“ The Sages laid down a great rule for the Sabbath: “Everyone who forgets the principle of Sabbath, and did many works on many Sabbaths, is only responsible for one sin-offering. Everyone who knows the principle of Sabbath, and did many works on many Sabbaths, is responsible for every Sabbath. Everyone who knows that there is Sabbath, and did many works on many Sabbaths, is responsible for every principal work.120 Everyone who has done many works, springing from one principal work, is only responsible for one sin-offering.” ”

“ When man stamps many coins with one stamp, all are alike. But the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He! stamped every man with the stamp of the first Adam, and no one of them is like his companion; therefore everyone is bound to say, “for my sake was the world created.” But, perhaps, the witnesses will say “what is this trouble to us?” But is it not already said, “And is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it?”392 But perhaps the witnesses will say, “what is it to us, to be guilty of this man's blood?” ”

“ Men see every leprosy except their own. He who daily looks after his property finds a coin. The post does not honor the man; but the man the post. Every man is not so lucky as to have two tables. Not what thou sayest about thyself, but what thy companions say. The whole and broken tables of the Law lie in the ark. The salt of money is almsgiving. He who walks four cubits in the land of Israel is sure of being a child of the world to come. ”

“ No man is to be irreverent opposite the eastern gate of the Temple, for it is opposite the Holy of Holies. No man is to go on the mountain of the house with his staff, shoes, or purse, nor with dust on his feet, nor is he to make it a short cut, nor is he to spit at all. All the seals of the blessings in the sanctuary used to say, “from eternity.” But since the Epicureans perversely taught there is but one world, it was directed that man should say, “from eternity to eternity.” ”

“ The elders were asked in Rome, “If God has no pleasure in idolatry, why does He not destroy it?” They replied to the Romans, “If the idolaters were serving a thing which was not necessary to the world, He would destroy it, but they serve the sun-disk, and the moon, and the stars, and the signs of the zodiac. Shall he destroy his world on account of the fools?” They replied to them, “If so He can destroy the object which is not wanted for the world, and leave that which the world wants.” They replied to them, “even we should be strengthening the hands of the worshippers of such objects ”

“ In the hour that the Holy One remembers His children who are dwelling with suffering among the nations, He lets two tears fall into the Great Ocean, the noise of which is heard from one end of the world to the other, and this is an earthquake. ”

“ Of all who are guilty of death in the law, we are not to set witnesses in concealment to convict them, except in this case of an enticer to idolatry. When he has spoken of his idolatry to two persons, they as witnesses bring him to the judgment-hall, and stone him. If he spoke thus to one, this one replies, “I have companions who desire to hear so and so.” “If he be cunning, and he does not speak before them?” “Witnesses are concealed behind a wall, and he says to the idolater, ‘tell me what thou saidst to me alone,’ and the idolater told him. ”

“ Therefore man is created single, to teach thee that everyone who destroys one soul from Israel, to him is the verse applicable, as if he destroys a full world. And everyone who supports one soul in Israel, to him is the verse applicable, as if he supports the full world. And it is also said, for the peace of creation, that no man may justly say to his companion, my father is greater than thine. And that the Epicureans should not say, that there are more Creators in the heavens, and it is also said, to show forth the greatness of the Holy One, blessed be He! ”

“ Be rather the one cursed than the one cursing. The world is like an inn, but the world to come is the real home. The child loves its mother more than its father: it fears its father more than its mother. ”

“ When the dying man sees it, he shudders and opens his mouth. The Angel of Death then lets it fall into his mouth. The sick man dies, corrupts, and becomes pale. Three days the soul flies about the body, thinking to return to it, but after it sees the appearance of the face changed, it leaves it and goes away. ”

“ Proverbs everywhere abound in the Talmud, and they are generally replete with shrewd observation. “The world subsists through the breath of school children. Whosoever transgresses the words of the Scribes is guilty of death. Whosoever teaches a statute before his teachers ought to be bitten by a serpent. There is no likeness between him who has bread in his basket and him who has none. Rather be the head of foxes than the tail of lions.” ”

“ These are to be strangled—he who beats his father or his mother, and he who steals a soul from Israel, and an “elder” who is rebellious against the judges, and a false prophet, and he who prophesies in the name of idolatry, and false witnesses proved to be perjured against a priest's daughter and her paramour. He who beats father or mother is not guilty till he make a bruise in them. It is more grievous to curse them than to beat them. ”

“ Ten miracles were wrought for our fathers in the holy temple—no woman miscarried from the scent of the flesh of the sacrifices; nor did the flesh of the sacrifices ever stink; nor was a fly seen in the slaughter house; nor did legal uncleanness happen to the high priest on the day of atonement; nor did the rain extinguish the fire of the wood arranged on the altar; nor did the wind prevent the straight ascension of the pillar of smoke; nor was any defect found in the omer, the two loaves, and the showbread ”

“ Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Jacob, said, “he who performs but one precept gains for himself an advocate; and he who commits a single sin, gains for himself an accuser; repentance [pg 210] and good deeds are a shield before the divine punishment.” Rabbi Johannan Hasandelar said, “every congregation formed for God will be permanent, but that which is not for God will not be permanent.”
12. Rabbi Eliezer, son of Shamua, said, “let the honor of thy disciple be as dear to thee as thine own, and the honor of thy companion as the fear of thy master, and the fear of thy master as the fear of God.” ”

“ R. Tarphon replied, “Egypt being near, is subject to tithes for the poor, in order that the poor in Israel may be supported in the Sabbatical year; so Ammon and Moab, which are near, must also be subject to tithes for the poor, in order that the poor in Israel may be supported in the Sabbatical year.” R. Eleazar, the son of Azariah, replied, “thou seekest to increase money, but thou only losest souls; wouldest thou be the cause that heaven should neither send down dew nor rain, as is said, ‘Will a man rob God?’ Yet ye have robbed me. ”

“ The unworthy child of a good father is called “vinegar, the son of wine.” “If the opportunity fails the thief, he deems himself honest. The cock and owl await together the morning dawn. Says the cock to the owl, ‘Light profits me, but how does it profit thee?’ Youth is a crown of roses, old age a crown of thorns. Many preach well, but do not practise well. It is the punishment of liars, that men don't listen to them when they speak truth. Every man who is proud is an idolater. To slander is to murder. Whosoever humbles himself, God exalts him ”

“ He who subdues his evil imagination, as is said, ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’491 Who is rich? He who rejoices in his lot, as is said, ‘For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands, happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee’;492 happy shalt thou be in this world, and it shall be well with thee in the world to come. ”

“ And “with what may she not go out?” “A woman may not go out with laces of wool, nor with laces of flax, nor with straps on her head, and she cannot baptize herself in them till she unloose them; nor with frontlets, nor temple fillets, unless sewn to her cap, nor with a headband, into the public street, nor with a golden crown in the form of Jerusalem, nor with a necklace, nor with nose-rings, nor with a ring without a seal, nor with a needle without an eye; but, if she go out, she is not guilty of a sin-offering.” ”

“ The dyer may dye for himself, but he must not dye for pay, because men must not trade in fruits of the Sabbatical year, nor in the first-born, nor in heave-offerings, nor in carcasses, nor in that which is torn, nor in abominations, nor in creeping things. And one must not buy greens of the field and sell them in the market. But one may gather them, and his son may sell them on his account. He may, however, buy for himself, and he is allowed to sell what is superfluous. ”

“ He used to say, “one hour employed in repentance and good deeds in this world is better than the whole life in the world to come; and one hour's refreshment of spirit in the world to come is better than the whole life in this world.” ”

“ And they themselves are hidden beneath the Holy Influence of the Most Ancient of all Antiquity; in Him are they concealed, in Him are all things included.
HVA, Hoa, He Himself, is all things; blessed be Hoa, and blessed be His Name in eternity, and unto the ages of the ages.
All the words of the conclave of the Assembly are beautiful, and all are holy words—words which decline not either unto the right hand or unto the left.
All are words of hidden meaning for those who have entered in and departed thence, and so are they all.
And those words have hereunto been concealed ”

“ A Jew is also released from any oath he may swear to a Gentile. It is only permitted a Jewish physician to heal Gentiles for the sake of the fee, or for the practice of medicine, but it is not allowed to save their lives in seasons of danger. Their marriage is no marriage; and their butchers' meat is only carrion. It is wrong to invite them into a Jewish house; and it is not needful to restore what they have lost. When the ox of a Jew gores the ox of a Gentile, the Jew is free; but if the ox of a Gentile gores the ox of a Jew, the Gentile must pay the full cost. ”

“ The remission of vows is like flying in the air, and it has no foundation. The decisions for the Sabbath, peace-offerings, and trespasses, are as mountains hanging on a hair; because the verse is small, but the decisions are many. Jurisprudence, and the Temple service, cleanness and uncleanness, and illegal connections, have their own foundations; they, they are the body of the law. ”

“ And the priests discharge their obligation with cakes of dough-offering and heave-offering, but not with that which owes first tithes, or before the heave-offering was separated from it, nor with that which owes second tithes or holy things before their redemption. “The loaves of the praise-offering and the cakes of the Nazarite?” “If made for themselves, they do not discharge the obligation: if made for sale in the market, they discharge the obligation.” ”

“ Elisha, son of Abuya, said, “he who teaches a child, is like to one who writes on clean paper; but he who teaches [pg 211] old people, is like to one who writes on blotted paper.” Rabbi José, the son of Judah, of a village near Babylon, said, “to what may he who learns the law from little children be likened? To one who eats unripe grapes and drinks new wine. And to what may he who learns the law from old men be likened? To one who eats ripe grapes and drinks old wine.” ”

“ One said to his sons, “I am ready to slaughter the passover for you who shall first go up to Jerusalem.” As soon as one of them entered with his head and the greater part of his body inside the city gate, he gained his own share of the passover, and gained it for his brothers with him. They may always be reckoned in one company, when each one obtains the size of an olive. They may first be reckoned, and afterward withdraw from a company till the passover be slaughtered. Rabbi Simon said, “until its blood be poured out on their account.” ”

“ If your God is a friend of the poor, why does He not support them? A wise man answered, ‘Their case is left in our hands, that we may thereby acquire merits and forgiveness of sin.’ The house that does not open to the poor shall open to the physician. He who visits the sick takes away one-sixtieth part of their pain. Descend a step in choosing a wife; mount a step in choosing a friend. An old woman in a house is a treasure. ”

“ He used to say, “it is not incumbent upon thee to complete the work, neither art thou free to cease from it. If thou hast studied the law, great shall be thy reward; for the Master of thy work is faithful to pay the reward of thy labor; but know that the reward of the righteous is in the world to come.”
Chapter III 1. Akabia, son of Mahallalel, said, “ponder on three things, and thou wilt not be led to the commission of sin; consider from whence thou comest, and whither thou goest; and in whose presence thou must in futurity stand to account in judgment. ”

“ The school of Shammai say, “it is reckoned as one for uncleanness, but not reckoned as one for sprinkling.” The school of Hillel say, “he sprinkled the kettle, he sprinkled the cover; he sprinkled the cover, he did not sprinkle the kettle.” All are permitted to sprinkle, except a neuter and a woman, and a child without understanding. A woman may help a man when he sprinkles, and she may hold for him the water. And he dips the hyssop and sprinkles. If she take hold of his hand even in the moment of sprinkling, it is disallowed. ”

“ He used to say, “everything is given to man on pledge, and a net is spread over all living; the shop is open, and the merchant credits; the ledger is open, and the hand records, and whosoever chooses to borrow may come and borrow, as the collectors are daily coming round and getting payment of man, whether with his consent or without it, for they have good authority to support them, and the judgment is true justice, and all things are ready for the feast.”
17. R. Eleazar, son of Azariah, said, “if there be no law, there is no morality, and if there be no morality, there is no law ”