(Fol. 35) R. Juda said in the name of Rab: "It happened once that a man during the year of famine entrusted a golden dinar to a widow. The latter deposited it in a pitcher where she kept her Hour and [unknowingly] baked it into the bread and gave it to a poor man. On a certain day the owner of the dinar asked her to return the coin. Whereupon she said to him: 'May one of this woman's children be poisoned if I benefited the least by your dinar, [for I lost it and do not know where it is.'] It was related that it did not take long, but that one of that woman's children died. The Rabbis upon being informed of this incident remarked: 'If such a tiling happens to one who swears truly, how much the more severely will it happen to one who swears falsely?'" But why was she indeed punished? Because she benefited by the space where the dinar was lying in the bread, whereby dough was saved by her. If so, then why do the Rabbis consider it a true oath? She did derive a benefit out of it. This means that she intended to swear truly.
Ulla said: "Impudent is the bride who commits an act of prostitution immediately after her wedding." R. Mari, the son of Samuel's daughter, said: "Where is the Biblical passage to prove it? (Ib. 1, 12.) While the king sat at his table, my Valerian sendeth forth their smell." Rab .said: "However, it speaks with courtesy about us (Israel), for it is written, Send forth [in a delicate language] and it does not say stench."
Our Rabbis taught: Those who are being humiliated by others, but do not humiliate others; who listen to their reproaches without even answering them; who perform their duties because of love for their duty, and rejoice in spite of all their pains [because of the reproaches,] concerning them, Scripture says, (Judges 5, 31) But may those that love Him, be as the rising of the sun in his might.
Rabba said: "For three reasons the property of householders becomes annihilated: For not paying the wages of laborers in due time; for not [sufficiently] paying laborers; for casting off obligations from one self and placing them upon others; for R. Chiya b. Abba said in the name of R. Jochanan that there were two families in Jerusalem, one had their regular dining parties on the Sabbath and the other had their dining parties on Friday and [the result was that] both were uprooted."
(Fol. 43) Rabba b. R. Huna expounded: "Just as the law concerning one who betroths a woman on condition that only one half should be betrothed to him, makes the betrothal unlawful, so also does the law hold concerning a woman being a half slave and a half free, that betrothal shall not be applied to her." R. Chisda then said to him: "How can you compare these two things? In the former case something has been left unbought, while in the latter case everything was bought [since she is only one-half free."] Thereafter Rabba b. R. Huna caused his interpreter to announce the reverse of his former decision, and he expounded in the following passage (Is. 3, 6) And let this stumbling he under thy hand; i.e., a man never gets at the true sense of the Torah unless he first stumbles over it. Although the Rabbis say that if one betroths a woman on condition," etc. (And he agreed with R. Chisda).
(Fol. 45) The daughters of R. Nachman would stir a hot pot with their naked hands. R. Illis thereupon raised a question of the following passage (Ecc. 7, 28) One man among a thousand did I fiind; but a woman among a thousand, this did I not find. Behold, there are the daughters of R. Nachman [who are so pious that they can even stir a hot pot with their hands and not be burned.] It happened once that the daughters of R. Nachman were captured [by Arabians], among whom R. Illis was also a captive. One day a man who understood the signs of the raven's language was sitting near him. Later a raven came and began chirping. "What does that chirping mean?" asked R. Illis, The man answer that she means, "Illis escape, Illis escape." "A raven may tell a false thing, and I do not want to rely upon it," remarked R. Illis. In the meantime a dove came and began to chirp. Illis again asked the man what she was chirping, and the man answered him: "She said, 'Illis escape, Illis escape.'" "The congregation of Israel is likened unto a dove," remarked R. Illis. It is therefrom understood that a miracle will happen to me and I shall obey her words." "Before going," remarked R. Illis, "I want to see what the daughters of R. Nachman are doing, whether they are still as pious as they were before." He went and overheard a secret conversation: "In Nahardais are our Jewish husbands, and these Arabians are also our husbands. What does it matter to us, let us ask our captors to send us further away from here so that no one should come and redeem us." Illis then ran away together with the man who understood the bird's language. To Illis, however, a miracle happened, that he crossed the river with the ferry, but the man was caught and executed. When R. Nachman's daughters came back from their captivity Illis remarked that they were stirring the pot with their naked hands by magic and not because they were so pious. [Hence the above mentioned words of Solomon are correct.]
(Fol. 40) Resh Lakish sold himself to the Lyddians. He took along with him a bag containing a piece of lead. He said to himself: "I am aware that on the last day before they execute a person the Lyddians are ready to fulfill all the desires of that man who is to be executed, so that he should forgive them for the crime of shedding his blood." When it came to the last day, when Resh Lakish was about to be executed, they said to him: "What is your desire, we shall do for you?" "I want to tie you and set you down and to everyone of you I shall give one and one-half blow. Agreeing to this suggestion he tied them, set them down, and when he had given one blow to each one of them [with that bag filled with lead,] they remained senseless, gritting with their teeth upon Resh Lakish. Whereupon Resh Lakish remarked: "You are yet laughing at me, there is still one-half blow coming to you." He killed everyone of them and freed himself. He then came out, sat down and partook of a good meal. When his daughter said to him: "Won't you sit down on something soft?" he said to her: "My own body is the best pillow." At the time when he was dying he left a Kab of safron, and he applied to himself the following passage (Ps. 49, 11) And leave to others their wealth.