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147
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eat and don't ask," and thus lost his reward for insult inspite of good feeding. Another man caused his father totread the mill and received the highest reward. The govern-ment had decreed that the hands and feet of any manwho was found lazy should be cut off. The father usuallyremained in bed but on the day of inspection the son wentto bed and was punished whilst his father, put by him totread the mill, was saved.
384. VII. 2. R. Meir on his pilgrimage to Jerusalem usedto lodge with Judah the butcher, whose wife looked afterhim. She died and Judah married a second time and entreatedby him Meir lodged there again. R. Meir was a very beautifulman; the second wife fell in love with him, made him drunkand deceived him. In the morning, R. Meir found out thedeception, returned home weeping, went to the Rosh Yeshi-bah to decide what punishment he deserved. The RoshYeshibah said that R. Meir should be exposed to the lionsto be eaten by them. Accordingly he ordered two men totake him to the forest, to bind him hand and foot and watchfrom the top of a tree and see what happened. If eaten,they were to bring back the bones to be interred withhonour. The first night the lion came and smelt him andwent away. The men reported what had happened and wereordered to keep him there a second night. That night alion came and roared. Left there a third night, a lion toreout a small bit from his side. This was considered by RoshYeshibah as equivalent to his having been torn to piecesand he ordered the physicians to cure him. When healed aheavenly voice was heard exclaiming," R. Meir is worthyof the bliss of the world to come.'
دو
VII.*) 2b. Story of R. Akiba and the dead. See No. 134.385. VII. 3. A woman suspected of adultery by her husbandwas to be subjected to the ordeal of the bitter waters inthe Temple. Her twin sister who was innocent and wholooked exactly like her took her place. But on coming homeshe met her sister and kissed her and the breath had the*) From shorter recension B. ed. Jellinek. vide p. 7,§ 19.
10*