Page:Hebrew tales; selected and translated from the writings of the ancient Hebrew sages (1917).djvu/52

48 Arabian travellers, else he would neither have offered them water to wash their feet, nor viands to allay their hunger. Why, then, shall we prevent our kind host from imitating so excellent an example?" "I know," exclaimed Rabbi Zadoc, "a being still greater than Abraham, who doth the same." "Indeed," continued he, "how long shall we be engaged in reciting the praises of created beings, and neglect the glory of the Creator! Even He, blessed be His name, causes the winds to blow, the clouds to accumulate, and the rain to descend: He fertilizes the earth, and daily prepares a magnificent table for His creatures. Why, then, shall we hinder our kind host, Gamaliel, from following so glorious an example?"

Kiddushin, 32 b; Sifre to Deuteronomy, ch. xxxviii.

Destruction of Wickedness, the Best Way of Destroying Wicked Men

had some very troublesome neighbors, who took the greatest delight in doing him every mischief in their power. Vexed with their outrageous conduct, he prayed that God might destroy them. His wife heard him: