26 



The Talmud. 



which cries up to heaven " (Sota 42 a). " The hypocrites shall never see 

 God " (Succa 49 a). " Humanity is preferable to piety." 



The Rabbis of the Talmud thought very highly of woman. They 

 say (B. Metsia 59 a): "A man shall ever diligently strive to honor his 

 wife; for God's blessing is vouchsafed to house and home only on ac- 

 count of the house wife " (Yehamoth 62 b). " He who loves his wife as 

 himself, honors her more than himself; of him it is said, he is assured 

 that peace shall dwell in his house " (Sanhedr. 22 a). " He whose wife 

 has died is to be pitied as he who has seen God's sanctuary being de- 

 stroyed before his eyes " (Yehamoth 63 a). R. Ohiya had a wife, who 

 aggravated him continually. Nevertheless, whenever he saw any 

 thing nice and beautiful in the market, he never failed to buy it and 

 bring it to her. He was asked, " Why, your wife aggravates you, and 

 embitters your life, how can you be so attentive to her ? " But he re- 

 plied, " It is enough that our wives bring up our children and preserve 

 us from going astray." Yet, R. Chiya felt keenly how his life was 

 spoiled by his uncongenial companion. When Rab took leave of him 

 he blessed him, saying, " May God preserve thee from what is worse than 

 death." " Is there any thing worse than death? " he asked. " Aye, is it 

 not written, * bitterer than death is an evil woman.' " 



" The Hagada," says the learned Prof. Dr. Aug. Wiinsche, the first 

 man who attempted the enormous task of translating it into German, 

 "the Hagada, this beautiful child of the Jewish spirit, nourished by 

 the fertile Jewish imagination, grew up to conquer the heathen world. 

 She, who most of the time, was treated very stepmotherly by the Rab- 

 bis, became the pet of the world. Do you ask, how so. Remember, 

 that the founder of the Christian religion, while rebelling against the 

 unbearable yoke of the Halachic law, mastered the Agada to such a 

 degree, that he understood to speak to the people in that natural im- 

 agery which took possession of their heart and mind. Thus, the 

 Hagacia, so often slighted and neglected by the Rabbis, became the 

 nurse and teacher of Christianity." 



