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157-

406. b) Two men again are pointed out to R. Beroka asworthy of Paradise. On enquiring he learned that whereverpeople were in grief and sorrow, those two used to go andcheer them and make them feel happy.

407[ f. 4a]. A king asked R. Joshua ben Ḥananyah B325whether God were just since he had created some blind andlame. R. Joshua replied," These are marked men, becausethey are wicked," and he proved it. He gave 1000 dinarsto a blind man in the presence of two witnesses of the king.He asked the man to take care of the money, for the kinghad ordered him to be killed and he could therefore keepit, but should he by any chance be saved he would askfor it back. After a time he came again to the blind manwho denied that he had ever received anything. He wasbrought before the king; the two witnesses testified but hestill denied it. The king ordered him to be hanged. On the wayto the gallows a man came and whispered into his ear thathe had seen the condemned man's wife diverting herself witha young man and telling him to wait until her husband hadbeen hanged, when they would marry and spend the 1000dinars. When he heard it, he confessed to have taken thedinars and returned them to R. Joshua. The king acknow-ledged the truth of the latter's statement.

408[ f. 11b]. Pupils ask R. Zakkai why he was grantedlong life. He answered," Because I never neglected tosanctify the Sabbath with the blessing over wine." Oncebeing too poor to buy any his mother sold her cap andbought the wine. When she died she was able to leavemany casks of wine.

409[ f. 12a]. R. Hanina ben Dosa was very poor. His wifeurged him to ask for some of his reward. A golden leg fromhis table in Paradise was given to him, but the wife fearingthat his table might become unsteady in Paradise, urgedhim to pray that it be taken back, which happened.

410[ f. 12b]. R. Eliezer and R. Joshua[ ben Ilem] were 32605

going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem when they saw an angel

carrying a luminous shirt. They asked for which of them