Yevamot

and lends a sela'  to a poor man in the hour of his need, Scripture says, Then shalt thou call, and the Lord will answer; thou shalt cry and He will say: 'Here I am'. (Mnemonic: Woman and land help this two shoots, tradesmen inferior.) R. Eleazar said: Any man who has no wife is no proper man; for it is said, Male and female created He them and called their name Adam. R. Eleazar further stated: Any man who owns no land is not a proper man; for it is said, The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; but the earth hath he given to the children of men. R. Eleazar further stated: What is the meaning of the Scriptural text, I will make him a help meet for him?  If he was worthy she is a help to him;  if he was not worthy she is against him. R. Jose met Elijah and asked him: It is written, I will make him a help;  how does a woman help a man? The other replied: If a man brings wheat, does he chew the wheat? If flax, does he put on the flax?  Does she not, then, bring light to his eyes and put him on his feet! R. Eleazar further stated: What is meant by the Scriptural text, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh?  This teaches that Adam had intercourse with every beast and animal but found no satisfaction until he cohabited with Eve. R. Eleazar further stated: What is meant by the text, And in thee shall the families of the earth be blessed?14  The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, 'I have two goodly shoots to engraft  on you: Ruth the Moabitess and Naamah the Ammonitess'.16  All the families of the earth,14  even the other families who live on the earth are blessed only for Israel's sake. All the nations of the earth,17  even the ships that go from Gaul to Spain are blessed only for Israel's sake. R. Eleazar further stated: There will be a time when all craftsmen will take up agriculture;  for it is said, And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships; they shall stand upon the land. R. Eleazar further stated: No  occupation is inferior to that of agricultural labour; for it is said, And they shall come down. R. Eleazar once saw a plot of land that was ploughed across its width.  'Wert thou to be ploughed along thy length also',  he remarked, 'engaging in business would still be more profitable'. Rab once entered among growing ears of corn. Seeing that they were swaying  he called out to them, 'Swing as you will,  engaging in business brings more profit than you can do'. Raba said: A hundred zuz  in business means meat and wine every day; a hundred zuz in land, only salt and vegetables.  Furthermore it causes him to sleep on the ground  and embroils him in strife. R. Papa said, 'Sow  but do not buy,  even if the cost is the same; there is a blessing in the former. Sell out  to avoid disgrace;  but only mattresses, [not] however, a cloak, [since one] might not always again obtain [a suitable one].  Stop up  and you will need no repair;  repair  and you will not need to rebuild; for whosoever engages in building grows poor. Be quick in buying land; be deliberate in taking a wife. Come down a step in choosing your wife;  go up a step in selecting your shoshbin. R. Eleazar b. Abina  said: Punishment comes into the world only on Israel's account; for it is said, I have cut off nations, their corners are desolate; I have made their streets waste,  and this is followed by the text, 'I said: Surely thou wilt fear Me, thou wilt receive correction'. Rab was once taking leave of R. Hiyya. The latter said to him, 'May the All Merciful deliver you from that which is worse than death'. 'But is there' [Rab wondered] 'anything that is worse than death'? When he went out he considered the matter and found [the following text]: And I find more bitter than death the woman etc. Rab was constantly tormented by his wife. If he told her, 'Prepare me lentils', she would prepare him small peas; [and if he asked for] small peas, she prepared him lentils. When his son Hiyya grew up he gave her [his father's instruction] in the reverse order.  'Your mother', Rab once remarked to him, 'has improved'!  'It was I', the other replied, 'who reversed [your orders] to her'. 'This is what people say', the first said to him, 'Thine own offspring teaches thee reason';  you, however, must not continue to do so' for it is said, They have taught their tongue to speak lies, they weary themselves etc'. R. Hiyya was constantly tormented by his wife. He, nevertheless, whenever he obtained anything suitable wrapped it up in his scarf and brought it to her. Said Rab to him, 'But, surely, she is tormenting the Master!' — 'It is sufficient for us', the other replied, 'that they rear up our children and deliver us