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mended. The wife met him beautifully dressed to pleasehim and so that he should not look upon another woman.They had not enough to eat and it would have been wrongto invite them and receive thanks for nothing. The elderson being always in the house could satisfy himself, butthe younger boy was all day at school and came homehungry. The reason why the cloud had gathered on thatside was because a woman in the house can feed the poor,whilst the man could only give money to buy the food.Hence her merit is greater.

422. In time of drought, the people appealed to Honi topray on their behalf. He drew a circle, stood in the midstof it and prayed saying he would not step out of the circleuntil rain had fallen. The rain fell at once, hence his nameHoni" ha- Meagel"," the one who draws the circle."

He wondered at the verse in the psalm," When the Lordturned again the captivity of Zion, we were like unto themthat dream( Ps. 126: 1)," and he wondered how anyone couldsleep for 70 years. One day, out in the field he saw a manplanting a Harub tree, which only bears fruit after seventyyears. Asked whether he expected to eat of the fruit the oldman replied," My forefather planted for me and I plant forthe future." Honi then went to sleep and slept for 70 years,protected by a hedge which had grown around him. Whenhe woke up he saw a man plucking the fruit. It was thegrandson. His she- ass had produced foals and many weregrazing. He came back to town but only found his grandson,his son having died. Going to the College he heard his namementioned but people refused to recognise him. He realisedthat he had slept for 70 years and prayed to God to takehis life and God heard his prayer.

423. Abraham, the Carpenter in Jerusalem, had savedsome money through hard work. His neighbour stole itand ran away, but dropped down dead on the road. A youngman found him, dug his grave to bury him, when the sackof money fell out of his bosom. The young man picked itup and took it away as a reward for his pious deed. At home