Part 7 (1/2)

8. R. Eleazar of Bertota (28) said, ”Give unto Him of what is His, for thou and thine are His: this is also found expressed by David, who said, 'For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own we have given Thee'” (29).

(28) He lived during the second century C.E. See Bacher, _ibid._, pp. 442-445.

(29) I Chron. XXIX, 14.

9. R. Jacob said, ”He who is walking by the way and studying, and breaks off his study and says, 'How fine is that tree, how fine is that fallow,' him the Scripture regards as if he had forfeited his life” (30).

(30) One must not interrupt his studies even to admire the beauties of nature.

10. R. Dostai (31), the son of Jannai, said in the name of R. Meir (32), ”Whoso forgets one word of his study, him the Scripture regards as if he had forfeited his life, for it is said, 'Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen' (33). Now, one might suppose (that the same result follows) even if a man's study has been too hard for him.

(To guard against such an inference), it is said, 'And lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life' (34). Thus a person's guilt is not established until he deliberately and of set purpose removes those lessons from his heart.”

(31) He lived about 160 C.E.

(32) Rabbi Meir was the celebrated pupil of Akiba. His wife was the well-known Bruriah. On his interesting career, see Blumenthal, _Rabbi Meir_, Myers, _The Story of the Jewish People_, I, pp. 189-204, and Danziger, _Jewish Forerunners of Christianity_, pp. 185-210.

(33) Deut. IV, 9.

(34) Deut. IV, 9.

11. R. Chanina, the son of Dosa (35), said, ”He in whom the fear of sin precedes wisdom, his wisdom shall endure; but he in whom wisdom comes before the fear of sin, his wisdom will not endure” (36). 12.

He used to say, ”He whose works exceed his wisdom, his wisdom shall endure; but he whose wisdom exceeds his works, his wisdom will not endure” (37). 13. He used to say, ”He in whom the spirit of his fellow-creatures takes not delight, in him the Spirit of the All-present takes not delight.”

(35) A contemporary of Jochanan ben Zakkai (10 B.C.E.-90 C.E.). See Friedlander, _Ben Dosa und seine Zeit_ (Prag, 1872), and Bacher, _ibid._, 283 _et seq._

(36) Cf. Ps. CXI, 10: ”The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.” ”A man's fear of sin should be instinctive, rather than a result of calculation, . . . a man should build upon the foundation of religious feeling, rather than upon philosophy” (Taylor).

(37) Cf. above, chapter I, 17, ”Not learning but doing is the chief thing.”

14. R. Dosa, the son of Horkinas (38), said, ”Morning sleep, midday wine, childish babbling, and attending the houses of a.s.sembly of the ignorant waste a man's life” (39).

(38) A contemporary of Jochanan ben Zakkai.

(39) Idleness, etc., indispose one for the study of the _Torah_ and for business.

15. R. Eleazar ha-Mudai said, ”He who profanes things sacred, and despises the festivals, and puts his fellow-man to shame in public, and makes void the covenant of Abraham, our father (40), and makes the _Torah_ bear a meaning other than the right (41); (such a one) even though knowledge of the _Torah_ and good deeds be his, has no share in the world to come” (42).

(40) _I.e._ circ.u.mcision.

(41) Or ”acts barefacedly against the _Torah_.”

(42) Knowledge and moral excellence alone are not sufficient.

16. R. Ishmael (43) said, ”Be submissive to a superior (44), affable to the young (45), and receive all men with cheerfulness” (46).

(43) Lived about 120 C.E. See Bacher, _ibid._, pp. 240-271.

(44) Or ”be pliant of disposition.”

(45) [l'tishch.o.r.et] is variously rendered as the ”young”

(Maimonides, Bartenora, Geiger, Jastrow), ”impressment”

(Rashbam, Taylor), ”sovereign authority” (Levy, Chald.

Worterbuch, _sub_ [shachar (s.h.i.+n-chet-resh)], Fiebig), and ”a suppliant” (Singer).