FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40  
41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   >>   >|  
, chap. 6, mish. 3. The above is one evidence, among many, of the high esteem in which learning and the office of a teacher are held among the Jews. Education is one of the virtues--of which the following, extracted from the Talmud, is a list--the interest of which the Jew considers he enjoys in this world, while the capital remains intact against the exigencies of the world to come. These are:--The honoring of father and mother, acts of benevolence, hospitality to strangers, visiting the sick, devotion in prayer, promotion of peace between man and man, and study in general, but the study of the law outweighs them all. (_Shabbath_, fol. 127, col. 1.) The study of the law, it is said, is of greater merit to rescue one from accidental death, than building the Temple, and greater than honoring father or mother. (_Meggillah_, fol. 16, col 2.) "Repent one day before thy death." In relation to which Rabbi Eliezer was asked by his disciples, "How is a man to repent one day before his death, since he does not know on what day he shall die?" "So much the more reason is there," he replied, "that he should repent to-day, lest he die to-morrow; and repent to-morrow, lest he die the day after: and thus will all his days be penitential ones." _Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 15. He who obliterates one letter from the written name of God, breaks a negative command, for it is said, "And destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God" (Deut. xii. 3, 4). _Sophrim_, chap. 5, hal. 6. Rabbi Chanina could put on and off his shoes while standing on one leg only, though he was eighty years of age. _Chullin_, fol. 24, col. 2. A priest who is blind in one eye should not be judge of the plague; for it is said (Lev. xiii. 12), "Wheresoever the priest (with both eyes) looketh." _Negaim_, chap. 2, mish. 3. The twig of a bunch without any grapes is clean; but if there remained one grape on it, it is unclean. _Okzin_, chap, i, mish. 5. Not every man deserves to have two tables. _Berachoth_, fol. 5, col. 2. The meaning of this rather ambiguous sentence may either be, that all men are not able to succeed in more enterprises than one at a time; or that it is not given to every one to make the best both of the present world and of that which is to come. Abba Benjamin used to say "There are two things about which I
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40  
41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
repent
 

morrow

 

greater

 
priest
 

honoring

 

father

 
mother
 

Chullin

 

standing

 
Chanina

eighty

 

Sophrim

 

meaning

 
ambiguous
 
sentence
 

Berachoth

 

deserves

 

tables

 
Benjamin
 

present


succeed

 

enterprises

 

looketh

 

Negaim

 

things

 

Wheresoever

 

remained

 

unclean

 

grapes

 

plague


reason

 

benevolence

 
hospitality
 

strangers

 

visiting

 
intact
 

exigencies

 

devotion

 

outweighs

 

Shabbath


general

 

prayer

 
promotion
 

remains

 

capital

 
learning
 

office

 
teacher
 
esteem
 
evidence