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he hid it but in the night he heard a voice telling him notto touch it as the money belonged to someone else fromI whom it had been stolen. So he put it in the hollow of atree. After a time the river overflowed, destroyed his homeand carried this tree away. It was found by villagers andbrought to Abraham the Carpenter as a good piece of wood.He bought it. The young man, now poor, came to Jerusalemand got work with Abraham. One day, sawing the trunk,he said," This is just like the trunk in which I hid my sack ofgold." Abraham overheard him and asked him what hadhappened. He sawed it, found a sack of gold inside andAbraham offered him a share of it but the young man re-fused. Soon after Abraham married his daughter and sentthe young man on a visit to his people, giving him a cakein which he had put 100 pieces of gold. At the gate of thetown the young man was met by the governor who boughtthe cake for a few pieces of money and sent it as a weddinggift to Abraham's daughter by whom he was invited. Abrahamvery surprised, put the cake away. When the young man.returned Abraham showed him the cake, asked him whathad happened and cut it open. The young man said," Yousee, the money was not to be mine." Abraham, however,married him to a younger daughter so that then he wouldbe able to keep part of the property.

424. A man who had three sons, and gave them on his deathbed, three chests as their inheirtance. One was filled withearth, the second with bones and the thirds with rags. Theycould not understand what it meant for the father wasvery rich and in their perplexity they went to R. Banaahfor an explanation of the meaning of this curious will. TheRabbi asked them," Has your father left landed property?"" Yes."" Has he left flocks of sheep and herds of cattle?"" Yes."" Has he left costly garments, jewelry, etc.?"" Yes."" If so, this is the meaning, one takes the land, the secondtakes the cattle and the third the house property."

425. In time of drought the Rabbi was informed fromHeaven to appeal to a merchant for intercession. He was