor oppressed\nand the needy sighing, then will I arise.'\" This explains what is\nwritten (Ps. xii. 5), \"For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing\nof the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord.\"\n\n_Bamidbar Rabbah_, chap. 75.\n\n\"And Solomon's wisdom excelled\" (1 Kings iv. 30). Thou findest that when\nSolomon desired to build the Temple he sent to Pharaoh Necho a request\nto send him artisans on hire. Pharaoh assembled his astrologers, who\npointed out to him such artisans as were destined to die in the course\nof that year, and these he despatched to Solomon; but he, through the\nHoly Ghost, seeing the fate that impended, provided each of them with a\nshroud and sent them back to Pharaoh with the message, \"Hast thou no\nshrouds in which to bury thine own dead? Behold here I have provided\nthem with them!\" \"For he was wiser than all men\" (1 Kings iv. 31); \"than\nall men,\" even than the first man, Adam.\n\n_Yalkut Eliezer_, fol. 65, col. 2, n. 36.\n\n\"Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God\" (Isa. xliii. 12).\nRabbi Shimon ben Yochai expounds these words thus, \"If ye are My\nwitnesses, then I am God; but if ye are not My witnesses, then I am not\nGod.\"\n\n_Yalkut Jethro_, n. 271.\n\n\"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter\" (Eccles. xii. 13). Thou\nshalt ever hear the Law, even when thou dost not understand it. \"Fear\nGod,\" and give thy heart to Him. \"And keep His commandments,\" for on\naccount of the Law the whole world was created, that the world should\nstudy it.\n\n_Koheleth, as given in Tse-enah Ure-enah._\n\n\n\n\nTHE KABBALA\n\n\n\"The words of the wise and their dark sayings\" (Prov. i. 6).\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTORY NOTE\n\n\nThe Hebrew word Kabbal means \"to receive,\" and its derivative, Kabbalah,\nsignifies, \"a thing received,\" viz, \"Tradition,\" which, together with\nthe written law, Moses received on Mount Sinai, and we are told in the\nTalmud, Rosh Hashanah, fol. 19, col. 1, i.e., \"The words of the Kabbalah\nare just the same as the words of the law.\" In another part of this work\nwe have seen that the Rabbis declare the Kabbalah to be above the law.\n\nThe Kabbalah is divided into two parts, viz, the symbolical and the\nreal.\n\n\nTHE SYMBOLICAL KABBALAH\n\n\nThis teaches the secret of mystic sense of Scripture, and the thirteen\nrules by which the observance of the law is, not logically, but\nKabbalistically expounded; viz, the rules of \"Gematria,\" of \"Notricon,\"\nof \"Temurah,\" etc. To give some idea of this kind of exposition, we will\nexplain each of these three rules in a manner which, though in the style\nof the Rabbis, will easily be understood by the Gentile reader.\n\n1. \"Gematria.\" This rule depends on the numerical value of each letter\nin the alphabet. The application of this rule in the solution of a\ndisputed point is often such as to show quite as much absurdity as\ningenuity. To make the subject still more clear, let us assume that a\nstandard numerical value is attached to each letter in the English\nalphabet. _A_ has the value of 1, _B_ 2, _C_ 3, _D_ 4, _E_ 5, _F_ 6, _G_\n7, _H_ 8, _I_ 9, _J_ 10, _K_ 20, _L_ 30, _M_ 40, _N_ 50, _O_ 60, _P_ 70,\n_Q_ 80, _R_ 90, _S_ 100, _T_ 200, _U_ 300, _V_ 400, _W_ 500, _X_ 1000,\n_Y_ 10,000, _Z_ 100,000. And let us now assume a point in dispute in\norder to illustrate how it is solved by Gematria. Suppose that the\nsubject of discussion is the comparative superiority of the Hebrew and\nEnglish languages, and Hugo and Baruch are the disputants. The former,\nbeing a Hebrew, holds that the Hebrew is superior to the English,\n\"because,\" says he, \"the numerical value of the letters that form the\nword _Hebrew_ is 610; whereas the numerical value of _English_ is only\n209.\" The latter, being an Englishman, holds, of course, exactly the\ncontrary opinion, and argues as follows: \"All the learned world must\nadmit that the English is a living language, but not so the Hebrew; and\nas it is written (Eccles. ix. 4) that 'A living dog is better than a\ndead lion,' I therefore maintain that the English is superior to the\nHebrew.\" The dispute was referred to an Oxford authority for decision,\nand a certain learned doctor decided it by--\n\n2. \"Notricon.\" This consists in forming a decisive sentence composed of\nwords whose initial letters are in a given word; for instance,\n_Hebrew_:--\"_H_ugo's _e_xcels _B_aruch's _r_easoning _e_very _w_ay.\"\n_English_:--\"_E_nglish _n_o _g_ood _l_anguage, _i_s _s_carcely\n_h_armonious;\" but _Hebrew_:--\"_H_oly, _e_legant, _b_rilliant,\n_r_esonant, _e_liciting _w_onder!\" This is a fair specimen of how to get\nat the secret sense of a word by the rule of \"Notricon,\" and now we will\nproceed to explain--\n\n3. \"Temurah.\" This means permutation, or a change of the letters of the\nalphabet after a regularly adopted system. We know only five such\npermuted alphabets, but there may be more. The technical names of these\nfive alphabets are: \"Atbash,\" \"Atbach,\" \"Albam,\" \"Aiakbechar,\" and\n\"Tashrak.\" We will try to explain the first permuted alphabet only, as a\nmere specimen, for the general reader is not quite prepared to\ncomprehend the rest, and a hint for the scholar is sufficient.\n\nHere let the reader observe that as the letters of the English alphabet\nare more numerous and differently designated and arranged than those of\nthe Hebrew, the \"Atbash\" of the Hebrew must necessarily become \"Azby\" in\nEnglish. If now we write on one line and in regular order the first half\nof the alphabet, and the other half on the second line, but in reversed\norder, thus:--\n\n  a b c d e f g h i j k l m\n  z y x w v u t s r q p o n\n\nwe get thirteen couples of letters which exchange one with the other,\nviz, _a_ and _z_, _b_ and _y_, _c_ and _x_, etc. These letters, when\nexchanged, give rise to a permuted alphabet, and this permuted alphabet\ntakes its technical name from the first two couples of letters, _a_ and\n_z_, _b_ and _y_, or \"Azby.\" Now if we wish to write, \"Meddle not with\nthem that are given to change,\" you have to change the letters of the\ncouples and the following will be the result: \"Nvwwov mlg drgs gsvn gszg\nziv trem gl xszmtv.\" This is a specimen of the mysterious Temurah, and\nthe \"Azby\" is the key to it. The other four permuted alphabets are of a\nsimilar nature and character, and are so highly esteemed among the sages\nand bards of Israel, that they often use them in their literary and\npoetical compositions. The Machzorim, or the Jewish Liturgies for the\nfestivals, are full of compositions where the first letters of the\nsentences follow the order of either the \"Atbash\" or \"Tashrak.\" The\nlatter is simply a reversed order of the alphabet.\n\n\nTHE REAL KABBALAH\n\n\nThe \"Real Kabbalah\" consists of theoretical and practical mysteries.\n\n1. The theoretical mysteries treat about the ten spheres, the four\nworlds, the essence and various names of God and of angels, also of the\ncelestial hierarchy and its influences and effects on this lower world,\nof the mysteries of creation, of the mystical chariot described by the\nProphet Ezekiel, of the different orders and offices of angels and\ndemons, also of a great many other deep subjects, too deep for\ncomprehension.\n\n2. The practical Kabbalah is a branch of the theoretical, and treats of\nthe practical use of the mysterious names of God and of angels. By\nuttering properly the Shem-ham-mephorash, i.e., the ineffable name of\nJehovah, or the names or certain angels, or by the mere repetition of\ncertain Scripture texts, miracles and wonders were and still are\nperformed in the Jewish world.\n\n\n\n\nTHE KABBALA\n\n\nKnow thou that the 613 Precepts of the Law form a compact with the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--and with Israel, as it is often explained in the\nZohar. It is written (Exod. iii. 15), \"This is My name, and this is My\nmemorial.\" \"My name,\" in the Hebrew characters, together with \"Yeho,\"\namounts numerically to 365; \"Vah,\" together with \"My memorial,\" amounts\nto 248. Here we have the number 613 in the Holy One--blessed be He! The\nsoul is a portion of God from above, and this is mystically intimated by\nthe degrees of \"breath, spirit, soul,\" the initial and final letters of\nwhich amount to 613, while the middle letters of these amount to the\nnumber of \"Lord, Almighty, God.\" The soul of Moses our Rabbi--peace be\non him!--embraced all the souls of Israel; as it is said, Moses was\nequivalent to all Israel. \"Moses our Rabbi\" amounts to 613; and \"Lord\nGod of Israel\" also amounts to 613.\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lu_, p. 2, col. 2.\n\nNow let us illustrate the subject of \"fear and love.\" Fear proceedeth\nfrom love and love proceedeth from fear. And this you may demonstrate by\nwriting their letters one over the other, and then dividing them by\nhorizontal and perpendicular lines, thus Love perfecteth fear, and fear\nperfecteth love. This is to teach thee that both are united together.\n\nIbid., p. 4, col. 2.\n\nThe Holy One--blessed be He!--often brings affliction on the righteous\nthough they have not sinned, in order that they may learn to keep aloof\nfrom the allurements of the world and eschew temptation to sin. From\nthis it is plain that afflictions are good for man, and therefore our\nRabbis, of blessed memory, have said, \"As men bless with joy and a\nsincere heart for a benefit received, so likewise ought they joyfully to\nbless God when He afflicts them, as, though the special blessing be\nhidden from the children of men, such affliction is surely intended for\ngood.... Or most souls being at present in a state of transmigration,\nGod requites a man now for what his soul merited in a bypast time in\nanother body, by having broken some of the 613 precepts.\"\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lu_, p. 6, col. 1.\n\nThus we have the rule: No one is perfect unless he has thoroughly\nobserved all the 613 precepts. If this be so, who is he and where is he\nthat has observed all the 613 precepts? For even the lord of the\nprophets, Moses our Rabbi--peace be on him!--had not observed them all;\nfor there are four obstacles which hinder one from observing all: (1.)\nThere is the case of complete prevention, such as the law of the\npriesthood, the precepts of which only priests can observe, and yet\nthese precepts are included in the 613. Besides, there are among the\nnumber precepts appertaining to the Levites which concern neither\npriests nor Israelites, and also others which are binding on Israelites\nwith which priests and Levites have nothing whatever to do. (2.) Then\nthere are impossible cases, as, for instance, when one cannot observe\nthe precept which enforces circumcision, because he has not a son to\ncircumcise. (3 and 4.) There are also conditional and exceptional cases,\nas in the case of precepts having reference to the Temple and to the\nland of Israel.\n\nIbid., p. 6, col. 2.\n\nTherefore every Israelite is bound to observe only such of the 613\nprecepts as are possible to him; and such as he has not observed in\nconsequence of hindrances arising from unpreventable causes will be\nreckoned to him as if actually performed.\n\nIbid.\n\n    The Yalkut Shimeoni, in true Rabbinical style, amplifies still\n    farther the license conceded in the above quotations. Rabbi\n    Eliezer says that the Israelites bewailed thus before God,\n    exclaiming, \"We would fain be occupied night and day in the law,\n    but we have not the necessary leisure.\" Then the Holy\n    One--blessed be He!--said, \"Perform the commandment of the\n    Phylacteries, and I will account it as if you were occupied\n    night and day in the study of the law.\"\n\nAnyhow, all the precepts are being observed by all Israel taken\ntogether, viz, the priests observe their part, the Levites theirs, and\nthe Israelites theirs; thus the whole keep all. For the Holy\nOne--blessed be He!--has written a law for His faithful servants, the\nnation of Israel, and as a nation they keep the whole law. It is as once\nwhen a king wrote to his subjects thus, \"Behold, I command you to\nprepare for war against the enemy; raise the walls higher, collect arms,\nand store up victuals;\" and those that were builders looked after the\nwalls, the armorers after the weapons, the farmers after the stores of\nfood, etc., etc. Each, according to his ability, did all that was\nrequired of him, and all unitedly fulfilled the king's command.\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lu_, p. 6, col. 2.\n\nHe who neglects to observe any of the 613 precepts, such as were\npossible for him to observe, is doomed to undergo transmigration (once\nor more than once) till he has actually observed all he had neglected to\ndo in a former state of being.\n\nIbid.\n\nThe sages of truth (the Kabbalists) remark that Adam contains the\ninitial letters of Adam, David, and Messiah; for after Adam sinned his\nsoul passed into David, and the latter having also sinned, it passed\ninto the Messiah. The full text is, \"They shall serve the Lord their\nGod, and David their king, whom I will raise up to them\" (Jer. xxx. 9);\nand it is written, \"My servant David shall be their king forever\" (Ezek.\nxxxvii. 25); and thus \"They shall seek the Lord their God, and David\ntheir king\" (Hosea iii. 5).\n\n_Nishmath Chaim_, fol. 152, col. 2.\n\nKnow thou that Cain's essential soul passed into Jethro, but his spirit\ninto Korah, and his animal soul into the Egyptian. This is what\nScripture saith, \"Cain shall be avenged sevenfold\" (Gen. iv. 24), i.e.,\nthe initial letters of the Hebrew word rendered \"shall be avenged,\" form\nthe initials of Jethro, Korah, and Egyptian.... Samson the hero was\npossessed by the soul of Japhet, and Job by that of Terah.\n\n_Yalkut Reubeni_, Nos. 9, 18, 24.\n\nCain had robbed the twin sister of Abel, and therefore his soul passed\ninto Jethro. Moses was possessed by the soul of Abel, and therefore\nJethro gave his daughter to Moses.\n\n_Yalkut Chadash_, fol. 127, col. 3.\n\nIf a man be niggardly either in a financial or a spiritual regard,\ngiving nothing of his money to the poor or not imparting of his\nknowledge to the ignorant, he shall be punished by transmigration into a\nwoman.... Know thou that Sarah, Hannah, the Shunammite (2 Kings iv. 8),\nand the widow of Zarepta were each in turn possessed by the soul of\nEve.... The soul of Rahab transmigrated into Heber the Kenite, and\nafterward into Hannah; and this is the mystery of her words, \"I am a\nwoman of a sorrowful spirit\" (1 Sam. i. 15), for there still lingered in\nher soul a sorrowful sense of inherited defilement.... Eli possessed the\nsoul of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.... Sometimes the souls of\npious Jews pass by metempsychosis into Gentiles, in order that they may\nplead on behalf of Israel and treat them kindly. For this reason have\nour Rabbis of blessed memory said, \"The pious of the nations of the\nworld have a portion in the world to come.\"\n\n_Yalkut Reubeni_, Nos. 1, 8, 61, 63.\n\nWe have it by tradition that when Moses our Rabbi--peace be unto\nhim!--said in the law, \"O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh\"\n(Num. xvi. 22), he meant mystically to intimate that metempsychosis\ntakes place in all flesh, in beasts, reptiles, and fowls. \"Of all flesh\"\nis, as it were, \"in all flesh.\"\n\n_Avodath Hakodesh_, fol. 49, col. 3.\n\nIt is also needful that thou shouldst know that the Kabbalists believe\nin metempsychosis from the body of one species into the body of another\nspecies. Thou hast already been informed of the mystery of clean and\nunclean animals; and some of the later sages of the Kabbalah say that\nthe soul of an unclean person will transmigrate into an unclean animal,\nor into abominable creeping things or reptiles. For one form of\nuncleanness the soul will be invested with the body of a Gentile, who\nwill (eventually) become a proselyte; for another, the soul will pass\ninto the body of a mule; for others, it transmigrates into an ass, a\nwoman of Ashdod, a bat, a rabbit or a hare, a she-mule or a camel.\nIshmael transmigrated first into the she-ass of Balaam, and subsequently\ninto the ass of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair.\n\n_Nishmath Chaim_, chap. 13, no. 14.\n\n    The last paragraph may be illustrated by the well-known story of\n    the ass of R. Pinchas, which persistently objected to feed on\n    untithed provender. This is also said of the ass of Rabbi\n    Chanina ben Dossa. See Avoth d'Rab. Nathan, chap. 8.\n\nSometimes the soul of a righteous man may be found in the body of a\nclean animal or fowl.\n\n_Caphtor Upherach_, fol. 51, col. 2.\n\nIt sometimes happens that one sacrifices an animal with a human soul in\nit. And this is the mystic meaning of (Ps. xxxvi. 6), \"O Lord, thou\npreservest man and beast.\" It is for this reason that we are commanded\nto have our slaughtering-knife without defect, for who knows if there be\nnot a transmigrated soul in the animal? ... Therefore the slaughter must\nneeds be delicately done and the mode critically examined, on account of\nthat which is written (Lev. xix. 18), \"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as\nthyself.\"\n\n_Nishmath Chaim_, chap. 13, no. 4.\n\nAt each of the three meals of the Sabbath one should eat fish, for into\nthem the souls of the righteous are transmigrated. And in relation to\nthem it is written (Num. xi. 22), \"All the fish of the sea shall be\ngathered together for them.\"\n\n_Yalkut Chadash_, fol. 20, col. 4, no. 9.\n\nThe soul of a slanderer is transmigrated into a silent stone.\n\n_Emeh Hamelech_, fol. 153, col. 2.\n\nRabbi Isaac Luria was once passing the great academy of Rabbi Yochanan\nin Tiberias, where he showed his disciples a stone in the wall,\nremarking, \"In this stone there is a transmigrated soul, and it cries\nthat I should pray on its behalf. And this is the mystic meaning of\n(Hab. ii. 11), 'The stone shall cry out of the wall.'\"\n\nIbid., fol. 11, col. 2.\n\nThe murderer is transmigrated into water. The mystical sign of this is\nindicated in (Deut. xii. 16), \"Ye shall pour it upon the earth as\nwater;\" and the meaning is, he is continually rolling on and on without\nany rest. Therefore let no man drink (direct) from a running tap or\nspout, but from the hollow of his hands, lest a soul pass into him, and\nthat the soul of a wicked sinner.\n\nIbid., fol. 153, cols. 1, 2.\n\nOne who sins with a married woman is, after undergoing the penalty of\nwandering about as a fugitive and vagabond, transmigrated, together with\nhis accomplice, into the millstone of a water-mill, according to the\nmystery of (Job xxxi. 10), \"Let my wife grind unto another.\"\n\n_Emeh Hamelech_, fol. 153, cols. 1, 2.\n\nA butcher who kills an animal with a defective knife will die of the\nplague, and his soul will pass into a dog, whom he thus deprives of what\nbelongs to him; for it is said (Exod. xxii. 31), \"Ye shall cast it to\nthe dogs.\"\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 17, col. 2.\n\n    An animal slaughtered with an improper knife is considered as if\n    it had been \"torn of beasts in the field,\" and the flesh of it,\n    according to the law, belongs to the dogs. A careless butcher,\n    selling the meat as food for man, deprives the dog of his due.\n\nThe sages of truth have written, \"He who does not wash his hands before\neating, as the Rabbis of blessed memory have ordained, will be\ntransmigrated into a cataract, where he will have no rest, even as a\nmurderer, who is also transmigrated into water.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 21, col. 2.\n\nAfter washing his hands before a meal, he is to stretch out his fingers\nand turn the palms of his hands upward, as if in the act of receiving\nsomething from a friend, and then repeat (Ps. cxxxiv. 2), \"Lift ye up\nyour holy hands, and bless ye the Lord!\"\n\nIbid.\n\n    The following are the usual blessings, \"Blessed art Thou, O\n    Lord, our God! King of the universe! who has sanctified us with\n    His commandments, and has commanded us to wash the hands!\"\n    \"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God! King of the universe! who\n    bringeth forth bread from the earth!\"\n\nBy means of combining the letters of the ineffable names, as recorded in\n\"Book of Creation,\" Rava once created a man and sent him to Rav Zera.\nThe man being unable to reply when spoken to, the Rabbi said to him,\n\"Thou art a creation of the company (initiated in the mysteries of\nnecromancy); return to thy dust.\"\n\n_Sanhedrin_, fol. 65, col. 2.\n\n    In the Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin, chap. 7, we read that, by\n    the means above mentioned, a Rabbi created pumpkins, melons, and\n    real deer and roes.\n\nThere is a living creature in heaven which by day has \"Truth\" upon its\nforehead, by which the angels know it is day; but in the evening it has\n\"Faith\" on its forehead, whereby the angels know that night is near.\nEach time the living creature says, \"Bless ye the blessed Lord,\" all the\nhosts above respond, \"Blessed be the blessed Lord forever.\"\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 42. col. 2.\n\nTruth and faith are the essentials of religion, which are thirteen in\nnumber:--\n\n1. God exists, and there is no period to His existence. The philosophers\ncall it absolute existence, but the majority of Kabbalists term it\n\"endless,\" which, by Gematria, is \"light\"; and again, by Gematria, is\n\"Lord of the Universe.\" He is the cause of causes and the causing of\ncausings, and from or by His existence all beings, spiritual and\nmaterial, derive their existence.\n\n2. He is one, and there is no unity like His, etc.\n\n3. He has no bodily likeness, and is not corporeal.\n\n4. He is first of everything, absolute beginning; as it is said, \"I am\nthe First and I am the Last\" (Isa. xliv 6), and there is no beginning to\nHis beginning.\n\n5. None but Himself is to be worshiped and prayed to.\n\n6. The gift of prophecy He has given to men esteemed and glorified by\nHim.\n\n7. None arose like unto Moses, etc.\n\n8. A law of truth He gave; this is the law from heaven, \"In the\nbeginning\" unto \"in the sight of all Israel.\" Also its comment received\norally is likewise \"a law (given) unto Moses from Sinai.\"\n\n9. God will not change or alter His law forever. He will never change\nthe law of Moses our Rabbi--peace be unto him! The law will suffer no\naddition or diminution (but it will abide even), as the prophet Malachi\nsealed it with the seal of the prophets in ending his words (Mal. iv.\n4), \"Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him\nin Horeb for all Israel.\" Formerly the law was in a garment of light,\nbut in consequence of sin, the law became materialized in a garment of\nskin, in the same proportion as man became materialized in a body of\nflesh. In the future, after the redemption, however, the law will have\nthe garment of light restored, and the Messiah will preach the law in\nterrible mysteries, such as no ear has ever heard, and it will appear to\nus as a new law. But the law will not be altered, or made new, as the\nnations of the world say. Jer. xxxi. 30-33.\n\n10. He observeth and knoweth all our secrets, etc.\n\n11. There are rewards and punishments in the future, etc.\n\n12. He will send at the end of days our Messiah from the seed of David\nto redeem His people Israel from among the nations, and restore to them\nthe kingdom.\n\n13. There will be a revival of the dead, etc.\n\n_Kitzur Sh'th_, fol. 7, col. 2.\n\nLet a man believe that whatever occurs to him is from the Blessed One!\nFor instance, when a wicked man meets him and abuses him, and puts him\nto shame, let him receive it with love, and say, \"The Lord told him to\ncurse, and he is the messenger of God on account of my sin.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 8, col. 1.\n\nIn every deed or transaction a man performs by his own free will, be it\na matter of precept or of option, let the name of God be ready in his\nmouth. If, for instance, he erects a building, or buys a vessel, or\nmakes a new garment, let him say with his mouth and utter with his lips,\n\"This thing I do, for (the honor of) the union of the Shechinah with the\nHoly One--blessed be He!\"\n\nIbid.\n\n    Bismillahi Arrahmani Arraheemi, \"In the name of God, most\n    merciful and compassionate,\" is the motto of every work\n    undertaken by a Mohammedan.\n\nA man should always desire that his neighbor may profit by him, and let\nhim not strive to profit by his neighbor. Let his words be pleasant with\nthe children of men if they shame him, and let him not shame them in\nreturn. If they deceive him, let him not deceive them in return, and let\nhim take the yoke of the public upon his shoulders, and not impose it\nheavily on them in return.\n\nIbid.\n\nIf--which God forbid!--thy neighbor has done thee an evil, pardon him at\nonce; for thou shouldst love him as thyself. If one hand is accidentally\nhurt by the other, should the wounded hand revenge its injury on the\nother? And, as urged before, thou shouldst rather say in thine heart,\n\"It is from the Lord that it came to thee; it came as a messenger from\nthe Holy One--blessed be He!--as a punishment for some sin.\"\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 9. col. 2.\n\nA sage who was very sorrowful was once comforted thus: \"If thy sorrow\nrelates to this world, may God decrease it; but if it relates to the\nworld to come, may God increase it and add sorrow to sorrow.\" (See 2\nCor. vii. 10.)\n\nIbid., fol. 10, col. 1.\n\nA man should not wade through water or traverse any dangerous place in\ncompany with an apostate, or even a wicked Jew, lest he be overtaken (in\nthe same ruin) with him. (Comp. Eph. v. 7, 8; Rev. xviii. 4.)\n\nIbid., fol. 10, col. 2.\n\nThe influence of the son is relatively greater and more blessed than\nthat of the father, for the merits of the father do not profit the son\nexcept in matters relating to this world (as by bequeathing him worldly\ninheritance); whereas the merits of the son do more than benefit the\nfather in this world; they benefit him also in the world to come (by\nsaying \"Kadish\"), which is enough to deliver his soul from purgatory.\n\nIbid., fol. 11, col. 2.\n\nA common proverb says, \"One father willingly maintains ten sons, but ten\nsons are not willing to support one father.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 12, col. 2.\n\nThe proper use of money is that thou learn the art of dealing honestly,\nso that thy No be no and thy Yes, yes; and as far as possible be\nbenevolent with the money. \"And the liberal by liberal things shall\nstand\" (Isa. xxxii. 8).\n\nIbid.\n\nThe sage says, \"The eye of a needle is not narrow enough for two\nfriends, but the world in not wide enough for two enemies.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 14, col. 1.\n\n\"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me\"\n(Ps. li. 10). Know thou that the heart is the source of life, and is\nplaced in the centre of the body as the Holy of holies, as stated in the\nBook Zohar, is the central part of the world. Therefore one must have\nhis heart cleansed from evil and all evil thoughts, otherwise he\nintroduces an idol into the innermost part of the Temple, which ought to\nbe a dwelling-place for the Shechinah. (See 1 Cor. iii, 16, 17, and vi.\n19.)\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 14, col. 2.\n\nHe who gazes even on the little finger of a woman is as if he looked on\nher to lust after her. He should not give ear to a woman's voice, for\nthe voice of a woman is lewdness. This sin is much discussed in the\nZohar; it causes the husband to come to poverty, and deprives him and\nher sons of all respect.\n\nIbid., fol. 17, col. 1.\n\n    The sages of the Kabbalah were not singular in this view. The\n    Talmud Yerush, Callah, fol. 58, col. 3, says, \"He that looks\n    upon a woman's heel is guilty of an act of lewdness.\"\n\nEating meat after cheese or cheese after meat is a very serious sin; and\nit is stated in the Zohar, section Mishpatim, that upon him who is\nwithout scruple in this regard, an evil spirit will rest for forty days,\nhis soul will be from the spirit which has no holiness.\n\nIbid., fol. 18, col. 2.\n\nThe sages of the Kabbalah have written that it becomes him who has in\nhim the fear of Heaven to have a vessel of water near his bed, in order\nthat (on waking in the morning) he may not need to walk four ells\nwithout washing his hands, for he who walks four ells without washing\nhis hands has forfeited his life as a divine punishment.\n\nIbid., fol. 43, col. 2.\n\nWhen a man is dressing, he should first put on the right shoe and leave\nit unfastened till he has put on and fastened the left; then he should\nfasten the right, as it is explained in the Shulchan Aruch.\n\nIbid., fol. 44, col. 2.\n\nThe following are some of the many laws relating to the Shemonah-esreh,\nor the eighteen blessings which form the most devotional part of daily\nworship, and which are repeated three times on (ordinary) week-days, and\nfour times on Sabbaths, new moons, and on appointed feasts:--\n\nBefore commencing the Shemonah-esreh one should step back three paces,\nin order to be able to advance three steps. The reason of this is that\nMoses our Rabbi--peace be on him!--advanced before his prayer into the\nthree divisions, \"darkness, clouds, and thick darkness\" (Deut. iv. 11).\nAnd this is also the reason why after finishing the Shemonah-esreh three\nsteps backward are to be made, returning through these three parts or\ndivisions.\n\nThis prayer is to be performed standing, and the feet so joined together\nthat they should seem as it were one foot only, in order to be like the\nangels, of whom it is written (Ezek. i. 7), \"And their feet were (so in\nthe original) a straight foot,\" that is to say, their feet appeared as\none foot.\n\nThis attitude is a sign that the power of locomotion is gone; he cannot\npursue and attain any other object than God. The Gentiles place their\nhands together, intending to signify thereby that their hands are as it\nwere bound; but we, by placing our feet together, intend to signify that\nthey are as it were entirely bound, which is indicative of greater\nhumility; for with the hands bound one could still run away in search of\nhis own pleasure, which he cannot do when the feet are bound.\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 48, col. 2, and fol. 49, col. 1.\n\nIt is lawful for him who rides upon an animal to pray the eighteen\nbenedictions, and when he comes to the point when he should retrace\nthree steps, he is to back the animal he is mounted on three steps. And\nso also it is lawful to pray the eighteen blessings when sitting and\ntraveling in a wagon.\n\nIbid., fol. 49, col. 1.\n\nIt is necessary to pay attention to the feet when the worshiper repeats\n\"Holy! holy! holy!\" and he is to lift up his eyes toward heaven. At the\ninstant the Kiddushah is repeated he needs only lift up his heels, and\nthereby his body from the earth toward heaven.... According to Tanchuma\nit is necessary to lift up the feet from the earth altogether, after the\nexample of the angels, of whom it is written (Isa. vi. 2), \"And with two\nhe did fly.\" It is from this text that the sages have ordained that a\nman should fly up (as it were) when he repeats \"Holy! holy! holy!\" And\nlet the chooser choose, i.e. it is optional either to lift up the heels\nonly or to jump.\n\nIbid.\n\n    Any one who visits a synagogue may notice the observance of this\n    practice. In the synagogues of the Chassidim, jumping is\n    preferred to lifting up the heels.\n\nIt is written (Ps. cii. 17), \"He will regard the prayer of the\ndestitute,\" and it is not written, \"He will hear.\" What else can the\nterm \"regard\" mean than that there is a distinction between the prayer\nof an individual and the prayer of a community? For when a community\nprays, their prayer enters before the Holy One--blessed be He!--and He\nis not particular to regard and criticise their works and their\nintentions and thoughts, but receives their prayers immediately. But\nwhen an individual prays, the Holy One--blessed be He!--regards and\nscrutinizes his heart, whether it be devout and whether he be a\nrighteous man. Therefore, one should always pray with the community, and\nthis is why the text (Ps. cvii. 17) ends with the words, \"And not\ndespise their prayer.\" Although there are some of the community whose\nprayers, on account of their evil deeds, deserve to be despised, He,\nnevertheless, does not despise their prayer.\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lk_, fol. 51, col. 1.\n\nA man should study less on Friday, that he may occupy himself with the\npreparation for the Sabbath. And accordingly we find in the Gemara that\nsome of the great and esteemed sages occupied themselves on that day in\npreparing what was needed for the Sabbath. Therefore, though one may\nhave many servants to wait upon him, it is a great merit personally to\nprepare for the wants of the Sabbath in order thus to honor it; and let\nhim not think it derogatory to his own honor to honor the Sabbath thus,\nfor it is his honor to honor the Sabbath. It is written of H'A'ree of\nblessed memory, that he was in the habit of sweeping away the cobwebs in\nhis house (in honor of the Sabbath), and it is well known to the\ninitiated what a wonderful mystery it is to abolish the unclean spirits\nfrom the house, \"And this is enough for him that understands.\"\n\nIbid., fol. 61, col. 1.\n\nOne should trim his finger-nails every Friday, never on Thursday,\notherwise the nails will commence growing on the following Sabbath. He\nshould pare the nails of the left hand first, beginning at the fourth\nfinger and ending with the thumb; and then he should pare the nails of\nthe right hand, beginning with the thumb and ending with the fourth\nfinger; he should not vary the following order: 4th, 2d, 5th, 3d, 1st of\nthe left hand; then the 1st, 3d, 5th, 2d, 4th of the right hand. Never\npare two (contiguous) fingers one after the other, for it is dangerous,\nand it also impairs the memory. The reason and mystery about the order\nfor paring the nails are well known to the expert.\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lh._\n\nIn the Zohar it is explained that the benefit of immersion on Friday\namounts to the restoration of the soul to her proper place, for he who\nis bodily unclean has no soul.\n\nIbid., fol. 61, col. 2.\n\nBefore entering the plunging-bath, he is to repeat (Gen. i. 10), \"And\nGod called the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the waters\ncalled He seas.\" When he stands in the water he is to repeat seven times\n(Ps. li. 10), \"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right\nspirit within me,\" for the initials of \"Create in me a clean heart,\"\nform the word \"to dip,\" i.e., to immerse. For it is through immersion\nthat the unclean spirits and the \"other side,\" are separated from him,\nand he becomes a new creature by examining and confessing his (evil)\ndeeds, and forsaking them, and by engaging himself in repentance, and\nimmersing himself, and meditating on elevating subjects, and especially\nso if he has immersed himself fourteen times.\n\nIbid., fol. 61, col. 1.\n\nWhen standing in the water he is to stoop four times, so that the water\nmay reach his neck, answering to the four modes of legal execution.\nAfter that he is to repeat the form of confession, and while the water\nreaches up to his throat he is to repeat these three texts--Micah vii.\n18-20, Jer. x. 24, and Ps. cxviii. 5, and then say, \"As I cleanse my\nbody here below, which is formed of clay, so may the ministering angels\ncleanse my soul, spirit, and ghost above in the river Dinor; and as I\nsanctify my body here below, so may the angels of the Most High, the\nministering angels, sanctify my spirit, soul, and ghost in the river\nDinor above! In the name of Jehovah, He is the God and in the name of\nAdonai, the Rock of all Ages. Blessed be the name of the glory of His\nkingdom forevermore!\"\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 62, col. 1.\n\n    According to the Kabbalah, the thoroughgoing orthodox Jew has\n    his hands full on Erev Shabbath, i.e., Friday. We cannot here go\n    over the entire proceeding prescribed, but we will briefly touch\n    upon its salient features in the order as we find them.\n\n    After having prepared himself for immersion, as above described,\n    he is to turn his face and bow first toward the west and then\n    toward the east, repeating a certain formula, and then dip\n    himself under the water. This over, he is to turn again east and\n    west and repeat a different formula, and while meditating on\n    certain given letters of certain mystical divine names and other\n    known words, and their respective numerical values, he is to dip\n    a second time under the water. Then turning and bowing again\n    west and east, repeating the while a different formula, he\n    proceeds to meditate on different letters of the divine names,\n    and dips for the third and last time. As dipping fourteen times\n    is the exception and not the rule, no farther directions are\n    given about the matter, except a few additional formulae and\n    meditations.\n\n    When he comes out of the water he is to step backward in the\n    same respectful manner as when he leaves the synagogue, and is\n    to repeat Isa. iv. 3, 4, and Rabbi Akiva's commentary on the\n    text Ezek. xxxvi. 25.\n\n    When he begins dressing he is to repeat Isa. liv. 17, and when\n    he subsequently washes his face and hands and feet in warm\n    water, to which is attached a great mystery, he is to say,\n    \"Behold, here I am, washing myself in honor of Sabbath the\n    queen;\" and add also Isa. iv. 4, and also, \"I have washed my\n    feet; how shall I defile them?\" (Cant. v. 3.)\n\n    Happy is he who is able to provide himself with a complete suit\n    of apparel down to the girdle, the shoes, and the hat for\n    wearing on the Sabbath, different from those worn on week-days.\n    Then he is to repeat the Book of Solomon's Song, and if unable\n    to repeat the whole, he is, at all events, to repeat these four\n    verses, the initials of the first word in each of which taken\n    together form the word Jacob, Cant. i. 2, ii. 10, ii. 8, v. 1.\n    After this he is to repeat certain portions of the Mishnah, and\n    something of the Zohar or some other Kabbalistic work.\n\n    This over, the devout Israelite goes to the synagogue to meet\n    his God as the bridegroom, and to receive the Sabbath as the\n    bride. The service is well worthy of rehearsal, but we must\n    refer for details to the Liturgy.\n\n    The Israelite returns home from the synagogue accompanied by two\n    angels, one good and the other evil; and according to the\n    condition of the domestic arrangements when he re-enters, he is\n    blessed by the good angel or cursed by the evil one.\n\n    The Israelite is solemnly warned not to quarrel with his wife on\n    Sabbath-eve, for the devils are very busy then to stir up more\n    strife, as is illustrated by the story of Rabbi Meir.\n\n    Having repeated the usual hymn appointed for the Sabbath-eve,\n    and pronounced the form of blessing over the cup of wine, he and\n    his family commence their supper, which is carefully prepared of\n    the very choicest viands, flesh and fish included. Hymns and a\n    certain form of blessing after the meal complete the family\n    duties of the day, and all retire to rest. The head of the\n    family, if he be a pious Israelite, and especially a disciple of\n    the wise, has a particular duty to perform--a duty which is\n    based on Scripture and on the following text (Exod. xxxi. 16),\n    \"Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath.\"\n    (_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 64, col. 1.)\n\nOf the laws relating to the Sabbath we can here only enumerate a few; we\nshall, however, take them in order as detailed in the book before us.\n\nJewish women, maid-servants and girls are warned not to order a Gentile\nwoman on the Sabbath to do this or that, but they may instruct her on a\nwork-day what she is to do on the Sabbath.\n\nGeese, fowl, cats, dogs, etc., are not to be handled on the Sabbath.\nNeither are pocket-handkerchiefs, spectacles, etc., to be carried on the\nSabbath in an unwalled town or village. Radishes are not to be salted in\nquantities, but each piece is to be dipped separately in salt and eaten.\nAfter dinner the Israelite is to take a siesta, for each letter forms\nthe initial of a word, and the words thus formed are \"Sleep on the\nSabbath is a delight.\" (See Isa. lviii. 13.) Before he dozes off he is\nto repeat the last verse of the 90th and the whole of the 91st Psalm.\nThe salutation should not be, as on working-days, \"Good morning,\" but\n\"Good Sabbath;\" for respecting this it is said (Exod. xx. 8), \"Remember\nthe Sabbath-day to keep it holy.\" He is not to rise on the Sabbath as\nearly as on the other days of the week, and this is based on Scripture.\nHe is to be very careful with the fur garments that he may be wearing,\nlest he should pluck a hair therefrom, and for the same reason he is not\nto scratch his head or touch his beard on the Sabbath. He is not to wash\nhis hands with salt or soap on the Sabbath, nor may he play at ball; he\nis not to knock with a rapper on a door, or ring the house-bell; nor, if\nhe has married a widow, is he to co-habit with her on that day.\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fols. 65-67.\n\nAt the close of the Sabbath he is to pronounce over a cup of wine what\nis technically termed the \"Separation,\" for the departure of the\nSabbath, as given in the prayer-book. He is then to fold up his Tallith\nor veil and sing \"Hamavdil,\" the first verse of which runs thus:--\n\n\"May He who maketh a distinction between the holy (Sabbath) and the\nprofane (days of the week) pardon our sins and multiply our children and\nour money as the sand and as the stars in the night!\"\n\nShould he forget to fold his veil (Tallith), he is to shake it\nthoroughly the next morning, in order to get rid of the evil spirits\nthat have harbored there during the night, and the reason is known to\nthe lords of the Kabbalah.\n\nIbid., fol. 71, col. 1.\n\nIt is customary then to repeat a number of hymns and songs and legends\nwherein Elijah the Prophet is mentioned, because he it is that is to\ncome and bring the tidings of redemption, for it is thus stated in\nTosephta, that on the exit of the Sabbath Elijah of blessed memory sits\nunder the \"Tree of Life\" and records in writing the merits of those that\nkeep the Sabbath. Those that are particular repeat, and the very pious\nwrite, \"Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Prophet,\" a\nhundred and thirty times, for \"Elijah the Prophet,\" by Gematria equals\n120, to which add 10, the number of the letters, and the total is 130.\n\nIbid.\n\nThe word Elijah is written a hundred and thirty times in tabular form,\nwith the letters transposed. This can be understood better by forming a\nKabbalistic table of the same word in English.\n\n  Elijah  Ehlija  Ejahli  Eijahl  Elhija\n  Elahij  Eljahi  Elhaji  Eljiah  Ealijh\n  Eahlij  Eajhli  Eaijhl  Ealhij  Ehalij\n  Ehlaij  Ehijla  Ehjial  Ehialj  Ehjail\n\nand so on.\n\nThe last day of the month is called, \"The little Day of Atonement,\" and\nit is fit and proper to do penance on that day. On the first day of the\nmonth it is a pious act to prepare an extra dish for dinner in honor of\nthe day. God has given the first of the month (as a festival) more for\nwomen than for men, because the three annual festivals are according to\nthe three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and because the twelve\nmonths are according to the twelve tribes; and as the tribes sinned in\nthe matter of the golden calf, and the women were unwilling to give up\ntheir golden earrings for that idolatrous purpose, therefore they\ndeserved that God should give them as their reward the first days of the\ntwelve months, according to the number of the tribes.\n\n_Kitzur Sh'lh_, fol. 72, col. 1.\n\nIt is a very pious act to bless the moon at the close of the Sabbath,\nwhen one is dressed in his best attire and perfumed. If the blessing is\nto be performed on the evening of an ordinary week-day the best dress is\nto be worn. According to the Kabbalists the blessings upon the moon are\nnot to be said till seven full days after her birth, but, according to\nlater authorities, this may be done after three days. The reason for not\nperforming this monthly service under a roof, but in the open air, is\nbecause it is considered as a reception of the presence of the\nShechinah, and it would not be respectful so to do anywhere but in the\nopen air. It depends very much upon circumstances when and where the new\nmoon is to be consecrated, and also upon one's own predisposition, for\nauthorities differ. We will close these remarks with the conclusion of\nthe Kitzur Sh'lu on the subject, which, at p. 72, col. 2, runs thus:--\n\n\"When about to sanctify the new moon, one should straighten his feet (as\nat the Shemonah-esreh) and give one glance at the moon before he begins\nto repeat the ritual blessing, and having commenced it he should not\nlook at her at all. Thus should he begin--'In the united name of the\nHoly and Blessed One and His Shechinah, through that Hidden and\nConcealed One! and in the name of all Israel!' Then he is to proceed\nwith the 'Form of Prayer for the New Moon;' word for word, without\nhaste, but with solemn deliberation, and when he repeats--\n\n    \"'Blessed is thy Former, blessed is thy Maker, blessed is thy\n    Possessor, blessed is thy Creator.'\n\n\"He is to meditate on the initials of the four divine epithets which\nform 'Jacob,' for the moon, which is called 'the lesser light,' is his\nemblem or symbol, and he is also called 'little' (see Amos vii. 2). This\nhe is to repeat three times. He is to skip three times while repeating\nthrice the following sentence, and after repeating three times forward\nand backward: thus (forward)--'Fear and dread shall fall upon them by\nthe greatness of Thine arm; they shall be as still as a stone;' thus\n(backward)--'Still as a stone may they be; by the greatness of Thine arm\nmay fear and dread fall on them;' he then is to say to his neighbor\nthree times, 'Peace be unto you,' and the neighbor is to respond three\ntimes, 'Unto you be peace.' Then he is to say three times (very loudly),\n'David, the king of Israel, liveth and existeth!' and finally, he is to\nsay three times--\n\n    \"'May a good omen and good luck be upon us and upon all Israel!\n    Amen.'\"\n\n\n\n\nRABBINICAL ANA\n\n\nIt was said of Rabbi Tarphon, that though a very wealthy man, he was not\ncharitable according to his means. One time Rabbi Akiba said to him.\n\"Shall I invest some money for thee in real estate, in a manner which\nwill be very profitable?\" Rabbi Tarphon answered in the affirmative, and\nbrought to Rabbi Akiba four thousand denars in gold, to be so applied.\nRabbi Akiba immediately distributed the same among the poor. Some time\nafter this Rabbi Tarphon met Rabbi Akiba, and asked him where the real\nestate which he had bought for him was situated. Akiba led his friend to\nthe college, and showed him a little boy, who recited for them the 112th\npsalm. When he reached the ninth verse, \"He distributeth, he giveth to\nthe needy, his righteousness endureth forever.\"\n\n\"There,\" said Akiba, \"thy property is with David, the king of Israel,\nwho said, 'he distributeth, he giveth to the needy.'\"\n\n\"And wherefore hast thou done this?\" asked Tarphon.\n\n\"Knowest thou not,\" answered Rabbi Akiba, \"how Nakdimon, the son of\nGuryon, was punished because he gave not according to his means?\"\n\n\"Well,\" returned the other, \"why didst thou not tell me this; could I\nnot have distributed my means without thy aid?\"\n\n\"Nay,\" said Akiba, \"it is a greater virtue to cause another to give than\nto give one's self.\"\n\nRabbi Jochanan, the son of Lakkai, was once riding outside of Jerusalem,\nand his pupils had followed him. They saw a poor woman collecting the\ngrain which dropped from the mouths and troughs of some feeding cattle,\nbelonging to Arabs. When she saw the Rabbi, she addressed him in these\nbrief words, \"O Rabbi, assist me.\" He replied, \"My daughter, whose\ndaughter art thou?\" \"I am the daughter of Nakdimon, the son of Guryon,\"\nshe answered.\n\n\"Why, what has become of thy father's money?\" asked the Rabbi; \"the\namount which thou didst receive as a dowry on thy wedding day?\"\n\n\"Ah,\" she replied, \"is there not a saying in Jerusalem, 'The salt was\nwanting to the money?'\"\n\n\"And thy husband's money,\" continued the Rabbi; \"what of that?\"\n\n\"That followed the other,\" she answered; \"I have lost them both.\"\n\nThe Rabbi turned to his scholars and said:--\n\n\"I remember, when I signed her marriage contract, her father gave her as\na dowry one million golden denars, and her husband was wealthy in\naddition thereto.\"\n\nThe Rabbi sympathized with the woman, helped her, and wept for her.\n\n\"Happy are ye, oh sons of Israel,\" he said; \"as long as ye perform the\nwill of God naught can conquer ye; but if ye fail to fulfill His wishes,\neven the cattle are superior to ye.\"\n\nNachum, whatever occurred to him, was in the habit of saying, \"This too\nis for the best.\" In his old age he became blind; both of his hands and\nboth of his legs were amputated, and the trunk of his body was covered\nwith a sore inflammation. His scholars said to him, \"If thou art a\nrighteous man, why art thou so sorely afflicted?\"\n\n\"All this,\" he answered, \"I brought upon myself. Once I was traveling to\nthe house of my father-in-law, and I had with me thirty asses laden with\nprovisions and all manner of precious articles. A man by the wayside\ncalled to me, 'O Rabbi, assist me.' I told him to wait until I unloaded\nmy asses. When that time arrived and I had removed their burdens from my\nbeasts, I found to my sorrow that the poor man had fallen and expired. I\nthrew myself upon his body and wept bitterly. 'Let these eyes, which had\nno pity on thee, be blind,' I said; 'these hands that delayed to assist\nthee, let them be cut off, and also these feet, which did not run to aid\nthee,' And yet I was not satisfied until I prayed that my whole body\nmight be stricken with a sore inflammation. Rabbi Akiba said to me, 'Woe\nto me that I find thee in this state! But I replied, 'Happy to thee that\nthou meetest me in this state, for through this I hope that my iniquity\nmay be forgiven, and all my righteous deeds still remain recorded to\ngain me a reward of life eternal in the future world.'\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nRabbi Janay upon seeing a man bestowing alms in a public place, said,\n\"Thou hadst better not have given at all, than to have bestowed alms so\nopenly and put the poor man to shame.\"\n\n\"One should rather be thrown into a fiery furnace than be the means of\nbringing another to public shame.\"\n\nRabbi Juda said, \"No one should sit down to his own meals, until seeing\nthat all the animals dependent upon his care are provided for.\"\n\nRabbi Jochanan said that it is as pleasing in God's sight if we are kind\nand hospitable to strangers, as if we rise up early to study His law;\nbecause the former is in fact putting His law into practice. He also\nsaid, \"He who is active in kindness toward his fellows is forgiven his\nsins.\"\n\nBoth this Rabbi and Abba say it is better to lend to the poor than to\ngive to them, for it prevents them from feeling ashamed of their\npoverty, and is really a more charitable manner of aiding them. The\nRabbis have always taught that kindness is more than the mere almsgiving\nof charity, for it includes pleasant words with the more substantial\nhelp.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nRabbi Hunnah said, \"He who is proud in heart is as sinful as the\nidolater.\"\n\nRabbi Abira said, \"He who is proud shall be humbled.\"\n\nHeskaiah said, \"The prayers of a proud-hearted man are never heard.\"\n\nRabbi Ashi said, \"He who hardens his heart with pride, softens his\nbrains with the same.\"\n\nRabbi Joshua said \"Meekness is better than sacrifice\"; for is it not\nwritten, \"The sacrifices of God are a broken heart--a broken contrite\nspirit, Thou, oh Lord, will not despise?\"\n\nThe son of Rabbi Hunnah said, \"He who possesses a knowledge of God's\nlaw, without the fear of Him, is as one who has been intrusted with the\ninner keys of a treasury, but from whom the outer ones are withheld.\"\n\nRabbi Alexander said, \"He who possesses worldly wisdom and fears not the\nLord, is as one who designs building a house and completes only the\ndoor, for as David wrote in Psalm 111th, 'The beginning of wisdom is the\nfear of the Lord.'\"\n\nWhen Rabbi Jochanan was ill, his pupils visited him and asked him for a\nblessing. With his dying voice the Rabbi said, \"I pray that you may fear\nGod as you fear man.\" \"What!\" exclaimed his pupils, \"should we not fear\nGod more than man?\"\n\n\"I should be well content,\" answered the sage, \"if your actions proved\nthat you feared Him as much. When you do wrong you first make sure that\nno human eyes see you; show the same fear of God, who sees everywhere,\nand everything, at all times.\"\n\nAbba says we can show our fear of God in our intercourse with one\nanother. \"Speak pleasantly and kindly to everyone\"; he says, \"trying to\npacify anger, seeking peace, and pursuing it with your brethren and with\nall the world, and by this means you will gain that 'favor and good\nunderstanding in the sight of God and man,' which Solomon so highly\nprized.\"\n\nRabbi Jochanan had heard Rabbi Simon, son of Jochay, illustrate by a\nparable that passage of Isaiah which reads as follows: \"I, the Lord,\nlove uprightness; but hate robbery (converted) into burnt-offering.\"\n\nA king having imported certain goods upon which he laid a duty, bade his\nofficers, as they passed the custom-house, to stop and pay the usual\ntariff.\n\nGreatly astonished, his attendants addressed him thus: \"Sire! all that\nis collected belongs to your majesty; why then give what must be\neventually paid into thy treasury?\"\n\n\"Because,\" answered the monarch, \"I wish travelers to learn from the\naction I now order you to perform, how abhorrent dishonesty is in my\neyes.\"\n\nRabbi Eleazer said: \"He who is guided by righteousness and justice in\nall his doings, may justly be asserted to have copied God in His\nunbounded beneficence. For of Him (blessed be His name) we read, 'He\nloveth righteousness and justice'; that is, 'The earth is filled with\nthe loving kindness of God.'\" Might we think that to follow such a\ncourse is an easy task? No! The virtue of beneficence can be gained only\nby great efforts. Will it be difficult, however, for him that has the\nfear of God constantly before his eyes to acquire this attribute? No; he\nwill easily attain it, whose every act is done in the fear of the Lord.\n\n\"A crown of grace is the hoary head; on the way of righteousness can it\nbe found.\"\n\nSo taught Solomon in his Proverbs. Hence various Rabbis, who had\nattained an advanced age, were questioned by their pupils as to the\nprobable cause that had secured them that mark of divine favor. Rabbi\nNechumah answered that, in regard to himself, God had taken cognizance\nof three principles by which he had endeavored to guide his conduct.\n\nFirst, he had never striven to exalt his own standing by lowering that\nof his neighbor. This was agreeable to the example set by Rabbi Hunna,\nfor the latter, while bearing on his shoulders a heavy spade, was met by\nRabbi Choana Ben Chanilai, who, considering the burden derogatory to the\ndignity of so great a man, insisted upon relieving him of the implement\nand carrying it himself. But Rabbi Hunna refused, saying, \"Were this\nyour habitual calling I might permit it, but I certainly shall not\npermit another to perform an office which, if done by myself, may be\nlooked upon by some as menial.\"\n\nSecondly, he had never gone to his night's rest with a heart harboring\nill-will against his fellow-man, conformably with the practice of Mar\nZutra, who, before sleeping, offered this prayer: \"O Lord! forgive all\nthose who have done me injury.\"\n\nThirdly, he was not penurious, following the example of the righteous\nJob, of whom the sages relate that he declined to receive the change due\nhim after making a purchase.\n\nAnother Rabbi bearing also the name of Nechumah, replied to Rabbi Akiba,\nthat he believed himself to have been blessed with long life because, in\nhis official capacity, he had invariably set his face against accepting\npresents, mindful of what Solomon wrote, \"He that hateth gifts will\nlive.\" Another of his merits he conceived to be that of never resenting\nan offense; mindful of the words of Rabba, \"He who is indulgent toward\nothers' faults, will be mercifully dealt with by the Supreme Judge.\"\n\nRabbi Zera said that the merit of having reached an extreme age was in\nhis case due, under Providence, to his conduct through life. He governed\nhis household with mildness and forbearance. He refrained from advancing\nan opinion before his superiors in wisdom. He avoided rehearsing the\nword of God in places not entirely free from uncleanliness. He wore the\nphylacteries all day, that he might be reminded of his religious duties.\nHe did not make the college where sacred knowledge is taught, a place of\nconvenience, as, for instance, to sleep there, either occasionally or\nhabitually. He never rejoiced over the downfall of a fellow-mortal, nor\nwould he designate another by a name objectionable to the party\npersonally, or to the family of which he was a member.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\"Three friends,\" said the Rabbis, \"has man. God, his father, and his\nmother. He who honors his parents honors God.\"\n\nRabbi Judah said, \"Known and revealed are the ways of man. A mother\ncoaxes a child with kind words and gentle ways, gaining honor and\naffection; therefore, the Bible says, 'Honor thy father,' before 'honor\nthy mother.' But in regard to fearing, as the father is the preceptor of\nthe child, teaching it the law, the Bible says, 'Every man shall fear\nhis mother,' before the word 'father.'\"\n\nRabbi Ulah was once asked, \"How extended should be this honor due to\nparents?\"\n\nHe replied:--\n\n\"Listen, and I will tell ye how thoroughly it was observed by a heathen,\nDamah, the son of Nethina. He was a diamond merchant, and the sages\ndesired to purchase from him a jewel for the ephod of the high priest.\nWhen they reached his house, they found that the key of the safe in\nwhich the diamond was kept was in the possession of Damah's father, who\nwas sleeping. The son absolutely refused to wake his father, to obtain\nthe key, even when the sages in their impatience offered him a much\nlarger sum for the jewel than he had demanded. And further, when his\nfather awoke, and he delivered the diamond to the purchasers, and they\noffered him the larger sum which they had named, he took from it his\nfirst price, returning the balance to them, with the words, 'I will not\nprofit by the honor of my father.'\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nMan cannot always judge of man, and in the respect paid to parents by\ntheir children, earthly eyes cannot always see the truth. For instance,\na child may feed his parents on dainties, and yet deserve the punishment\nof a disrespectful son; while another may send his father to labor, and\nyet deserve reward. How may this be?\n\nA certain man placed dainty food before his father, and bade him eat\nthereof. When the father had finished his meal, he said:--\n\n\"My son, thou hast prepared for me a most delicious meal. Wherefrom\ndidst thou obtain these delicacies?\"\n\nAnd the son replied, insultingly:--\n\n\"Eat as the dogs do, old man, without asking questions.\"\n\nThat son inherited the punishment of disrespect.\n\nA certain man, a miller, had a father living with him, at the time when\nall people not working for themselves were obliged to labor a certain\nnumber of days for the government. When it came near the time when this\nservice would be required of the old man, his son said to him, \"Go thou\nand labor for me in the mill, and I will go and work for the\ngovernment.\"\n\nHe said this because they who labored for the government were beaten if\ntheir work proved unsatisfactory, and he thought \"it is better for me to\nrun the chance of being beaten than to allow my father to risk it.\"\nTherefore, he deserved the reward of the son who \"honors his father.\"\n\nRabbi Chiyah asserted that God preferred honor shown to parents, to that\ndisplayed toward Himself. \"It is written,\" said he, \"'Honor the Lord\nfrom thy wealth.' How? Through charity, good deeds, putting the mezuzah\nupon thy doorposts, making a tabernacle for thyself during Succoth,\netc.; all this if thou art able. If thou art poor the omission is not\ncounted a sin or a neglect. But it is written, 'Honor thy father and thy\nmother,' and the duty is demanded alike of rich and poor; aye, even\nshouldst thou be obliged to beg for them from door to door.\"\n\nRabbi Abahu said, \"Abini, my son, hath obeyed this precept even as it\nshould be observed.\"\n\nAbini had five children, but he would not allow any of them to open the\ndoor for their grandfather, or attend to his wants when he himself was\nat home. Even as he desired them in their lives to honor him, so he paid\nrespect to his father. Upon one occasion his father asked him for a\nglass of water. While he was procuring it the old man fell asleep, and\nAbini, re-entering the room, stood by his father's side with the glass\nin his hand until the latter awoke.\n\n\"What is fear?\" and \"What is honor?\" ask the Rabbis.\n\nFear thy mother, and thy father by sitting not in their seats and\nstanding not in their places; by paying strict attention to their words\nand interrupting not their speech. Be doubly careful not to criticise or\njudge their arguments or controversies.\n\nHonor thy father and thy mother, by attending to their wants; giving\nthem to eat and to drink; put their raiment upon them, and tie their\nshoes if they are not able to perform these services for themselves.\n\nRabbi Eleazer was asked how far honor toward parents should be extended,\nand he replied: \"Cast all thy wealth into the sea; but trouble not thy\nfather and thy mother.\"\n\nSimon, the son of Jochai, said: \"As the reward to those who honor their\nparents is great, so is the punishment equally great for those who\nneglect the precept.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nRabbi Jochanan said, \"It is best to study by night, when all is quiet;\nas it is written, 'Shout forth praises in the night.'\"\n\nReshbi Lakish said, \"Study by day and by night; as it is written, 'Thou\nshalt meditate therein day and night.'\"\n\nRabbi Chonan, of Zepora said, \"The study of the law may be compared to a\nhuge heap of dust that is to be cleared away. The foolish man says, 'It\nis impossible that I should be able to remove this immense heap, I will\nnot attempt it;' but the wise man says, 'I will remove a little to-day,\nsome more to-morrow, and more the day after, and thus in time I shall\nhave removed it all.'\n\n\"It is the same with studying the law. The indolent pupil says, 'It is\nimpossible for me to study the Bible. Just think of it, fifty chapters\nin Genesis; sixty-six in Isaiah, one hundred and fifty Psalms, etc. I\ncannot do it;' but the industrious student says, 'I will study six\nchapters every day, and so in time I shall acquire the whole.'\"\n\nIn Proverbs 24:7, we find this sentence: \"Wisdom is too high for a\nfool.\"\n\n\"Rabbi Jochanan illustrates this verse with an apple depending from the\nceiling. The foolish man says, 'I cannot reach the fruit, it is too\nhigh;' but the wise man says, 'It may be readily obtained by placing one\nstep upon another until thy arm is brought within reach of it.' The\nfoolish man says, 'Only a wise man can study the entire law,' but the\nwise man replies, 'It is not incumbent upon thee to acquire the whole.'\"\n\nRabbi Levi illustrates this by a parable.\n\nA man once hired two servants to fill a basket with water. One of them\nsaid, \"Why should I continue this useless labor? I put the water in one\nside and it immediately leaks out of the other; what profit is it?\"\n\nThe other workman, who was wise, replied, \"We have the profit of the\nreward which we receive for our labor.\"\n\nIt is the same in studying the law. One man says, \"What does it profit\nme to study the law when I must ever continue it or else forget what I\nhave learned.\" But the other man replies, \"God will reward us for the\nwill which we display even though we do forget.\"\n\nRabbi Ze-irah has said that even a single letter in the law which we\nmight deem of no importance, if wanting, would neutralize the whole law.\nIn Deuteronomy 22:17, we read, \"Neither shall he take to himself many\nwives, that his heart may turn away.\" Solomon transgressed this precept,\nand it is said by Rabbi Simon that the angels took note of his ill-doing\nand addressed the Deity: \"Sovereign of the world, Solomon has made Thy\nlaw even as a law liable to change and diminution. Three precepts he has\ndisregarded, namely, 'He shall not acquire for himself many horses';\n'neither shall he take to himself many wives'; 'nor shall he acquire to\nhimself too much silver and gold.'\" Then the Lord replied, \"Solomon will\nperish from the earth; aye, and a hundred Solomons after him, and yet\nthe smallest letter of the law shall not be dispensed with.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe Rabbis have often applied in a figurative sense, various passages of\nHoly Writ, among others the opening verse of the 55th chapter of Isaiah.\n\"Ho, every one of ye that thirsteth, come ye to the water, and he, too,\nthat hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy without money\nand without price, wine and milk.\"\n\nThe three liquids which men are thus urged to procure are considered by\nthe sages of Israel as typical of the law.\n\nOne Rabbi asked, \"Why is the word of God compared to water?\"\n\nTo this question the following answer was returned: \"As water runs down\nfrom an eminence (the mountains), and rests in a low place (the sea), so\nthe law, emanating from Heaven, can remain in the possession of those\nonly who are humble in spirit.\"\n\nAnother Rabbi inquired, \"Wherefore has the Word of God been likened to\nwine and milk?\" The reply made was, \"As these fluids cannot be preserved\nin golden vessels, but only in those of earthenware, so those minds will\nbe the best receptacles of learning which are found in homely bodies.\"\n\nRabbi Joshua ben Chaninah, who was very homely in appearance, possessed\ngreat wisdom and erudition; and one of his favorite sayings was, that\n\"though many have exhibited a vast amount of knowledge, notwithstanding\ntheir personal attractions, yet had they been less handsome, their\nacquirements might have been more extensive.\"\n\nThe precepts are compared to a lamp; the law of God to a light. The lamp\ngives light only so long as it contains oil. So he who observes the\nprecepts receives his reward while performing them. The law, however, is\na light perpetual; it is a protection forever to the one who studies it,\nas it is written:--\n\n\"When thou walkest, it (the law) will guide thee; when thou liest down,\nit will watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it will converse with\nthee.\"\n\nWhen thou walkest it will guide thee--in this world; when thou liest\ndown, it will watch over thee--in the grave; when thou awakest, it\nwill converse with thee--in the life to come.\n\nA traveler upon his journey passed through the forest upon a dark and\ngloomy night. He journeyed in dread; he feared the robbers who infested\nthe route he was traversing; he feared that he might slip and fall into\nsome unseen ditch or pitfall on the way, and he feared, too, the wild\nbeasts, which he knew were about him. By chance he discovered a pine\ntorch, and lighted it, and its gleams afforded him great relief. He no\nlonger feared brambles or pitfalls, for he could see his way before him.\nBut the dread of robbers and wild beasts was still upon him, nor left\nhim till the morning's dawn, the coming of the sun. Still he was\nuncertain of his way, until he emerged from the forest, and reached the\ncross-roads, when peace returned unto his heart.\n\nThe darkness in which the man walked was the lack of religious\nknowledge. The torch he discovered typifies God's precepts, which aided\nhim on the way until he obtained the blessed sunlight, compared to God's\nholy word, the Bible. Still, while man is in the forest (the world), he\nis not entirely at peace; his heart is weak, and he may lose the right\npath; but when he reaches the cross-roads (death), then may we proclaim\nhim truly righteous, and exclaim:--\n\n\"A good name is more fragrant than rich perfume, and the day of death is\nbetter than the day of one's birth.\"\n\nRabbi Jochanan, the son of Broka, and Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Chismah,\nvisited their teacher, Rabbi Josah, and he said to them:--\n\n\"What is the news at the college; what is going on?\"\n\n\"Nay,\" they answered, \"we are thy scholars; it is for thee to speak, for\nus to listen.\"\n\n\"Nevertheless,\" replied Rabbi Josah, \"no day passes without some\noccurrence of note at the college. Who lectured to-day?\"\n\n\"Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Azaryah.\"\n\n\"And what was his subject?\"\n\n\"He chose this verse from Deuteronomy,\" replied the scholar:--\n\n\"'Assemble the people together, the men, the women, and the children;'\nand thus he expounded it:--\n\n\"'The men came to learn, the women to listen; but wherefore the\nchildren? In order that those who brought them might receive a reward\nfor training their children in the fear of the Lord.'\n\n\"He also expounded the verse from Ecclesiastes:--\n\n\"'The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails fastened (are the\nwords of) the men of the assemblies, which are given by one shepherd.'\n\n\"'Why is the law of God compared to a goad?' he said. 'Because the goad\ncauses the ox to draw the furrow straight, and the straight furrow\nbrings forth a plenty of good food for the life of man. So does the law\nof God keep man's heart straight, that it may produce good food to\nprovide for the life eternal. But lest thou shouldst say, \"The goad is\nmovable, so therefore must the law be,\" it is also written, \"as nails,\"\nand likewise, as \"nails fastened,\" lest thou shouldst argue that nails\npounded into wood diminish from sight with each stroke, and that\ntherefore by this comparison God's law would be liable to diminution\nalso. No; as a nail fastened or planted, as a tree is planted to bring\nforth fruit and multiply.\n\n\"'The men of assemblies are those who gather in numbers to study the\nlaw. Frequently controversies arise among them, and thou mightest say,\n\"With so many differing opinions how can I settle to a study of the\nlaw?\" Thy answer is written in the words which are given by one\nshepherd. From one God have all the laws proceeded. Therefore make thy\nears as a sieve, and incline thy heart to possess all these words.'\"\n\nThen said Rabbi Josah, \"Happy the generation which Rabbi Eleazer\nteaches.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe Rabbis of Jabnah expressed their regard for all human beings,\nlearned and unlearned, in this manner:--\n\n\"I am a creature of God and so is my neighbor. He may prefer to labor in\nthe country; I prefer a calling in the city. I rise early for my\npersonal benefit; he rises early to advance his own interests. As he\ndoes not seek to supplant me, I should be careful to do naught to injure\nhis business. Shall I imagine that I am nearer to God because my\nprofession advances the cause of learning and his does not? No. Whether\nwe accomplish much good or little good, the Almighty will reward us in\naccordance with our righteous intentions.\"\n\nAbaygeh offered the following as his best advice:--\n\n\"... Let him be also affable and disposed to foster kindly feelings\nbetween all people; by so doing he will gain for himself the love both\nof the Creator and His creatures.\"\n\nRabba always said that the possession of wisdom and a knowledge of the\nlaw necessarily led to penitence and good deeds. \"For,\" said he, \"it\nwould be useless to acquire great learning and the mastery of biblical\nand traditional law and act irreverently toward one's parents, or toward\nthose superior on account of age or more extensive learning.\"\n\n\"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding\nhave all those who do God's commands.\"\n\nRabba said, \"Holy Writ does not tell us that to study God's commands\nshows a good understanding, but to do them. We must learn, however,\nbefore we can be able to perform; and he who acts contrary through life\nto the teachings of the Most High had better never have been born.\"\n\n\"The wise man is in his smallest actions great: the fool is in his\ngreatest actions small.\"\n\nA pupil once inquired of his teacher, \"What is real wisdom?\" The teacher\nreplied, \"To judge liberally, to think purely, and to love thy\nneighbor.\" Another teacher answered, \"The greatest wisdom is to know\nthyself.\"\n\n\"Beware of conceit and pride of learning; learn thy tongue to utter, 'I\ndo not know.'\"\n\nIf a man devotes himself to study, and becomes learned, to the delight\nand gratification of his teachers, and yet is modest in conversation\nwith less intelligent people, honest in his dealings, truthful in his\ndaily walks, the people say, \"Happy is the father who allowed him to\nstudy God's law; happy the teachers who instructed him in the ways of\ntruth; how beautiful are his ways; how meritorious his deeds! Of such an\none the Bible says, 'He said to me, Thou art my servant; oh, Israel,\nthrough thee am I glorified.'\"\n\nBut when a man devotes himself to study, and becomes learned, yet is\ndisdainful with those less educated than himself, and is not particular\nin his dealings with his fellows, then the people say of him, \"Woe to\nthe father who allowed him to study God's law; woe to those who\ninstructed him; how censurable is his conduct; how loathsome are his\nways! 'Tis of such an one the Bible says, 'And from his country the\npeople of the Lord departed.'\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWhen souls stand at the judgment-seat of God, the poor, the rich, and\nthe wicked each are severally asked what excuse they can offer for not\nhaving studied the law. If the poor man pleads his poverty he is\nreminded of Hillel. Though Hillel's earnings were small he gave half\neach day to gain admittance to the college.\n\nWhen the rich man is questioned, and answers that the care of his\nfortune occupied his time, he is told that Rabbi Eleazer possessed a\nthousand forests and a thousand ships, and yet abandoned all the\nluxuries of wealth and journeyed from town to town searching and\nexpounding the law.\n\nWhen the wicked man pleads temptation as an excuse for his evil course,\nhe is asked if he has been more tempted than Joseph, more cruelly tried\nthan he was, with good or evil fortune.\n\nYet though we are commanded to study God's law, we are not to make of it\na burden; neither are we to neglect for the sake of study any other duty\nor reasonable recreation. \"Why,\" once asked a pupil, \"is 'thou shalt\ngather in thy corn in its season' a Scriptural command? Would not the\npeople gather their corn when ripe as a matter of course? The command is\nsuperfluous.\"\n\n\"Not so,\" replied the Rabbis; \"the corn might belong to a man who for\nthe sake of study would neglect work. Work is holy and honorable in\nGod's sight, and He would not have men fail to perform their daily\nduties even for the study of His law.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nBless God for the good as well as for the evil. When you hear of a death\nsay, \"Blessed is the righteous Judge.\"\n\nPrayer is Israel's only weapon, a weapon inherited from its fathers, a\nweapon proved in a thousand battles. Even when the gates of prayer are\nshut in heaven, those of tears are open.\n\nWe read that in the contest with Amalek, when Moses lifted up his arms\nIsrael prevailed. Did Moses's hands affect the war, to make it or to\nbreak it? No; but while the ones of Israel look upward with humble heart\nto the Great Father in Heaven, no evil can prevail against them.\n\n\"And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole; and it came\nto pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent\nof brass he lived.\"\n\nHad the brazen serpent the power of killing or of giving life? No; but\nwhile Israel looks upward to the Great Father in Heaven, He will grant\nlife.\n\n\"Has God pleasure in the meat and blood of sacrifices?\" ask the\nprophets.\n\nNo. He has not so much ordained as permitted them. \"It is for\nyourselves,\" He says; \"not for me, that ye offer.\"\n\nA king had a son whom he daily discovered carousing with dissolute\ncompanions, eating and drinking. \"Eat at my table,\" said the king; \"eat\nand drink, my son, even as pleaseth thee; but let it be at my table, and\nnot with dissolute companions.\"\n\nThe people loved sacrificing, and they made offerings to strange gods;\ntherefore, God said to them: \"If ye will sacrifice, bring your offerings\nat least to me.\"\n\nScripture ordains that the Hebrew slave who loves his bondage shall have\nhis ears pierced against the doorpost. Why?\n\nBecause that ear heard from Sinai's heights these words: \"They are my\nservants; they shall not be sold as bondsmen.\" My servants, and not lay\nservant's servants; therefore, pierce the ear of the one who loves his\nbondage and rejects the freedom offered him.\n\nHe who sacrifices a whole offering shall be rewarded for a whole\noffering; he who offers a burnt-offering shall have the reward of a\nburnt-offering; but he who offers humility to God and man shall receive\nas great a reward as though he had offered all the sacrifices in the\nworld.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe God of Abraham will help the one who appoints a certain place to\npray to the Lord.\n\nRabbi Henah said, \"When such a man dies they will say of him, 'A pious\nman, a meek man, hath died; he followed the example of our father\nAbraham.'\"\n\nHow do we know that Abraham appointed a certain place to pray?\n\n\"Abraham rose early in the morning and went to the place where he stood\nbefore the Lord.\"\n\nRabbi Chelboh said, \"We should not hurry when we leave a place of\nworship.\"\n\n\"This,\" said Abayyeh, \"is in reference to leaving a place of worship;\nbut we should certainly hasten on our way thither, as it is written,\n'Let us know and hasten to serve the Lord.'\"\n\nRabbi Zabid said, \"When I used to see the Rabbis hurrying to a lecture\nin their desire to obtain good seats, I thought to myself, 'they are\nviolating the Sabbath.' When, however, I heard Rabbi Tarphon say, 'One\nshould always hasten to perform a commandment even on the Sabbath,' as\nit is written, 'They shall follow after the Lord when He roareth like a\nlion,' I hurried also, in order to be early in attendance.\"\n\nThat place wherein we can best pray to God is His house; as it is\nwritten:--\n\n\"To listen to the praises and prayers which Thy servant prays before\nThee.\" Alluding to the service in the house of God.\n\nSaid Rabin, the son of Ada, \"Whence do we derive the tradition, that\nwhen ten men are praying in the house of God the Divine Presence rests\namong them?\n\n\"It is written, 'God stands in the assembly of the mighty.' That an\nassembly or congregation consists of not less than ten, we learn from\nGod's words to Moses in regard to the spies who were sent out to view\nthe land of Canaan. 'How long,' said he, 'shall indulgence be given to\nthis evil congregation?' Now the spies numbered twelve men; but Joshua\nand Caleb being true and faithful, there remained but ten to form the\n'evil congregation.'\"\n\n\"Whence do we derive the tradition that when even one studies the law,\nthe Divine Presence rests with him?\"\n\n\"It is written, 'In every place where I shall permit my name to be\nmentioned, I will come unto thee and I will bless thee.'\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nFour biblical characters offered up their prayers in a careless,\nunthinking manner; three of them God prospered; the other met with\nsorrow. They were, Eleazer, the servant of Abraham; Caleb, the son of Ye\nPhunneh; Saul, the son of Kish; and Jephtah the Giladite.\n\nEleazer prayed, \"Let it come to pass that the maiden to whom I shall\nsay, 'Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink'; and she\nshall say, 'Drink, and to thy camels also will I give drink'; shall be\nthe one Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac.\"\n\nSuppose a slave had appeared and answered all the requirement which\nEleazer proposed, would Abraham and Isaac have been satisfied? But God\nprospered his mission, and \"Rebecca came out.\"\n\nCaleb said, \"He that will smite Kiryath-sepher, and capture it, to him\nwill I give Achsah, my daughter, for wife.\"\n\nWould he have given his daughter to a slave or a heathen?\n\nBut God prospered him, and \"Othniel, the son of Keuaz, Caleb's younger\nbrother, conquered it, and he gave him Achsah, his daughter, for wife.\"\n\nSaul said, \"And it shall be that the man who killeth him (Goliath) will\nthe king enrich with great riches, and his daughter will he give him.\"\n\nHe ran the same risk as Caleb, and God was good to him also; and David,\nthe son of Jesse, accomplished that for which he had prayed.\n\nJephtah expressed himself thus: \"If thou wilt indeed deliver the\nchildren of Amon into my hand, then shall it be that whatsoever cometh\nforth out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace\nfrom the children of Amon, shall belong to the Lord, and I will offer it\nup for a burnt-offering.\"\n\nSupposing an ass, or a dog, or a cat, had first met him upon his return,\nwould he have sacrificed it for a burnt-offering? God did not prosper\nthis risk, and the Bible says, \"And Jephtah came to Mizpah unto his\nhouse, and behold his daughter came out to meet him.\"\n\nSaid Rabbi Simon ben Jochai, \"The requests of three persons were granted\nbefore they had finished their prayers--Eleazer, Moses, and Solomon.\n\n\"In regard to Eleazer we learn, 'And before he had yet finished speaking\nthat, behold Rebecca came out.'\n\n\"In regard to Moses, we find, 'And it came to pass when he had made an\nend of speaking all these words, that the ground that was under them was\ncloven asunder, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them.'\"\n(Korach and his company.)\n\n\"In regard to Solomon, we find, 'And just when Solomon had made an end\nof praying, a fire came down,'\" etc.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nRabbi Jochanan said in the name of Rabbi Joseh, \"To those who delight in\nthe Sabbath shall God give inheritance without end. As it is written,\n'Then shalt thou find delight in the Lord,' etc. 'And I will cause thee\nto enjoy the inheritance of Jacob, thy father.' Not as it was promised\nto Abraham, 'Arise and walk through the land to its length and breadth.'\nNot as it was promised to Isaac, 'I will give thee all that this land\ncontains'; but as it was promised to Jacob, 'And thou shalt spread\nabroad, to the West, and to the East, to the North, and to the South.'\"\n\nRabbi Jehudah said that if the Israelites had strictly observed the\nfirst Sabbath, after the command to sanctify the seventh day had been\ngiven, they would have been spared captivity; as it is written, \"And it\ncame to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some of the people\nto gather (the Mannah), but they found nothing.\" And in the next chapter\nwe find, \"Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nOne Joseph, a Jew, who honored the Sabbath, had a very rich neighbor,\nwho was a firm believer in astrology. He was told by one of the\nprofessional astrologers that his wealth would become Joseph's. He\ntherefore sold his estate, and bought with the proceeds a large diamond,\nwhich he sewed in his turban, saying, \"Joseph can never obtain this.\" It\nso happened, however, that while standing one day upon the deck of a\nship in which he was crossing the sea, a heavy wind arose and carried\nthe turban from his head. A fish swallowed the diamond, and being caught\nand exposed for sale in the market, was purchased by Joseph to supply\nhis table on the Sabbath eve. Of course, upon opening it he discovered\nthe diamond.\n\nRabbi Ishmael, the son of Joshua, was asked, \"How did the rich people of\nthe land of Israel become so wealthy?\" He answered, \"They gave their\ntithes in due season, as it is written, 'Thou shalt give tithes, in\norder that thou mayest become rich.'\" \"But,\" answered his questioner,\n\"tithes were given to the Levites, only while the holy temple existed.\nWhat merit did they possess while they dwelt in Babel, that they became\nwealthy there also?\" \"Because,\" replied the Rabbi, \"they honored the\nHoly Law by expounding it.\" \"But in other countries, where they did not\nexpound the Law, how did they deserve wealth?\" \"By honoring the\nSabbath,\" was the answer.\n\nRabbi Achiya, the son of Abah, said, \"I sojourned once in Ludik, and was\nentertained by a certain wealthy man on the Sabbath day. The table was\nspread with a sumptuous repast, and the dishes were of silver and gold.\nBefore making a blessing over the meal the master of the house said,\n'Unto the Lord belongeth the earth, with all that it contains.' After\nthe blessing he said, 'The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the\nearth hath He given to the children of men.' I said to my host, 'I trust\nyou will excuse me, my dear sir, if I take the liberty of asking you how\nyou have merited this prosperity?' He answered, 'I was formerly a\nbutcher, and I always selected the finest cattle to be killed for the\nSabbath, in order that the people might have the best meat on that day.\nTo this, I believe firmly, I owe my prosperity.' I replied, 'Blessed be\nthe Lord, that He hath given thee all this.'\"\n\nThe Governor Turnusrupis once asked Rabbi Akiba, \"What is this day you\ncall the Sabbath more than any other day?\" The Rabbi responded, \"What\nart thou more than any other person?\" \"I am superior to others,\" he\nreplied, \"because the emperor has appointed me governor over them.\"\n\nThen said Akiba, \"The Lord our God, who is greater than your emperor,\nhas appointed the Sabbath day to be holier than the other days.\"\n\nWhen man leaves the synagogue for his home an angel of good and an angel\nof evil accompany him. If he finds the table spread in his house, the\nSabbath lamps lighted, and his wife and children in festive garments\nready to bless the holy day of rest, then the good angel says:--\n\n\"May the next Sabbath and all thy Sabbaths be like this. Peace unto this\ndwelling, peace;\" and the angel of evil is forced to say, \"Amen!\"\n\nBut if the house is not ready, if no preparations have been made to\ngreet the Sabbath, if no heart within the dwelling has sung, \"Come, my\nbeloved, to meet the bride; the presence of the Sabbath let us receive;\"\nthen the angel of evil speaks and says:--\n\n\"May all thy Sabbaths be like this;\" and the weeping angel of goodness,\nresponds, \"Amen!\"\n\nSamson sinned against the Lord through his eyes, as it is written, \"I\nhave seen a woman of the daughters of the Philistines.... This one take\nfor me, for she pleaseth in my eyes.\" Therefore through his eyes was he\npunished, as it is written, \"And the Philistines seized him, and put out\nhis eyes.\"\n\nAbshalom was proud of his hair. \"And like Abshalom there was no man as\nhandsome in all Israel, so that he was greatly praised; from the sole of\nhis foot up to the crown of his head there was no blemish on him. And\nwhen he shaved off the hair of his head, and it was at the end of every\nyear that he shaved it off, because it was too heavy on him so that he\nhad to shave it off, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred\nshekels by the king's weight.\" Therefore by his hair was he hanged.\n\nMiriam waited for Moses one hour (when he was in the box of bulrushes).\nTherefore the Israelites waited for Miriam seven days, when she became\nleprous. \"And the people did not set forward until Miriam was brought in\nagain.\"\n\nJoseph buried his father. \"And Joseph went up to bury his father.\" There\nwas none greater among the children of Israel than Joseph. Moses\nexcelled him afterward, however; therefore we find, \"And Moses took the\nbones of Joseph with him.\" But the world has seen none greater than\nMoses, therefore 'tis written, \"And He (God) buried him in the valley.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWhen trouble and sorrow become the portion of Israel, and the\nfainthearted separate from their people, two angels lay their hands upon\nthe head of him who withdraws, saying, \"This one shall not see the\ncomfort of the congregation.\"\n\nWhen trouble comes to the congregation it is not right for a man to say,\n\"I will go home; I will eat and drink; and things shall be peaceful to\nme;\" 'tis of such a one that the holy book speaks, saying, \"And behold\nthere is gladness and joy; slaying of oxen, and killing of sheep; eating\nof flesh, and drinking of wine. 'Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we\nmust die.' And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord of Hosts; surely\nthe iniquity shall not be forgiven ye until ye die.\"\n\nOur teacher, Moses, always bore his share in the troubles of the\ncongregation, as it is written, \"They took a stone and put it under\nhim.\" Could they not have given him a chair or a cushion? But then he\nsaid, \"Since the Israelites are in trouble (during the war with Amalek)\nlo, I will bear my part with them, for he who bears his portion of the\nburden will live to enjoy the hour of consolation. Woe to the one who\nthinks, 'Ah, well, I will neglect my duty; who can know whether I bear\nmy part or not;' even the stones of his house, aye, the limbs of the\ntrees, shall testify against him, as it is written, 'For the stones will\ncry from the wall, and the limbs of the trees will testify.'\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nRabbi Meir said, \"When a man teaches his son a trade, he should pray to\nthe Possessor of the world, the Dispenser of wealth and poverty; for in\nevery trade and pursuit of life both the rich and the poor are to be\nfound. It is folly for one to say, 'This is a bad trade, it will not\nafford me a living;' because he will find many well to do in the same\noccupation. Neither should a successful man boast and say, 'This is a\ngreat trade, a glorious art, it has made me wealthy;' because many\nworking in the same line as himself have found but poverty. Let all\nremember that everything is through the infinite mercy and wisdom of\nGod.\"\n\nRabbi Simon, the son of Eleazer, said, \"Hast thou ever noted the fowls\nof the air and beasts of the field how easily their maintenance is\nprovided for them; and yet they were only created to serve me. Now\nshould not I find a livelihood with even less trouble, for I was made to\nserve my fellow-creatures? But, alas! I sinned against my Creator,\ntherefore am I punished with poverty and obliged to labor.\"\n\nRabbi Judah said, \"Most mule-drivers are cruel. They beat their poor\nbeasts unmercifully. Most camel-drivers are upright. They travel through\ndeserts and dangerous places, and have time for meditation and thoughts\nof God. The majority of seamen are religious. Their daily peril makes\nthem so. The best doctors are deserving of punishment. In the pursuit of\nknowledge they experiment on their patients, and often with fatal\nresults. The best of butchers deserve to be rated with the Amalekites,\nthey are accustomed to blood and cruelty; as it is written of the\nAmalekites, 'How he met thee by the way and smote the hindmost of thee,\nand that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary.'\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nMan is born with his hands clenched; he dies with his hands wide open.\nEntering life he desires to grasp everything; leaving the world, all\nthat he possessed has slipped away.\n\nEven as a fox is man; as a fox which seeing a fine vineyard lusted after\nits grapes. But the palings were placed at narrow distances, and the fox\nwas too bulky to creep between them. For three days he fasted, and when\nhe had grown thin he entered into the vineyard. He feasted upon the\ngrapes, forgetful of the morrow, of all things but his enjoyment; and\nlo, he had again grown stout and was unable to leave the scene of his\nfeast. So for three days more he fasted, and when he had again grown\nthin, he passed through the palings and stood outside the vineyard,\nmeagre as when he entered.\n\nSo with man; poor and naked he enters the world, poor and naked does he\nleave.\n\nAlexander wandered to the gates of Paradise and knocked for entrance.\n\n\"Who knocks?\" demanded the guardian angel.\n\n\"Alexander.\"\n\n\"Who is Alexander?\"\n\n\"Alexander--the Alexander--Alexander the Great--the conqueror of the\nworld.\"\n\n\"We know him not,\" replied the angel; \"this is the Lord's gate, only the\nrighteous enter here.\"\n\nAlexander begged for something to prove that he had reached the gates of\nParadise, and a small piece of a skull was given to him. He showed it to\nhis wise men, who placed it in one scale of a balance, Alexander poured\ngold and silver into the other scale, but the small bone weighed\nheavier; he poured in more, adding his crown jewels, his diadem; but\nstill the bone outweighed them all. Then one of the wise men, taking a\ngrain of dust from the ground placed that upon the bone, and lo, the\nscale flew up.\n\nThe bone was that which surrounds the eye of man; the eye of man which\nnaught can satisfy save the dust which covers it in the grave.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWhen the righteous dies, 'tis earth that meets with loss. The jewel will\never be a jewel, but it has passed from the possession of its former\nowner. Well may the loser weep.\n\nLife is a passing shadow, say the Scriptures. The shadow of a tower or a\ntree; the shadow which prevails for a time? No; even as the shadow of a\nbird in its flight, it passeth from our sight, and neither bird nor\nshadow remains.\n\n\"My lover goes down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to wander\nabout in the garden and pluck roses.\" (Song of Songs).\n\nThe world is the garden of my lover, and he my lover is the King of\nkings. Like a bed of fragrant spices is Israel, the sweet savour of\npiety ascends on high, the perfume of learning lingers on the passing\nbreeze, and the bed of beauty is fenced round by gentle peace. The\nplants flourish and put forth leaves, leaves giving grateful shelter to\nthose who suffer from the heats and disappointment of life, and my lover\nseeking the most beautiful blossom, plucks the roses, the students of\nthe law, whose belief is their delight.\n\nWhen the devouring flames seize upon the cedar, shall not the lowly\nhyssop fear and tremble? When anglers draw the great leviathan from his\nmighty deeps, what hope have the fish of the shallow pond? When the\nfishing-line is dropped into the dashing torrent, can they feel secure,\nthe waters of the purling brook?\n\nMourn for those who are left; mourn not for the one taken by God from\nearth. He has entered into the eternal rest, while we are bowed with\nsorrow.\n\nRabbi Akiba was once traveling through the country, and he had with him\nan ass, a rooster, and a lamp.\n\nAt nightfall he reached a village where he sought shelter for the night\nwithout success.\n\n\"All that God does is done well,\" said the Rabbi, and proceeding toward\nthe forest he resolved to pass the night there. He lit his lamp, but the\nwind extinguished it. \"All that God does is done well,\" he said. The ass\nand the rooster were devoured by wild beasts; yet still he said no more\nthan \"All that God does is done well.\"\n\nNext day he learned that a troop of the enemy's soldiers had passed\nthrough the forest that night. If the ass had brayed, if the rooster had\ncrowed, or if the soldiers had seen his light he would surely have met\nwith death, therefore he said again, \"All that God does is done well.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nOnce when Rabbi Gamliel, Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Azaria, Rabbi Judah,\nand Rabbi Akiba were walking together, they heard the shouts and\nlaughter and joyous tones of a multitude of people at a distance. Four\nof the Rabbis wept; but Akiba laughed aloud.\n\n\"Akiba,\" said the others to him, \"wherefore laugh? These heathens who\nworship idols live in peace, and are merry, while our holy city lies in\nruins; weep, do not laugh.\"\n\n\"For that very reason I laugh, and am glad,\" answered Rabbi Akiba. \"If\nGod allows those who transgress His will to live happily on earth, how\ninfinitely great must be the happiness which He has stored up in the\nworld to come for those who observe His commands.\"\n\nUpon another occasion these same Rabbis went up to Jerusalem. When they\nreached Mount Zophim and saw the desolation about them they rent their\ngarments, and when they reached the spot where the Temple had stood and\nsaw a fox run out from the very site of the holy of holies four of them\nwept bitterly; but again Rabbi Akiba appeared merry. His comrades again\nrebuked him for this, to them, unseemly state of feeling.\n\n\"Ye ask me why I am merry,\" said he; \"come now, tell me why ye weep?\"\n\n\"Because the Bible tells us that a stranger (one not descended from\nAaron) who approaches the holy of holies shall be put to death, and now\nbehold the foxes make of it a dwelling-place. Why should we not weep?\"\n\n\"Ye weep,\" returned Akiba, \"from the very reason which causes my heart\nto be glad. Is it not written, 'And testify to me, ye faithful\nwitnesses, Uriah, the priest, and Zachariah, the son of Berachiahu?' Now\nwhat hath Uriah to do with Zachariah? Uriah lived during the existence\nof the first Temple, and Zachariah during the second. Know ye not that\nthe prophecy of Uriah is compared to the prophecy of Zachariah. From\nUriah's prophecy we find, 'Therefore for your sake Zion will be plowed\nas is a field, and Jerusalem will be a desolation, and the mount of Zion\nshall be as a forest;' and in Zachariah we find, 'They will sit, the old\nmen and women, in the streets of Jerusalem.' Before the prophecy of\nUriah was accomplished I might have doubted the truth of Zachariah's\ncomforting words; but now that one has been accomplished, I feel assured\nthat the promises to Zachariah will also come to pass, therefore am I\nglad.\"\n\n\"Thy words comfort us, Akiba,\" answered his companions. \"May God ever\nprovide us comfort.\"\n\nStill another time, when Rabbi Eleazer was very sick and his friends and\nscholars were weeping for him, Rabbi Akiba appeared happy, and asked\nthem why they wept. \"Because,\" they replied, \"our beloved Rabbi is lying\nbetween life and death.\" \"Weep not, on the contrary be glad therefor,\"\nhe answered. \"If his wine did not grow sour, if his flag was not\nstricken down, I might think that on earth he received the reward of his\nrighteousness; but now that I see my teacher suffering for what evil he\nmay have committed in this world, I rejoice. He hath taught us that the\nmost righteous among us commit some sin, therefore in the world to come\nhe will have peace.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWhile Rabbi Eleazer was sick, the four elders, Rabbi Tarphon, Rabbi\nJoshua, Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Azoria, and Rabbi Akiba, called upon\nhim.\n\n\"Thou art better to Israel than the raindrops to earth, or the raindrops\nare for this world only, while thou, my teacher, have helped the\nripening of fruit for this world and the next,\" said Rabbi Tarphon.\n\n\"Thou art better to Israel than the sun, for the sun is for this world\nalone; thou hast given light for this world and the next,\" said Rabbi\nJoshua.\n\nThen spoke Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Azoria:--\n\n\"Thou art better to Israel,\" said he, \"than father and mother to man.\nThey bring him into the world, but thou, my teacher, showest him the way\ninto the world of Immortality.\"\n\nThen said Rabbi Akiba:--\n\n\"It is well that man should be afflicted, for his distresses atone for\nhis sins.\"\n\n\"Does the Bible make such an assertion, Akiba?\" asked his teacher.\n\n\"Yes,\" answered Akiba. \"'Twelve years old was Manassah when he became\nking, and fifty-and-five years did he reign in Jerusalem, and he did\nwhat was evil in the eyes of the Lord' (Kings). Now, how was this? Did\nHezekiah teach the law to the whole world and not to his son Manassah?\nAssuredly not; but Manassah paid no attention to his precepts, and\nneglected the word of God until he was afflicted with bodily pain, as it\nis written, 'And the Lord spoke to Manassah and to his people, but they\nlistened not, wherefore the Lord brought over them the captains of the\narmies belonging to the king of Assyria, and they took Manassah prisoner\nwith chains, and bound him with fetters, and led him off to Babylon; and\nwhen he was in distress he besought the Lord his God, and humbled\nhimself greatly before the God of his fathers. And he prayed to Him, and\nHe permitted Himself to be entreated by him and heard his supplication,\nand brought him back to Jerusalem unto his kingdom. Then did Manassah\nfeel conscious that the Lord is indeed the (true) God.'\n\n\"Now, what did the king of Assyria to Manassah? He placed him in a\ncopper barrel and had a fire kindled beneath it, and while enduring\ngreat torture of his body, Manassah was further tortured in his mind.\n'Shall I call upon the Almighty?' he thought. 'Alas! His anger burns\nagainst me. To call upon my idols is to call in vain,--alas, alas, what\nhope remains to me!'\n\n\"He prayed to the greatest of his idols, and waited in vain for a reply.\nHe called to the lesser gods, and remained unanswered. Then with\ntrembling heart he addressed the great Eternal.\n\n\"'O Eternal! God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their descendants,\nthe heavens and the earth are the works of Thy hand. Thou didst give to\nthe sea a shore, controlling with a word the power of the mighty deep.\nThou art merciful as Thou art great, and Thou hast promised to accept\nthe repentance of those who return to Thee with upright hearts. As\nnumerous are my sins as the sands which cover the seashore. I have done\nevil before Thee, committing abominations in Thy presence and acting\nwickedly. Bound with fetters I come before Thee, and on my knees I\nentreat Thee, in the name of Thy great attributes of mercy, to\ncompassionate my suffering and my distress. Pardon me, O Lord, forgive\nme. Do not utterly destroy me because of my transgressions. Let not my\npunishment eternally continue. Though I am unworthy of Thy goodness, O\nLord, yet save me in Thy mercy. Henceforth will I praise Thy name all\nthe days of my life, for all Thy creatures delight in praising Thee, and\nunto Thee is the greatness and the goodness forever and ever, Selah!'\"\n\n\"God heard this prayer, even as it is written, 'And He permitted Himself\nto be entreated by him, and brought him back to Jerusalem unto his\nkingdom.'\"\n\n\"From which we may learn,\" continued Akiba, \"that affliction is an\natonement for sin.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nSaid Rabbi Eleazer, the great, \"It is commanded 'thou shalt love the\nLord thy God with all thy soul and with all that is loved by thee.'\n\n\"Does not 'with all thy soul' include 'with all that is loved by thee?'\n\n\"Some people love themselves more than they love their money; to them\n'tis said, 'with all thy soul;' while for those who love their money\nmore than themselves the commandment reads, 'with all that is loved by\nthee.'\"\n\nBut Rabbi Akiba always expounded the words, \"with all thy soul,\" to mean\n\"even though thy life be demanded of thee.\"\n\nWhen the decree was issued forbidding the Israelites to study the law,\nwhat did Rabbi Akiba?\n\nHe installed many congregations secretly, and in secret lectured before\nthem.\n\nThen Papus, the son of Juda said to him:--\n\n\"Art not afraid, Akiba? Thy doings may be discovered, and thou wilt be\npunished for disobeying the decree.\"\n\n\"Listen, and I will relate to thee a parable,\" answered Akiba. \"A fox,\nwalking by the river side, noticed the fishes therein swimming and\nswimming to and fro, never ceasing; so he said to them, 'Why are ye\nhurrying, what do ye fear?'\n\n\"'The nets of the angler,' they replied.\n\n\"'Come, then,' said the fox, 'and live with me on dry land.'\n\n\"But the fishes laughed.\n\n\"'And art thou called the wisest of the beasts?' they exclaimed; 'verily\nthou art the most foolish. If we are in danger even in our element, how\nmuch greater would be our risk in leaving it.'\n\n\"It is the same with us. We are told of the law that it is 'our life and\nthe prolongation of our days.' This is it when things are peaceful with\nus; how much greater is our need of it then in times like these?\"\n\nIt is said that it was but shortly after this when Rabbi Akiba was\nimprisoned for teaching the law, and in the prison in which he was\nincarcerated he found Papus, who had been condemned for some other\noffense.\n\nRabbi Akiba said to him:--\n\n\"Papus, what brought thee here?\"\n\nAnd Papus replied:--\n\n\"Joy, joy, to thee, that thou art imprisoned for studying God's law; but\nwoe, woe is mine that I am here through vanity.\"\n\nWhen Rabbi Akiba was led forth to execution, it was just at the time of\nthe morning service.\n\n\"'Hear, O Israel! the Lord our God, the Lord is one,'\" he exclaimed in a\nloud and firm voice.\n\nThe torturers tore his flesh with pointed cards, yet still he repeated,\n\"The Lord is one.\"\n\n\"Always did I say,\" he continued, \"that 'with all thy soul,' meant even\nthough life should be demanded of thee, and I wondered whether I should\never be able to so observe it. Now see, to-day, I do so; 'the Lord is\none.'\"\n\nWith these word he died.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nElishah ben Abuyah, a most learned man, became in after-life an\napostate. Rabbi Meir had been one of his pupils, and he never failed in\nthe great love which he bore for his teacher.\n\nIt happened upon one occasion when Rabbi Meir was lecturing in the\ncollege, that some students entered and said to him:--\n\n\"Thy teacher, Elishah, is riding by on horseback on this holy Sabbath\nday.\"\n\nRabbi Meir left the college, and overtaking Elishah walked along by his\nhorse's side.\n\nThe latter saluted him, and asked:--\n\n\"What passage of Scripture hast thou been expounding?\"\n\n\"From the book of Job,\" replied Rabbi Meir. \"'The Lord blessed the\nlatter days of Job more than the beginning.'\"\n\n\"And how didst thou explain the verse?\" said Elishah.\n\n\"That the Lord increased his wealth twofold.\"\n\n\"But thy teacher, Akiba, said not so,\" returned Elishah. \"He said that\nthe Lord blessed the latter days of Job with twofold of penitence and\ngood deeds.\"\n\n\"How,\" inquired Rabbi Meir, \"wouldst thou explain the verse, 'Better is\nthe end of a thing than the beginning thereof.' If a man buys\nmerchandise in his youth and meets with losses, is it likely that he\nwill recover his substance in old age? Or, if a person studies God's law\nin his youth and forgets it, is it probable that it will return to his\nmemory in his latter days?\"\n\n\"Thy teacher, Akiba, said not so,\" replied Elishah; \"he explained the\nverse, 'Better is the end of a thing when the beginning was good.' My\nown life proves the soundness of this explanation. On the day when I was\nadmitted into the covenant of Abraham, my father made a great feast.\nSome of his visitors sang, some of them danced, but the Rabbis conversed\nupon God's wisdom and His laws. This latter pleased my father, Abuyah,\nand he said, 'When my son grows up ye shall teach him and he shall\nbecome like ye; he did not cause me to study for God's sake but only to\nmake his name famous through me. Therefore, in my latter days have I\nbecome wicked and an apostate; and now, return home.'\"\n\n\"And wherefore?\"\n\n\"Because, on the Sabbath day, thou art allowed to go so far and no\nfarther, and I have reckoned the distance thou hast traveled with me by\nthe footsteps of my horse.\"\n\n\"If thou art so wise,\" said Rabbi Meir, \"as to reckon the distance I may\ntravel by the footsteps of thy horse, and so particular for my sake, why\nnot return to God and repent of thy apostacy?\"\n\nElishah answered:--\n\n\"It is not in my power. I rode upon horseback once on the Day of\nAtonement; yea, when it fell upon the Sabbath, and when I passed the\nsynagogue I heard a voice crying, 'Return, oh backsliding children,\nreturn to me and I will return to ye; except Elishah, the son of Abuyah,\nhe knew his Master and yet rebelled against Him.'\"\n\nWhat caused such a learned man as Elishah to turn to evil ways?\n\nIt is reported that once while studying the law in the vale of Genusan,\nhe saw a man climbing a tree. The man found a bird's-nest in the tree,\nand taking the mother with the young ones he still departed in peace. He\nsaw another man who finding a bird's-nest followed the Bible's command\nand took the young only, allowing the mother to fly away; and yet a\nserpent stung him as he descended, and he died. \"Now,\" thought he,\n\"where is the Bible's truth and promises? Is it not written, 'And the\nyoung thou mayest take to thyself, but the mother thou shalt surely let\ngo, that it may be well with thee and that thou mayest live many days.'\nNow, where is the long life to this man who followed the precept, while\nthe one who transgressed it is unhurt?\"\n\nHe had not heard how Rabbi Akiba expounded this verse, that the days\nwould be long in the future world where all is happiness.\n\nThere is also another reason given as the cause for Elishah's\nbacksliding and apostacy.\n\nDuring the fearful period of religious persecution, the learned Rabbi\nJudah, whose life had been passed in the study of the law and the\npractice of God's precepts, was delivered into the power of the cruel\ntorturer. His tongue was placed in a dog's mouth and the dog bit it off.\n\nSo Elishah said, \"If a tongue which uttered naught but truth be so used,\nand a learned, wise man be so treated, of what use is it to avoid having\na lying tongue and being ignorant. Lo, if these things are allowed,\nthere is surely no reward for the righteous, and no resurrection for the\ndead.\"\n\nWhen Elishah waxed old he was taken sick, and Rabbi Meir, learning of\nthe illness of his aged teacher, called upon him.\n\n\"Oh return, return unto thy God.\" entreated Rabbi Meir.\n\n\"What!\" exclaimed Elishah, \"return! and could He receive my penitence,\nthe penitence of an apostate who has so rebelled against Him?\"\n\n\"Is it not written,\" said Meir, \"'Thou turnest man to contrition?' No\nmatter how the soul of man may be crushed, he can still turn to his God\nand find relief.\"\n\nElishah listened to these words, wept bitterly and died. Not many years\nafter his death his daughters came, poverty stricken, asking relief from\nthe colleges. \"Remember,\" said they, \"the merit of our father's\nlearning, not his conduct.\"\n\nThe colleges listened to the appeal and supported the daughters of\nElishah.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nRabbi Judah, Rabbi Joseh, and Rabbi Simon were conversing one day, when\nJudah ben Gerim entered the apartment and sat down with the three. Rabbi\nJudah was speaking in a complimentary strain of the Gentiles (Romans).\n\"See,\" said he, \"how they have improved their cities, how beautiful they\nhave made them, and how much they have done for the comfort and\nconvenience of the citizens; bath-houses, bridges, fine broad streets,\nsurely much credit is due them.\"\n\n\"Nay,\" answered Rabbi Simon, \"all that they have done has been from a\nselfish motive. The bridges bring them in a revenue, for all who use\nthem are taxed; the bath-houses are for their personal adornment--'tis\nall selfishness, not patriotism.\"\n\nJudah ben Gerim repeated these remarks to his friends, and finally they\nreached the ears of the emperor. He would not allow them to pass\nunnoticed. He ordered that Judah, who had spoken well of the nation,\nshould be advanced in honor; that Joseh, who had remained silent instead\nof seconding the assertions, should be banished to Zipore; and that\nSimon, who had disputed the compliment, should be put to death.\n\nThe latter with his son fled and concealed himself in the college when\nthis fiat became known to him. For some time he remained there\ncomparatively safe, his wife bringing his meals daily. But when the\nofficers were directed to make diligent search he became afraid, lest\nthrough the indiscretion of his wife his place of concealment might be\ndiscovered.\n\n\"The mind of woman is weak and unsteady,\" said he, \"perhaps they may\nquestion and confuse her, and thus may death come upon me.\"\n\nSo leaving the city, Simon and his son took refuge in a lonely cave.\nNear its mouth some fruit trees grew, supplying them with food, and a\nspring of pure water bubbled from rocks in the immediate vicinity. For\nthirteen years Rabbi Simon lived here, until the emperor died and his\ndecrees were repealed. He then returned to the city.\n\nWhen Rabbi Phineas, his son-in-law, heard of his return, he called upon\nhim at once, and noticing an apparent neglect in the mental and physical\ncondition of his relative, he exclaimed, \"Woe, woe! that I meet thee in\nso sad a condition!\"\n\nBut Rabbi Simon answered:--\n\n\"Not so; happy is it that thou findest me in this condition, for thou\nfindest me no less righteous than before. God has preserved me, and my\nfaith in Him, and thus hereafter shall I explain the verse of Scripture,\n'And Jacob came perfect.' Perfect in his physical condition, perfect in\nhis temporal condition, and perfect in his knowledge of God.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nAntoninus, in conversing with Rabbi Judah, said to him:\n\n\"In the future world, when the soul comes before the Almighty Creator\nfor judgment, may it not find a plea of excuse for worldly wickedness in\nsaying, 'Lo, the sin is the body's; I am now free from the body; the\nsins were not mine'?\"\n\nRabbi Judah answered, \"Let me relate to thee a parable. A king had an\norchard of fine figs, which he prized most highly. That the fruit might\nnot be stolen or abused, he placed two watchers in the orchard, and that\nthey themselves might not be tempted to partake of the fruit, he chose\none of them a blind man, and the other one lame. But lo, when they were\nin the orchard, the lame man said to his companion, 'I see very fine\nfigs; they are luscious and tempting; carry me to the tree, that we may\nboth partake of them.'\n\n\"So the blind man carried the lame man, and they ate of the figs.\n\n\"When the king entered the orchard he noticed at once that his finest\nfigs were missing, and he asked the watchers what had become of them.\n\n\"The blind man answered:--\n\n\"'I know not. I could not steal them; I am blind; I cannot even see\nthem.'\n\n\"And the lame man answered:--\n\n\"'Neither could I steal them; I could not approach the tree.'\n\n\"But the king was wise, and he answered:--\n\n\"'Lo, the blind carried the lame,' and he punished them accordingly.\n\n\"So it is with us. The world is the orchard in which The Eternal King\nhas placed us, to keep watch and ward, to till its soil and care for its\nfruit. But the soul and body are the man; if one violates the precepts,\nso does the other, and after death the soul may not say, 'It is the\nfault of the body to which I was tied that I committed sins;' no, God\nwill do as did the owner of the orchard, as it is written:--\n\n\"'He shall call from the heaven above, and to the earth to judge his\npeople.'\n\n\"He shall call from the 'heaven above,' which is the soul, and to the\n'earth below', which is the body, mixing with the dust from whence it\nsprung.\"\n\nA heathen said to Rabbi Joshua, \"Thou believest that God knows the\nfuture?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" replied the Rabbi.\n\n\"Then,\" said the questioner, \"wherefore is it written, 'The Lord said, I\nwill destroy everything which I have made, because it repenteth me that\nI have made them'? Did not the Lord foresee that man would become\ncorrupt?\"\n\nThen said Rabbi Joshua, \"Hast thou children?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" was the answer.\n\n\"When a child was born, what didst thou?\"\n\n\"I made a great rejoicing.\"\n\n\"What cause hadst thou to rejoice? Dost thou not know that they must\ndie?\"\n\n\"Yes, that is true; but in the time of enjoyment I do not think of the\nfuture.\"\n\n\"So was it with God,\" said Rabbi Joshua. \"He knew that men would sin;\nstill that knowledge did not prevent the execution of his beneficent\npurpose to create them.\"\n\nOne of the emperors said to Rabon Gamliel:--\n\n\"Your God is a thief, as it is written, 'And the Lord God caused a deep\nsleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. And He took a rib from Adam.'\"\n\nThe Rabbi's daughter said, \"Let me answer this aspersion. Last night\nrobbers broke into my room, and stole therefrom a silver vessel: but\nthey left a golden one in its stead.\"\n\nThe emperor replied, \"I wish that such thieves would come every night.\"\n\nThus was it with Adam; God took a rib from him, but placed a woman\ninstead of it.\n\nRabbi Joshua, of Saknin, said in the name of Rabbi Levi, \"The Lord\nconsidered from what part of the man he should form woman; not from the\nhead, lest she should be proud; not from the eyes, lest she should wish\nto see everything; not from the mouth, lest she might be talkative; nor\nfrom the ear, lest she should wish to hear everything; nor from the\nheart, lest she should be jealous; nor from the hand, lest she should\nwish to find out everything; nor from the feet in order that she might\nnot be a wanderer; only from the most hidden place, that is covered even\nwhen a man is naked--namely, the rib.\"\n\nThe scholars of Rabbi Simon ben Jochai once asked him:--\n\n\"Why did not the Lord give to Israel enough manna to suffice them for a\nyear, at one time, instead of meting it out daily?\"\n\nThe Rabbi replied:--\n\n\"I will answer ye with a parable. There was once a king who had a son to\nwhom he gave a certain yearly allowance, paying the entire sum for his\nyear's support on one appointed day. It soon happened that this day on\nwhich the allowance was due, was the only day in the year when the\nfather saw his son. So the king changed his plan, and gave his son each\nday his maintenance for that day only, and then the son visited his\nfather with the return of each day's sun.\n\n\"So was it with Israel; each father of a family, dependent upon the\nmanna provided each day by God's bounty, for his support and the support\nof his family, naturally had his mind devoted to the Great Giver and\nSustainer of life.\"\n\nWhen Rabbi Eleazer was sick his scholars visited him, and said, \"Rabbi,\nteach us the way of life, that we may inherit eternity.\"\n\nThe Rabbi answered, \"Give honor to your comrades. Know to whom you pray.\nRestrain your children from frivolous conversation, and place them among\nthe learned men, in order that they may acquire wisdom. So may you merit\nlife in the future world.\"\n\nWhen Rabbi Jochanan was sick his scholars also called upon him. When he\nbeheld them he burst into tears.\n\n\"Rabbi!\" they exclaimed, \"Light of Israel! The chief pillar! Why weep?\"\n\nThe Rabbi answered, \"Were I to be brought before a king of flesh and\nblood, who is here to-day and to-morrow in the grave; who may be angry\nwith me, but not forever; who may imprison me, but not forever; who may\nkill me, but only for this world; whom I may sometimes bribe; even then\nI would fear. But now, I am to appear before the King of kings, the Most\nHoly One, blessed be He, who lives through all eternity. If He is wroth,\nit is forever. If He imprisons me, it is forever; if He slays me, it is\nfor the future world; and I can bribe Him neither with words nor money.\nNot only this, two paths are before me, one leading to punishment, the\nother to reward, and I know not which one I must travel. Should I not\nweep?\"\n\nThe scholars of Rabbi Johanan, the son of Zakai, asked of their teacher\nthis question:--\n\n\"Wherefore is it, that according to the law, the punishment of a\nhighwayman is not as severe as the punishment of a sneak thief?\nAccording to the Mosaic law, if a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills\nit or sells it, he is required to restore five oxen for the one ox, and\nfour sheep for the one sheep; but for the highwayman we find, 'When he\nhath sinned and is conscious of his guilt, he shall restore that he hath\ntaken violently away; he shall restore it and its principal, and the\nfifth part thereof he shall add thereto.' Therefore, he who commits a\nhighway robbery pays as punishment one-fifth of the same, while a sneak\nthief is obliged to return five oxen for one ox, and four sheep for one\nsheep. Wherefore is this?\"\n\n\"Because,\" replied the teacher, \"the highway robber treats the servant\nas the master. He takes away violently in the presence of the servant,\nthe despoiled man, and the master--God. But the sneak thief imagines\nthat God's eye is not upon him. He acts secretly, thinking, as the\nPsalmist says, 'The Lord doth not see, neither will the God of Jacob\nregard it.' Listen to a parable. Two men made a feast. One invited all\nthe inhabitants of the city, and omitted inviting the king. The other\ninvited neither the king nor his subjects. Which one deserves\ncondemnation? Certainly the one who invited the subjects and not the\nking. The people of the earth are God's subjects. The sneak thief fears\ntheir eyes, yet he does not honor the eye of the king, the eye of God,\nwhich watches all his actions.\"\n\nRabbi Meir says, \"This law teaches us how God regards industry. If a\nperson steals an ox he must return five in its place, because while the\nanimal was in his unlawful possession it could not work for its rightful\nowner. A lamb, however, does no labor, and is not profitable that way;\ntherefore he is only obliged to replace it fourfold.\"\n\nRabbi Nachman dined with his teacher, Rabbi Yitzchak, and upon departing\nafter the meal, he said, \"Teacher, bless me!\"\n\n\"Listen,\" replied Rabbi Yitzchak. \"A traveler was once journeying\nthrough the desert, and when weary, hungry, and thirsty, he happened\nupon an oasis, where grew a fruitful tree, wide-branched, and at the\nfoot of which there gushed a spring of clear, cool water.\n\n\"The stranger ate of the luscious fruit, enjoying and resting in the\ngrateful shade, and quenching his thirst in the sparkling water which\nbubbled merrily at his feet.\n\n\"When about to resume his journey, he addressed the tree and spoke as\nfollows:--\n\n\"'Oh, gracious tree, with what words can I bless thee, and what good can\nI wish thee? I cannot wish thee good fruit, for it is already thine; the\nblessing of water is also thine; and the gracious shade thrown by thy\nbeauteous branches the Eternal has already granted thee, for my good and\nthe good of those who travel by this way. Let me pray to God, then, that\nall thy offspring may be goodly as thyself.'\n\n\"So it is with thee, my pupil. How shall I bless thee? Thou art perfect\nin the law, eminent in the land, respected, and blessed with means. May\nGod grant that all thy offspring may prove goodly as thyself.\"\n\nA wise man, say the Rabbis, was Gebiah ben Pesisah. When the children of\nCanaan accused the Israelites of stealing their land, saying, \"The land\nof Canaan is ours, as it is written, 'The land of Canaan and its\nboundaries belong to the Canaanites,'\" and demanded restitution, Gebiah\noffered to argue the case before the ruler.\n\nSaid Gebiah to the Africans, \"Ye bring your proof from the Pentateuch,\nand by the Pentateuch will I refute it. 'Cursed be Canaan; a servant of\nservants shall he be unto his brethren.' To whom does the property of a\nslave belong? To his master. Even though the land belonged to ye,\nthrough your servitude it became Israel's.\"\n\n\"Answer him,\" said the ruler.\n\nThe accusers asked for three days' time to prepare their reply, but at\nthe end of the three days they had vanished.\n\nThen came the Egyptians, saying, \"'God gave the Israelites favor in the\neyes of the Egyptians, and they lent them gold and silver.' Now return\nus the gold and silver which our ancestors lent ye.\"\n\nAgain Gebiah appeared for the sages of Israel.\n\n\"Four hundred and thirty years,\" said he, \"did the children of Israel\ndwell in Egypt. Come, now, pay us the wages of six hundred thousand men\nwho worked for ye for naught, and we will return the gold and silver.\"\n\nThen came the children of Ishmael and Ketura, before Alexander of\nMukdon, saying, \"The land of Canaan is ours, as it is written, 'These\nare the generations of Ishmael, the son of Abraham;' even as it is\nwritten, 'These are the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham.' One\nson is equal to the other; come, give us our share.\"\n\nAgain Gebiah appeared as counsel for the sages.\n\n\"From the Pentateuch, which is your proof, will I confound ye\" said he.\n\"Is it not written 'Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, but unto the\nsons of the concubines that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts?' The man\nwho gives his children their inheritance during his life does not design\nto give it to them again after his death. To Isaac Abraham left all that\nhe had; to his other children he gave gifts, and sent them away.\"\n\n\n\n\nPROVERBIAL SAYINGS AND TRADITIONS\n\n\nDo not to others what you would not have others do to you.\n\nThe ass complains of the cold even in July (Tamuz.)\n\nFirst learn and then teach.\n\nFew are they who see their own faults.\n\nA single light answers as well for a hundred men as for one.\n\nVictuals prepared by many cooks will be neither hot nor cold.\n\nTruth lasts forever, but falsehood must vanish.\n\nThis is the punishment of the liar, that when he tells the truth nobody\nbelieves him.\n\nUse thy best vase to-day, for to-morrow it may, perchance, be broken.\n\nWhen Satan cannot come himself he sends wine as a messenger.\n\nWoe to the children banished from their father's table.\n\nA handful of food will not satisfy the lion, neither can a pit be filled\nagain with its own dust.\n\nPray to God for mercy until the last shovelful of earth is cast upon thy\ngrave.\n\nCease not to pray even when the knife is laid upon thy neck.\n\nOpen not thy mouth to speak evil.\n\nTo be patient is sometimes better than to have much wealth.\n\nThe horse fed too liberally with oats becomes unruly.\n\nHappy the pupil whose teacher approves his words.\n\nWhen the cucumbers are young we may tell whether they will become good\nfor food.\n\nPoverty cometh from God, but not dirt.\n\nOur kindly deeds and our generous gifts go to heaven as messengers, and\nplead for us before our Heavenly Father.\n\nThe noblest of all charities is in enabling the poor to earn a\nlivelihood.\n\nThe camel wanted to have horns and they took away his ears.\n\nThe egg of to-day is better than the hen of to-morrow.\n\nThe world is a wedding.\n\nYouth is a wreath of roses.\n\nA myrtle even in the desert remains a myrtle.\n\nTeach thy tongue to say, \"I do not know.\"\n\nThe house which opens not to the poor will open to the physician.\n\nThe birds of the air despise a miser.\n\nHospitality is an expression of Divine worship.\n\nThy friend has a friend, and thy friend's friend has a friend; be\ndiscreet.\n\nDo not place a blemish on thine own flesh.\n\nAttend no auctions if thou hast no money.\n\nRather skin a carcass for pay, in the public streets, than lie idly\ndependent on charity.\n\nDeal with those who are fortunate.\n\nWhat is intended for thy neighbor will never be thine.\n\nThe weakness of thy walls invites the burglar.\n\nThe place honors not the man, 'tis the man who gives honor to the place.\n\nThe humblest man is ruler in his own house.\n\nIf the fox is king bow before him.\n\nIf a word spoken in its time is worth one piece of money, silence in its\ntime is worth two.\n\nTobias committed the sins and his neighbor received the punishment.\n\nPoverty sits as gracefully upon some people as a red saddle upon a white\nhorse.\n\nDrain not the waters of thy well while other people may desire them.\n\nThe doctor who prescribes gratuitously gives a worthless prescription.\n\nThe rose grows among thorns.\n\nThe wine belongs to the master but the waiter receives the thanks.\n\nHe who mixes with unclean things becomes unclean himself; he whose\nassociations are pure becomes more holy with each day.\n\nNo man is impatient with his creditors.\n\nMake but one sale, and thou art called a merchant.\n\nMention not a blemish which is thy own, in detraction of thy neighbor.\n\nIf certain goods sell not in one city, try another place.\n\nHe who reads the letter should execute the message.\n\nA vessel used for holy purposes should not be put to uses less sacred.\n\nOrnament thyself first, then magnify others.\n\nTwo pieces of coin in one bag make more noise than a hundred.\n\nMan sees the mote in his neighbor's eye, but knows not of the beam in\nhis own.\n\nThe rivalry of scholars advances science.\n\nIf thou tellest thy secret to three persons, ten know of it.\n\nWhen love is intense both find room enough upon one board of the bench;\nafterward they may find themselves cramped in a space of sixty cubits.\n\nWhen wine enters the head the secret flies out.\n\nWhen a liar speaks the truth he finds his punishment in the general\ndisbelief.\n\nSorrow for those who disappear never to be found.\n\nThe officer of the king is also a recipient of honors.\n\nHe who studies cannot follow a commercial life; neither can the merchant\ndevote his time to study.\n\nThere is no occasion to light thy lamp at noontide.\n\nIf thy friends agree in calling thee an ass, go and get a halter around\nthee.\n\nAt the gate of abundance there are many brothers and friends; at the\ngate of misery there is neither brother not friend.\n\nThe consciousness of God's presence is the first principle of religion.\n\nA man's home means his wife.\n\nHe who divorces his wife is hated before God.\n\nIf thy wife is small, bend down to take her counsel.\n\nThe daughter is as the mother was.\n\nDo not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in\nanother time.\n\nWhat the child says out of doors he has learned indoors.\n\nThis world is an ante-chamber to the next.\n\nThe just of all nations have a portion in the future reward.\n\nEvery nation has its special guardian angel, its horoscopes, its ruling\nplanets and stars. But there is no planet for Israel. Israel shall look\nbut to God. There is no mediator between those who are called His\nchildren and their Father which is in heaven.\n\nFrom the very spoon that the carver carved, he has to swallow hot\nmustard.\n\nThe laborer is allowed to shorten his prayers.\n\nHe who teaches his son to trade is as if he taught him to steal.\n\nThe laborer at his work need not rise before the greatest doctor.\n\nLife is a passing shadow, says the Scripture. Is it the shadow of a\ntower or a tree? A shadow which prevails for a while? No. It is the\nshadow of a bird in its flight--away flies the bird, and there is\nneither bird nor shadow.\n\nMan's passions at first are like a cobweb's thread, at last become like\nthe thickest cable.\n\nWere it not for the existence of passions no one would build a house,\nmarry a wife, beget children, or do any work.\n\nThere is not a single bird more persecuted than the dove, yet God has\nchosen her to be offered upon the altar. The bull is hunted by the lion,\nthe sheep by the wolf, the goat by the tiger. And God said: \"Bring me a\nsacrifice, not from those that persecute, but from them that are\npersecuted.\"\n\nPrayer is Israel's only weapon, a weapon inherited from his fathers, a\nweapon tried in a thousand battles.\n\nWhen the righteous die, they live; for their example lives.\n\nLet the fruit pray for the welfare of the leaf.\n\nMeat without salt is fit only for the dogs.\n\nTrust not thyself until the day of thy death.\n\nWoe to the country which hath lost its leader; woe to the ship when its\ncaptain is no more.\n\nHe who increaseth his flesh but multiplieth food for the worms.\n\nThe day is short, the labor great, and the workman slothful.\n\nBe yielding to thy superior; be affable toward the young; be friendly\nwith all mankind.\n\nSilence is the fence round wisdom.\n\nWithout law, civilization perishes.\n\nEvery man will surely have his hour.\n\nRather be the tail among lions than the head among foxes.\n\nInto the well which supplies thee with water cast no stones.\n\nMany a colt's skin is fashioned to the saddle which its mother bears.\n\nTruth is heavy, therefore few care to carry it.\n\nSay little and do much.\n\nHe who multiplieth words will likely come to sin.\n\nSacrifice thy will for others, that they may be disposed to sacrifice\ntheir wills for thee.\n\nStudy to-day, delay not.\n\nLook not upon thy prayers as on a task; let thy supplications be\nsincere.\n\nHe who is loved by man is loved by God.\n\nHonor the sons of the poor; they give to science its splendor.\n\nDo not live near a pious fool.\n\nA small coin in a large jar makes a great noise.\n\nUse thy noble vase to-day; to-morrow it may break.\n\nThe cat and the rat make peace over a carcass.\n\nHe who walks each day over his estate finds a coin daily.\n\nThe dog follows thee for the crumbs in thy pocket.\n\nThe soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes.\n\nWhen the ox is down many are the butchers.\n\nDescend a step in choosing thy wife; ascend a step in choosing thy\nfriend.\n\nBeat the gods and their priests will tremble.\n\nThe sun will set without thy assistance.\n\nHold no man responsible for his utterances in times of grief.\n\nOne man eats, another says grace.\n\nHe who curbs his wrath merits forgiveness for his sins.\n\nCommit a sin twice and it will not seem to thee a crime.\n\nWhile our love was strong we lay on the edge of a sword, now a couch\nsixty yards wide is too narrow for us.\n\nStudy is more meritorious than sacrifice.\n\nJerusalem was destroyed because the instruction of the young was\nneglected.\n\nThe world is saved by the breath of school children. Even to rebuild the\nTemple, the schools must not be closed.\n\nBlessed is the son who has studied with his father, and blessed the\nfather who has instructed his son.\n\nAvoid wrath and thou wilt avoid sin; avoid intemperance and thou wilt\nnot provoke Providence.\n\nWhen others gather, do thou disperse; when others disperse, gather.\n\nWhen thou art the only purchaser, then buy; when other buyers are\npresent, be thou nobody.\n\nThe foolish man knows not an insult, neither does a dead man feel the\ncutting of a knife.\n\nThree shall not enter Paradise--the scoffer, the hypocrite, and the\nslanderer.\n\nRabbi Gamaliel ordered his servant Tobi to bring something good from the\nmarket, and he brought a tongue. At another time he told him to bring\nsomething bad, and he also returned with a tongue. \"Why did you on both\noccasions fetch a tongue?\" the Rabbi asked. \"It is the source of good\nand evil,\" Tobi replied. \"If it is good, there is nothing better; if it\nis bad, there is nothing worse.\"\n\nThe forest trees once asked the fruit trees: \"Why is the rustling of\nyour leaves not heard in the distance?\" The fruit trees replied: \"We can\ndispense with the rustling to manifest our presence; our fruits testify\nfor us.\" The fruit trees then inquired of the forest trees; \"Why do your\nleaves rustle almost continually?\" \"We are forced to call the attention\nof man to our existence.\"\n\nToo many Captains sink the ship.\n\nAn old man is a trouble in the house; an old woman is a treasure in the\nhouse.\n\nTwo pieces of coin in one bag make more noise than a hundred.\n\nWhen the flood came over the earth and everything was threatened with\ndestruction, and every kind of beast came in pairs to Noah, the Lie,\ntoo, asked admittance into the ark. Noah, however, refused. \"Only pairs\nmay enter here,\" he said. The Lie went in search of a companion, and at\nlast met Vice, whom it invited to go to the ark. \"I am willing to keep\ncompany with thee, if thou wilt promise to give me all thy earnings,\"\nsaid Vice. The Lie agreed, and they were both admitted into the ark.\nAfter they left the ark, the Lie regretted her agreement, and wished to\ndissolve partnership with Vice, but it was too late, and thus it is\ncurrent that \"what Lie earneth, Vice consumeth.\"\n\nSupport the aged without reference to religion; respect the learned\nwithout reference to age.\n\nRepent the day before thy death.\n\nTen measures of wisdom came into the world; the law of Israel received\nnine measures, and the balance of the world one. Ten measures of beauty\ncame into the world; Jerusalem received nine measures, and the rest of\nthe world one.\n\nThe world stands on three pillars: law, worship, and charity.\n\nWhen he who attends the synagogue regularly is prevented from being\npresent, God asks for him.\n\nHis enemies will humble themselves before the one who builds a place of\nworship.\n\nHe who is able to attend synagogue, and neglects to do so, is a bad\nneighbor.\n\nOne need not stand upon a high place to pray, for it is written, \"Out of\nthe depths have I called unto Thee, oh Lord.\" The same Rabbi prohibits\nmoving about or talking during the progress of prayers, enlarging on\nSolomon's advice, \"Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of the\nLord, and be more ready to hear than to offer the sacrifice of fools.\"\n\nThe cock and the owl both await daylight. \"The light,\" says the cock,\n\"brings me delight; but what in the world art thou waiting for?\"\n\nThe thief who finds no opportunity to steal, considers himself an honest\nman.\n\nA Galilean said, \"When the shepherd is angry with his flock, he appoints\nfor its leader a blind bellwether.\"\n\nThough it is not incumbent upon thee to complete the work, thou must not\ntherefore cease from pursuing it. If the work is great, great will be\nthy reward, and thy Master is faithful in His payments.\n\nThere are three crowns: of the law, the priesthood, and the kingship;\nbut the crown of a good name is greater than them all.\n\nWho gains wisdom? He who is willing to receive instruction from all\nsources. Who is the mighty man? He who subdueth his temper. Who is rich?\nHe who is content with his lot. Who is deserving of honor? He who\nhonoreth mankind.\n\nDespise no man and deem nothing impossible; every man hath his hour and\neverything its place.\n\nIron breaks stone; fire melts iron; water extinguishes fire; the clouds\nconsume water; the storm dispels clouds; man withstands the storm; fear\nconquers man; wine banishes fear; sleep overcomes wine, and death is the\nmaster of sleep; but \"charity,\" says Solomon, \"saves even from death.\"\n\nHow canst thou escape sin? Think of three things: whence thou comest,\nwhither thou goest, and before whom thou must appear. The scoffer, the\nliar, the hypocrite, and the slanderer can have no share in the future\nworld of bliss. To slander is to commit murder.\n\nCold water morning and evening is better than all the cosmetics.\n\nThe question is asked, \"Why is man born with hands clinched, but has his\nhands wide open in death?\" And the answer is: \"On entering the world,\nman desires to grasp everything; but when leaving it he takes nothing\naway.\"\n\nTwo dry logs and one wet; the dry ones kindle the wet.\n\nHe who seeks for a faultless brother will have to remain brotherless.\n\nA town which has no school should be abolished.\n\nJerusalem was destroyed because the instruction of the young was\nneglected.\n\nHe who instructs a child is as if he had created it.\n\nThe teachers are the guardians of the State.\n\nLearn first and philosophize afterward.\n\nTo what may he be compared who teaches a child? To one who writes on\nclean paper; and to what may he be compared who teaches an old man? To\none who writes on blotted paper.\n\nBe eager to acquire knowledge; it does not come to thee by inheritance.\n\nFour dispositions are found among those who sit for instruction, before\nthe wise, and they may be respectively compared to a sponge, a funnel, a\nstrainer, and a sieve; the sponge imbibes all, the funnel receives at\none end and discharges at the other, the strainer suffers the wine to\npass through, but retains the lees, and the sieve recovers the bran, but\nretains the fine flour.\n\nTo pray loudly is not a necessity of devotion; when we pray we must\ndirect our hearts toward heaven.\n\nCharity is greater than all.\n\nWho gives charity in secret is greater than Moses.\n\nHe finds authority for this saying in the words of Moses, \"For I was\nafraid of the anger,\" and the words of Solomon which he presents as an\nanswer, \"A gift given in secret pacifieth anger.\"\n\nA miser is as wicked as an idolater.\n\nCharity is more than sacrifices.\n\n\"He who gives (charity) becomes rich,\" or as it is written, \"A\nbeneficent soul will be abundantly gratified.\"\n\nOne day a philosopher inquired of Rabbi Akiba, \"If your God loves the\npoor, why does He not support them?\"\n\n\"God allows the poor to be with us ever,\" responded Akiba, \"that the\nopportunities for doing good may never fail.\"\n\n\"But,\" returned the philosopher, \"how do you know that this virtue of\ncharity pleases God? If a master punishes his slaves by depriving them\nof food and clothing, does he feel pleased when others feed and clothe\nthem?\"\n\n\"But suppose, on the other hand,\" said the Rabbi, \"that the children of\na tender father, children whom he could no longer justly assist, had\nfallen into poverty, would he be displeased if kind souls pitied and\naided them? We are not the slaves of a hard master. God calls us His\nchildren, and Himself we call our Father.\"\n\nWhen one stands at the judgment-seat of God these questions are asked:--\n\n\"Hast thou been honest in all thy dealings?\"\n\n\"Hast thou set aside a portion of thy time for the study of the law?\"\n\n\"Hast thou observed the first commandment?\"\n\n\"Hast thou, in trouble, still hoped and believed in God?\"\n\n\"Hast thou spoken wisely?\"\n\nAll the blessings of a household come through the wife, therefore should\nher husband honor her.\n\nMen should be careful lest they cause women to weep, for God counts\ntheir tears.\n\nIn cases of charity, where both men and women claim relief, the latter\nshould be first assisted. If there should not be enough for both, the\nmen should cheerfully relinquish their claims.\n\nA woman's death is felt by nobody as by her husband.\n\nTears are shed on God's altar for the one who forsakes his first love.\n\nHe who loves his wife as himself, and honors her more than himself, will\ntrain his children properly; he will meet, too, the fulfillment of the\nverse, \"And thou shalt know that there is peace in thy tent, and thou\nwilt look over thy habitation and shall miss nothing.\"\n\nI never call my wife \"wife,\" but \"home,\" for she, indeed, makes my home.\n\nHe who possesses a knowledge of God, and a knowledge of man, will not\neasily commit sin.\n\nThe Bible was given us to establish peace.\n\nHe who wrongs his fellow-man, even in so small a coin as a penny, is as\nwicked as if he should take life.\n\nHe who raises his hand against his fellow in passion is a sinner.\n\nBe not the friend of one who wears the cloak of a saint to cover the\ndeformities of a fool.\n\nOne who gives way to passion is as bad as an idolater.\n\nHospitality is as great a virtue as studying the law.\n\n\"Never put thyself in the way of temptation,\" advised Rabbi Judah; \"even\nDavid could not resist it.\"\n\nRabbi Tyra, on being asked by his pupils to tell them the secret which\ngained him a happy, peaceful old age, replied, \"I have never cherished\nanger with my family; I have never envied those greater than myself, and\nI have never rejoiced in the downfall of any one.\"\n\nUnhappy is he who mistakes the branch for the tree, the shadow for the\nsubstance.\n\nThy yesterday is thy past; thy to-day thy future; thy to-morrow is a\nsecret.\n\nThe best preacher is the heart; the best teacher is time; the best book\nis the world; the best friend is God.\n\nLife is but a loan to man; death is the creditor who will one day claim\nit.\n\nUnderstand a man by his own deeds and words. The impressions of others\nlead to false judgment.\n\nHe through whose agency another has been falsely punished stands outside\nof heaven's gates.\n\nThe sins of the bad-tempered are greater than his merits.\n\nThe man who sins is foolish as well as wicked.\n\nThe good actions which we perform in this world take form and meet us in\nthe world to come.\n\nBetter to bear a false accusation in silence, than by speaking to bring\nthe guilty to public shame.\n\nHe who can feel ashamed will not readily do wrong.\n\nThere is a great difference between one who can feel ashamed before his\nown soul and one who is only ashamed before his fellow-man.\n\nGod's covenant with us included work; for the command, \"Six days shalt\nthou work and the seventh shalt thou rest,\" made the \"rest\" conditional\nupon the \"work.\"\n\nGod first told Adam to dress the Garden of Eden, and to keep it, and\nthen permitted him to eat of the fruit of his labor.\n\nGod did not dwell in the midst of Israel till they had worked to deserve\nHis presence, for he commanded, \"They shall make me a sanctuary, and\nthen I will dwell in the midst of them.\"\n\nWhen Jerusalem was in the hands of the Romans, one of their philosophers\nasked of the Rabbis:--\n\n\"If your God dislikes idolatry, why does He not destroy the idols and so\nput temptation out of the way?\"\n\nThe wise men answered:--\n\n\"Would you have the sun and the moon destroyed because of the foolish\nones who worship them? To change the course of nature to punish sinners,\nwould bring suffering to the innocent also.\"\n\nRabbi Judah said:--\n\n\"He who refuses to teach a precept to his pupil is guilty of theft, just\nas one who steals from the inheritance of his father; as it is written,\n(The law which Moses commanded us is the inheritance of the congregation\nof Jacob.) But if he teaches him, what is his reward?\"\n\nRaba says, \"He will obtain the blessing of Joseph.\"\n\nRabbi Eleazer said:--\n\n\"That house where the law is not studied by night should be destroyed.\n\n\"The wealthy man who aids not the scholar desirous of studying God's law\nwill not prosper.\n\n\"He who changes his word, saying one thing and doing another, is even as\nhe who serveth idols.\"\n\nRabbi Chamah, the son of Pappa, said:--\n\n\"He who eats or drinks and blesses not the Lord, is even as he who\nstealeth, for it is said, 'The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, and\nthe earth hath He given to the children of men.'\"\n\nRabbi Simon, the son of Lakish, said:--\n\n\"They who perform one precept in this world will find it recorded for\ntheir benefit in the world to come; as it is written, 'Thy righteousness\nwill go before thee, the glory of the Lord will gather thee in.' And the\nsame will be the case, in contrast, with those who sin. For the Bible\nsays, 'Which I commanded thee this day to do them,' to 'do them,' the\nprecepts, to-day, though the reward is not promised to-day; but in the\nfuture, ordinances obeyed, will testify in thy favor, for 'thy\nrighteousness will go before thee.'\"\n\nThe Rabbis pronounced those the \"friends of God,\" who being offended\nthought not of revenge; who practiced good through love for God, and who\nwere cheerful under suffering and difficulties. Of such Isaiah wrote,\n\"They shall shine forth like the sun at noonday.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nLove thy wife as thyself; honor her more than thyself. He who lives\nunmarried, lives without joy. If thy wife is small, bend down to her and\nwhisper in her ear. He who sees his wife die, has, as it were, been\npresent at the destruction of the sanctuary itself. The children of a\nman who marries for money will prove a curse to him.\n\nHe who has more learning than good deeds is like a tree with many\nbranches but weak roots; the first great storm will throw it to the\nground. He whose good works are greater than his knowledge is like a\ntree with fewer branches but with strong and spreading roots, a tree\nwhich all the winds of heaven cannot uproot.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nBetter is the curse of the righteous man than the blessing of the\nwicked. Better the curse of Achia, the Shelonite, than the blessing of\nBil'am, the son of Beor. Thus did Achia curse the Israelites, \"And the\nLord will smite Israel as the reed is shaken in the water.\" The reed\nbends but it breaks not, for it groweth by the water, and its roots are\nstrong. Thus did Bil'am bless Israel, \"As cedar trees beside the\nwaters.\" Cedars do not grow beside the waters: their roots are weak, and\nwhen strong winds blow they break in pieces.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nA very wealthy man, who was of a kind, benevolent disposition, desired\nto make his slave happy. He gave him, therefore, his freedom, and\npresented him with a shipload of merchandise.\n\n\"Go,\" said he, \"sail to different countries, dispose of these goods, and\nthat which thou mayest receive for them shall be thy own.\"\n\nThe slave sailed away upon the broad ocean, but before he had been long\nupon his voyage a storm overtook him; his ship was driven on a rock and\nwent to pieces; all on board were lost, all save this slave, who swam to\nan island shore near by. Sad, despondent, with naught in the world, he\ntraversed this island, until he approached a large and beautiful city;\nand many people approached him joyously, shouting, \"Welcome! welcome!\nLong live the king!\" They brought a rich carriage, and placing him\ntherein, escorted him to a magnificent palace, where many servants\ngathered about him, clothing him in royal garments, addressing him as\ntheir sovereign, and expressing their obedience to his will.\n\nThe slave was amazed and dazzled, believing that he was dreaming, and\nall that he saw, heard, and experienced was mere passing fantasy.\nBecoming convinced of the reality of his condition, he said to some men\nabout him for whom he experienced a friendly feeling:--\n\n\"How is this? I cannot understand it. That you should thus elevate and\nhonor a man whom you know not, a poor, naked wanderer, whom you have\nnever seen before, making him your ruler, causes me more wonder than I\ncan readily express.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" they replied, \"this island is inhabited by spirits. Long since\nthey prayed to God to send them yearly a son of man to reign over them,\nand He has answered their prayers. Yearly He sends them a son of man,\nwhom they receive with honor and elevate to the throne; but his dignity\nand power ends with the year. With its close his royal garments are\ntaken from him, he is placed on board a ship and carried to a vast and\ndesolate island, where, unless he has previously been wise and prepared\nfor this day, he will find neither friend nor subject, and be obliged to\npass a weary, lonely, miserable life. Then a new king is selected, and\nso year follows year. The kings who preceded thee were careless and\nindifferent, enjoying their power to the full, and thinking not of the\nday when it should end. Be wiser thou; let our words find rest within\nthy heart.\"\n\nThe newly-made king listened attentively to all this, and felt grieved\nthat he should have lost even the time he had already missed for making\npreparations for his loss of power.\n\nHe addressed the wise man who had spoken, saying, \"Advise me, oh, spirit\nof wisdom, how I may prepare for the days which will come upon me in the\nfuture.\"\n\n\"Naked thou camest to us and naked thou wilt be sent to the desolate\nisland of which I have told thee,\" replied the other. \"At present thou\nart king, and may do as pleaseth thee; therefore send workmen to this\nisland; let them build houses, till the ground, and beautify the\nsurroundings. The barren soil will be changed into fruitful fields,\npeople will journey there to live, and thou wilt have established a new\nkingdom for thyself, with subjects to welcome thee in gladness when thou\nshalt have lost thy power here. The year is short, the work is long:\ntherefore be earnest and energetic.\"\n\nThe king followed this advice. He sent workmen and materials to the\ndesolate island, and before the close of his temporary power it had\nbecome a blooming, pleasant, and attractive spot. The rulers who had\npreceded him had anticipated the day of their power's close with dread,\nor smothered all thought of it in revelry; but he looked forward to it\nas a day of joy, when he should enter upon a career of permanent peace\nand happiness.\n\nThe day came; the freed slave, who had been made king, was deprived of\nhis authority; with his power he lost his royal garments; naked he was\nplaced upon a ship, and its sails set for the desolate isle.\n\nWhen he approached its shores, however, the people whom he had sent\nthere came to meet him with music, song, and great joy. They made him a\nprince among them, and he lived with them ever after in pleasantness and\npeace.\n\nThe wealthy man of kindly disposition is God, and the slave to whom He\ngave freedom is the soul which He gives to man. The island at which the\nslave arrives is the world; naked and weeping he appears to his parents,\nwho are inhabitants that greet him warmly and make him their king. The\nfriends who tell him of the ways of the country are his \"good\ninclinations.\" The year of his reign is his span of life, and the\ndesolate island is the future world, which he must beautify by good\ndeeds, \"the workmen and material,\" or else live lonely and desolate\nforever.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe Emperor Adrian, passing through the streets of Tiberias, noticed a\nvery old man planting a fig tree, and pausing, said to him:--\n\n\"Wherefore plant that tree? If thou didst labor in thy youth, thou\nshouldst now have a store for thy old age, and surely of the fruit of\nthis tree thou canst not hope to eat.\"\n\nThe old man answered:--\n\n\"In my youth I worked, and I still work. With God's good pleasure I may\ne'en partake of the fruit of this tree I plant. I am in His hands.\"\n\n\"Tell me thy age,\" said the emperor.\n\n\"I have lived for a hundred years.\"\n\n\"A hundred years old, and still expect to eat from the fruit of this\ntree?\"\n\n\"If such be God's pleasure,\" replied the old man; \"if not, I will leave\nit for my son, as my father left the fruit of his labor for me.\"\n\n\"Well,\" said the emperor, \"if thou dost live until the figs from this\ntree are ripe, I pray thee let me know of it.\"\n\nThe aged man lived to partake of that very fruit, and remembering the\nemperor's words, he resolved to visit him. So, taking a small basket, he\nfilled it with the choicest figs from the tree, and proceeded on his\nerrand. Telling the palace guard his purpose, he was admitted to the\nsovereign's presence.\n\n\"Well,\" asked the emperor, \"what is thy wish?\"\n\nThe old man replied:--\n\n\"Lo, I am the old man to whom thou didst say, on the day thou sawest him\nplanting a fig tree, 'If thou livest to eat of its fruit, I pray thee\nlet me know;' and behold I have come and brought thee of the fruit, that\nthou mayest partake of it likewise.\"\n\nThe emperor was very much pleased, and emptying the man's basket of its\nfigs, he ordered it to be filled with gold coins.\n\nWhen the old man had departed, the courtiers said to the emperor:--\n\n\"Why didst thou so honor this old Jew?\"\n\n\"The Lord hath honored him, and why not I?\" replied the emperor.\n\nNow next door to this old man there lived a woman, who, when she heard\nof her neighbor's good fortune, desired her husband to try his luck in\nthe same quarter. She filled for him an immense basket with figs, and\nbidding him put it on his shoulder, said, \"Now carry it to the emperor;\nhe loves figs and will fill thy basket with golden coin.\"\n\nWhen her husband approached the gates of the palace, he told his errand\nto the guards, saying, \"I brought these figs to the emperor; empty my\nbasket I pray, and fill it up again with gold.\"\n\nWhen this was told to the emperor, he ordered the old man to stand in\nthe hallway of the palace, and all who passed pelted him with his figs.\nHe returned home wounded and crestfallen to his disappointed wife.\n\n\"Never mind, thou hast one consolation,\" said she; \"had they been\ncocoanuts instead of figs thou mightest have suffered harder raps.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nA citizen of Jerusalem traveling through the country was taken very sick\nat an inn. Feeling that he would not recover, he sent for the landlord\nand said to him, \"I am going the way of all flesh. If after my death any\nparty should come from Jerusalem and claim my effects, do not deliver\nthem until he shall prove to thee by three wise acts that he is entitled\nto them; for I charged my son before starting upon my way, that if death\nbefell me he would be obliged to prove his wisdom before obtaining my\npossessions.\"\n\nThe man died and was buried according to Jewish rites, and his death was\nmade public that his heirs might appear. When his son learned of his\nfather's decease he started from Jerusalem for the place where he had\ndied. Near the gates of the city he met a man who had a load of wood for\nsale. This he purchased and ordered it to be delivered at the inn toward\nwhich he was traveling. The man from whom he bought it went at once to\nthe inn, and said, \"Here is the wood.\"\n\n\"What wood?\" returned the proprietor; \"I ordered no wood.\"\n\n\"No,\" answered the woodcutter, \"but the man who follows me did; I will\nenter and wait for him.\"\n\nThus the son had provided for himself a welcome when he should reach the\ninn, which was his first wise act.\n\nThe landlord said to him, \"Who art thou?\"\n\n\"The son of the merchant who died in thy house,\" he replied.\n\nThey prepared for him a dinner, and placed upon the table five pigeons\nand a chicken. The master of the house, his wife, two sons, and two\ndaughters sat with him at the table.\n\n\"Serve the food,\" said the landlord.\n\n\"Nay,\" answered the young man; \"thou art master, it is thy privilege.\"\n\n\"I desire thee to do this thing; thou art my guest, the merchant's son;\npray help the food.\"\n\nThe young man thus entreated divided one pigeon between the two sons,\nanother between the two daughters, gave the third to the man and his\nwife, and kept the other two for himself. This was his second wise act.\n\nThe landlord looked somewhat perplexed at this mode of distribution, but\nsaid nothing.\n\nThen the merchant's son divided the chicken. He gave to the landlord and\nhis wife the head, to the two sons the legs, to the two daughters the\nwings, and took the body for himself. This was his third wise act.\n\nThe landlord said:--\n\n\"Is this the way they do things in thy country? I noticed the manner in\nwhich thou didst apportion the pigeons, but said nothing; but the\nchicken, my dear sir! I must really ask thee thy meaning.\"\n\nThen the young man answered:--\n\n\"I told thee that it was not my place to serve the food, nevertheless\nwhen thou didst insist I did the best I could, and I think I have\nsucceeded. Thyself, thy wife, and one pigeon make three; thy two sons\nand one pigeon make three; thy two daughters and one pigeon make three;\nand myself and two pigeons make three also, therefore is it fairly done.\nAs regards the chicken, I gave to thee and thy wife the head, because ye\nare the heads of the family; I gave to each of thy sons a leg, because\nthey are the pillars of the family, preserving always the family name; I\ngave to each of thy daughters a wing, because in the natural course of\nevents they will marry, take wing, and fly away from the home-nest. I\ntook the body of the chicken because it looks like a ship, and in a ship\nI came here and in a ship I hope to return. I am the son of the merchant\nwho died in thy house; give me the property of my dead father.\"\n\n\"Take it and go,\" said the landlord. And giving him his father's\npossessions the young man departed in peace.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nA certain man, a native of Athina (a city near Jerusalem), visited the\ncity of Jerusalem, and after leaving it, ridiculed the place and its\ninhabitants. The Jerusalemites were very wroth at being made the\nsubjects of his sport, and they induced one of their citizens to travel\nto Athina, to induce the man to return to Jerusalem, which would give\nthem an opportunity to punish his insolence.\n\nThe citizen thus commissioned reached Athina, and very shortly fell in\nwith the man whom he had come to meet. Walking through the streets\ntogether one day, the man from Jerusalem said, \"See, the string of my\nshoe is broken; take me, I pray, to the shoemaker.\"\n\nThe shoemaker repaired the string, and the man paid him a coin more in\nvalue than the worth of the shoes.\n\nNext day, when walking with the same man, he broke the string of his\nother shoe, and going to the shoemaker, he paid him the same large sum\nfor repairing that.\n\n\"Why,\" said the man of Athina, \"shoes must be very dear in Jerusalem,\nwhen thou payest such a price but for repairing a string.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" answered the other; \"they bring nine ducats, and even in the\ncheapest times from seven to eight.\"\n\n\"Then it would be a profitable employment for me to take shoes from my\ncity and sell them in thine.\"\n\n\"Yes, indeed; and if thou wilt but let me know of thy coming I will put\nthee in the way of customers.\"\n\nSo the man of Athina, who had made merry over the Jerusalemites, bought\na large stock of shoes and set out for Jerusalem, informing his friend\nof his coming. The latter started to meet him, and greeting him before\nhe came to the gates of the city, said to him:--\n\n\"Before a stranger may enter and sell goods in Jerusalem, he must shave\nhis head and blacken his face. Art thou ready to do this?\"\n\n\"And why not,\" replied the other, \"as long as I have a prospect of large\nprofits; why should I falter or hesitate at so slight a thing as that?\"\n\nSo the stranger, shaving the hair from his head and blackening his face\n(by which all Jerusalem knew him as the man who had ridiculed the city),\ntook up his place in the market, with his wares spread before him.\n\nBuyers paused before his stall, and asked him:--\n\n\"How much for the shoes?\"\n\n\"Ten ducats a pair,\" he answered; \"or I may sell for nine; but certainly\nfor not less than eight.\"\n\nThis caused a great laugh and uproar in the market, and the stranger was\ndriven from it in derision and his shoes thrown after him.\n\nSeeking the Jerusalemite who had deceived him, he said:--\n\n\"Why hast thou so treated me? did I so to thee in Athina?\"\n\n\"Let this be a lesson to thee,\" answered the Jerusalemite. \"I do not\nthink thou wilt be so ready to make sport of us in the future.\"\n\nA young man, upon his journeys through the country, fell in with a young\nwoman, and they became mutually attached. When the young man was obliged\nto leave the neighborhood of the damsel's residence, they met to say\n\"good-by.\" During the parting they pledged a mutual faith, and each\npromised to wait until, in the course of time, they might be able to\nmarry. \"Who will be the witness of our betrothal?\" said the young man.\nJust then they saw a weasel run past them and disappear in the wood.\n\"See,\" he continued, \"this weasel and this well of water by which we are\nstanding shall be the witnesses of our betrothal;\" and so they parted.\nYears passed, the maiden remained true, but the youth married. A son was\nborn to him, and grew up the delight of his parents. One day while the\nchild was playing he became tired, and lying upon the ground fell\nasleep. A weasel bit him in the neck, and he bled to death. The parents\nwere consumed with grief by this calamity, and it was not until another\nson was given them that they forgot their sorrow. But when this second\nchild was able to walk alone it wandered without the house, and bending\nover the well, looking at its shadow in the water, lost its balance and\nwas drowned. Then the father recollected his perjured vow, and his\nwitnesses, the weasel and the well. He told his wife of the\ncircumstance, and she agreed to a divorce. He then sought the maiden to\nwhom he had promised marriage, and found her still awaiting his return.\nHe told her how, through God's agency, he had been punished for his\nwrongdoing, after which they married and lived in peace.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nA wise Israelite, dwelling some distance from Jerusalem, sent his son to\nthe Holy City to complete his education. During his son's absence the\nfather was taken ill, and feeling that death was upon him he made a\nwill, leaving all his property to one of his slaves, on condition that\nhe should allow the son to select any one article which pleased him for\nan inheritance.\n\nAs soon as his master died, the slave, elated with his good fortune,\nhastened to Jerusalem, informed his late master's son of what had taken\nplace, and showed him the will.\n\nThe young man was surprised and grieved at the intelligence, and after\nthe alloted time of mourning had expired, he began to seriously consider\nhis situation. He went to his teacher, explained the circumstances to\nhim, read him his father's will, and expressed himself bitterly on\naccount of the disappointment of his reasonable hopes and expectations.\nHe could think of nothing that he had done to offend his father, and was\nloud in his complaints of injustice.\n\n\"Stop,\" said his teacher; \"thy father was a man of wisdom and a loving\nrelative. This will is a living monument to his good sense and\nfar-sightedness. May his son prove as wise in his day.\"\n\n\"What!\" exclaimed the young man. \"I see no wisdom in his bestowal of his\nproperty upon a slave; no affection in this slight upon his only son.\"\n\n\"Listen,\" returned the teacher. \"By his action thy father hath but\nsecured thy inheritance to thee, if thou art wise enough to avail\nthyself of his understanding. Thus thought he when he felt the hand of\ndeath approaching. 'My son is away; when I am dead he will not be here\nto take charge of my affairs; my slaves will plunder my estate, and to\ngain time will even conceal my death from my son, and deprive me of the\nsweet savour of mourning.' To prevent these things he bequeathed his\nproperty to his slave, well knowing that the slave, believing in his\napparent right, would give thee speedy information, and take care of the\neffects, even as he has done.\"\n\n\"Well, well, and how does this benefit me?\" impatiently interrupted the\npupil.\n\n\"Ah!\" replied the teacher, \"wisdom I see rests not with the young. Dost\nthou not know that what a slave possesses belongs but to his master? Has\nnot thy father left thee the right to select one article of all his\nproperty for thy own? Choose the slave as thy portion, and by possessing\nhim thou wilt recover all that was thy father's. Such was his wise and\nloving intention.\"\n\nThe young man did as he was advised, and gave the slave his freedom\nafterward. But ever after he was wont to exclaim:--\n\n\"Wisdom resides with the aged, and understanding in length of days.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nDavid, King of Israel, was once lying upon his couch and many thoughts\nwere passing through his mind.\n\n\"Of what use in this world is the spider?\" thought he; \"it but increases\nthe dust and dirt of the world, making places unsightly and causing\ngreat annoyance.\"\n\nThen he thought of an insane man:--\n\n\"How unfortunate is such a being. I know that all things are ordained by\nGod with reason and purpose, yet this is beyond my comprehension; why\nshould men be born idiots, or grow insane?\"\n\nThen the mosquitoes annoyed him, and the king thought:--\n\n\"What can the mosquito be good for? why was it created in the world? It\nbut disturbs our comfort, and the world profits not by its existence.\"\n\nYet King David lived to discover that these very insects, and the very\ncondition of life, the being of which he deplored, were ordained even to\nhis own benefit.\n\nWhen he fled from before Saul, David was captured in the land of the\nPhilistines by the brothers of Goliath, who carried him before the King\nof Gath, and it was only by pretending idiocy that he escaped death, the\nking deeming it impossible that such a man could be the kingly David; as\nit is written, \"And he disguised his reason before their eyes, and\nplayed the madman in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the\ngate, and let his spittle run down upon his beard.\"\n\nUpon another occasion David hid himself in the cave of Adullam, and\nafter he had entered the cave it chanced that a spider spun a web over\nthe opening thereto. His pursuers passed that way, but thinking that no\none could have entered the cave protected by the spider's web without\ndestroying it, they continued on their way.\n\nThe mosquito also was of service to David when he entered the camp of\nSaul to secure the latter's weapon. While stooping near Abner, the\nsleeping man moved and placed his leg upon David's body. If he moved, he\nwould awake Abner and meet with death, if he remained in that position\nmorning would dawn and bring him death; he knew not what to do, when a\nmosquito alighted upon Abner's leg; he moved it quickly, and David\nescaped.\n\nTherefore sang David:---\n\n\"All my bones shall say, O Lord, who is like unto Thee.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe Israelites were commanded to visit Jerusalem on three festivals. It\nhappened upon one occasion that there was a scarcity of water in the\ncity. One of the people called upon a certain nobleman who was the owner\nof three wells, and asked him for the use of the water which they\ncontained, promising that they should be refilled by a stated date, and\ncontracting in default of this to pay a certain large amount in silver\nas forfeit. The day came, there had been no rain, and the three wells\nwere dry. In the morning the owner of the wells sent for the promised\nmoney. Nakdemon, the son of Gurion, the man who had undertaken this\nburden for his people's sake, replied, \"The day is but begun; there is\nyet time.\"\n\nHe entered the Temple and prayed that God might send rain and save him\nall his fortune which he had ventured. His prayer was answered. The\nclouds gathered and the rain fell. As he passed out of the Temple with a\ngrateful heart, he was met by his creditor, who said:--\n\n\"True, the rain has refilled my wells, but it is dark; the day has gone,\nand according to our agreement thou must still pay me the promised sum.\"\n\nOnce more Nakdemon prayed, and lo, the clouds lifted and the sinking sun\nsmiled brightly on the spot where the men stood, showing that the\nsunlight of day was still there, though the rain-clouds had temporarily\nobscured its gleams.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThere was a certain family, the family of Abtinoss, the members of which\nwere learned in the art of preparing the incense used in the service.\nTheir knowledge they refused to impart to others, and the directors of\nthe Temple, fearing that the art might die with them, discharged them\nfrom the service, and brought other parties from Alexandria, in Egypt,\nto prepare the sweet perfume. These latter were unable to afford\nsatisfaction, however, and the directors were obliged to give the\nservice back into the hands of the family of Abtinoss, who on their part\nrefused to accept it again, unless the remuneration for their services\nwas doubled. When asked why they so persistently refused to impart their\nskill to others, they replied that they feared they might teach some\nunworthy persons, who would afterward use their knowledge in an\nidolatrous worship. The members of this family were very particular not\nto use perfume of any kind themselves, lest the people should imagine\nthat they put the sweet spices used in the manufacture of the incense to\na baser use.\n\nAn exactly similar case to the above occurred with the family of Garmah,\nwhich had the monopoly of the knowledge of preparing the show-bread used\nin the services of the Temple.\n\nIt was in reference to these cases that the son of Azai said, \"In thy\nname they shall call thee, and in thy city they shall cause thee to\nlive, and from thy own they will give thee,\" meaning that trustful\npersons should not fear that others might steal their occupations; \"for\nin thy name they will call thee,\" as with the families of Abtinoss and\nGarmah; \"and from thy own they will give thee,\" meaning that what a man\nearns is his own, and cannot be taken away.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nRabbi Jochanan, the son of Levi, fasted and prayed to the Lord that he\nmight be permitted to gaze on the angel Elijah, he who had ascended\nalive to heaven. God granted his prayer, and in the semblance of a man\nElijah appeared before him.\n\n\"Let me journey with thee in thy travels through the world,\" prayed the\nRabbi to Elijah; \"let me observe thy doings, and gain in wisdom and\nunderstanding.\"\n\n\"Nay,\" answered Elijah; \"my actions thou couldst not understand; my\ndoings would trouble thee, being beyond thy comprehension.\"\n\nBut still the Rabbi entreated:--\n\n\"I will neither trouble nor question thee,\" he said; \"only let me\naccompany thee on thy way.\"\n\n\"Come, then,\" said Elijah; \"but let thy tongue be mute. With thy first\nquestion, thy first expression of astonishment, we must part company.\"\n\nSo the two journeyed through the world together. They approached the\nhouse of a poor man, whose only treasure and means of support was a cow.\nAs they came near, the man and his wife hastened to meet them, begged\nthem to enter their cot, and eat and drink of the best they could\nafford, and to pass the night under their roof. This they did, receiving\nevery attention from their poor but hospitable host and hostess. In the\nmorning Elijah rose up early and prayed to God, and when he had finished\nhis prayer, behold the cow belonging to the poor people dropped dead.\nThen the travelers continued on their journey.\n\nMuch was Rabbi Jochanan perplexed. \"Not only did we neglect to pay them\nfor their hospitality and generous services, but his cow we have\nkilled;\" and he said to Elijah, \"Why didst thou kill the cow of this\ngood man, who--\"\n\n\"Peace,\" interrupted Elijah; \"hear, see, and be silent. If I answer thy\nquestions we must part.\"\n\nAnd they continued on their way together.\n\nToward evening they arrived at a large and imposing mansion, the\nresidence of a haughty and wealthy man. They were coldly received; a\npiece of bread and a glass of water were placed before them, but the\nmaster of the house did not welcome or speak to them, and they remained\nthere during the night unnoticed. In the morning Elijah remarked that a\nwall of the house required repairing, and sending for a carpenter, he\nhimself paid the money for the repair, as a return, he said, for the\nhospitality they had received.\n\nAgain was Rabbi Jochanan filled with wonder, but he said naught, and\nthey proceeded on their journey.\n\nAs the shades of night were falling they entered a city which contained\na large and imposing synagogue. As it was the time of the evening\nservice they entered and were much pleased with the rich adornments, the\nvelvet cushions, and gilded carvings of the interior. After the\ncompletion of the service, Elijah arose and called out aloud, \"Who is\nhere willing to feed and lodge two poor men this night?\" none answered,\nand no respect was shown to the traveling strangers. In the morning,\nhowever, Elijah re-entered the synagogue, and shaking its members by the\nhands, he said, \"I hope that you may all become presidents.\"\n\nNext evening the two entered another city, when the _Shamas_ (sexton) of\nthe synagogue, came to meet them, and notifying the members of his\ncongregation of the coming of two strangers, the best hotel of the place\nwas opened to them, and all vied in showing them attention and honor.\n\nIn the morning, on parting with them, Elijah said, \"May the Lord appoint\nover you but one president.\"\n\nJochanan could resist his curiosity no longer. \"Tell me,\" said he to\nElijah, \"tell me the meaning of all these actions which I have\nwitnessed. To those who have treated us coldly thou hast uttered good\nwishes; to those who have been gracious to us thou hast made no suitable\nreturn. Even though we must part, I pray thee explain to me the meaning\nof thy acts.\"\n\n\"Listen,\" said Elijah, \"and learn to trust in God, even though thou\ncanst not understand His ways. We first entered the house of the poor\nman, who treated us so kindly. Know that it had been decreed that on\nthat very day his wife should die. I prayed unto the Lord that the cow\nmight prove a redemption for her; God granted my prayers, and the woman\nwas preserved unto her husband. The rich man, whom next we called up,\ntreated us coldly, and I repaired his wall. I repaired it without a new\nfoundation, without digging to the old one. Had he repaired it himself\nhe would have dug, and thus discovered a treasure which lies there\nburied, but which is now forever lost to him. To the members of the\nsynagogue who were inhospitable I said, 'May you all be presidents,' and\nwhere many rule there can be no peace; but to the others I said, 'May\nyou have but one president;' with one leader no misunderstanding may\narise. Now, if thou seest the wicked prospering, be not envious; if thou\nseest the righteous in poverty and trouble, be not provoked or doubtful\nof God's justice. The Lord is righteous, His judgments all are true; His\neyes note all mankind, and none can say, 'What dost thou?'\"\n\nWith these words Elijah disappeared, and Jochanan was left alone.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThere was once a man who pledged his dearest faith to a maiden,\nbeautiful and true. For a time all passed pleasantly, and the maiden\nlived in happiness. But then the man was called from her side, he left\nher; long she waited, but he did not return. Friends pitied her and\nrivals mocked her; tauntingly they pointed at her, and said, \"He has\nleft thee; he will never come back.\" The maiden sought her chamber, and\nread in secret the letters which her lover had written to her, the\nletters in which he promised to be ever faithful, ever true. Weeping she\nread them, but they brought comfort to her heart; she dried her eyes and\ndoubted not.\n\nA joyous day dawned for her; the man she loved returned, and when he\nlearned that others had doubted and asked her how she had preserved her\nfaith, she showed his letters to him, declaring her eternal trust.\n\nIsrael, in misery and captivity, was mocked by the nations; her hopes of\nredemption were made a laughing-stock; her sages scoffed at; her holy\nmen derided. Into her synagogues, into her schools went Israel; she read\nthe letters which her God had written, and believed in the holy promises\nwhich they contained.\n\nGod will in time redeem her; and when He says:--\n\n\"How could you alone be faithful of all the mocking nations?\"\n\nShe will point to the law and answer:--\n\n\"Had not Thy law been my delight, I should long since have perished in\nmy affliction.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWhen God was about to created man the angels gathered about him. Some of\nthem opening their lips exclaimed, \"Create, O God, a being who shall\npraise Thee from earth even as we in heaven sing Thy glory.\"\n\nBut others said:--\n\n\"Hear us, Almighty King, create no more! The glorious harmony of the\nheavens which Thou hast sent to earth will be by man disturbed,\ndestroyed.\"\n\nThen silence fell upon the contesting hosts as the Angel of Mercy\nappeared before the throne of grace on bended knees.\n\nSweet was the voice which said entreatingly:--\n\n\"O, Father, create Thou man; make him Thine own noble image. With\nheavenly pity will I fill his heart, with sympathy toward every living\nthing impress his being; through him will they find cause to praise\nThee.\"\n\nThen the Angel of Mercy ceased, and the Angel of Peace with tearful eyes\nspoke thus:--\n\n\"O God, create him not! Thy peace he will disturb, the flow of blood,\nwill follow sure his coming. Confusion, horror, war, will blot the\nearth, and Thou wilt no longer find a pleasant place among Thy works on\nearth.\"\n\nThen spoke in stern tones the Angel of Justice:--\n\n\"And Thou wilt judge him, God; he shall be subject to my sway.\"\n\nThe Angel of Truth approached, saying:--\n\n\"Cease! O God of truth, with man Thou sendest falsehood to the earth.\"\n\nThen all were silent, and out of the deep quietness the Divine words\ncame:--\n\n\"Thou, O Truth, shall go to earth with him, and yet remain a denizen of\nheaven; 'twixt heaven and earth to float, connecting link between the\ntwo.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nIt was customary in Bithar when a child was born for the parents to\nplant a young cedar tree, to grow up with the infant. It happened upon\none occasion when the daughter of the emperor was riding through the\ncity, that her chariot broke down, and her attendants pulled up a young\ncedar tree to use in repairing it. The man who had planted the tree,\nseeing this, attacked the servants and beat them severely. This action\nincensed the emperor, who immediately dispatched an army of eighty\nthousand men against the city. These captured it and killed the\ninhabitants, men, women, and children. The rivers ran red with blood,\nand 'tis said that the ground was rich and prolific to the farmers for\nseven years, from the bodies of those who perished, said to be four\nhundred thousand Israelites.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWhen the guilt of the Israelites grew too great for the forbearance of\nthe Most High, and they refused to listen to the words and warnings of\nJeremiah, the prophet left Jerusalem and traveled to the land of\nBenjamin. While he was in the holy city, and prayed for mercy on it, it\nwas spared; but while he sojourned in the land of Benjamin,\nNebuchadnezzar laid waste the land of Israel, plundered the holy Temple,\nrobbed it of its ornaments, and gave it a prey to the devouring flames.\nBy the hands of Nebuzaradan did Nebuchadnezzar send (while he himself\nremained in Riblah) to destroy Jerusalem.\n\nBefore he ordered the expedition he endeavored by means of signs, in\naccordance with the superstition of his age, to ascertain the result of\nthe attempt. He shot an arrow from his bow, pointing to the west, and\nthe arrow turned toward Jerusalem. Then he shot again, pointing toward\nthe east, and the arrow sped toward Jerusalem. Then he shot once more,\ndesiring to know in which direction lay the guilty city which should be\nblotted from the world, and for the third time his arrow pointed toward\nJerusalem.\n\nWhen the city had been captured, he marched with his princes and\nofficers into the Temple, and called out mockingly to the God of Israel,\n\"And art thou the great God before whom the world trembles, and we here\nin thy city and thy Temple!\"\n\nOn one of the walls he found the mark of an arrow's head, as though\nsomebody had been killed or hit near by, and he asked, \"Who was killed\nhere?\"\n\n\"Zachariah, the son of Yehoyadah, the high priest,\" answered the people;\n\"he rebuked us incessantly on account of our transgressions, and we\ntired of his words, and put him to death.\"\n\nThe followers of Nebuchadnezzar massacred the inhabitants of Jerusalem,\nthe priests and the people, old and young, women, and children who were\nattending school, even babies in the cradle. The feast of blood at last\nshocked even the leader of the hostile heathens, who ordered a stay of\nthis wholesale murder. He then removed all the vessels of gold and\nsilver from the Temple, and sent them by his ships, to Babel, after\nwhich he set the Temple on fire.\n\nThe high priest donned his robe and ephod, and saying, \"Now that the\nTemple is destroyed, no priest is needed to officiate,\" threw himself\ninto the flames and was consumed. When the other priests who were still\nalive witnessed this action, they took their harps and musical\ninstruments and followed the example of the high priest. Those of the\npeople whom the soldiers had not killed were bound in iron chains,\nburdened with the spoils of the victors, and carried into captivity.\nJeremiah the prophet returned to Jerusalem and accompanied his\nunfortunate brethren, who went out almost naked. When they reached a\nplace called Bet Kuro, Jeremiah obtained better clothing for them. And\nhe spoke to Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans, and said, \"Think not that\nof your own strength you were able to overcome the people chosen of the\nLord; 'tis their iniquities which have condemned them to this sorrow.\"\n\nThus the people journeyed on with crying and moaning until they reached\nthe rivers of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar said to them, \"Sing, ye\npeople,--play for me,--sing the songs ye were wont to sing before your\ngreat Lord in Jerusalem.\"\n\nIn answer to this command, the Levites hung their harps upon the willow\ntrees near the banks of the river, as it is written, \"Upon the willows\nin her midst had we hung up our harps.\" Then they said, \"If we had but\nperformed the will of God and sung His praises devoutly, we should not\nhave been delivered into thy hands. Now, how can we sing before thee the\nprayers and hymns that belong only to the One Eternal God?\" as it is\nsaid, \"How should we sing the song of the Lord on the soil of the\nstranger?\"\n\nThen said the officers of the captors, \"These men are men of death; they\nrefuse to obey the order of the king; let them die.\"\n\nBut forth stepped Pelatya, the son of Yehoyadah, and thus he addressed\nNebuchadnezzar:--\n\n\"Behold, if a flock is delivered into the hands of a shepherd, and a\nwolf steals a lamb from the flock, tell me, who is responsible to the\nowner of the lost animal?\"\n\n\"Surely the shepherd,\" replied Nebuchadnezzar.\n\n\"Then listen to thine own words,\" replied Pelatya. \"God has given Israel\ninto thy hands; to Him art thou responsible for those who are slain.\"\n\nThe king ordered the chains to be removed from the captives, and they\nwere not put to death.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThrough Kamtzah and Bar Kamtzah was Jerusalem destroyed; and thus it\nhappened.\n\nA certain man made a feast; he was a friend of Kamtzah, but Bar Kamtzah\nhe hated. He sent a messenger to Kamtzah with an invitation to his\nbanquet, but this messenger making a mistake, delivered the invitation\nto his master's enemy, Bar Kamtzah.\n\nBar Kamtzah accepted the invitation, and was on hand at the appointed\ntime, but when the host saw his enemy enter his house, he ordered him to\nleave at once.\n\n\"Nay,\" said Bar Kamtzah, \"now that I am here, do not so insult me as to\nsend me forth. I will pay thee for all that I may eat and drink.\"\n\n\"I want not thy money,\" returned the other, \"neither do I desire thy\npresence; get thee gone at once.\"\n\nBut Bar Kamtzah persisted.\n\n\"I will pay the entire expense of thy feast,\" he said; \"do not let me be\ndegraded in the eyes of thy guests.\"\n\nThe host was determined, and Bar Kamtzah withdrew from the banquet-room\nin anger.\n\n\"Many Rabbis were present,\" said he in his heart, \"and not one of them\ninterfered in my behalf, therefore this insult which they saw put upon\nme must have pleased them.\"\n\nSo Bar Kamtzah spoke treacherously of the Jews unto the king, saying,\n\"The Jews have rebelled against thee.\"\n\n\"How can I know this?\" inquired the king.\n\n\"Send a sacrifice to their Temple and it will be rejected,\" replied Bar\nKamtzah.\n\nThe ruler then sent a well-conditioned calf to be sacrificed for him in\nthe Temple, but through the machinations of Bar Kamtzah the messenger\ninflicted a blemish upon it, and, of course, not being fit for the\nsacrifice it was not accepted.\n\nThrough this cause was C\u00e6sar sent to capture Jerusalem, and for two\nyears he besieged the city. Four wealthy citizens of Jerusalem had\nstored up enough food to last the inhabitants a much longer time than\nthis, but the people being anxious to fight with the Romans, destroyed\nthe storehouses and brought dire famine upon the city.\n\nA certain noble lady, Miriam, the daughter of Baythus, sent her servant\nto purchase some flour for household use. The servant found that all the\nflour had been sold, but there was still some meal which he might have\npurchased. Hurrying home, however, to learn his mistress's wishes in\nregard to this, he discovered on his return that this too had been sold,\nand he could obtain nothing save some coarse barley meal. Not wishing to\npurchase this without orders he returned home again, but when he\nreturned to the storehouse to secure the barley meal, that was gone\nalso. Then his mistress started out herself to purchase food, but she\ncould find nothing. Suffering from the pangs of hunger she picked from\nthe street the skin of a fig and ate it; this sickened her and she died.\nBut previous to her death she cast all her gold and silver into the\nstreet, saying, \"What use is this wealth to me when I can obtain no food\nfor it?\" Thus were the words of Ezekiel fulfilled:--\n\n\"Their silver shall they cast into the streets.\"\n\nAfter the destruction of the storehouses, Rabbi Jochanan in walking\nthrough the city saw the populace boiling straw in water and drinking of\nthe same for sustenance. \"Ah, woe is me for this calamity!\" he\nexclaimed; \"how can such a people strive against a mighty host?\" He\napplied to Ben Batiach, his nephew, one of the chiefs of the city, for\npermission to leave Jerusalem. But Ben Batiach replied, \"It may not be;\nno living body may leave the city.\" \"Take me out then as a corpse,\"\nentreated Jochanan. Ben Batiach assented to this, and Jochanan was\nplaced in a coffin and carried through the gates of the city; Rabbi\nEleazer, Rabbi Joshua, and Ben Batiach acting as pall-bearers. The\ncoffin was placed in a cave, and after they had all returned to their\nhomes Jochanan arose from the coffin and made his way to the enemy's\ncamp. He obtained from the commander permission to establish an academy\nin Jabna with Rabbon Gamliel as the principal.\n\nTitus soon captured the city, killed many of the people, and sent the\nothers into exile. He entered the Temple, even in the Most Holy, and cut\ndown the veil which separated it from the less sacred precincts. He\nseized the holy vessels, and sent them to Rome.\n\nFrom this history of Kamtzah and Bar Kamtzah we should learn to be\ncareful of offending our neighbors, when in so slight a cause such great\nresults may originate. Our Rabbis have said that he who causes his\nneighbor to blush through an insult, should be compared to the one who\nsheds blood.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nDuring the terrible times which followed the fall of the Holy City,\nHannah and her seven sons were cast into prison.\n\nAccording to their ages they were brought before the tyrant conqueror,\nand commanded to pay homage to him and his gods.\n\n\"God forbid,\" exclaimed the eldest lad, \"that I should bow to thy image.\nOur commandments say to us, 'I am the Lord thy God;' to no other will I\nbow.\"\n\nHe was immediately led out to execution, and the same demand made of his\nbrother, the second son.\n\n\"My brother bowed not,\" he answered, \"and no more will I.\"\n\n\"Wherefore not?\" asked the tyrant.\n\n\"Because,\" replied the lad, \"the second commandment of the Decalogue\ntells us, 'Thou shalt have no other God but me.'\"\n\nHis death followed immediately his brave words.\n\n\"My religion teaches me, 'Thou shalt worship no other God,'\" said the\nthird son, \"and I welcome the fate accorded to my brothers rather than\nbow to thee or thy images.\"\n\nThe same homage was demanded of the fourth son, but brave and faithful\nas his brethren, he replied, \"'He that sacrificeth unto any God save\nunto the Lord only,'\" and was slain pitilessly.\n\n\"'Hear, O Israel! the Lord our God, the Lord is One,'\" exclaimed the\nfifth lad, yielding up his young life with the watchword of Israel's\nhosts.\n\n\"Why art thou so obstinate?\" was asked of the sixth brother, when he,\ntoo, was brought before the tyrant and scorned the propositions made\nhim.\n\n\"'The Lord thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty and terrible God,'\"\nhe said; and died for the principles he proclaimed.\n\nThen the seventh and youngest boy was brought before the murderer of his\nrelatives, who addressed him kindly, saying:--\n\n\"My son, come bow before my gods.\"\n\nAnd the child answered:--\n\n\"God forbid! Our holy religion teaches us 'Know therefore this day, and\nreflect in thy heart that the Lord he is God, in the heavens above and\non the earth beneath there is none else.' Never will we exchange our God\nfor any other, neither will He exchange us for any other nation, for as\nit is written, 'Thou hast this day acknowledged the Lord,' so is it also\nwritten, 'And the Lord hath acknowledged thee this day, that thou art\nunto him a peculiar people!'\"\n\nStill the tyrant spoke smoothly, and with kind words.\n\n\"Thou art young,\" he said; \"thou hast seen but little of the pleasures\nand joys of life, not as much as has fallen to the portion of thy\nbrethren. Do as I wish thee and thy future shall be bright and happy.\"\n\n\"The Lord will reign forever and ever,\" said the lad; \"thy nation and\nthy kingdom will be destroyed; thou art here to-day, to-morrow in the\ngrave; to-day elevated, to-morrow lowly; but the most Holy One endures\nforever.\"\n\n\"See,\" continued the other, \"thy brothers lie slain before thee; their\nfate will be thine if thou refusest to do as I desire. See, I will cast\nmy ring to the ground, stoop thou and pick it up; that I will consider\nallegiance to my gods.\"\n\n\"Thinkest thou that I fear thy threats?\" returned the unterrified lad;\n\"why should I fear a human being more than the great God, the King of\nkings?\"\n\n\"Where and what is thy God?\" asked the oppressor. \"Is there a God in the\nworld?\"\n\n\"Can there be a world without a Creator?\" replied the youth. \"Of thy\ngods 'tis said, 'mouths they have, but speak not.' Of our God the\nPsalmist says, 'By the word of the Lord were the heavens made.' Thy gods\nhave 'eyes but see not,' but 'the eyes of the Lord run to and fro in the\nwhole earth!' Thy gods have 'ears but hear not,' but of our God 'tis\nwritten, 'The Lord hearkened and heard.' Of thy gods 'tis said, 'a nose\nthey have but smell not,' while our God 'smelled the sweet savor.'\n'Hands have thy gods but they touch not,' while our God says, 'My hand\nhath also founded the earth.' Of thy gods 'tis written, 'feet they have\nbut walk not,' while Zachariah tells us of our God, 'His feet will stand\nthat day upon the mount of Olives.'\"\n\nThen said the cruel one:--\n\n\"If thy God hath all these attributes, why does He not deliver thee from\nmy power?\"\n\nThe lad replied:--\n\n\"He delivered Chananyah and his companions from the power of\nNebuchadnezzar, but they were righteous men, and Nebuchadnezzar was a\nking deserving of seeing a miracle performed, but for me, alas, I am not\nworthy of redemption, neither art thou worthy of a demonstration of\nGod's power.\"\n\n\"Let the lad be slain as were his brothers,\" commanded the tyrant.\n\nThen spoke Hannah, the mother of the boys:--\n\n\"Give me my child,\" she cried, \"oh, cruel king, let me fold him in my\narms ere thou destroyest his innocent young life.\"\n\nShe threw her arms around the lad, clasping him tightly to her bosom,\nand pressing her lips to his. \"Take my life,\" she cried; \"kill me first\nbefore my child.\"\n\n\"Nay,\" he answered, scoffingly, \"I cannot do it, for thy own laws\nforbid; 'Whether it be ox or sheep ye shall not kill it and its young in\none day.'\"\n\n\"Oh, woe to thee,\" replied the mother, \"thou who art so particular to\nregard the laws.\" Then pressing her boy to her heart, \"Go, my dear one,\"\nshe said, \"say to Abraham that my sacrifice hath exceeded his. He built\none altar whereon to sacrifice Isaac; thy mother hath built seven altars\nand sacrificed seven Isaacs in one day. He was but tempted; thy mother\nhath performed.\"\n\nAfter the execution of her last son, Hannah became insane, and threw\nherself from her house-top. Where she fell, she expired.\n\nHappy are ye, ye seven sons of Hannah; your portion in the future world\nwas waiting for you. In faithfulness ye served your God, and with her\nchildren shall your mother rejoice forever in the eternal world.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nMoses Maimonides, one of the greatest of Jewish commentators, and a\ndescendant of Rabbi Judah, the compiler of the Mishna, was born in the\ncity of Cordova, Spain, March 30, 1135. His father was somewhat advanced\nin life when he married, and it is said that he entered into the\nconjugal state through having dreamed several successive times that he\nwas wedded to the daughter of a butcher in his neighborhood; the lady\nwhom he did actually marry.\n\nMoses was the only child of this lady, who died shortly after his birth.\nHis father lamented her demise for about a year, and then married again,\nseveral children being the result of this second union.\n\nMoses displayed no love for study in his youth; a fact which grieved his\nfather much. All efforts to induce him to become more studious failed;\nhis brothers called him \"the butcher's boy,\" as a term of reproach for\nhis dullness; and finally, in anger, his father drove him from his home.\n\nWhile traveling, entirely friendless, Moses fell in with a learned\nRabbi, and admired his wisdom and knowledge so much that he resolved to\nstudy zealously and emulate such attainments.\n\nMany years after this a new preacher was announced to lecture in the\nsynagogue, at Cordova, upon a designated Sabbath. Numerous rumors of his\nwonderful learning and eloquence were rife, and all were anxious to hear\nhim. In matter, delivery, earnestness, and effect, the sermon excelled\nall that the people had before listened to, and to the amazement of\nMaimonides the elder, and his sons, they recognized in the man all were\neager to honor, their outcast relative.\n\nThe first commentary of Maimonides is upon the Mishna, and it concludes\nwith these words:--\n\n\"I, Moses, the son of Maymon, commenced this commentary when\ntwenty-three years of age. I have finished it at the age of thirty in\nthe land of Egypt.\"\n\nMaimonides fled from Spain to Cairo, in Egypt, from fanaticism and\npersecution. There he studied the Greek and Chaldaic languages, becoming\nmaster of both after seven years' attention. His fame spread through the\ncountry. His scientific standing and his general knowledge were\nuniversally recognized, and his books were not only valued by his\nbrethren in faith, but by all the cultured and enlightened of his day.\n\nIt is said that the king of Egypt appointed him as one of his staff of\nphysicians. The enlightened men of the kingdom were divided into seven\ngrades, each grade occupying a corresponding position near the throne of\nthe king on state occasions. The monarch considered Maimonides so much\nsuperior to the others that he made for him a special position. This,\nMoses, a modest man, declined. The other physicians, however, were\njealous of his high standing, and being unable to injure him openly,\nthey endeavored to accomplish his ruin in a secret manner.\n\nThe king was taken very sick, and Maimonides attended him. Taking\nadvantage of this, the physicians put poison in the draught which Moses\nhad prepared for him, and then informed the king that the latter\ndesigned his death. To prove their words, they gave some of the mixture\nto a dog, and the animal died.\n\nThe king was grieved and surprised, and Maimonides, struck dumb with\namazement, was unable to say a word.\n\n\"Death is the penalty for one who attempts to assassinate his ruler,\"\nsaid the king. \"Choose now the mode of thy punishment.\"\n\nMoses asked for three days for consideration, which the king granted.\nDuring this time he prepared a certain mixture, and instructed his\npupils to have it ready and apply it according to his directions, when\nhe should be brought home senseless. He then appeared before the king,\nand desired to have his veins opened. The vital artery was missed, as he\nhad anticipated, and the result was as he had foreseen. After his\nrecovery, he fled from Egypt, taking refuge in a cave, where he wrote\nhis _Yad Hazakah_ (the \"Strong Hand\"), consisting of fourteen divisions,\ntypified by the word _Yad_, which also means fourteen.\n\nMaimonides simplified the Talmudical rules and traditions, making them\nclear to the comprehension of all. He was the author of an exhaustive\nwork, entitled, _Mishne Torah_, the \"Second Law,\" which was eagerly\ncopied and extensively disseminated. He also wrote many philosophical\ntreatises leveled against atheism, and designed to prove that God\nproduced the world from naught, and at the age of fifty gave to the\nworld his great work, _Moreh Nebuchim_ (\"Guide of the Perplexed\"), to\nwhich Rabbi Judah Charizi added an appendix.\n\nMaimonides died at the age of seventy years, and his remains were\ninterred at Cairo, Egypt. Both Jews and Gentiles mourned his loss. The\nlamentation in Jerusalem was intense, a fast was declared, the\nsynagogues were opened, and a portion of the law (Levit. 25:12 to end),\nand the fifth chapter of Samuel 1, were made parts of the service of the\nday.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nDuring the reign of one of the bishops in Metz, there lived a Jew in\nthat city, who was called Rabbi Amnon. He was of illustrious family, of\ngreat personal merit, rich and respected by the Bishop and the people.\nThe Bishop frequently pressed him to abjure Judaism and embrace\nChristianity, but without the slightest avail. It happened, however,\nupon a certain day, being more closely pressed than usual, and somewhat\nanxious to be rid of the Bishop's importunities, he said hastily, \"I\nwill consider the subject, and give thee an answer in three days.\"\n\nAs soon as he had left the Bishop's presence, however, his heart smote\nhim, and an unquiet conscience blamed him for admitting, even in this\nmanner, a doubt of the true faith. He reached home overwhelmed with\ngrief; meat was set before him, but he refused to eat; and when his\nfriends visited him and ascertained the cause of his low spirits, he\nrefused their proffered consolation, saying, \"I shall go down mourning\nto the grave for these words.\" On the third day, while he was still\nlamenting his imprudent concession, the Bishop sent for him, but he\nrefused to answer the call.\n\nHaving refused several of the Bishop's messengers, they were finally\nordered to seize him, and bring him by force before the prelate.\n\n\"Amnon,\" said the Bishop, \"why didst thou not come to me, according to\nthy promise, to inform me of thy decision in regard to my request?\"\n\n\"Let me,\" answered Amnon, \"pronounce my own doom for this neglect. Let\nmy tongue, which uttered those hasty, doubting words, be cut out; a lie\nI uttered, for I never intended to consider the proposition.\"\n\n\"Nay,\" said the Bishop, \"I will not cut out thy tongue, but thy feet\nwhich refused to come to me, shall be cut off, and the other parts of\nthy obstinate body shall be also punished and tormented.\"\n\nUnder the Bishop's eye and order, the toes and thumbs of Rabbi Amnon\nwere then cut off, and after having been severely tortured, he was sent\nhome in a carriage, his mangled members beside him.\n\nRabbi Amnon bore all this with the greatest resignation, firmly hoping\nand trusting that this earthly torment would plead his pardon with God.\n\nHis life after this was of course to be measured only by days. The Feast\nof the New Year came round, while he was living, and he desired to be\ncarried to the synagogue. He was conveyed to the house of God, and\nduring the service he requested to be allowed to utter a prayer. The\nwords which proved to be his last were as follows:--\n\n\"I will declare the mighty holiness of this day, for it is awful and\ntremendous. Thy kingdom is exalted thereon; Thy throne is established in\nmercy, and upon it Thou dost rest in truth. Thou art the Judge, who\nchastiseth, and from Thee naught may be concealed. Thou bearest witness,\nwritest, sealest, recordest, and rememberest all things, aye, those\nwhich we imagine long buried in the past. The Book of Records thou\nopenest; the great _shophar_ (cornet) is sounded; even the angels are\nterrified, and they cry aloud, 'The Day of Judgment dawns upon us,' for\nin judgment they, the angels, are not faultless.\n\n\"All who have entered the world pass before Thee. Even as the shepherd\ncauses the flock he numbers to pass under his crook, so Thou, O Lord,\ncausest every living soul to pass before Thee. Thou numberest, Thou\nvisitest; appointing the limitations of every creature, Thy judgment and\nThy sentence.\n\n\"On the New Year it is written, on the Day of Atonement it is sealed.\nAye, all Thy decrees are recorded. Who is to live and who to die. The\nnames of those to meet death by fire, by water, or by the sword; through\nhunger, through thirst, and with the pestilence. All is recorded. Those\nwho are to have tranquillity, those who are to be disturbed. Those who\nare to be troubled, those who are to be blessed with repose. Those who\nare to be prosperous, those for whom affliction is in store. Those who\nare to become rich, who poor; who exalted, who cast down; but penitence,\nprayer, and charity, O Lord, may avert all evil decrees.\"\n\nWhen he had finished this declaration, in which he designed to\nacknowledge his sin and the justice of his punishment, Rabbi Amnon\nexpired, dying fitly in God's house among the assembled sons of Israel.\n\n\n\n\nFASTS AND FESTIVALS\n\n\nPASSOVER\n\n\nThe feast of unleavened bread, or \"Passover,\" begins upon the evening of\nthe 14th day of _Nissan_ (April), and was instituted in commemoration of\nour ancestors' redemption from Egypt, a memorial forever. During its\ncontinuance we are strictly forbidden the use of any leavened thing.\n\nMoses said to the Israelites in the name of the Lord:--\n\n\"Draw out and take for yourselves a lamb,\" etc.\n\nBy the observance of this precept they would deserve well of God and He\nwould redeem them, for when He spoke they were \"naked and bare\" of good\ndeeds and meritorious acts.\n\n\"Draw out and take for yourselves a lamb.\"\n\nDraw yourselves away from the idols which ye are worshiping with the\nEgyptians, the calves and lambs of stone and metal, and with one of the\nsame animals through which ye sin, prepare to fulfill the commandments\nof your God.\n\nThe planet sign of the month _Nissan_ is a lamb; therefore, that the\nEgyptians might not think that through the powers of the lamb they had\nthrown off the yoke of slavery, God commanded His people to take a lamb\nand eat it.\n\nThey were commanded to roast it whole and to break no bone of it, so\nthat the Egyptians might know that it was indeed a lamb which they had\nconsumed.\n\nThe Lord said to Moses, \"Tell the children of Israel that they shall\nborrow of the Egyptians gold and silver vessels,\" in order that it might\nnot be afterward said, \"The words 'they will make them serve, and they\nwill afflict them,' were fulfilled: but the words 'they shall go out\nwith great substance' did not come to pass.\"\n\nWhen Moses told the Israelites that they should go up out of Egypt with\ngreat substance, they answered, \"Would that we could go even\nempty-handed,\" like to the servant confined in prison.\n\n\"To-morrow,\" said the jailer to him, \"I will release thee from prison,\nand give thee much money.\"\n\n\"Let me go to-day, and give me nothing,\" replied the prisoner.\n\nOn the seventh day of the Passover the children of Israel passed through\nthe Red Sea on dry land.\n\nA man was once traveling along the road and his son preceded him on the\nway. A robber appeared in the path, and the man put his son behind him.\nThen lo, a wolf came after the lad, and his father lifted him up and\ncarried him within his arms.\n\nThe sea was before the Israelites, the Egyptians were behind them, so\nGod lifted up His child and carried it within His arms.\n\nWhen Israel suffered from the hot rays of the sun God \"spread the cloud\nfor a covering;\" when they were hungry He sent them bread from heaven;\nand when they thirsted \"He brought forth floods from a rock.\"\n\n\nPENTECOST\n\n\nThe Feast of Weeks, or \"Pentecost,\" occurs upon the sixth day of the\nthird month, _Sivan_ (June). It is called the Feast of Weeks because\nforty-nine days, or seven weeks, duly numbered, elapse between the\nsecond day of Passover, when (during the existence of the Temple) a\nsheaf of green barley was offered, and this festival, when two loaves\nmade of the first flour of the wheat harvest were \"brought before the\nLord.\" It is also the anniversary of the delivery of the commandment\nfrom Mount Sinai.\n\nWhy does not the Bible particularize in this as on other occasions, and\nsay directly, \"On the sixth day of the third month was the law given?\"\n\nBecause in ancient times the men called \"wise\" placed their faith and\ndependence upon the planets. They divided these into seven, apportioning\none to each day of the week. Some nations selected for their greatest\ngod the sun, other nations the moon, and so on, and prayed to them and\nworshiped them. They knew not that the planets moved and changed\naccording to the course of nature, established by the Most High, a\ncourse which He might change according to His will, and into their\nignorant ideas many of the Israelites had entered. Therefore, as they\nconsidered the planets as seven, God made many other things depending on\nthat number, to show that as He made them, so had He made the planets.\n\nThe seventh day of the week He made the Sabbath; the seventh year he\nmade the year of rest; after seven times seven years, or after seven\nSabbatical years, He ordained the Jubilee, or year of release. Seven\ndays He gave to the Passover festival, and seven days to the Feast of\nTabernacles. Seven days was Jericho surrounded, and seven priests took\nseven trumpets and marched round its walls seven times upon the seventh\nday.\n\nTherefore, after numbering seven weeks during the ripening time of the\ngrain, the Israelites were to hold a holy convocation, to praise the One\nwho can prevent all things, but who cannot be prevented; who can change\nall things, but is unchangeable.\n\nThe first day the Israelites were redeemed from slavery and\nsuperstition; the fiftieth day a law was given them for their guide\nthrough life; therefore they are commanded to number these days and\nremember them.\n\nThe children of Ishmael, says the legend, were asked to accept the law.\n\"What does it contain?\" they asked. \"Thou shalt not steal,\" was the\nanswer. \"How can we then accept it,\" they returned, \"when thus was our\nforefather blessed, 'Thy hand shall be against every man?'\"\n\nThe children of Esau were asked to accept the law, and they also\ninquired, \"What does it contain?\" \"Thou shalt not kill,\" was the answer.\n\"We cannot accept it, then,\" said they, \"for thus did our father Isaac\nbless us, 'By the sword shalt thou live.'\"\n\nWhen Israel was asked to accept the law, the people answered, \"We will\ndo and obey.\"\n\n\nNEW YEAR, OR THE DAY OF MEMORIAL\n\n\nOn the first day of the seventh month, _Tishri_ (October), is the\ncommemoration of the creation of the world. Then the cornet is blown to\nannounce to the people that a new year has begun its course, and to warn\nthem to examine strictly their conduct and make amends therein where\namends are needed.\n\nWould not any person of sense, knowing that he must appear before a\nCourt of Judgment, prepare himself therefor? Either in a civil or a\ncriminal case would he not seek for counsel? How much more, then, is it\nincumbent upon him to prepare for a meeting with the King of kings,\nbefore whom all things are revealed. No counsel can help him in his\ncase; repentance, devotion, charity, these are the arguments which must\nplead in his favor. Therefore, a person should search his actions and\nrepent his transgressions previous to the day of judgment. In the month\nof _Elul_ (September) he should arouse himself to a consciousness of the\ndread justice awaiting all mankind.\n\nThis is the season when the Lord pardoned the Israelites who had\nworshiped the molten calf. He commanded Moses to reascend the mount for\na second tablet, after he had destroyed the first. Thus say the sages,\n\"The Lord said unto Moses in the month _Elul_, 'Go up unto me on the\nmountain,' and Moses went up and received the second tablet at the end\nof forty days. Before he ascended he caused the trumpet to be sounded\nthrough the camp.\" Since that time it is customary to sound the\n_shophar_ (cornet) in the synagogues, to give warning to the people that\nthe day of judgment, New Year, is rapidly approaching, and with it the\nDay of Atonement. Therefore, propitiatory prayers are said twice every\nday, morning and evening, from the second day of _Elul_ until the eve of\nthe Day of Atonement, which period comprises the last forty days which\nMoses passed on Sinai, when God was reconciled to Israel and pardoned\ntheir transgressions with the molten calf.\n\nRabbi Eleazer said, \"Abraham and Jacob were born in _Tishri_, and in\n_Tishri_ they died. On the first of _Tishri_ the universe was created,\nand during the Passover was Isaac born. On the first of _Tishri_ (New\nYear), Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah, three barren women, were visited. On\nthe first day of _Tishri_ our ancestors discontinued their rigorous\nlabor in Egypt. On the first of _Tishri_ Adam was created; from his\nexistence we count our years, that is the sixth day of the creation. On\nthat day, too, did he eat of the forbidden fruit, therefore is the\nseason appointed for one of penitence, for the Lord said to Adam, 'This\nshall be for a sign in future generations; thy descendants shall be\njudged upon these days, and they shall be appointed as days of pardon\nand forgiveness.'\"\n\nFour times in the year the Lord pronounces His decrees.\n\nFirst, New Year, the first of _Tishri_. Then the judgments of all human\nbeings for the coming year are ordained.\n\nSecond, the first day of Passover. Then the scarcity or fullness of the\ncrops is determined.\n\nThird, Pentecost. Then the Lord blesses the fruit of the trees, or bids\nthem bear not in plenty.\n\nFourth, The Feast of Tabernacles. Then the Lord determines whether the\nrain shall bless the earth in its due season or not.\n\nMan is judged on New Year's and the decree is made final on the Day of\nAtonement.\n\nRabbi Nathan has said that man is judged at all times.\n\nThus taught Rabbi Akiba. \"Why does the law command the bringing of a\nsheaf of barley on the Passover? Because the Passover is the season of\nthe harvest of the grain. The Lord says, 'Offer for me a sheaf of barley\non Passover, that I may bless the grain which is in the field.'\n\n\"Why does the Bible say, 'Bring two loaves of the new wheat on\nPentecost?' Because at Pentecost time the fruit ripens, and God says,\n'Offer for me two loaves of the new wheat, in order that I may bless the\nfruit which is on the trees.'\n\n\"Why were we commanded to bring a drink-offering of water into the\nTemple on the Feast of Tabernacles? Because then is the season of rain,\nand the Lord says, 'Bring the drink-offering of water to me, in order\nthat I may bless the rain of the year.'\n\n\"Why do they make the cornet which they blow of a ram's horn? In order\nthat the Lord may remember the ram which was sacrificed instead of\nIsaac, and allow the merits of the patriarchs to weigh in favor of their\ndescendants, as it is written in the Decalogue, 'Showing mercy to\nthousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.'\"\n\nOn New Year's day they recite in the synagogues the record of the\nbinding of Isaac for the same purpose. While God has mercy upon His\ncreatures He gives them a season for repentance, that they may not\nperish in their wickedness, therefore as it is written in Lamentations\n3:40, we should \"search through and investigate our ways and return unto\nthe Lord.\"\n\nDuring the year man is apt to grow callous as to his transgressions,\ntherefore the cornet is sounded to arouse him to the consciousness of\nthe time which is passing so rapidly away. \"Rouse thee from thy sleep,\"\nit says to him; \"the hour of thy visitation approaches.\" The Eternal\nwishes not to destroy His children, merely to arouse them to repentance\nand good resolves.\n\nThree classes of people are arraigned for judgment: the righteous, the\nwicked, and the indifferent. To the righteous the Lord awards a happy\nlife; the wicked He condemns, and to the indifferent ones He grants a\nrespite. From New Year's day until the Day of Atonement His judgment He\nholds in abeyance; if they repent truly they are classed with the\nrighteous for a happy life, and if they remain untouched, they are\ncounted with the wicked.\n\nThree sounds for the cornet are commanded in the Bible. A pure sound\n(_T'kiah_), a sound of alarm or trembling (_T'ruah_), and, thirdly, a\npure sound again (_T'kiah_).\n\nThe first sound typifies man's first awakening to penitence; he must\nsearch well his heart, desert his evil ways, and purify his thoughts, as\nit is written, \"Let the wicked forsake his ways and the man of\nunrighteousness his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord.\"\n\nThe alarm sound typifies the sorrow which a repentant man feels for his\nmisconduct and his earnest determination to reform.\n\nThe last sound is the pure sound again, which typifies a sincere resolve\nto keep the repentant heart incorrupt.\n\nThe Bible says to us:--\n\n\"The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that\nthou mayest do it.\" This verse teaches us that repentance is nearer to\nthose who believe in God and His book than fanatics would make it.\nDifficult penances are ordained for the sinner among them. He must fast\nmany days, or travel barefoot through rugged ways, or sleep in the open\nair. But we are not required to travel to the nether end of the ocean or\nto climb to mountain tops, for our Holy Word says to us, \"It is not in\nheaven, neither is it beyond the sea, but the Word is very nigh.\"\n\nIn three ways may we repent:--\n\nFirst, By words of mouth, finding birth in an honest heart.\n\nSecondly, With our feelings, sorrow for sins committed.\n\nThirdly, By good deeds in the future.\n\nRabbi Saadiah declared that God commanded us to sound the cornet on New\nYear's day for ten reasons.\n\nFirst, because this day is the beginning of the creation, when God began\nto reign over the world, and as it is customary to sound the trumpets at\nthe coronation of a king, we should in like manner proclaim by the sound\nof the cornet that the Creator is our king,--as David said, \"With\ntrumpets and the sound of the cornet, shout ye before the Lord.\"\n\nSecondly, as the New Year day is the first of the ten penitential days,\nwe sound the cornet as a proclamation to admonish all to return to God\nand repent. If they do not so, they at least have been informed, and\ncannot plead ignorance. Thus we find that earthly kings publish their\ndecrees with such concomitant, that none may say, \"We heard not this.\"\n\nThirdly, to remind us of the law given on Mount Sinai, where it is said,\n\"The voice of the cornet was exceeding loud.\" To remind us also that we\nshould bind ourselves anew to the performance of its precepts, as did\nour ancestors, when they said, \"All that the Lord hath said will we do\nand obey.\"\n\nFourthly, to remind us of the prophets, who were compared to watchmen\nblowing the trumpet of alarm, as we find in Ezekiel, \"Whosoever heareth\nthe sound of the cornet and taketh not warning, and the sound cometh and\ntaketh him away, his blood shall be upon his own head; but he that\ntaketh warning shall save his life.\"\n\nFifthly, to remind us of the destruction of the Temple and the fearsome\nsound of the battle-cry of our enemies. \"Because thou hast heard, oh my\nsoul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.\" Therefore when we\nhear the sound of the cornet we should implore God to rebuild the\nTemple.\n\nSixthly, to remind us of the binding of Isaac, who willingly offered\nhimself for immolation, in order to sanctify the Holy Name.\n\nSeventhly, that when we hear the terrifying sound, we may, through\ndread, humble ourselves before the Supreme Being, for it is the nature\nof these martial instruments to produce a sensation of terror, as the\nprophet Amos observes, \"Shall a trumpet be blown in a city, and the\npeople not to be terrified?\"\n\nEighthly, to remind us of the great and terrible Day of Judgment, on\nwhich the trumpet is to be sounded, as we find in Zeph., \"The great day\nof the Lord is near, and hasteneth much, a day of the trumpet and of\nshouting.\"\n\nNinthly, to remind us to pray for the time when the outcasts of Israel\nare to be gathered together, as promised in Isaiah, \"And it shall come\nto pass in that day, the great trumpet shall be sounded, and those shall\ncome who were perishing in the land of Assyria.\"\n\nTenthly, to remind us of the resurrection of the dead, and our firm\nbelief therein. \"Yea, all ye that inhabit the world, and that dwell on\nthe earth, when the standard is lifted upon the mountain, behold, and\nwhen the trumpet is sounded, hear!\" says the prophet Isaiah.\n\nTherefore should we set our hearts to these seasons, and fulfill the\nprecept that the Bible commands us, as it is written:--\n\n\"And the Lord commanded us to do all the statutes ... that it might be\nwell with us at all times.\"\n\n\nTHE DAY OF ATONEMENT\n\n\nThe hearts of all who fear God should tremble with the reflection that\nall the deeds of the creature are known to the Creator, and will be by\nHim accounted to them for good or evil. God is ready at all times to\nacknowledge true penitence; and of repentance there are seven degrees:\n\nFirst, the righteous man, who repents his misconduct as soon as he\nbecomes aware of his sin. This is the best and most complete.\n\nSecondly, of the man who has for some time led a life of sin, yet who,\nin the vigor of his days, gives over his evil ways and conquers his\nwrong inclinations. As Solomon has said, \"Remember thy Creator in the\ndays of thy youthful vigor.\" While in the prime of life abandon thy evil\nways.\n\nThirdly, of the one who was prevented by some cause from the commission\nof a contemplated sin, and who truly repents his evil intention. \"Happy\nis the man who fears the Lord,\" said the Psalmist. The man, not the\nwoman? Aye, all mankind. The word is used to denote strength; those who\nrepent while still in their youth.\n\nFourthly, of the one who repents when his sin is pointed out to him, and\nhe is rebuked for the same, as in the instance of the inhabitants of\nNineveh. They repented not until Jonah proclaimed to them, \"Yet forty\ndays more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.\" The men of Nineveh believed\nin God's mercy, and though the decree had been pronounced against them,\nyet they repented. \"And God saw their work, that they had returned from\ntheir evil ways, and God bethought Himself of the evil which He had\nspoken that He would do to them, and He did it not.\" Therefore say the\nRabbis, \"Our brethren, neither sackcloth nor fasting will gain\nforgiveness for sins; but repentance of the heart and good deeds; for it\nis not said of the men of Nineveh, 'God saw their fasting and\nsackcloth,' but 'God saw their work, that they had turned from their\nevil ways.'\"\n\nFifthly, of those who repent when trouble befalls them. How much nobler\nis this than human nature! Instance Jephtah: \"Did ye not hate me ... and\nwhy are ye come unto me now when you are in distress?\" But the infinite\nmercy of our God accepts even such repentance; as it is written, \"When\nthou art in tribulation, and all these things have overtaken thee ...\nthen wilt thou return unto the Lord thy God.\" Founded upon this is the\nproverb of the fathers, \"Repentance and good deeds form a shield against\npunishment.\"\n\nSixthly, the repentance of age. Even when man grows old and feeble, if\nhe repents truly, his atonement will be received. As the Psalmist says,\n\"Thou turnest man to contrition, and sayest, 'Return, ye children of\nmen.'\" Meaning, man can return at any time or any age, \"Return, ye\nchildren of men.\"\n\nSay the Rabbis, \"Although a man has been righteous in his youth and\nvigor, yet if he rebels against the will of God in his old age, the\nmerit of his former goodness shall be lost to him, as it is written,\n'When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and doeth wrong,\nand dieth therefor; through his wrong which he hath done must he die.'\nBut a man who has been wicked in his early days, and feels true sorrow\nand penitence in his old age, shall not be called 'wicked' any more.\nThis, however, is not gracious penitence when it is so long delayed.\"\n\nSeventhly, is the last degree of penitence. Of the one who is rebellious\nagainst his Creator during all the days of his life; turns to Him only\nwhen the hand of death is laid upon him.\n\nSay the Rabbis, if a person is sick, and the hour of his decease\napproaches, they who are by his deathbed should say to him, \"Confess thy\nsins to thy Creator.\"\n\nThey who are near the point of death should confess their shortcomings.\nThe sick man is as the man who is before a court of justice. The latter\nmay have advocates to defend him or laud his case, but the only\nadvocates of the former must be penitence and good deeds. As is written\nin the Book of Job, \"If there be now about him one single angel as\ndefender, one out of a thousand, to tell for man his uprightness; then\nis he gracious unto him, and saith, 'Release him from going down to the\npit; I have found an atonement.'\"\n\nThus we have seven different degrees of penitence, and he who neglects\nthem all must suffer in the world to come. Therefore fulfill the duties\nlaid upon you; repent as long as you are able to amend. As the Rabbis\nsay, 'Repent in the antechamber, that thou mayest enter the room of\nstate.'\n\n\"Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; wherefore will ye die, O house of\nIsrael!\" exclaimed the prophet Ezekiel; and what does this warning mean?\nwithout repentance ye shall die.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nPenitence is thus illustrated by a parable:--\n\nThere was once a great ship which had been sailing for many days upon\nthe ocean. Before it reached its destination, a high wind arose, which\ndrove it from its course; until, finally, becalmed close to a\npleasant-appearing island, the anchor was dropped. There grew upon this\nisland beautiful flowers and luscious fruits in \"great profusion\"; tall\ntrees lent a pleasing, cooling shade to the place, which appeared to the\nship's passengers most desirable and inviting. They divided themselves\ninto five parties; the first party determined not to leave the ship, for\nsaid they, \"A fair wind may arise, the anchor may be raised, and the\nship sail on, leaving us behind; we will not risk the chance of missing\nour destination for the temporary pleasure which this island offers.\"\nThe second party went on shore for a short time, enjoyed the perfume of\nthe flowers, tasted of the fruit, and returned to the ship happy and\nrefreshed, finding their places as they had left them; losing nothing,\nbut rather gaining in health and good spirits by the recreation of their\nvisit on shore. The third party also visited the island, but they stayed\nso long that the fair wind did arise, and hurrying back they just\nreached the ship as the sailors were lifting the anchor, and in the\nhaste and confusion many lost their places, and were not as comfortable\nduring the balance of their voyage as at the outset. They were wiser,\nhowever, than the fourth party; these latter stayed so long upon the\nisland and tasted so deeply of its pleasures, that they allowed the\nship's bell of warning to sound unheeded. Said they, \"The sails are\nstill to be set; we may enjoy ourselves a few minutes more.\" Again the\nbell sounded, and still they lingered, thinking, \"The captain will not\nsail without us.\" So they remained on shore until they saw the ship\nmoving; then in wild haste they swam after it and scrambled up the\nsides, but the bruises and injuries which they encountered in so doing\nwere not healed during the remainder of the voyage. But, alas, for the\nfifth party. They ate and drank so deeply that they did not even hear\nthe bell, and when the ship started they were left behind. Then the wild\nbeasts hid in the thickets made of them a prey, and they who escaped\nthis evil, perished from the poison of surfeit.\n\nThe \"ship\" is our good deeds, which bear us to our destination, heaven.\nThe \"island\" typifies the pleasures of the world, which the first set of\npassengers refused to taste or look upon, but which when enjoyed\ntemperately, as by the second party, make our lives pleasant, without\ncausing us to neglect our duties. These pleasures must not be allowed,\nhowever, to gain too strong a hold upon our senses. True, we may return,\nas the third party, while there is yet time and but little bad effect,\nor even as the fourth party at the eleventh hour, saved, but with\nbruises and injuries which cannot be entirely healed; but we are in\ndanger of becoming as the last party, spending a lifetime in the pursuit\nof vanity, forgetting the future, and perishing even of the poison\nconcealed in the sweets which attracted us.\n\nWho hath sorrow? Who hath woe?\n\nHe who leaves much wealth to his heirs, and takes with him to the grave\na burden of sins. He who gathers wealth without justice. \"He that\ngathereth riches and not by right in the midst of his days shall he\nleave them.\" To the portals of eternity his gold and his silver cannot\naccompany the soul of man; good deeds and trust in God must be his\ndirecting spirits.\n\nAlthough God is merciful and pardons the sins of man against Himself, he\nwho has wronged his neighbor must gain that neighbor's forgiveness\nbefore he can claim the mercy of the Lord. \"This must ye do,\" said Rabbi\nEleazer, \"that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. The\nDay of Atonement may gain pardon for the sins of man against his Maker,\nbut not for those against his fellow-man, till every wrong done is\nsatisfied.\"\n\nIf a man is called upon to pardon his fellow, freely he must do it; else\nhow can he dare, on the Day of Atonement, to ask pardon for his sins\nagainst the Eternal? It is customary on this day for a man to thoroughly\ncleanse himself bodily and spiritually, and to array himself in white\nfresh clothing, to typify the words of Isaiah, \"Though your sins should\nbe as scarlet, they shall become white as snow.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nIt happened that the mayor of a city once sent his servant to the market\nto purchase some fish. When he reached the place of sale he found that\nall the fish save one had been sold, and this one a Jewish tailor was\nabout purchasing. Said the mayor's servant, \"I will give one gold piece\nfor it;\" said the tailor, \"I will give two.\" The mayor's messenger then\nexpressed his willingness to pay three gold pieces for it, but the\ntailor claimed the fish, and said he would not lose it though he should\nbe obliged to pay ten gold pieces for it. The mayor's servant then\nreturned home, and in anger related the circumstance to his master. The\nmayor sent for his subject, and when the latter appeared before him\nasked:--\n\n\"What is thy occupation?\"\n\n\"A tailor, sir,\" replied the man.\n\n\"Then how canst thou afford to pay so great a price for a fish, and how\ndare degrade my dignity by offering for it a larger sum than that\noffered by my servant?\"\n\n\"I fast to-morrow,\" replied the tailor, \"and I wished the fish to eat\nto-day, that I might have strength to do so. I would not have lost it\neven for ten pieces of gold.\"\n\n\"What is to-morrow more than any other day?\" asked the mayor.\n\n\"Why art thou more than any other man?\" returned the other.\n\n\"Because the king hath appointed me to this office.\"\n\n\"Well,\" replied the tailor, \"the King of kings hath appointed this day\nto be holier than all other days, for on this day we hope that God will\npardon our transgressions.\"\n\n\"If this be the case thou wert right,\" answered the mayor, and the\nIsraelite departed in peace.\n\nThus if a person's intention is to obey God, nothing can hinder its\naccomplishment. On this day God commanded His children to fast, but they\nmust strengthen their bodies to obey Him by eating on the day before. It\nis a person's duty to sanctify himself, bodily and spiritually, for the\napproach of this great day. He should be ready to enter at any moment\ninto the Fearful Presence with repentance and good deeds as his\ncompanions.\n\nA certain man had three friends. One of these he loved dearly; the\nsecond he loved also, but not as intensely as the first; but toward the\nthird one he was quite indifferently disposed.\n\nNow the king of the country sent an officer to this man, commanding his\nimmediate appearance before the throne. Greatly terrified was the man at\nthis summons. He thought that somebody had been speaking evil of him, or\nprobably accusing him falsely before his sovereign, and being afraid to\nappear unaccompanied before the royal presence, he resolved to ask one\nof his friends to go with him. First he naturally applied to his dearest\nfriend, but he at once declined to go, giving no reason and no excuse\nfor his lack of friendliness. So the man applied to his second friend,\nwho said to him:--\n\n\"I will go with thee as far as the palace gates, but I will not enter\nwith thee before the king.\"\n\nIn desperation the man applied to his third friend, the one whom he had\nneglected, but who replied to him at once:--\n\n\"Fear not; I will go with thee, and I will speak in thy defense. I will\nnot leave thee until thou art delivered from thy trouble.\"\n\nThe \"first friend\" is a man's wealth, which he must leave behind him\nwhen he dies. The \"second friend\" is typified by the relatives who\nfollow him to the grave and leave him when the earth has covered his\nremains. The \"third friend,\" he who entered with him into the presence\nof the king, is as the good deeds of a man's life, which never desert,\nbut accompany him to plead his cause before the King of kings, who\nregardeth not person nor taketh bribery.\n\nThus taught Rabbi Eleazer:--\n\n\"On this great and tearful day the angel Samal finds no blots, no sins\non Israel.\" Thus he addresses the Most High:--\n\n\"'O Sovereign Lord, upon the earth this day one nation pure and innocent\nexists. Even as the angels is Israel on this Atonement Day. As peace\nexists in heaven, so rests it now upon this people, praying to Thy Holy\nName.'\n\n\"God hears this testimony of His angel, and pardon's all His people's\nsins.\"\n\nBut though the Almighty thus forgives our sins, we may not repeat them\nwith impunity, for \"to such a one as saith, 'I will commit a sin and\nrepent,' there can be no forgiveness, no repentance.\"\n\n\nFEAST OF TABERNACLES\n\n\nThe Feast of Tabernacles begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh\nmonth, _Tishri_ (October), and during its continuance, seven days, the\nIsraelites are commanded to dwell in tabernacles or booths. This is\ndesigned to keep fresh in their memory the tents with formed their homes\nduring their forty years' sojourn in the wilderness. The symbols of the\nfestival are branches of the palm, bound with sprigs of myrtle and\nwillow, and a citron.\n\nThe Lord said, \"This is not to be to you a fast as the Day of Atonement;\neat, drink, be merry, and sacrifice peace-offerings thereon.\" The Bible\nsays, \"Seven days unto the Lord\"; therefore we should in all our\nmerriment devote a few serious thoughts to Him.\n\nThe Feast of Tabernacles is held in the autumn, after the fruits of the\nfield have been garnered in the storehouses, according to the words of\nthe Bible, \"The Feast of Tabernacles shalt thou hold for thyself seven\ndays when thou hast gathered in the produce of thy thresh-floor and thy\nwine-press.\"\n\nThis dwelling in booths is also to bring to mind the manner in which the\nIsraelites lived for forty years after they left Egypt. With merely\ntemporary walls to protect them from summer's heat and winter's cold,\nfrom wind and storm. God was with them through all their generations,\nand they were protected from all evil.\n\nAccording to the opinion of some of the Rabbis, the Israelites did not\nreally dwell in booths in the wilderness, but were surrounded by\nclouds--by seven clouds. Four clouds, one at each of the four sides; a\nfifth, a shadow, to protect them from the hot rays of the sun; the\nsixth, a pillar of fire to give them light by night (they being able to\nsee as clearly by night as by day); and the seventh, to precede their\njourneying and direct their way.\n\nThe children of Israel departed from Egypt in _Nissan_ (April), and\nobtained immediately these booths, which they made use of for forty\nyears. Thus they were in booths during the entire cycle of the year, and\nwe could as easily commemorate this fact in the spring as in the fall,\nin the summer as in the winter. Why, then, has God made autumn, and\nneither spring nor summer, the season of observance? Because if we dwelt\nin booths in the summer, it would be a question whether we did so in\nobedience to God's behest or for our own gratification; for many people\nseek airy retreats during this season; but in the fall, when the trees\nlose their leaves, and the air grows cold and chilling, and it is the\ntime to fix our houses for the winter, then by inhabiting these\ntemporary residences, we display our desire to do as our Creator has\nbidden us.\n\nThe Feast of Tabernacles is also the Feast of Ingathering, when we\nshould thank God for the kindness shown us and the treasure with which\nHe has blessed us. When the Eternal has provided man with his\nsustenance, in the long evenings which follow he should meditate and\nstudy his Bible, and make this indeed a \"feast to the Lord,\" and not\nentirely for personal gratification.\n\nThe four species belonging to the vegetable kingdom which we use in this\nfestival, are designed to remind us of the four elements of nature,\nwhich work under the direction and approval of the Most High, and\nwithout which all things would cease to exist. Therefore the Bible\ncommands us on this \"feast of the Lord,\" to give thanks, and bring\nbefore Him these four species, each typifying one of the elements.\n\n\"Ye shall take for yourselves the fruit of the tree _hadar_\" (the\ncitron). Its color is high yellow and resembles fire. The second species\nis the palm branch (Heb. _Lulab_). The palm is a high tree, growing up\nstraight in the air, and its fruit is sweet and delicious to the taste;\nthis then represents the second element, air. The third is the bough of\nthe myrtle, one of the lowliest of trees, growing close to the ground;\nits nature, cold and dry as earth, fits it to represent that element.\nThe fourth is \"the willow of the brook,\" which grows in perfection close\nbeside the water, dropping its branches into the stream, and symbolizing\nthus the last element, water.\n\nThe Bible teaches us that for each of these four elements we owe special\nthanks to God.\n\nThe citron we hold in the left hand, and the other three we grasp\ntogether in the right. This we do because the citron contains in itself\nall that the others represent. The outside skin is yellow, fire; the\ninside skin is white and damp, air; the pulp is watery, water; and the\nseeds are dry, earth. It is taken into the left hand, because the right\nhand is strongest, and the citron is but one, while the other emblems\nare three.\n\nThese four emblems represent likewise the four principal members of the\nhuman body. The citron is shaped somewhat like a heart, without which we\ncould not live, and with which man should serve his fellows; the palm\nbranch represents the spine, which is the foundation of the human frame,\nin front of which the heart lies; this signifies that we should serve\nGod with our entire body. The branches of the myrtle resemble a human\neye, with which man recognizes the deeds of his fellows, and with which\nhe may obtain a knowledge of the law. The leaves of the willow represent\nthe lips, with which man may serve the Eternal and thank Him. The myrtle\nis mentioned in the Bible before the willow, because we are able to see\nand know a thing before we can call its name with our lips; man is able\nto look into the Bible before he can study the same. Therefore, with\nthese four principal parts of the human frame should we praise the\nCreator, as David said, \"All my bones shall say, O Lord, who is like\nunto Thee?\"\n\nMaimonides, in his work called _Moreh Nebuchim_ (\"The Guide of the\nPerplexed\"), explains that God commanded the Israelites to take these\nfour emblems during this festival to remind them that they were brought\nout from the wilderness, where no fruit grew, and no people lived, into\na land of brooklets, waters, a land flowing with milk and honey. For\nthis reason did God command us to hold in our hands the precious fruit\nof this land while singing praises to Him, the One who wrought miracles\nin our behalf, who feeds and supports us from the productiveness of the\nearth.\n\nThe four emblems are different in taste, appearance, and odor, even as\nthe sons of men are different in conduct and habits.\n\nThe citron is a valuable fruit; it is good for food and has a most\npleasant odor. It is compared to the intelligent man, who is righteous\nin his conduct toward God and his fellow-man. The odor of the fruit is\nhis good deeds; its substance is his learning, on which others may feed.\nThis is perfect among the emblems, and is, therefore, always mentioned\nfirst, and taken by itself in one hand.\n\nThe palm branch brings forth fruit, but is without odor. It is compared\nto those people who are learned, but who are wanting in good deeds; they\nwho know the law, but transgress its mandates.\n\nThe myrtle is compared to those people who are naturally good, who act\ncorrectly toward God and man, but who are uneducated.\n\nThe willow of the brook has neither fruit nor odor; it is, therefore,\ncompared to the people who have no knowledge and who perform no good\ndeeds.\n\nThe Rabbis have said that he who has failed to participate in the\nkeeping of the Tabernacle Festival in Jerusalem has failed to taste real\nenjoyment in his life. The first day of the feast was kept with great\nsolemnity, and the middle days with joy and gladness in various methods\nof public amusement.\n\nThe Temple in Jerusalem was provided with a gallery for the women, which\nwas called the apartment of the women, and the men sat below, as is\nstill the custom of the synagogue. Thither all repaired. The young\npriests filled the lamps of the large chandeliers with oil, and lighted\nthem all, even that the place was so bright that its reflection lighted\nthe streets of the city. Hymns and praises were chanted by the pious\nones, and the Levites praised the Lord with harps, cornets, trumpets,\nflutes, and other instruments of harmony. They stood upon fifteen broad\nsteps, reaching from the lower floor to the gallery, the court of the\nwomen. And they sang fifteen psalms as they ascended, beginning with \"A\nsong of Degrees,\" and the large choir joined voices with them. The\nancient Hillel was accustomed to address the assemblages on these\noccasions.\n\n\"If God's presence dwells here,\" he was used to say, \"then are ye here,\neach one of you, the souls of each; but if God should be removed from\nyour midst through disobedience then which of you could be here?\" For\nthe Lord has said \"If thou wilt come to My house, then will I come to\nthy house, but if thou refusest to visit My dwelling, I will also\nneglect to enter yours;\" as it is written, \"In every place where I shall\npermit My name to be mentioned I will come unto thee and I will bless\nthee.\"\n\nThen some of the people answered:--\n\n\"Happy were the days of our youth, for they have not set to blush the\ndays of our old age.\" These were men of piety.\n\nOthers answered:--\n\n\"Happy is our old age, for therein have we atoned for the sins of our\nyouth.\" These were repentants.\n\nThen joining together, both parties said:--\n\n\"Happy is the one who is free from sin; but ye who have sinned, repent,\nreturn to God, and ye will be forgiven.\"\n\nThe festival was continued during the entire night; for when the\nreligious exercises concluded the people gave themselves up to innocent\nbut thorough enjoyment.\n\nThis festival was also called the \"Festival of Drawing Water.\"\n\nBecause, during the existence of the Temple, wine was offered during the\nyear for a burnt-offering, but on the Feast of Tabernacles they offered\ntwo drink-offerings, one of wine and one of water. Of the other they\nmade a special festival on the second day of the Tabernacle assemblage,\ncalling it the Feast of Drawing the Water. It was founded upon the words\nof the prophet:--\n\n\"And ye shall draw water with joy from the fountains of salvation.\"\n\n\nHANNUKAH\n\n\nThis festival is observed for eight days during the ninth month _Kislev_\n(December), and commemorates the dedication of the Temple after it had\nbeen defiled by Antiochus Epiphanes, whose armies were overthrown by the\nvaliant Maccabees, Hashmoneans.\n\nThe Most Holy One has frequently wrought wonders in behalf of his\nchildren in their hour of need, and thereby displayed His supreme power\nto the nations of the world. These should prevent man from growing\ninfidel and ascribing all happiness to the course of nature. The God who\ncreated the world from naught, may change at His will the nature which\nHe established. When the Hashmoneans gained, with the aid of God, their\ngreat victory, and restored peace and harmony to their land, their first\nact was to cleanse and dedicate the Temple, which had been defiled, and\non the twenty-fifth day of _Kislev_, in obedience to the teachings of\nthe Rabbis, we inaugurate the \"Dedication Feast\" by lighting the lamps\nor candles prepared expressly for this occasion. The first night we\nlight one, and then an additional one each succeeding night of its\ncontinuance. We also celebrate it by hymns of thanksgiving and\nhallelujahs.\n\nThis feast is foreshadowed in the Book of Numbers. When Aaron observed\nthe offerings of the princes of each of the tribes and their great\nliberality, he was conscious of a feeling of regret, because he and his\ntribe were unable to join with them. But these words were spoken to\ncomfort him, \"Aaron, thy merit is greater than theirs, for thou lightest\nand fixest the holy lamps.\"\n\nWhen were these words spoken?\n\nWhen he was charged with the blessing to be found in Numbers 6:23, as\nwill be found in the Book of Maccabees in the Apocrypha.\n\nThe Lord said unto Moses, \"Thus say unto Aaron. In the generations to\ncome, there will be another dedication and lighting of the lamps, and\nthrough thy descendants shall the service be performed. Miracles and\nwonders will accompany this dedication. Fear not for the greatness of\nthe princes of thy tribe; during the existence of the Temple thou shalt\nsacrifice, but the lighting of the lamps shall be forever, and the\nblessing with which I have charged thee to bless the people shall also\nexist forever. Through the destruction of the Temple the sacrifices will\nbe abolished, but the lighting of the dedication of the Hashmoneans will\nnever cease.\"\n\nThe Rabbis have ordained this celebration by lighting of lamps, to make\nGod's miracle known to all coming generations, and it is our duty to\nlight the same in the synagogues and in our homes.\n\nAlthough the Lord afflicted Israel on account of iniquities, He still\nshowed mercy, and allowed not a complete destruction, and to this\nfestival do the Rabbis again apply the verse in Leviticus 26:44:--\n\n\"And yet for all that, though they be in the land of their enemies, will\nI not cast them away, neither will I loathe them to destroy them\nutterly, to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God.\"\n\nAnd thus do the Rabbis explain the same:--\"Will I not cast them away.\"\nIn the time of the Chaldeans I appointed Daniel and his companions to\ndeliver them.\n\n\"Neither will I loathe them.\" In the time of the Assyrians I gave them\nMatthias, his sons and their comrades, to serve them.\n\n\"To destroy them.\" In the time of Haman I sent Mordecai and Esther to\nrescue them.\n\n\"To break my covenant with them.\" In the time of the Romans I appointed\nRabbi Judah and his associates to work their salvation.\n\n\"For I am the Eternal, your God.\" In the future no nation shall rule\nover Israel, and the descendants of Abraham shall be restored to their\nindependent state.\n\nThe dedication commemorated by Hannukah occurred in the year 3632--129\nB.C.E.\n\n\nPURIM\n\n\nThis festival, occurring on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month,\n_Adar_ (March), is to commemorate the deliverance of the Hebrews from\nthe wiles of Haman, through the God-aided means of Mordecai and Esther.\n\nAlthough the Holy One threatens the Israelites, in order that they may\nrepent of their sins, He has also tempted them, in order to increase\ntheir reward.\n\nFor instance, a father who loves his son, and desires him to improve his\nconduct, must punish him for his misdeeds, but it is a punishment\ninduced by affection which he bestows.\n\nA certain apostate once said to Rabbi Saphra:--\n\n\"It is written, 'Because I know you more than all the nations of the\nearth, therefore I visit upon you your iniquities;' how is this? If a\nperson has a wild horse, is it likely that he would put his dearest\nfriend upon it, that he might be thrown and hurt?\"\n\nRabbi Saphra answered:--\n\n\"Suppose a man lends money to two persons; one of these is his friend,\nthe other his enemy. He will allow his friend to repay him in\ninstallments, that the discharge of the debt may not prove onerous; but\nfrom his enemy he will require the amount in full. The verse you quote\nwill apply in the same manner, 'I love you, therefore will I visit upon\nyou your iniquities;' meaning, 'I will punish you for them as they\noccur, little by little, by which means you may have quittance and\nhappiness in the world to come.'\"\n\nThe action of the king in delivering his signet ring to Haman had more\neffect upon the Jews than the precepts and warnings of forty-eight\nprophets who lectured to them early and late. They clothed themselves in\nsackcloth, and repented truly with tears and fasting, and God had\ncompassion upon them and destroyed Haman.\n\nAlthough the reading of the Book of Esther (_Megilah_) on Purim is not a\nprecept of the Pentateuch, 'tis nevertheless binding upon us and our\ndescendants. Therefore the day is appointed as one of feasting and\ngladness, and interchange of presents, and also of gifts to the poor,\nthat they too may rejoice. As in the decree of Haman, no distinction was\nmade between rich and poor, as all alike were doomed to destruction, it\nis proper that all should have equal cause to feel joyful, and therefore\nin all generations the poor should be liberally remembered on this day.","title":"Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":148697}