(Fol. 49b) R. Juda was sitting before R. Tarphon, when the latter remarked to him: "Today, thou lookest bright." Whereupon he answered him: "Yesterday thy [referring to himself] servants went out in the field and they brought us a certain species of beet which we ate unsalted, and had we eaten it salted our faces would have been still brighter." A certain matron said unto R. Juda: "A teacher and a drunkard!" Whereupon he said to her: "You may believe me that I did not taste any [liquors] with the exception of Kidush and Habdalah and the four glasses on Passover night, and since then I had my forehead bound up [on account of pain] from Passover until the Feast of Weeks. The real reason for my bright face is (Ecc. 8, 1) A man's wisdom enlighteneth his face." A certain heretic said to R. Juda: "Your countenance is like one who is either a usurer or one that raises swine." Whereupon he replied: "Among Israel both of them are prohibited, but my face is so brightened because I take care of myself." Whenever he went to the house of study R. Juda would carry on his shoulder a pitcher [on which to sit during the lectures,] remarking: "Work is so great that it brings honor to its performers." R. Simon would take a basket on his shoulder, remarking: "Work is so great that it brings honor to its performers." The wife of R. Juda went out into the street and bought wool from which she made a cloak, and whenever R. Juda had to go to pray he would wrap himself in it and pray. And while he would wrap himself he would pronounce the following blessing: "Praised be He who giveth me a cloak with which to wrap myself." One day Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel decreed for a fast day. R. Juda, however, did not appear for prayers during that day. R. Simon was informed that it was because the latter did not have a cloak with which to dress himself. Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel sent one to him, but he did not accept it. (Fol. 50) While the messenger was in R. Juda's house the latter lifted up a matting and said to him: "See what riches I have, but I do not want to enjoy it in this world."
R. Akiba was betrothed to the daughter of Bar Kalba Shabua. When the latter was informed of it he made a vow that she should not have the privilege of enjoying anything of his entire estate. They were married during the winter, and in order to keep them warm they used to sleep upon straw. Akiba, while picking out the straw from his wife's head, remarked to her that if he became rich he would make her a golden plate upon which Jerusalem will be engraved. One day Elijah, disguised as a poor man, came and knocked at the door. He said to them: "Give me some of the straw, for my wife is lying in confinement and I have nothing to cover her." "See," remarked R. Akiba to his wife, "there is a man who has not even straw to cover himself." "Go and become a student," she proposed to him. Whereupon he went and spent twelve years before R. Elazar and R. Joshua. At the expiration of the twelve years he came to his house. Before entering it he overheard his wife conversing. One wicked man said to her: "Your father served you right, first, because your husband is not equal to you, and secondly, see he left you a widow of a living husband for so many years." Whereupon she responded: "If my husband should take my advice he would remain twelve more years." R. Akiba then said to himself: "Since she gives me permission, I shall immediately return." And so he did. He went back and remained there twelve more years. At the expiration of the twelve years he returned with twenty-four thousand disciples. The entire community went out to welcome him, and also his wife arose early in order to welcome him. A certain wicked woman said to her: "Where art thou going?" Whereupon she answered (Pr. 12, 10) A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. When she came to see him, she was pushed away by several of the Rabbis. Whereupon R. Akiba said to them: "Let her come, for my Torah and yours is hers." Her father was informed that a great man had arrived in town, so he went to get an annulment of his vow, and he enriched him with all his estate.
Because of six things did R. Akiba become rich. Because of Bar Kalba Shebua; because of the bick of a ship, for every ship used to have a certain image in the form of a bick. It once happened that such a bick [wherein all the treasures were deposited] was forgotten on the seashore, and it was found by R. Akiba. And because of a chest; for it once happened that R. Akiba gave four Zuzim to the sailors, and said to them: "Bring me something for it." They found nothing except a chest lying on the beach of the sea. They brought it to him and said to him: "Let the master wait until we bring you something else." When he opened it he found that it was fiUed with dinarim, for it happened that a ship was stranded in that section and all the treasures were deposited in that little chest at that time. He became rich because of a certain matron, also because of the wife of Turnus Rufus, and because of Katina b. Shalom.
(Ib. b) Rab Gamda gave four Zuzim to sailors, asking them to bring him something. They found nothing, so they brought him an ape. While they were bringing it to R. Gamda it jumped from their hands and ran into a hole; and when they dug after it they found it lying upon an expensive pearl, which they brought and gave to R. Gamda.
The daughter of the Kaiser once said to R. Joshua b. Chanania: "O how unbecoming that ugly vessel with glorious wisdom!" Whereupon he said to her: "My daughter, in what does the king, your father, keep his best wine?" "In earthern vessels," was the answer. And he rejoined: "The common people keep it in earthen vessels, and your father also in earthen vessels — how is that?" "In what, then, shall it be kept?" she asked innocently. "You, who are wealthy," R. Joshua remarked, "ought to keep it in silver and golden vessels." She then told her father, and he commanded that his wine be kept in vessels of silver and gold. Consequently it became sour. When the Caesar was informed of this, he asked his daughter: "Who told you to do so?" "R. Joshua b. Chanania," she replied. Thereupon the Caesar sent for R. Joshua b. Chanania. "Why hast thou advised her so?" he was asked. And he rejoined: "This was only an answer to the question of the princess." "But are there not men who are handsome and at the same time very scholarly?" the Caesar asked. (Ib. b) "Believe me," said the Rabbi, "had they been ugly, they would have been still greater scholars."
Rabbi was preparing the wedding of R. Simon, his son, and did not invite Bar Kapara. The latter went and wrote down on the house where the wedding was to take place, "Twenty-four thousand dinarim is the expense of this wedding, and Bar Kapara was not invited." He then said to the servants: "If so much reward is given to those who do contrary to God's will, how much more will it be given to those who do God's will?" When Rabbi was informed of it, he invited Bar Kapara. The latter said: "If in this world so much reward is given to those who do God's will, how much will be given to them in the future world [where the real reward is to be given?"] The day on which Rabbi laughed was a sign that an evil dispensation would visit the world. Rabbi said to Bar Kapara: "You should not make me laugh, and I shall give you forty measures of wheat." "The master should see to it that (Fol. 51) whatever measure I should demand you should give me," remarked Bar Kapara. While speaking, he took a big basket, lined it with pitch, put it on his head, and went around saying to Rabbi: "Will the master give me the forty measures of wheat which he owes me?" Whereupon Rabbi began to laugh. "Have I not warned you," said Rabbi to him, "that you should not make me laugh." Whereupon Bar Kapara replied: "I am merely asking you for the wheat you owe me." Bar Kapara then said to the daughter of Rabbi: "Tomorrow I shall drink wine to thy father's dancing and to thy mother's croaking (singing)."
Ben Alassa, Rabbi's son-in-law, who was a very rich man, also came to the wedding of R. Simon b. Rabbi. On the morrow Bar Kapara said to Rabbi: "What is the meaning of the word (Lev. 20, 13) To'eba (an abomination)?" To whatever explanation Rabbi gave. Bar Kapara raised an objection. Rabbi then said to Bar Kapara: "Will you then explain it to me?" Whereupon Bar Kapara said: "Let your wife come and pour in a glass of wine for me." She came and did so. Bar Kapara then said to Rabbi: "Come and dance for me and I shall explain the above word for you." Thus said the Torah, To'e atta ha. "Thou art erring in it." At the second glass of wine, Bar Kapara said to Rabbi: "What is the meaning of (Ib. 18, 23) Tebel? He did as in the former case, and he asked him to do as before in order to explain it to him, and when Rabbi did so he said: "Tebel, means Tablin Yes ba [is there any taste in it? Ben Alassa could not stand all these jokes, so he and his wife left the wedding.