Page:Hebrew tales; selected and translated from the writings of the ancient Hebrew sages (1917).djvu/39

Rh a cedar, yet to insult poverty or natural defect is no venial crime; and one that we cannot expect to be readily pardoned." Ta'anit, 20a-b.

Liberality Grounded on Religion not to be Conquered by Reverse of Fortune—Exemplified in Abba Judan

, Rabbi Joshua, and Rabbi Akiba travelled about annually in the land of Israel, to collect money for the poor. Among their many and various contributors, none gave more liberally, nor with more cheerfulness, than Abba Judan, who was then in very affluent circumstances. Fortune, however, took a turn. A dreadful storm destroyed the fruits of his grounds; a raging pestilence swept away the greater part of his flocks and herds; and his extensive fields and vineyards became the prey of his greedy and inexorable creditors. Of all his vast possessions, nothing was left him but one small plot of ground. Such a sudden reverse of fortune was enough to depress any ordinary mind. But Abba Judan, on whose heart the Divine precepts of his holy religion had been early and deeply imprinted,