TJie Talmud. 



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ments and waited at the entrance of the king's palace, for they knew 

 that in the king's palace no preparations were necessary and they 

 might be called at any moment. The foolish ones followed their daily 

 pursuits, because they thought the banquet could not take place without 

 some great preparations. Suddenly the servants were summoned. 

 The wise ones appeared before the king in their pure and beau- 

 tiful garments, the foolish ones in their soiled garments. Over the 

 first the king rejoiced, over the others he sorrowed. He said, " Those 

 who came in pure garments shall enjoy the banquet, those who came in 

 soiled garments shall stand by and look on." 



Let me give you two of the many fables. The fox and the fishes 

 (Ber. 61 B). When Hadrian had issued the decree that no Jew should 

 either teach or learn from the sacred books at the peril of his life, Papus 

 once found R. Akeba teaching an assembly. Papus said to R. Akeba, 

 " Are you not afraid of the government ? " Thereupon R. Akeba said, 

 " Come, let me tell you a fable: Once upon a day, the fox passed by a 

 river and saw the fishes in great anxiety. He asked, 'What is the 

 matter? ' They told him, ' Oh, the anglers are after us, and spread 

 their nets to catch us.' ' Then,' said the fox, ' I would advise you 

 to come to me on dry land, and we will live together in peace.' ' Are 

 you the fox, who is called the wise ? ' they replied. ' You have spoken 

 very foolishly. If Ave are not secure here, in our natural element, how 

 would it be with us if we should leave it ? ' So with us, if we are im- 

 perilled while we are living according to the law, of which it is said, 

 'it is thy life, and the length of thy days,' how much more would we 

 endanger us, if we should leave it." 



The snake and the back biter. (Arach. 15, C). Once upon a 

 time the animals asked the snake: "Say on, the lion tears because he 

 is hungry, the wolf kills and eats ; bnt what good is it to thee to bite 

 and kill?" " Oh," said the snake," why do you ask me? ask the back- 

 biter what pleasure it gives him to bite and injure." 



Only a few of the thousands of maxims I will quote. (B. Metsia 

 58 b). " He who puts his fellowman publicly to shame, has to con- 

 sider himself as if he had spilled his blood" (Rosh. Hash. 17 a). "He 

 who forgives offenses, shall have his sins forgiven by God " (Tanith 

 20 a). " Let men ever be meek and yielding as the reed and not hard 

 and haughty as the cedar" (B. Mets. 49 a). "Let your 'yes 'be a 

 truthful 'yes' and your 'no' be a truthful 'no'" (Chullin 94a). 

 "Man shall never deceive his neighbor though he be the worst 

 heathen" (Arach. 16 b). " He who speaks slanderously commits a sin 



