(Fol. 164b) There was a folded divorce document which came before Rabbi, and he said: "There is no date on it." R. Simon, his son, remarked to him: "Perhaps it is inserted between its folds?" He took it apart, and found the date. Thereupon Rabbi turned around and looked at him with displeasure. To which Simon said: "I was not the writer of it, but Juda the tailor." And Rabbi answered him: "Omit the slander."
It happened in another instance that R. Simon was sitting before Rabbi reading a chapter of Psalms, and Rabbi said: "How correctly and nicely it is written." To whick R. Simon answered: "Not I but Juda the tailor, wrote it." And also to this Rabbi remarked: "Omit the slander." The reason for his telling him to leave out the slander in the first instance is clear, for Rabbi disliked folding documents, and was angry at the writer. But as to the second case (when he said that the correct and nice writing was by Juda), this is in accordance with R. Dimi, the brother of Safra, who taught: "Man should not count up his neighbor's good qualities, for he may be induced to speak of his shortcomings," (very often blaming comes from praising). R. Amram, in the name of Rab, said: "From the following three transgressions one cannot escape every day sinful (obscene) imaginations, devotion in prayers and slander." How can you think that all the people slander one another every day? (Fol. 165) It means indirect slander. R. Juda said in the name of Rab: "The majority of men are suspected of robbery, the minority are suspected of adultery, and all of slander." How can you think that all are suspected of slander? Say then: "and all of indirect slander."
(Fol. 176b) R. Ishmael said: "If one wishes to become wise, he shall occupy himself with the study of Nezikin (civil law), for there is no richer section [of wisdom] in the entire Law than in it, which is like a bubbling spring. And those who wish to study civil law may take lessons of Ben Nanas."
END OF TRACT BABA BATHRA.