said, 'Children's children are the crown of
old men, and the glory of children are their fathers.'(519) And it is
said, 'Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the
Lord of Hosts shall reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his
ancients gloriously.' "(520)

9. Rabbi Simeon, son of Manasya, said, "those seven qualities which the
Sages counted as proper for the righteous, were all established in the
Rabbi (Judah) and his children." Rabbi Jose, son of Kishma, said, "I was
once travelling along the road and met a certain person, who saluted me
with peace, and I returned his salutation. He then said to me, 'Rabbi,
whence art thou?' I answered him, 'from a great city abounding in sages
and scribes:' said he to me, 'if thou be willing to dwell with us in our
city, then will I give thee a thousand thousand golden dinars, and
precious stones and pearls.' To this I answered, 'if thou wouldst give me
all the silver and gold, and precious stones and pearls in the world, I
would only dwell in a place where the law is studied; because at the time
of man's departure from this world he is not accompanied either with
silver and gold, and precious stones and pearls, but with the law and good
deeds alone, as is said, "When thou goest it shall lead thee: when thou
sleepest it shall keep thee: and when thou awakest it shall talk with
thee." ' "(521) "When thou goest it shall lead thee," that is in this
world. "When thou sleepest it shall keep thee," in the grave; "and when
thou awakest it shall talk with thee," in the world to come. And thus it
is written in the book of Psalms by the hand of David, King of Israel,
"The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and
silver."(522) And it is said, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,
saith the Lord of Hosts."(523)

10. Five possessions hath the Holy One, blessed be He, obtained in this
world, and these are they--the law is one possession; heaven and earth
another; Abraham another; Israel another; and the holy Temple another. Now
whence is it to be proved that the law is one possession? Because it is
written, "The LORD possessed me in the beginning of His way before His
works of old."(524) And whence is it proved that heaven and earth is
another possession? Because it is said, "Thus saith the Lord, The heaven
is my throne and the earth is my footstool; where is the house that ye
build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?"(525) And it is