Shabbat

Now, every Sabbath day he would sit and study all day.  On the day that his soul was to be at rest,  the Angel of death stood before him but could not prevail against him, because learning did not cease from his mouth. 'What shall I do to him?' said he. Now, there was a garden before his house; so the Angel of death went, ascended and soughed in the trees. He [David] went out to see: as he was ascending the ladder, it broke under him. Thereupon he became silent [from his studies] and his soul had repose. Then Solomon sent to Beth Hamidrash: My father is dead and lying in the sun; and the dogs of my father's house are hungry; what shall I do? They sent back, Cut up a carcase and place it before the dogs; and as for thy father, put a loaf of bread or a child upon him and carry him away.  Did then not Solomon well say, for a living dog is better than a dead lion?  And as for the question which I asked before you,  — a lamp is designated lamp, and the soul of man is called a lamp:  better it is that the lamp of flesh and blood be extinguished before the lamp of the Holy One, blessed be He. Rab Judah son of R. Samuel b. Shilath said in Rab's name: The Sages wished to hide the Book of Ecclesiastes,  because its words are self-contradictory; yet why did they not hide it? Because its beginning is religious teaching  and its end is religious teaching. Its beginning is religious teaching, as it is written, What profit hath man of all his labour wherein he laboureth under the sun?  And the School of R. Jannai commented: Under the sun he has none, but he has it [sc. profit] before the sun.  The end thereof is religious teaching, as it is written, Let us hear the conclusion of the matter, fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole of man.  What is meant by, 'for this is the whole of man'? — Said R. Eleazar, The entire world was created only for the sake of this [type of] man. Simeon b. 'Azzai-others state, Simeon b. Zoma-said: The entire world was created only to be a companion to this man. And how are its words self-contradictory? — It is written, anger is better than play;  but it is written, I said of laughter, It is to be praised.  It is written, Then I commended joy;  but it is written, and of joy [I said] What doeth it?  There is no difficulty: 'anger is better than laughter': the anger which the Holy One, blessed be He, displays to the righteous in this world is better than the laughter which the Holy One, blessed be He, laughs with the wicked in this world.  'And I said of laughter, it is to be praised': that refers to the laughter which the Holy One, blessed be He, laughs with the righteous in the world to come. 'Then I commended joy': this refers to the joy of a precept.  'And of joy [I said], what doeth it': this refers to joy [which is] not in connection with a precept.  This teaches you that the Divine Presence rests [upon] man] neither through gloom,  nor through sloth, nor through frivolity, nor through levity, nor through talk, nor through idle chatter,  save through a matter of joy in connection with a precept, as it is said, But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. Rab Judah said: And it is likewise thus for a matter of halachah.  Raba said: And it is likewise thus for a good dream.  But that is not so, for R. Giddal said in Rab's name: If any scholar sits before his teacher and his lips do not drip bitterness,  they shall be burnt, for it is said, his lips are as lilies [shoshanim], dropping liquid myrrh [mor'ober]:  read not mor'ober, but mar'ober [dropping bitterness]; read not shoshanim but sheshonin [that study]?  There is no difficulty: the former applies to the teacher; the latter to the disciple. Alternatively, both refer to the teacher, yet there is no difficulty: the one means before he commences; the other, after he commences. Even as Rabbah before he commenced [his discourse] before the scholars used to say something humorous, and the scholars were cheered; after that he sat in awe and began the discourse. The Book of Proverbs too they desired to hide, because its statements are self-contradictory. Yet why did they not hide it? They said, Did we not examine the Book of Ecclesiastes and find a reconciliation? So here too let us make search. And how are its statements self-contradictory? — It is written, Answer not a fool according to his folly;  yet it is also written, Answer a fool according to his folly?  There is no difficulty: the one refers to matters of learning;  the other to general matters. Even as a certain person came before Rabbi and said to him, 'Your wife is my wife and your children are mine.'  'Would you like to drink a glass of wine?' asked he. He drank and burst. A certain man came before R. Hiyya and said to him, 'Your mother is my wife and you are my son! Would you like to drink a glass of wine?' asked he. He drank and burst. R. Hiyya observed: Rabbi's prayer was in-so-far effective that his sons were not made illegitimate.  For when Rabbi prayed he used to say, May it be Thy will, O Lord our God, to save me this day from the impudent and from impudence. 'Matters of learning'-what is that? — As R. Gamaliel sat and lectured, Woman is destined to bear every day, for it is said, the woman conceived and beareth simultaneously.  But a certain disciple scoffed at him, quoting, 'there is no new thing under the sun.'  Come, and I will show you its equal in this world,  be replied. He went forth and showed him a fowl. On another occasion R. Gamaliel sat and lectured, Trees are destined to yield fruit every day, for it is said, and it shall bring forth boughs and bear fruit:  just as the boughs [exist] every day, so shall there be fruit every day. But a certain disciple scoffed at him, saying, but it is written, 'there is no new thing under the sun!' Come, and I will show you its equal in this world, replied he. He went forth and showed him the caper bush.  On another occasion R. Gamaliel sat and expounded, Palestine is destined to bring forth cakes and wool robes, for it is said, There shall be an handful of corn in the land.  But a certain disciple scoffed at him, quoting, 'there is no new thing under the sun!' 'Come, and I will show you their equal in this world,' replied he. He went forth and showed him morels and truffles;  and for silk robes [he showed him] the bark of a young palm-shoot. Our Rabbis taught: A man should always be gentle like Hillel, and not impatient like Shammai. It once happened that two men