king abroad one day he saw some grapes growing in a roadside
vineyard, and sent his servant to see whom they belonged to. "If they
belong to a Gentile," he said, "bring some here to me; but if they
belong to an Israelite, do not meddle with them." The owner, who
happened to be in the vineyard, overheard the Rabbi's order and called
out, "What! is it lawful to rob a Gentile?" "Oh, no," said the Rabbi
evasively; "a Gentile might sell, but an Israelite would not."

_Bava Kama_, fol. 113, col. 2.

This is given simply as a sample of the teaching of the Talmud
on the subject both by precept and example. There is no
intention to cast a slight on general Jewish integrity, or
suggest distrust in regard to their ethical creed.

Rabbon Gamliel, Rabbi Eliezer ben Azaryah, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi
Akiva once went on a journey to Rome, and at Puteoli they already heard
the noisy din of the city, though at a distance of a hundred and twenty
miles. At the sound all shed tears except Akiva, who began to laugh.
"Why laughest thou?" they asked. "Why do you cry?" he retorted. They
answered, "These Romans, who worship idols of wood and stone and offer
incense to stars and planets, abide in peace and quietness, while our
Temple, which was the footstool of our God, is consumed by fire; how can
we help weeping?" "That is just the very reason," said he, "why I
rejoice; for if such be the lot of those who transgress His laws, what
shall the lot of those be who observe and do them?"

_Maccoth_, fol. 24, col. 2.

When Adam observed that his sin was the cause of the decree which made
death universal he fasted one hundred and thirty years, abstained all
that space from intercourse with his wife, and wore girdles of
fig-leaves round his loins. All these years he lived under divine
displeasure, and begat devils, demons, and spectres; as it is said (Gen.
v. 3), "And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat in his own
likeness, after his image," which implies that, until the close of those
years, his offspring were not after his own image.

_Eiruvin_, fol. 18, col. 2.

There is a tradition that there was once a disciple in Yabneh who gave a
hundred and fifty reasons to prove a reptile to be clean (which the
Scripture regards as unclean.--Compare Lev. xi. 29).

Ibid., fol 13, col 2.

The ablutionary tank made by Solomon was as large as a hundred and fifty
lavatories.

Ibid., fol. 14, col. 1.

A hundred and eighty y