Tosephtha-Aboth of R. Nathan.

* (As Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai used to recount the praise of his disciples), so was R. Jehudah the Nassi recounted of the following sages: R. Tarphon, R. Aqiba, R. Elazar b. Azariah, R. Johanan b. Nuri, and R. Jose the Galilean.

He called R. Tarphon "a pile of stones"; others say, "a pile of nuts," which, should one be taken away, the whole pile is stirred and there is a rolling of nuts one upon the other. So it was with R. Tarphon, when a disciple came to him and said: "Teach me," he taught him the Scriptures, Mishna, Midrash, Halakhoth, and Agadoth; and when he left him, he was full of the blessing of the Torah.

He called R. Aqiba " a sealed treasure," and compared him to a workman who, taking his basket, goes outside, and whatever he may chance to find he puts into it. However, when he returns home, he assorts every article. So has R. Aqiba done (when he was studying), and made rules to the Torah to be easily comprehended, as rings are made to vessels to make it easy to take a hold of them.

He called R. Elazar b. Azariah "a huckster's basket," and compared him to a huckster who, taking his basket, goes about the country, and the people come flocking around him inquiring for various articles, and find that he has everything. So it was with R. Elazar b. Azariah, when a disciple came to him, he taught him everything that he desired; and when he left him, he was full of the blessings of the Torah.

He called R. Jose the Galilean "a gatherer of good things with no pride about him," who collected the good manners of all the sages and the Mishnaioth that all the sages have taught. When R. Jehoshua became of old age, etc. (See Section Moed, Vol. VI., Tract Hagiga, pp. 3 and 4: "It happened that R. Johanan b. Broka," etc., till paragraph beginning with " It happened once.")

Issi b. Jehudah gave the sages names. To R. Meir he gave the name of "sage and scribe"; to R. Jehudah, a sage when he desires to be "; to R. Elazar b. Jacob, "a small vessel (not of much knowledge), but very clear"; to R. Jose, "a man of good reasoning in the science of the Law"; to R. Johanan b. Nuri, "a basket of a peddler containing a variety of every

* Chapter XVIII. of the original.

thing"; to R. Jose the Galilean, "a gatherer of the very best things, with no pride about him"; to R. Simeon b. Gamaliel,

a vault full of the best purple dye "; to R. Simeon, "learns much and forgets little."

When, later on, R. Simeon met Issi b. Jehudah, he asked him: "Why hast thou attacked me before the scholars ?" And he answered: "I have said only that thou learnest much and forgettest little, and even that little is of no importance."

CHAPTER III.

MISHNA A. Aqabia b. Mahalallel used to say: "Consider three things, and thou wilt not fall into transgression: know whence thou comest, whither thou art going, and before whom thou art about to give account and reckoning; know whence thou comest-from a fetid drop, and whither thou art going-to worm and maggot; and before whom thou art about to give account and reckoning before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He."

Tosephtha-Aboth of R. Nathan.

*"Said Agabia b. Mahalallel, whoever takes to his heart the following four things will never sin": Whence he comes; whither he goes; what will become of him; and who is his judge. Whence he comes? from a dark place! Whither he goes to a dark place! What will become of him? dust and worms! And who is his judge? the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He!

Said R. Simeon: He comes from a dark place and returns thither; he springs from a fetid drop, from a place which no eye can behold, and finally becomes dust and worms, as it is written [Job, xxv. 6]: "How much less the mortal, the mere worm? and the son of earth, the mere maggot?"

Said R. Elazar b. Jacob: He is a worm while living, and a maggot when dead. What is meant by" a worm while living"? the vermin that infest him; and a maggot when dead" applies to those that are bred from him after his death.

Said R. Simeon b. Elazar: To what can this be compared ? To a king who built a magnificent palace, in which he dwelt, and a tanner's ditch passed in front of its entrance. Whoever

* Chapter XIX. of the original. The phraseology of these sentences is a little different in the Mishna.

passed by said: "How beautiful and how glorious this palace would have been, if this tanner's ditch had not passed in front of its entrances." So is man. If now, when from his entrails issues forth a rancid stream, he is so proud and haughty, had a stream of sweet-smelling water or oil issued from him, how much the more proud and haughty would he have been.

When R. Eliezer fell ill, his disciples came to visit him. They sat before him and said: "Our master, teach us the best of all the things you taught us." He said: "Be careful of your friend's honor; and when you pray, know before whom you are standing, and through this you will be rewarded with life in the world to come."

MISHNA B. R. Haninah, the Segan of the high-priest, said: "Pray always for the welfare of the government; were it not for the fear of it, men would swallow each other alive." R. Haninah b. Phradyon said: "Two that sit together and do not discuss any portion of the Law, their sitting is considered that of scorners, as it is written [Ps. i. 1] And sitteth not in the seat of scorners'; but two that sit together and are discussing some words of the Law have the Shekhina among them, as it is written [Mal. iii. 16]: 'Then conversed they that feared the Lord one with the other; and the Lord listened and heard it,' etc."

This is as to two.

Whence is it deduced of even one who occupies himself with the study of the Law, that the Holy One, blessed be He, fixes his reward? It is written [Sam. iii. 28]: "That he sit in solitude and be silent; because He hath laid it upon him."

Tosephtha-Aboth of R. Nathan.

*Said R. Hananiah the Segan: Whoever takes the words of the Torah to his heart, all thoughts of the sword and hunger, of foolishness and fornication, evil thoughts in general and thoughts of adultery, thoughts of nonsense and thoughts of human cares, are destroyed for him, for so it is written in David's Psalms

* Chapter XX. of the original.

[xix. 9]: "The precepts of the Lord are upright, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes. But one that does not take to heart the words of the Torah, to him the reverse comes, as Moses wrote in his Deuteronomy [xxviii. 46–48]: “ And they shall remain on thee for a sign and for a token, and on thy seed for ever.

For the reason that thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, while there was an abundance of all things; therefore shalt thou serve thy enemies whom the Lord will send out against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of everything."

Since it says: "In hunger," what is meant by it? At the time when one has not even a piece of barley-bread, his enemies demand of him wheat bread and fat meat. And what is meant by the words: "And in thirst"? At the time when one has not even a drop of vinegar, or beer, his enemies demand of him the best wine of the land. And what is meant by the words: "And in nakedness"? When one has not even a woollen or linen shirt, his enemies demand of him silken ones, the best of all lands. The words, " And in want of everything," mean that he will be without a light, knife, and table. Others says: Without vinegar and salt. This corresponds with the manner in which people curse when they say: "May there be no vinegar nor salt in thy house!"

He used to say the words: "Look not so at me, because I am somewhat black, because the sun hath looked fiercely at me" [Song of Songs, i. 6], refer to the counsellors of Judah, who relieved themselves of the yoke of the Holy One, blessed be He, and chose a human king to reign over them.

"My mother's children were angry with me" [ibid.] refers to Moses, who slew the Egyptian, as it is written [Ex. ii. 11, 12]: "And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdensome labors. . . . And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one by." What is meant by" and when he saw that there was no one by"? Infer from this, that Moses inquired of the deliberating groups of angels, whether he should slay him (the Egyptian). They told him to do so, and he did it, not with a sword, but by a word, as it is written [ibid., ibid. 14]: “Sayest (intendest) thou to kill me, as thou hast killed the Egyptian?" From this can be learned that he killed him by the Holy Name.