Hebraic Literature 37

Hebraic Literature 37

Look not upon thy prayers as on a task; let thy supplications be

sincere.

 

He who is loved by man is loved by God.

 

Honor the sons of the poor; they give to science its splendor.

 

Do not live near a pious fool.

 

A small coin in a large jar makes a great noise.

 

Use thy noble vase to-day; to-morrow it may break.

 

The cat and the rat make peace over a carcass.

 

He who walks each day over his estate finds a coin daily.

 

The dog follows thee for the crumbs in thy pocket.

 

The soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes.

 

When the ox is down many are the butchers.

 

Descend a step in choosing thy wife; ascend a step in choosing thy

friend.

 

Beat the gods and their priests will tremble.

 

The sun will set without thy assistance.

 

Hold no man responsible for his utterances in times of grief.

 

One man eats, another says grace.

 

He who curbs his wrath merits forgiveness for his sins.

 

Commit a sin twice and it will not seem to thee a crime.

 

While our love was strong we lay on the edge of a sword, now a couch

sixty yards wide is too narrow for us.

 

Study is more meritorious than sacrifice.

 

Jerusalem was destroyed because the instruction of the young was

neglected.

 

The world is saved by the breath of school children. Even to rebuild the

Temple, the schools must not be closed.

 

Blessed is the son who has studied with his father, and blessed the

father who has instructed his son.

 

Avoid wrath and thou wilt avoid sin; avoid intemperance and thou wilt

not provoke Providence.

 

When others gather, do thou disperse; when others disperse, gather.

 

When thou art the only purchaser, then buy; when other buyers are

present, be thou nobody.

 

The foolish man knows not an insult, neither does a dead man feel the

cutting of a knife.

 

Three shall not enter Paradise--the scoffer, the hypocrite, and the

slanderer.

 

Rabbi Gamaliel ordered his servant Tobi to bring something good from the

market, and he brought a tongue. At another time he told him to bring

something bad, and he also returned with a tongue. "Why did you on both

occasions fetch a tongue?" the Rabbi asked. "It is the source of good

and evil," Tobi replied. "If it is good, there is nothing better; if it

is bad, there is nothing worse."

 

The forest trees once asked the fruit trees: "Why is the rustling of

your leaves not heard in the distance?" The fruit trees replied: "We can

dispense with the rustling to manifest our presence; our fruits testify

for us." The fruit trees then inquired of the forest trees; "Why do your

leaves rustle almost continually?" "We are forced to call the attention

of man to our existence."

 

Too many Captains sink the ship.

 

An old man is a trouble in the house; an old woman is a treasure in the

house.

 

Two pieces of coin in one bag make more noise than a hundred.

 

When the flood came over the earth and everything was threatened with

destruction, and every kind of beast came in pairs to Noah, the Lie,

too, asked admittance into the ark. Noah, however, refused. "Only pairs

may enter here," he said. The Lie went in search of a companion, and at

last met Vice, whom it invited to go to the ark. "I am willing to keep

company with thee, if thou wilt promise to give me all thy earnings,"

said Vice. The Lie agreed, and they were both admitted into the ark.

After they left the ark, the Lie regretted her agreement, and wished to

dissolve partnership with Vice, but it was too late, and thus it is

current that "what Lie earneth, Vice consumeth."

 

Support the aged without reference to religion; respect the learned

without reference to age.

 

Repent the day before thy death.

 

Ten measures of wisdom came into the world; the law of Israel received

nine measures, and the balance of the world one. Ten measures of beauty

came into the world; Jerusalem received nine measures, and the rest of

the world one.

 

The world stands on three pillars: law, worship, and charity.

 

When he who attends the synagogue regularly is prevented from being

present, God asks for him.

 

His enemies will humble themselves before the one who builds a place of

worship.

 

He who is able to attend synagogue, and neglects to do so, is a bad

neighbor.

 

One need not stand upon a high place to pray, for it is written, "Out of

the depths have I called unto Thee, oh Lord." The same Rabbi prohibits

moving about or talking during the progress of prayers, enlarging on

Solomon's advice, "Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of the

Lord, and be more ready to hear than to offer the sacrifice of fools."

 

The cock and the owl both await daylight. "The light," says the cock,

"brings me delight; but what in the world art thou waiting for?"

 

The thief who finds no opportunity to steal, considers himself an honest

man.

 

A Galilean said, "When the shepherd is angry with his flock, he appoints

for its leader a blind bellwether."

 

Though it is not incumbent upon thee to complete the work, thou must not

therefore cease from pursuing it. If the work is great, great will be

thy reward, and thy Master is faithful in His payments.

 

There are three crowns: of the law, the priesthood, and the kingship;

but the crown of a good name is greater than them all.

 

Who gains wisdom? He who is willing to receive instruction from all

sources. Who is the mighty man? He who subdueth his temper. Who is rich?

He who is content with his lot. Who is deserving of honor? He who

honoreth mankind.

 

Despise no man and deem nothing impossible; every man hath his hour and

everything its place.

 

Iron breaks stone; fire melts iron; water extinguishes fire; the clouds

consume water; the storm dispels clouds; man withstands the storm; fear

conquers man; wine banishes fear; sleep overcomes wine, and death is the

master of sleep; but "charity," says Solomon, "saves even from death."

 

How canst thou escape sin? Think of three things: whence thou comest,

whither thou goest, and before whom thou must appear. The scoffer, the

liar, the hypocrite, and the slanderer can have no share in the future

world of bliss. To slander is to commit murder.

 

Cold water morning and evening is better than all the cosmetics.

 

The question is asked, "Why is man born with hands clinched, but has his

hands wide open in death?" And the answer is: "On entering the world,

man desires to grasp everything; but when leaving it he takes nothing

away."

 

Two dry logs and one wet; the dry ones kindle the wet.

 

He who seeks for a faultless brother will have to remain brotherless.

 

A town which has no school should be abolished.

 

Jerusalem was destroyed because the instruction of the young was

neglected.

 

He who instructs a child is as if he had created it.

 

The teachers are the guardians of the State.

 

Learn first and philosophize afterward.

 

To what may he be compared who teaches a child? To one who writes on

clean paper; and to what may he be compared who teaches an old man? To

one who writes on blotted paper.

 

Be eager to acquire knowledge; it does not come to thee by inheritance.

 

Four dispositions are found among those who sit for instruction, before

the wise, and they may be respectively compared to a sponge, a funnel, a

strainer, and a sieve; the sponge imbibes all, the funnel receives at

one end and discharges at the other, the strainer suffers the wine to

pass through, but retains the lees, and the sieve recovers the bran, but

retains the fine flour.

 

To pray loudly is not a necessity of devotion; when we pray we must

direct our hearts toward heaven.

 

Charity is greater than all.

 

Who gives charity in secret is greater than Moses.

 

He finds authority for this saying in the words of Moses, "For I was

afraid of the anger," and the words of Solomon which he presents as an

answer, "A gift given in secret pacifieth anger."

 

A miser is as wicked as an idolater.

 

Charity is more than sacrifices.

 

"He who gives (charity) becomes rich," or as it is written, "A

beneficent soul will be abundantly gratified."

 

One day a philosopher inquired of Rabbi Akiba, "If your God loves the

poor, why does He not support them?"

 

"God allows the poor to be with us ever," responded Akiba, "that the

opportunities for doing good may never fail."

 

"But," returned the philosopher, "how do you know that this virtue of

charity pleases God? If a master punishes his slaves by depriving them

of food and clothing, does he feel pleased when others feed and clothe

them?"

 

"But suppose, on the other hand," said the Rabbi, "that the children of

a tender father, children whom he could no longer justly assist, had

fallen into poverty, would he be displeased if kind souls pitied and

aided them? We are not the slaves of a hard master. God calls us His

children, and Himself we call our Father."

 

When one stands at the judgment-seat of God these questions are asked:--

 

"Hast thou been honest in all thy dealings?"

 

"Hast thou set aside a portion of thy time for the study of the law?"

 

"Hast thou observed the first commandment?"

 

"Hast thou, in trouble, still hoped and believed in God?"

 

"Hast thou spoken wisely?"

 

All the blessings of a household come through the wife, therefore should

her husband honor her.

 

Men should be careful lest they cause women to weep, for God counts

their tears.

 

In cases of charity, where both men and women claim relief, the latter

should be first assisted. If there should not be enough for both, the

men should cheerfully relinquish their claims.

 

A woman's death is felt by nobody as by her husband.

 

Tears are shed on God's altar for the one who forsakes his first love.

 

He who loves his wife as himself, and honors her more than himself, will

train his children properly; he will meet, too, the fulfillment of the

verse, "And thou shalt know that there is peace in thy tent, and thou

wilt look over thy habitation and shall miss nothing."

 

I never call my wife "wife," but "home," for she, indeed, makes my home.

 

He who possesses a knowledge of God, and a knowledge of man, will not

easily commit sin.

 

The Bible was given us to establish peace.

 

He who wrongs his fellow-man, even in so small a coin as a penny, is as

wicked as if he should take life.

 

He who raises his hand against his fellow in passion is a sinner.

 

Be not the friend of one who wears the cloak of a saint to cover the

deformities of a fool.

 

One who gives way to passion is as bad as an idolater.

 

Hospitality is as great a virtue as studying the law.

 

"Never put thyself in the way of temptation," advised Rabbi Judah; "even

David could not resist it."

 

Rabbi Tyra, on being asked by his pupils to tell them the secret which

gained him a happy, peaceful old age, replied, "I have never cherished

anger with my family; I have never envied those greater than myself, and

I have never rejoiced in the downfall of any one."

 

Unhappy is he who mistakes the branch for the tree, the shadow for the

substance.

 

Thy yesterday is thy past; thy to-day thy future; thy to-morrow is a

secret.

 

The best preacher is the heart; the best teacher is time; the best book

is the world; the best friend is God.

 

Life is but a loan to man; death is the creditor who will one day claim

it.

 

Understand a man by his own deeds and words. The impressions of others

lead to false judgment.

 

He through whose agency another has been falsely punished stands outside

of heaven's gates.

 

The sins of the bad-tempered are greater than his merits.

 

The man who sins is foolish as well as wicked.

 

The good actions which we perform in this world take form and meet us in

the world to come.

 

Better to bear a false accusation in silence, than by speaking to bring

the guilty to public shame.

 

He who can feel ashamed will not readily do wrong.

 

There is a great difference between one who can feel ashamed before his

own soul and one who is only ashamed before his fellow-man.

 

God's covenant with us included work; for the command, "Six days shalt

thou work and the seventh shalt thou rest," made the "rest" conditional

upon the "work."

 

God first told Adam to dress the Garden of Eden, and to keep it, and

then permitted him to eat of the fruit of his labor.

 

God did not dwell in the midst of Israel till they had worked to deserve

His presence, for he commanded, "They shall make me a sanctuary, and

then I will dwell in the midst of them."

 

When Jerusalem was in the hands of the Romans, one of their philosophers

asked of the Rabbis:--

 

"If your God dislikes idolatry, why does He not destroy the idols and so

put temptation out of the way?"

 

The wise men answered:--

 

"Would you have the sun and the moon destroyed because of the foolish

ones who worship them? To change the course of nature to punish sinners,

would bring suffering to the innocent also."

 

Rabbi Judah said:--

 

"He who refuses to teach a precept to his pupil is guilty of theft, just

as one who steals from the inheritance of his father; as it is written,

(The law which Moses commanded us is the inheritance of the congregation

of Jacob.) But if he teaches him, what is his reward?"

 

Raba says, "He will obtain the blessing of Joseph."

 

Rabbi Eleazer said:--

 

"That house where the law is not studied by night should be destroyed.

 

"The wealthy man who aids not the scholar desirous of studying God's law

will not prosper.

 

"He who changes his word, saying one thing and doing another, is even as

he who serveth idols."

 

Rabbi Chamah, the son of Pappa, said:--

 

"He who eats or drinks and blesses not the Lord, is even as he who

stealeth, for it is said, 'The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, and

the earth hath He given to the children of men.'"

 

Rabbi Simon, the son of Lakish, said:--

 

"They who perform one precept in this world will find it recorded for

their benefit in the world to come; as it is written, 'Thy righteousness

will go before thee, the glory of the Lord will gather thee in.' And the

same will be the case, in contrast, with those who sin. For the Bible

says, 'Which I commanded thee this day to do them,' to 'do them,' the

precepts, to-day, though the reward is not promised to-day; but in the

future, ordinances obeyed, will testify in thy favor, for 'thy

righteousness will go before thee.'"

 

The Rabbis pronounced those the "friends of God," who being offended

thought not of revenge; who practiced good through love for God, and who

were cheerful under suffering and difficulties. Of such Isaiah wrote,

"They shall shine forth like the sun at noonday."

 

* * * * *

 

Love thy wife as thyself; honor her more than thyself. He who lives

unmarried, lives without joy. If thy wife is small, bend down to her and

whisper in her ear. He who sees his wife die, has, as it were, been

present at the destruction of the sanctuary itself. The children of a

man who marries for money will prove a curse to him.

 

He who has more learning than good deeds is like a tree with many

branches but weak roots; the first great storm will throw it to the

ground. He whose good works are greater than his knowledge is like a

tree with fewer branches but with strong and spreading roots, a tree

which all the winds of heaven cannot uproot.