1. Moses received the Torah from Sinai, and he delivered it to Jehoshua', and Jehoshua' to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets delivered it to the men of the Great Synagogue. They said three things: Be deliberate in judgment; and raise up many disciples; and make a fence to the Torah.

2. Shime'on ha-Tsaddiq was of the remnants of the Great Synagogue. He used to say, On three things the world is stayed; on the Torah, and on the Worship, and on the bestowal of Kindnesses.

3. Antigonus of Soko received from Shime'on ha-Tsaddiq. He used to say, Be not as slaves that minister to the lord with a view to receive recompense; but be as slaves that minister to the lord without a view to receives recompense; and let the fear of Heaven be upon you.

4. Jose ben Jo'ezer of Tseredah and Jose ben Jochanan of Jerusalem received from them. Jose ben Jo'ezer of Tseredah said, Let your house be a meeting-house for the wise; and powder yourself in the dust of their feet; and drink their words with thirstiness.

5. Jose ben Jochanan of Jerusalem said, Let your house be opened wide; and let the needy be your household; and prolong not converse with woman.

6. His own wife, they meant, much less his neighbour's wife.) Hence the wise have said, Each time that the man prolongs converse with the woman he causes evil to himself, and desists from words of Torah, and in the end he inherits Gehinnom.

7. Jehoshua' ben Perachia and Matthai the Arbelite received from them. Jehoshua' ben Perachiah said, Make to yourself a master; and possess yourself of an associate; and judge every man in the scale of merit.

8. Matthai the Arbelite said, Withdraw from an evil neighbour; and associate not with the wicked;. and grow not thoughtless of retribution.

9. Jehudah ben Tabai and Shime'on ben Shatach received from them. Jehudah ben Tabai said, Make not yourself as them that predispose the judges; and while the litigants stand before you, let them be in your eyes as guilty; and when dismissed from before you let them be in your eyes as righteous, because that they have received the doom upon them.

10. Shime'on ben Shatach said, Make full examination of the witnesses; but be guarded in your words, perchance from them they may learn to lie.

11. Shema'iah and Abtalion received from them. Shema'iah said, Love work; and hate lordship; and make not yourself known to the government.

12. Abtalion said, Ye wise, be guarded in your words; perchance ye may incur the debt of exile, and be exiled to the place of evil waters; and the disciples that come after you may drink and die, and the Name of Heaven be profaned.

13. Hillel and Shammai received from them. Hillel said, Be of the disciples of Aharon; loving peace, and pursuing peace; loving mankind, and bringing them nigh to the Torah.

14. He used to say, A name made great is a name destroyed; he who increases not decreases; and he who will not learn (or teach) deserves slaughter; and he who serves himself with the tiara perishes.

15. He used to say, If I am not for myself who is for me? and being for my own self what am I? If not now when?

16. Shammai said, Make your Torah an ordinance; say little and do much; and receive every man with a pleasant expression of countenance.

17. Rabban Gamliel said, Make to yourself a master, and be quit of doubt; and tithe not much by estimation.

18. Shime'on his son said, All my days I have grown up amongst the wise, and have not found aught good for a man but silence; not learning but doing is the groundwork; and whoso multiplies words occasions sin.

19. Rabban Shime'on ben Gamliel said, On three things the world stands; on Judgment, and on Truth, and on Peace.

1. Rabbi said, Which is the right course that a man should choose for himself? Whatsoever is a pride to him that pursues it, (and) brings him honour from men.

And be attentive to a light precept as to a grave, for you know not the assigned reward of precepts,; and reckon the loss for a duty against its gain, and the gain by a transgression against its loss. And consider three things, and you will not fall into the hands of transgression: know what is above you-a seeing eye, and a hearing ear, and all your deeds written in a book.

2. Rabban Gamliel, son of R. Jehudah ha-Nasi, said, Excellent is Torah study together with worldly business, for the practice of them both puts iniquity out of remembrance; and all Torah without work must fail at length, and occasion iniquity. And let all who are employed with the congregation act with them in the name of Heaven, for the merit of their fathers sustains them, and their righteousness stands for ever. And ye yourselves shall have reward reckoned to you as if ye had wrought.

3. Be cautious with (those in) authority, for they let not a man approach them but for their own purposes; and they appear like friends when it is to their advantage, and stand not by a man in the hour of his need.

4. He used to say, Do His will as if it were your will, that He may do your will as if it were His will. Annul your will before His will, that He may annul the will of others before your will.

5. Hillel said, Separate not yourself from the congregation, and trust not in yourself until the day of your death; and judge not your friend until you come into his place; and say not of a word which may be heard that in the end it shall be heard; and say not, When I have leisure I will study; perchance you may not have leisure.

6. He used to say, No boor is a sinfearer; nor is the vulgar pious; nor is the shamefast apt to learn, nor the passionate to teach; nor is every one that has much traffic wise. And in a place where there are no men endeavour to be a man.

7. Moreover he saw a skull which floated on the face of the water, and he said to it, Because you drownedst they drowned you, and in the end they that drowned you shall be drowned.

8. He used to say, More flesh, more worms: more treasures, more care: more maidservants, more lewdness: more menservants, more theft: more women, more witchcrafts: more Torah, more life: more wisdom, more scholars: more righteousness, more peace. He who has gotten a good name has gotten it for himself. He who has gotten to himself words of Torah, has gotten to himself the life of the world to come.

9. Rabban Jochanan ben Zakai received from Hillel and from Shammai. He used to say, If you have practised Torah much, claim not merit to yourself, for thereunto were you created.

10. Five disciples were there to Rabban Jochanan 'ben Zakai, and these were they: R. Li'ezer ben Hyrqanos, and R. Jehoshua' ben Chananiah, and R. Jose the Priest, and R. Shime'on ben Nathanael, and R. Ele'azar ben 'Arak. He used to recount their praise: Eli'ezer ben Hyrqanos is a plastered cistern, which loses not a drop;

Jehoshua' ben Chananiah�happy is she that bare him; Jose the Priest is pious;

Shim'eon ben Nathanael is a sinfearer; Ele'azar ben 'Arak is a welling spring.

11. He used to say, If all the wise of Israel were in a scale of the balance, and Eli'ezer ben Hyrqanos in the other scale, he would outweigh them all. Abba Shaul said in his name, If all the wise of Israel were in a scale of the balance, and Eli'ezer ben Hyrqanos with them, and Ele'azar ben 'Arak in the other scale, he would outweigh them all.

12. He said to them, Go and see which Is the good way that a man should cleave to. Rabbi Li'ezer said, A good eye: R. Jehoshua' said, A good friend: and R. Jose said, A good neighbour: and R. Shime'on said, He that foresees what is to be: R. La'zar said, A good heart. He said to them, I approve the words of Ele'azar ben 'Arak rather than your words, for his words include your words.

13. He said to them, Go and see which is the evil way that a man should shun. R. Li'ezer said, An evil eye: and R. Jehoshua' said, An evil companion: and R. Jose said, An evil neighbour: and R. Shime'on said, He that borrows and repays not�he that borrows from man is the same as if he borrowed from God (blessed is He)�for it is said, The wicked borrows, and pays not again, but the righteous is merciful and gives: R. La'zar said, An evil heart. He said to them, I approve the words of Ele'azar ben 'Arak p. 36 rather than your words, for your words are included in his words.

14. And they said (each) three things. R. Li'ezer said, Let the honour of your friend be dear to you as your own; and be not easily provoked; and repent one day before your death. And warm yourself before the fire of the wise, but beware of their embers, perchance you may be singed, for their bite is the bite of a fox, and their sting the sting of a scorpion, and their hiss the hiss of a fiery-serpent, and all their words are as coals of fire.

15. R. Jehoshua' said, An evil eye, and the evil nature, and hatred of the creatures put a man out of the world.

16. R. Jose said, Let the property of your friend be precious to you as your own; set yourself to learn Torah, for it is not an heirloom to you; and let all your actions be to the name of Heaven.

17. R. Shime'on said, Be careful in reading the Shema' and in Prayer; and when you prayest, make not your prayer an ordinance, but an entreaty before God, blessed is He, for it is said, For God is compassionate and easily-entreated, longsuffering, and plenteous in grace; and be not wicked to yourself.

18. R. La'zar said, Be diligent to learn Torah, wherewith you may make answer to Epicurus; and know before whom you toilest; and who is the Master of your work.

19. R. Tarphon said, The day is short, and the task is great, and the workmen are sluggish, and the reward is much, and the Master of the house is urgent. He said, It is not for you to finish the work, nor art you free to desist therefrom; if you have learned much Torah, they give you much reward; and faithful is the Master of your work, who will pay you the reward of your work, and know that the recompence of the reward of the righteous is for the time to come.

1. 'Aqabiah ben Mahalaleel said, Consider three things, and you will not come into the hands of transgression. Know whence you came; and where you are going; and before whom you are about to give account and reckoning. Know whence you camest: from a fetid drop; and whither you are going: to worm and maggot; and before whom you are about to give account and reckoning: before the King of the kings of kings, blessed is He.

2. R. Chananiah, prefect of the priests, said, Pray for the peace of the kingdom, since but for fear thereof we had swallowed up each his neighbour alive.

3. R. Chananiah ben Thradyon said, Two that sit together without words of Torah are a session of scorners, for it is said, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but two that sit together and are occupied in words of Torah have the Shekinah among them, for it is said, Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, &c.

4. One that sits and studies, the Scripture imputes to him as if he fulfilled the whole Torah, for it is said, He sits alone and keeps silence, because he has borne it upon him.

5. R. Shime'on said, Three that have eaten at one table, and have not said over it words of Torah, are as if they had eaten of sacrifices of (the) dead, for it is said, For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness without MAQOM ("without mention of the name of God").

6. But three that have eaten at one table, and have said over it words of Torah, are as if they had eaten of the table of MAQOM, blessed is He, for it is said, And he said to me, This is the table that is before the Lord.

7. Chananyiah ben Chakinai said, He who awakes by night, and he who is walking alone by the way, and turns aside his heart to idleness, is "guilty of death."

8. R. Nechonyiah ben ha-Qanah said, Whoso receives upon him the yokel, of Torah, they remove from him the yoke of royalty and the yoke of worldly care; and whoso breaks from him the yoke of Torah, they lay upon him the yoke of royalty and the yoke of worldly care.

9. R. Chalaftha of Kaphar-Chananiah said, When ten sit and are occupied in words of Torah the Shekinah is among them, for it is said, God stands in the CONGREGATION of the mighty (Ps. lxxxii. 1). And whence (is it proved of) even five? Because! it is said, He judges among gods. And whence even three? Because it is said, . . . and has founded his TROOP in the earth (Amos ix. 6). And whence even two?

Because it is said, Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another (� 3). And whence even one? Because it is said, In all places where I record my name I will come to THEE, and I will bless you (Ex. xx. 24).

10. R. La'zar ben Jehudah of Barthotha said, Give Him of what is His, for you and your are His; and thus he says in David, For all things come of You, and of your own have we given you (I Chron. xxix. 14).

11. R. Jacob said, He who is walking by the way and studying, and breaks off his study (Mishnah) and says, How fine is this tree! how fine is that tree! and how fine is this fallow? they account it to him as if he were "guilty of death."

12. R. Dosithai, son of R. Jannai, said in the name of R. Meir, When a scholar of the wise sits and studies, and has forgotten a word of his Mishnah, they account it to him as if he were "guilty of death," for it is said, Only take heed to yourself, and keep your soul diligently, in case you forget the words which your eyes have seen (Deut. iv. 9). Perhaps his Mishnah has but grown hard to him? What need then to say, "And in case they depart from your heart all the days of your life"? Lo! he is not guilty, till he has sat down and suffered them to depart from his mind.

13. R. Chananiah ben Dosa said, Whosesoever fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom stands; and whosesoever wisdom precedes his fear of sin, his wisdom stands not.

14. He used to say, Whosesoever works are in excess of his wisdom, his wisdom stands; and whosesoever wisdom is in excess of his works, his wisdom stands not.

15. He used to say, With whomsoever the spirit of men is pleased, the Spirit of God is pleased; and with whomsoever the spirit of men is not pleased, the Spirit of God is not pleased.

16. R. Dosa ben Horkinas said, Morning sleep, and midday wine, and the babbling of youths, and frequenting the meeting houses of the vulgar, put a man out of the world.

17. R. Li'ezer ha-Moda'i said, He that profanes things sacred, and contemns the festivals, and annuls the covenant of Abraham our father, and acts barefacedly against the Torah, even though he be a doer of good works, has no portion in the world to come.

18. R. Ishma'el said, Be pliant of disposition (or to a chief) and yielding to impressment, and receive every man with cheerfulness.

19. R. 'Aqibah said, Merriment, and lightness of disposition, accustom a man to lewdness.

20. He used to say, Tradition is a fence to Torah; tithes are a fence to wealth; vows a fence to sanctity; a fence to wisdom is silence.

21. He used to say, Beloved is man that he was created

22. Beloved are Israel that they are called children of God; greater love (was it that it) was made known to them that they are called children of God, as it is said, Ye are the children of the LORD your God (Deut. xiv. 1).

23. Beloved are Israel that there was given to them the instrument with which the world was created; greater love (was it that it) was made known to them that there was given to them the instrument with which the world was created, as it is said, For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not MY LAW (Prov. iv. 2).

24. Everything is foreseen; and freewill is given. And the world is judged by grace; and everything is according to work.

25. He used to say, Everything is given on pledge; and the net (Eccl. ix. 12) is cast over all the living. The office is open; and the broker gives credit; and the ledger is open; and the hand writes; and whosoever will borrow comes and borrows; and the bailiffs go round continually every day, and exact from a man whether he wills or not; and they have whereon to lean; and the judgment is a judgment of truth. And everything is prepared for the BANQUET.

26. R. La'zar ben 'Azariah said, No Torah, no culture; no culture, no Torah. No wisdom, no fear (of God); no fear (of God), no wisdom.

No knowledge, no discernment; no discernment, no knowledge. No meal, no Torah; no Torah, no meal.

27. He used to say, Whosesoever wisdom is in excess of his works, to what is he like? To a tree whose branches are abundant, and its roots scanty; and the wind comes, and uproots it, and overturns it. And whosesoever works are in excess of his wisdom, to what is he like? To a tree whose branches are scanty, and its roots abundant; though all the winds come upon it, they stir it not from its place.

28. R. La'zar Chasmah said, "Qinnim" (Mishnah about bird-sacrifices) and "Pithech� Niddah" (Mishnah relating to menstruation) are essentials of Torah; canons of astronomy and Gematria (Numerology) are after courses of wisdom.

1. Ben Zoma said, Who is wise? He that learns from every man; for it is said, From all my teachers I got understanding (Ps. cxix. 99).

2. Who is mighty? He that subdues his nature; for it is said, He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city (Prov. xvi. 32).

3. Who is rich? He that is contented with his lot; for it is said, When you eatest the labour of your hands, happy art you, and it shall be well with you (Ps. cxxviii. 2). "Happy art you" in this world; "and it shall be well with you" in the world to comes.

4. Who is honoured? He that honours mankind; for it is said, For them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed (I Sam. ii. 30).

5. Ben 'Azzai said, Hasten to a slight precept, and flee from transgression; for precept induces precept, and transgression induces transgression; for the reward of precept is precept, and the reward of transgression is transgression.

6. He used to say, Despise not any man, and carp not at any thing; for you will find that there is not a man that has not his hour, and not a thing that has not its place.

7. R. Levitas of Jabneh said, Be exceeding lowly of spirit, for the hope of man is the worm. R. Jochanan ben Baroqah said, Whoso profanes the name of Heaven in secret, they punish him openly. The erring is as the presumptuous, in profanation of the NAME.

8. R. Ishma'el his son said, He that learns in order to teach, they grant him the faculty to learn and to teach: he that learns in order to practise, they grant him the faculty to learn, and to teach, and to practise.

9. R. Tsadoq said, Make them not a crown, to glory in them; nor an ax, to live by them. And thus was Hillel wont to say, And he who serves himself with the tiara perishes. Lo, whosoever makes profit from words of Torah removes his life from the world.

10. R. Jose said, Whosoever honours the Torah is himself held in honour with men; and whosoever dishonours the Torah is himself dishonoured with men.

11. R. Ishma'el said, He that refrains himself from judgment, frees himself from enmity, and rapine, and false swearing; and he that is arrogant in decision is foolish, wicked, and puffed up in spirit.

12. He used to say, Judge not alone, for none may judge alone save One; and say not, Accept ye my opinion, for they are free-to-choose, and not you.

13. R. Jochanan said, Whosoever fulfils the Torah in poverty, will at length fulfil it in wealth; and whosoever neglects the Torah in wealth, will at length neglect it in poverty.

14. R. Meir said, Have little business, and be busied in Torah; and be lowly in spirit to every man; and if you idlest from the Torah, you will have idlers many against you; and if you labourest in the Torah, He has much reward to give to you.

15. R. Li'ezer ben Jacob said, He who performs one precept has gotten to himself one advocate; and he who commits one transgression has gotten to himself one accuser. Repentance and good works are as a shield against punishment.

16. R. Jochanan Sandalarius said, Whatsoever assemblage is in the name of duty will in the end be established; and that which is not in the name of duty will not in the end be established.

17. R. La'zar said, Let the honour of your disciple be dear to you as the honour of your associate; and the honour of your associate as the fear of your master; and the fear of your master as the fear of Heaven.

18. R. Jehudah said, Be careful in Thalmud, for error in Thalmud amounts to sin.

19. R. Shime'on said, There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, and the crown of Priesthood, and the crown of Royalty (Ex. xxv. 10, 11; xxx. 1, 3; xxv. 23, 24); but the crown of a good name mounts above them (Eccl. vii. 1).

20. R. Nehorai said, Betake yourself to a place of Torah, and say not that it shall come after you; for your associates will confirm it to you; and lean not to your own understanding (Prov. iii. 5).

21. R. Jannai said, Neither the security of the wicked, nor the afflictions of the righteous, are in our hand.

22. R. Matthiah ben Charash said, Be beforehand in saluting every man; and be a tail to lions, and not a head to foxes.

23. R. Jacob said, This world is like a vestibule before the world to come; prepare yourself at the vestibule, that you may be admitted into the hall.

24. He used to say, Better is one hour of repentance and good works in this world than all the life of the world to come; better is one hour of refreshment of spirit in the world to come than all the life of this world.

25. R. Shime'on ben Ele'azar said, Conciliate not your friend in the hour of his passion; and console him not in the hour when his dead is laid out before him; and "interrogate" him not in the hour of his vow; and strive not to see him in the hour of his disgrace.

26. Shemuel ha-Qatan said, Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles (Prov. xxiv. 17).

27. Elisha' ben Abiyyah said, He who learns as a lad, to what is he like? to ink written on fresh paper; and he who learns when old, to what is he like? to ink written on used paper.

28. R. Jose ben Jehudah of Kaphar ha-Babli said, He who learns from the young, to what is he like? to one that eats unripe grapes, and drinks wine from his vat; and he who learns from the old, to what is he like? to one that eats ripened grapes, and drinks old wine.

29. R. said, Regard not the flask, but what is therein; there is a new flask that is full of old (wine), and an old one in which there is not even new.

30. R. Li'ezer ha-Qappar said, Jealousy, and lust, and ambition, put a man out of the world.

31. He used to say, The born are to die; and the dead to revive; and the living to be judged; for to know, and to notify, and that it may be known, that He is the framer, and He the creator, and He the discerner, and He the judge, and He the witness, and He the "adversary," and He is about to judge with whom there is no iniquity, nor forgetfulness, nor respect of persons, nor taking of a bribe, for all is His, and know that all is according to plan.

32. Let not your imagination assure you that the grave is an asylum; for perforce you were framed (Jer. xviii. 6), and perforce you were born, and perforce you live, and perforce you die, and perforce you are about to give account and reckoning before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He.

1. By ten Sayings the world was created. And what is learned therefrom? for could it not have been created by one Saying? But it was that vengeance might be taken on the wicked, who destroy the world that was created by ten Sayings; and to give a goodly reward to the righteous, who maintain the world that was created by ten Sayings.

2. Ten generations were there from Adam to Noach, to shew how great was His longsuffering; for all the generations were provoking Him, till He brought the deluge upon them.

3. Ten generations were there from Noach to Abraham, to shew how great was His longsuffering; for all the generations were provoking Him, till Abraham our father came, and received the reward of them all.

4. With ten temptations was Abraham our father tempted, and he withstood them all; to shew how great was the love of Abraham our father.

5. Ten miracles were wrought for our fathers in Egypt; and ten by the sea.

6. Ten plagues brought the Holy One, blessed is He, upon the Egyptians in Egypt; and ten by the Sea.

7. With ten temptations did our fathers tempt God in the wilderness, for it is said, And they have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice (Numb. xiv. 22).

8. Ten miracles were wrought in the Sanctuary. No woman miscarried from the scent of the holy meat; and the holy meat never stank; and an uncleanness befel not the highpriest on the day of the Atonement; and a fly was not seen in the slaughterhouse; and a defect was not found in the sheaf; nor in the two loaves; nor in the shewbread; and rains quenched not the pile; and the wind prevailed not against the pillar of smoke; they stood serried, and bowed down at ease; and serpent and scorpion harmed not in Jerusalem; and a man said not to his fellow, The place is too strait for me (Is. xlix. 20) to lodge in Jerusalem.

9. Ten things were created between the suns. The mouth of the earth; and the mouth of the well; and the mouth of the ass; and the bow (Gen. lx. 13); and the manna; and the rod (a rod of power given to Adam, passed down to Joseph and eventually to Pharaoh; Moses alone could read the letters on it); and the shamir-worm (a magical worm Moses used to engrave the tablets of the law and split stones); and the character; and the writing; and the tables. And some say, the spirits also; and the sepulchre of Moses (Deut. xxxiv. 6); and the ram of Abraham our father (Gen. xxii. 13). And some say, tongs also, made with tongs.

10. Seven things are in a clod, and seven in a wise man. The wise man speaks not before one who is greater than he in wisdom; and does not interrupt the words of his companion; and is not hasty to reply; he asks according to canon, and answers to the point; and speaks on the first thing first, and on the last last; of what he has not heard he says, I have not heard; and he acknowledges the truth. And their opposites are in the clod.

11. Seven kinds of punishments come on account of seven main transgressions.

When some men tithe, and some do not tithe, dearth from drought comes: some of them are hungry, and some of them are full. When they have not tithed at all, a dearth from tumult and from drought comes. And when they have not offered the dough-cake, a deadly dearth comes.

12. Pestilence comes into the world for the capital crimes mentioned in the Torah, which are not brought before the tribunal; and for the seventh year fruits.

13. The sword comes upon the world for suppression of judgment; and for perversion of judgment; and for explaining Torah not according to canon.

14. Noisome beasts come into the world for vain swearing; and for profanation of the NAME.

Captivity comes upon the world for strange worship; and for incest; and for shedding of blood; and for (not) giving release to the land.

15. At four seasons the pestilence waxes: in the fourth (year); in the seventh; at the ending of the seventh; and at the ending of the Feast in every year. In the fourth (year), on account of the poor's tithe in the third; in the seventh, on account of the poor's tithe in the sixth; and at the ending of the seventh, on account of the seventh year fruits; and at the ending of the Feast in every year,, on account of the largesses of the poor.

16. There are four characters in men, He that says, Mine is mine, and your is thine, is an indifferent character; but some say, It is the character of Sodom: (he that says) Mine is thine, and your is mine, is 'am ha-are�: Mine and your are thine, pious: Thine and mine are mine, wicked.

17. There are four characters in dispositions. Easily provoked, and easily pacified, his gain is cancelled by his loss: hard to provoke and hard to pacify, his loss is cancelled by his gain: hard to provoke, and easily pacified, pious: easily provoked, and hard to pacify, wicked.

18. There are four characters in scholars. Quick to hear and quick to forget, his gain is cancelled by his loss: slow to hear and slow to forget, his loss is cancelled by his gain: quick to hear, and slow to forget, is wise: slow to hear, and quick to forget, this is an evil lot.

19. There are four characters in almsgivers. He who is willing to give, but not that others should give, his eye is evil towards the things of others: that others should give, and he should not give, his eye is evil towards his own: he who would give and let others give, is pious: he who will not give nor let others give, is wicked.

20. There are four characters in college-goers. He that goes and does not practise, the reward of going is in his hand: he that practises and does not go, the reward of practice is in his hand: he that goes and practises is pious: he that goes not and does not practise is wicked.

21. There are four characters in those who sit under the wise; a sponge; a funnel; a strainer; and a bolt-sieve. A sponge, which sucks up all; a funnel, which lets in here and lets out there; a strainer, which lets out the wine and keeps back the dregs; a bolt-sieve, which lets out the pollard and keeps back the flour.

22. All love which depends on some thing, when the thing ceases, the love ceases; and such as does not depend on anything, ceases not for ever.

23. What love is that which depends on some thing? the love of Amnon and Thamar;

And that which does not depend on anything? this is the love of David and Jonathan.

24. Whatsoever gainsaying is for the name of Heaven will in the end be established; and that which is not for the name of Heaven will not in the end be established.

25. What gainsaying is that which is for the name of Heaven? the gainsaying of Shammai and Hillel. And that which is not for the name of Heaven? this is the gainsaying of Qorach.

26. Whosoever makes the many righteous, sin prevails not over him; and whosoever makes the many to sin, they grant him not the faculty to repent.

27. Moses was righteous, and made the many righteous, and the righteousness of the many was laid upon him, for it is said, He executed the justice of the Lord and His judgments, WITH Israel (Deut. xxxiii. 21).

Jerobe'am sinned, and caused the many to sin, (and) the sin of the many was laid upon him, for it is said, Because of the sins of Jerobe'am who sinned, and made Israel to sin (I Kings xiv. 16, &c.).

28. In whomsoever are three things, he is a disciple of Abraham; and three (other) things, a disciple of Bile'am.

29. A good eye, and a lowly soul, and a humble spirit (belong to) the disciple of Abraham: an evil eye, and a swelling soul, and a haughty spirit, to the disciple of Bile'am. And what difference is between the disciples of Abraham and the disciples of Bile'am? The disciples of Bile'am, go down to Gehinnom, for it is said, But you, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction (Ps. lv. 24), but the disciples of Abraham inherit the Garden of 'Eden, for it is said, That I may cause those that love me to inherit SUBSTANCE; and I will fill their treasures (Prov. viii. 21).

30. R. Jehudah ben Thema said, Be bold as a leopard, and swift as an eagle, and fleet as a hart, and strong as a lion, to do the will of your Father which is in Heaven.

31. He used to say, The bold of face to Gehinnom; and the shamefaced to the garden of 'Eden. May it be well-pleasing in your sight, Lord, our God, and the God of our fathers, that your city may be built in our days; and give us our portion in your Torah.

32. Ben Bag-bag said, Turn it, and again turn it; for the all is therein, and your all is therein: and swerve not therefrom, for you can have no greater excellency than this.

33. Ben He-he said, According to the toil is the reward.

ADDENDA.

THE AGES OF MAN.

He used to say, At five years old, Scripture: at ten years, Mishnah: at thirteen, the Commandments: at fifteen, Thalmud: at eighteen, the bridal: at twenty, pursuits: at thirty, strength: at forty, discernment: at fifty, counsel: at sixty, age: at seventy, hoariness: at eighty, power: at ninety, decrepitude: at a hundred, it is as though he were dead, and gone, and had ceased from the world.

PEREQ R. MEIR. ON THE ACQUISITION OF TORAH: All Israel have a portion in the world to come, for it is said, Your people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified (Sanhedrin xi. 1; Isaiah Ix. 21). Wise men have taught in the Mishnah tongue; blessed is He that made choice of them and their Mishnah:

1. RABBI MEIR said, Whosoever is busied in Torah for its own sake merits many things; and not only so, but he is worth the whole world: he is called friend, beloved: loves God, loves mankind: pleases God, pleases mankind. And it clothes him with meekness and fear, and fits him to become righteous, pious, upright and faithful: and removes him from sin, and brings him toward the side of merit. And they enjoy from him counsel, and sound wisdom, understanding, and strength, for it is said, Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength (Prov, viii. 14). And it gives him kingdom, and dominion, and faculty of judgment. And they reveal to him the secrets of Torah; and he is made, as it were, a spring that ceases not, and as a river that flows on increasing. And he becomes modest, and long-suffering, and forgiving of insult. And it magnifies him and exalts him over all things.

2. Said Rabbi Jehoshua' ben Levi, Every day Bath Qol goes forth from Mount Choreb, and makes proclamation and says, Woe to the creatures for contempt of Torah, for whosoever does not occupy himself in Torah is called "blameworthy," for it is said, As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion (Prov. xi. 22). And it says, And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables (Ex. xxxii. 16); read not CHARUTH, graven, but CHERUTH, freedom, for you will find no freeman but him who is occupied in learning of Torah; and whosoever is occupied in learning of Torah, behold he exalts himself, for it is said, And from Matthanah to Nachaliel: and from Nachaliel to Bamoth (Numb. xxi. 19).

3. He who learns from his companion one section, or one canon, or one verse, or one word, (or) even one letter, is bound to do him honour; for thus we find with David king of Israel, who learned not from Achithophel but two things only, that he called him his master, his guide, and his acquaintance, for it is said, But it was you, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance (Ps. lv. 14). And is there not an argument from the greater to the less, that as David king of Israel, who learned not from Achithophel but two words only, called him his master, his guide, and his acquaintance, he who learns from his companion one section, or one canon, or one verse, or one word, or even one letter, is so many times the more bound to do him honour? And honour is nothing but Torah, for it is said, The wise shall inherit honour (Prov. iii. 35). And the perfect shall inherit good (Prov. xxviii. 10). And good is nothing but Torah, for it is said, For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my Torah (Prov. iv. 2).

4. This is the path of Torah: A morsel with salt (This is a Talmudic phrase for a poor man's fare�Berakoth 2 b), will you eat; You will drink also water by measure (Ezek. iv. 11); and shalt sleep upon the ground, and live a life of painfulness, and in Torah will you labour. If you doest thus, Happy will you be, and it shall be well with you (Ps. cxxviii. 2): "happy will you be" in this world; "and it shall be well with you "in the world to come.

5. Seek not greatness for yourself, and desire not honour. Practise more than you learnest. And lust not for the table of kings, for your table is greater than their table, and your crown greater than their crown, and faithful is your task-master who will pay you the wage of your work.

6. Greater is Torah than the priesthood, and than the kingdom; for the kingdom is acquired by thirty degrees, and the priesthood by four and twenty, and the Torah is acquired by forty and eight things. And these are they, by learning, by a listening ear, by ordered speech, by discernment of heart, by dread, by fear, by meekness, by cheerfulness, by pureness, by attendance upon the wise, by discussion with associates, by the argumentation of disciples, by sedateness; by Scripture, by Mishnah; by little traffic, by little intercourse, by little luxury, by little sleep, by little converse, by little merriment; by long-suffering, by a good heart, by faith in the wise, by acceptance of chastisements; he that knows his place, and that rejoices in his portion, and that makes a fence to his words, and does not claim merit to himself; he is loved, loves God, loves mankind, loves righteousnesses, loves uprightness, loves reproofs; and retires from honour, and puffs not up his heart with his learning, and is not forward in decision; bears the yoke with his associate, and inclines him to the scale of merit, and grounds him upon the truth, and grounds him upon peace; and settles his heart to his study; asks and answers, hears and adds thereto; he that learns in order to teach, and that learns in order to practise; that makes his master wiser, and that considers what he has heard, and that tells a thing in the name of him that said it. Lo, you have learned that whosoever tells a thing in the name of him that said it, brings redemption to the world, for it is said, And Esther told it to the king in the name of Mordekai (Esth. ii. 22).

7. Great is Torah, which gives life to those who practise it in this world and in the world to come, for it is said, For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh (Prov. iv. 22); and it says, It shall be health to your navel, and marrow to your bones (Prov. iii. 8); and it says, She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retains her (Prov. iii. 18); and it says, For they shall be an ornament of grace to your head, and chains about your neck (Prov. i. 9); and it says, She shall give to your head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to you (Prov. iv. 9); and it says, For by me your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased (Prov. ix. 11); and it says, Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour (Prov. iii. 16): and it says, For length of days, and years of life, and peace, shall they add to you (Prov. iii. 2).

8. Rabbi Shime'on ben Jehudah, in the name of Rabbi Shime'on ben Jochai, said, Comeliness, and strength, and wealth, and honour, and wisdom, and age, and hoariness, and sons, are comely to the righteous, and comely to the world, for it is said, The hoary head is a crown of glory; it is found in the way of righteousness (Prov. xvi. 31); and it says, The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head (Prov. xx. 29); and it says, Sons' sons are the crown of old men; and the glory of sons are their fathers (Prov. xvii. 6); and it says, Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously (Is. xxiv. 23).

Rabbi Shime'on ben Manasia said, These (?) seven qualities which the wise have reckoned to the righteous were all of them confirmed in Rabbi and his sons.

9. Said Rabbi Jose ben Qisma, Once I was walking by the way, and there met me a man, and be gave me "Peace"; and I returned him "Peace." He said to me, Rabbi, from what place art you? I said to him, From a great city of wise men, and doctors, am I. He said to me, Rabbi, should it be your pleasure to dwell with us in our place, I will give you a thousand thousand dinars of gold, and goodly stones, and pearls. I said to him, If you shouldest give me all the silver, and gold, and goodly stones, and pearls that are in the world, I would not dwell but in a place of Torah; and thus it is written in the book of Psalms, by the hands of David, king of Israel, The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver (Ps. cxix. 72). Moreover in the hour of a man's decease not silver, nor gold, nor goodly stones, and pearls accompany the man, but Torah and good works alone, for it is said, When you go, it shall lead you; when you sleepest, it shall keep you; and when you awakest, it shall talk with you (Prov. vi. 22). "When you go, it shall lead you," in this world: "when you sleepest, it shall keep you," in the grave: "and when you awakest, it shall talk with you," in the world to come. And it says, The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts (Hang. ii. 8).

10. Five, possessions possessed the Holy One, blessed is He, in his world, and these are they: TORAH, one possession; HEAVEN AND EARTH, one possession; Abraham, one possession; ISRAEL, one possession; THE SANCTUARY, one possession. Torah, whence? because it is written, The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old (Prov. viii. 22); Heaven and Earth, whence? because it is written, Thus says the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build to me? and where is the place of my rest (Is. lxvi. 1)? and it says, O Lord, how manifold are your works! in wisdom have you made them all: the earth is full of your possessions (Ps. civ. 24); Abraham, whence? because it is written, And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth (Gen. xiv. 19); Israel, whence? because it is written, Till your people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which you have possessed (Ex. xv. 16); and it says, To the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight (Ps. xvi. 3); The Sanctuary, whence? because it is written, The place, O Lord, which you have made for you to dwell in, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established (Ex. xv. 17); and it says, And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right-hand had possessed (Ps. lxxviii. 54).

11. Whatsoever the Holy One, blessed is He, created in his world, he created not but for his glory, for it is said, Every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him (Is. xliii. 7); and it says, The Lord shall reign for ever and ever (Ex. xv. 18).

Rabbi Chanania ben 'Aqashia said, The Holy One, blessed is He, was pleased to give merit to Israel: therefore he multiplied to them Torah and precepts, for it is said, The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable (Is. xlii. 21).