The Old Man And The Acorn : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE OLD MAN AND THE ACORN. A rabbi was passing through a field when he saw a very old man planting an oak-tree. He said to him: "Why are you planting that oak-tree, surely you do not expect to live long enough to see it grow up?" "Ah," replied...
The Citizen Married To The King's Daughter : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE CITIZEN MARRIED TO THE KING'S DAUGHTER. "Also the soul * can never be satisfied" (Eccles. vi. 3, 7). However much a man may heap up good works and pious actions, he can never satisfy his soul. Rabbi Levi says: "This may be likened...
The Induction Robe Of The Elder : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE INDUCTION ROBE OF THE ELDER. Why are so many commands given to Israel beyond the laws of right conduct that are binding on all mankind? Rabbi Berachia says: "This may be likened to an elder (the principal of a college for the study of law...
The Parable Of The Two Ships : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SHIPS. King Solomon has said: The day of one's death is better than that of his birth. When a human being is born all rejoice, and when he dies all weep. But it should not be so. Rather, at one's birth no one has yet cause...
The Labourers In The Garden : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], p. 45 THE LABOURERS IN THE GARDEN. The Holy One, blessed be He, extends His mercy equally to animals and to human beings. He is as full of compassion for the tiniest birds of the air, as for the cattle. This is shown by the command (Deut. xxii...
The Pavilion Of The King's Daughter : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE PAVILION OF THE KING'S DAUGHTER. Why did God command the building of the Tabernacle, and sanction the building of the Temple? Surely He requires no dwelling-place. "Behold the Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Him. Do not I fill...
Equality Of All Before God. And The Parable : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], EQUALITY OF ALL BEFORE GOD: AND THE PARABLE OF A PRINCESS ATTACKED BY ROBBERS. And the Eternal said unto Moses, "Why dost thou cry unto me?" Here, says the Midrash, is another saying (Ps. lxv. 2), "Oh, Thou who hearest prayer, right up to * Thy...
The Likeness Of A Palm Tree : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE LIKENESS OF A PALM-TREE. "The righteous shall grow like the palm-tree," says the Psalmist (Ps. xcii. 13). Just as the palm-tree, because of its great height, and because its branches are high up, casts its shadow a long way off, while lower...
The Two Pilots : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE TWO PILOTS. The Midrash, on Deut. xxx., says that Moses, who was allowed to call down a blessing on his generation, when Israel had sinned in the matter of the golden calf, is typified in every verse of Psalm xxiv.; and verse 5, which refers...
The King Talks With All His Servants, Small : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE KING TALKS WITH ALL HIS SERVANTS, SMALL AND GREAT. It is not to Israel alone that God has spoken and revealed His will; nor even only to recognised prophets, whether in Israel or among the nations. But to all who have His work to do He speaks...
The Traveller And The Tree In The Desert : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE TRAVELLER AND THE TREE IN THE DESERT. Rabbi Levi spoke this parable in the name of Rabbi Johanan. A certain traveller went forth, and for days he wandered through the desert and found no town, no village, no oasis, no tree and no water...
The Tutor And The Naughty Princeling : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], p. 23 THE TUTOR AND THE NAUGHTY PRINCELING. The world, with all its wonderful growths, was made to teach man and to nurture him. Therefore when man falls into sin, and breaks the laws of nature and of God, nature and the material world suffer...
Why God Permits Idolatry : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], p. 16 p. 17 THE WISDOM OF ISRAEL WHY GOD PERMITS IDOLATRY. * THEY asked our sages in Rome, says the Babylonian Talmud, "If your God is displeased with men's worship of other gods, why does He not make it void by destroying all idols and objects...
The Lamp That Goes Out When Its Light Is : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE LAMP THAT GOES OUT WHEN ITS LIGHT IS DONE, AND THE FIGS THAT ARE GATHERED IN THEIR DUE SEASON. What is the difference between the death of the aged and the death of the young? Rabbi Judah says:--"When a lamp goes out of itself, it is good...
The Stars Are Not Envious : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE STARS ARE NOT ENVIOUS! The righteous are compared to the stars. For, as the stars (each one of which could burn up this whole world) shine in glory, and never clash together, and are never jealous of one another, but all go on in their...
The Heritage Of The Unborn Prince : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE HERITAGE OF THE UNBORN PRINCE. Six things preceded the creation of the world (says Bereshith Rabbah, Chap. I.). Some of them were created; some existed as ideals, as part of the thought of the Creator, to emerge, created, in the future; so...
Title Page : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], Wisdom of the East Series Edited by L. CRANMER-BYNG Dr S. A. KAPADIA. THE WISDOM OF ISRAEL WISDOM OF THE EAST THE WISDOM OF ISRAEL BEING EXTRACTS FROM THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD AND MIDRASH RABBOTH TRANSLATED FROM THE ARAMAIC AND HEBREW, WITH...
Editorial Note : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], p. 6 p. 7 p. 8 EDITORIAL NOTE THE object of the Editors of this series is a very definite one. They desire above all things that, in their humble way, these books shall be the ambassadors of good-will and understanding between East and West...
Revelations Of Mercy And Of Punishment : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], REVELATIONS OF MERCY AND OF PUNISHMENT. When God revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush, He broke off between calling to him and revealing His will; but at the revelation in the Tabernacle in the wilderness, there was no break; while...
Many Mansions In The Life To Come : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], MANY MANSIONS IN THE LIFE TO COME. "And a man goeth to his everlasting home" (Eccles. xii. 5). The preacher does not say to "an" everlasting home," but "his" everlasting home," in order to teach that for every individual righteous man there is...
The Education Of The Prince : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE EDUCATION OF THE PRINCE. A certain king had an only son. Every day and every hour he would say: "Now, my son, eat, now, my son, drink, now, my son, go to the house of study, now, my son, come from the house of study." There was no moment p...
The Briar Rose That Saved The Trees : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE BRIAR ROSE THAT SAVED THE TREES. "After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do, etc." (Lev. xviii. 3). This reminds one...
The Likeness Of The King : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE LIKENESS OF THE KING. Rabbi Pinchas, explaining the passage (Numb. xii.), "The likeness of God appeared unto him" [Moses], said, in the name of Rabbi Hosea: "This may be likened to an earthly king who shows himself in his true likeness only...
The Father And His Son. The Bath And The Ocean : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], p. 40 THE FATHER AND HIS SON: THE BATH AND THE OCEAN. "And thou shalt return unto the Lord thy God." Rabbi Samuel of Pargreeta says in the name of Rabbi Meir: "To what may this be likened? To the son of a king who went away from home and turned...
The Potter And His Wares. The Trials : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE POTTER AND HIS WARES: THE TRIALS OF THE RIGHTEOUS. It is written (Ps. xi. 5), "The Lord trieth the righteous, but His soul hateth the wicked and the lover of violence." Rabbi Jonathan said: "The potter does not p. 34 try the vessels that have...
Untitled : * This is a short anthology of passages from the Jewish wisdom literature of the Talmud and Midrash, part of the Wisdom of the East series. Unlike some similar compilations, Collins documents where possible the source of his quotations. He also apparently translated from the originals rather th...
The Poor Woman's Mite : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE POOR WOMAN'S MITE. It happened that a certain poor woman brought a handful of flour to the Temple as an offering, and the priest looked at it with contempt, and said: "What is this to bring as an offering? What is there in this to eat?" Then...
The Father's Voice : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE FATHER'S VOICE R. Joshua, the Cohen, * son of Nehemiah, says: At the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Moses, it was only by the tyrannic compulsion of the spirit of prophecy that Moses became a prophet. The Holy One...
The Labourers In The Vineyard : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD. A pious and learned Rabbi, who died quite young, was the subject of this parable. "A certain king had a vineyard, and he hired a great number of labourers to work in it. There p. 21 was among them one labourer who...
He Who Reproacheth The Poor Insults His Maker : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], HE WHO REPROACHETH THE POOR INSULTS HIS MAKER. When a rich man is asked by a poor man to give him charity, and he refuses, and says to him, "Why don't you go and work? Look at your strong arms and legs, and your stout body." Then the Holy One...
The King And The Weary Travellers. The Righteous : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE KING AND THE WEARY TRAVELLERS: THE RIGHTEOUS KNOW WHAT IS IN STORE. All the reward of the righteous is prepared for them in the world to come, but the Holy One, blessed be He, shows it to them while they are yet in this world; so that their...
The Greedy Prince. The Vine Is Not Watered : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE GREEDY PRINCE: THE VINE IS NOT WATERED WITH WINE. God needs no sacrifice, but the sacrificial worship had, for one of its objects, the weaning of Israel from idolatry and from temptation to the cruelty to animals practised by idolaters...
The Voiceless Deeps That Praise The Lord : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], p. 59 THE VOICELESS DEEPS THAT PRAISE THE LORD: THE PARABLE OF THE MUTES WHO PRAISED THE KING. "Let the waters be gathered together." Rabbi Abba bar Cahanah said, in the name of Rabbi Levi: "Let the waters hope in Me and wait for Me," said...
The Sand, And The Furnace That Purifies : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE SAND, AND THE FURNACE THAT PURIFIES. Israel has been compared to the sand of the seashore. What meaneth this? Men take of the sand and cast it into a fiery furnace and it comes out clear and bright, and they make glass vessels of it through...
The Child Who Questioned Though Carried : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE CHILD WHO QUESTIONED THOUGH CARRIED BY HIS FATHER. Commenting on Exod. xvii. 7, "Is the Lord among us or not?" our sages say that for this want of faith the Israelites were brought in contact p. 57 with their enemy Amelek. This matter may be...
Better Feed The Poor Than Entertain The Angels : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], p. 28 BETTER FEED THE POOR THAN ENTERTAIN THE ANGELS. He who does an act of kindness to those who really need it, will have a greater reward than that of Abraham, who showed hospitality to angels. Abraham stood under a tree and waited...
The King's Son Without Rations : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE KING'S SON WITHOUT RATIONS. "He hath not done so to any nation," etc. (Ps. cxlviii.). Why did not God give the whole law to all the peoples; since all the peoples of the earth belong to God? God gave some laws to Adam, more still to Noah...
Those Nearest : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THOSE NEAREST. The punishments that come upon Israel are greater than those that come on the peoples of the world. Because those that are nearest to God are bound to be more holy than those that are far off. To them were given more laws...
R. Judah As Prototype Of The Ancient Mariner : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], R. JUDAH AS PROTOTYPE OF THE ANCIENT MARINER. "He prayeth best who loveth best All things both great and small." Rabbi Judah the Prince was seated teaching the Torah amidst the great congregation of Babylon, in Zipori, when a calf that was being...
The Tutor Who Corrupted The King's Son : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE TUTOR WHO CORRUPTED THE KING'S SON. The people who perished at the time of the flood, says Rabbi Yochananan, received their punishment, and have a share in the world to come. But why was the "earth" destroyed, and why did the animals perish...
Introduction : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], p. 9 INTRODUCTION THE extracts from the "Midrash Rabboth" and the Babylonian Talmud, given in this little vol., are not the work of one or two authors, or of one age. They belong rather to the speech and feeling of a whole nation than to its...
The After Life, And The Banquet Of The King : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE AFTER-LIFE, AND THE BANQUET OF THE KING. Rabbi Pinchas, in the name of Rabbi Reuben, uttered this Parable. "There was a certain king who made a feast and invited to it all the wayfarers and strangers in his dominions; but he made a decree...
The Wise And The Foolish Guests At The King's : * "The Wisdom of Israel", by Edwin Collins, [1910], THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH GUESTS AT THE KING'S FEAST. "Let thy garments always be white, and let not oil be wanting for thine head. Doth, then, the Scripture care about white garments, and oil for the hair?" asks Rabbi Jochanan ben Zachai. "...
