t of saying, "This too
is for the best." In his old age he became blind; both of his hands and
both of his legs were amputated, and the trunk of his body was covered
with a sore inflammation. His scholars said to him, "If thou art a
righteous man, why art thou so sorely afflicted?"

"All this," he answered, "I brought upon myself. Once I was traveling to
the house of my father-in-law, and I had with me thirty asses laden with
provisions and all manner of precious articles. A man by the wayside
called to me, 'O Rabbi, assist me.' I told him to wait until I unloaded
my asses. When that time arrived and I had removed their burdens from my
beasts, I found to my sorrow that the poor man had fallen and expired. I
threw myself upon his body and wept bitterly. 'Let these eyes, which had
no pity on thee, be blind,' I said; 'these hands that delayed to assist
thee, let them be cut off, and also these feet, which did not run to aid
thee,' And yet I was not satisfied until I prayed that my whole body
might be stricken with a sore inflammation. Rabbi Akiba said to me, 'Woe
to me that I find thee in this state! But I replied, 'Happy to thee that
thou meetest me in this state, for through this I hope that my iniquity
may be forgiven, and all my righteous deeds still remain recorded to
gain me a reward of life eternal in the future world.'"

* * * * *

Rabbi Janay upon seeing a man bestowing alms in a public place, said,
"Thou hadst better not have given at all, than to have bestowed alms so
openly and put the poor man to shame."

"One should rather be thrown into a fiery furnace than be the means of
bringing another to public shame."

Rabbi Juda said, "No one should sit down to his own meals, until seeing
that all the animals dependent upon his care are provided for."

Rabbi Jochanan said that it is as pleasing in God's sight if we are kind
and hospitable to strangers, as if we rise up early to study His law;
because the former is in fact putting His law into practice. He also
said, "He who is active in kindness toward his fellows is forgiven his
sins."

Both this Rabbi and Abba say it is better to lend to the poor than to
give to them, for it prevents them from feeling ashamed of their
poverty, and is really a more charitable manner of aiding them. The
Rabbis have always taught that kindness is more than the mere almsgiving
of charity, for it includes pleasant words with the more substantial
hel