king of Assyria to Manassah? He placed him in a
copper barrel and had a fire kindled beneath it, and while enduring
great torture of his body, Manassah was further tortured in his mind.
'Shall I call upon the Almighty?' he thought. 'Alas! His anger burns
against me. To call upon my idols is to call in vain,--alas, alas, what
hope remains to me!'

"He prayed to the greatest of his idols, and waited in vain for a reply.
He called to the lesser gods, and remained unanswered. Then with
trembling heart he addressed the great Eternal.

"'O Eternal! God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their descendants,
the heavens and the earth are the works of Thy hand. Thou didst give to
the sea a shore, controlling with a word the power of the mighty deep.
Thou art merciful as Thou art great, and Thou hast promised to accept
the repentance of those who return to Thee with upright hearts. As
numerous are my sins as the sands which cover the seashore. I have done
evil before Thee, committing abominations in Thy presence and acting
wickedly. Bound with fetters I come before Thee, and on my knees I
entreat Thee, in the name of Thy great attributes of mercy, to
compassionate my suffering and my distress. Pardon me, O Lord, forgive
me. Do not utterly destroy me because of my transgressions. Let not my
punishment eternally continue. Though I am unworthy of Thy goodness, O
Lord, yet save me in Thy mercy. Henceforth will I praise Thy name all
the days of my life, for all Thy creatures delight in praising Thee, and
unto Thee is the greatness and the goodness forever and ever, Selah!'"

"God heard this prayer, even as it is written, 'And He permitted Himself
to be entreated by him, and brought him back to Jerusalem unto his
kingdom.'"

"From which we may learn," continued Akiba, "that affliction is an
atonement for sin."

* * * * *

Said Rabbi Eleazer, the great, "It is commanded 'thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy soul and with all that is loved by thee.'

"Does not 'with all thy soul' include 'with all that is loved by thee?'

"Some people love themselves more than they love their money; to them
'tis said, 'with all thy soul;' while for those who love their money
more than themselves the commandment reads, 'with all that is loved by
thee.'"

But Rabbi Akiba always expounded the words, "with all thy soul," to mean
"even though thy life be demanded of thee."

When the decree was issued forbiddin