As R. Jose and R. Hiya were once travelling together, they saw in front of them two other men going along. They saw a man come up to them and say, I beg of you, give me some food, if only a piece of bread, because for two days I have been wandering in the wilderness without tasting anything. One of the two men thereupon took out the food which he had brought with him for the journey and gave him to eat and drink. Said his companion to him: ‘What will you do for food, for I am going to eat my own?’ He replied: ‘Do I want to eat yours?’ The poor man ate up all that he had save some bread, and this he gave him for the road.
Said R. Hiya: ‘God did not desire that this good deed should be done by us.’ R. Jose replied: ‘Perhaps that man was doomed to some punishment, and God sent this man to him so as to deliver him.’ They resumed their journey, and soon after the man who had given his food became faint. Said his companion to him: ‘Did I not tell you not to give your bread away?’ R. Hiya then said to R. Jose: ‘We have bread, let us give him some.’ Said R. Jose to him: ‘Do you want to undo the merit of his good deed? Let us watch a little, for assuredly the pallor of death is on this man’s face, and God prepared some merit for him in order to deliver him.’
Meanwhile the man fell asleep under a tree and his companion left him. R. Jose and R. Hiya then saw a fiery adder by him. ‘Alas for that man,’ said R. Hiya; ‘surely he will now be killed.’ R. Jose replied: ‘He deserves that a miracle should be done on his behalf.’ At that point a snake came down from the tree with intent to kill the man, but the adder attacked and killed it, and then turned its head and departed.
Said R. Jose: ‘Did I not tell you that God desired to perform a miracle for him, and that you should not exhaust his merit?’ The man then woke up and began to go. R. Hiya and R. Jose came up to him and gave him food. When he had eaten they informed him of the miracle which God had performed for him.
R. Jose then quoted the verse: “Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and follow after faithfulness” (Ps. 37, 3). ‘Happy’, he said, ‘is the man who does good with what he hath, because he arouseth good for the Community of Israel, to wit, with righteousness.1Zedakah, i.e. charity. Hence it is written, “Righteousness delivereth from death” (Prov. 10, 2). Why so? Because righteousness is the tree of life, and it rouses itself against the tree of death and takes those who are attached to it and delivers them from death. And what rouses it to do so? You must say, the charity which that man does; as it were, he performs it above also.’
רִבִּי חִיָּיא וְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי הֲווֹ אָזְלֵי בְּאָרְחָא, פָּגְעוּ בְּהַהוּא טוּרָא, אַשְׁכָּחוּ תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי דַּהֲווֹ אָזְלֵי, אַדְּהָכִי חָמוּ חַד בַּר נָשׁ דְּהֲוָה אָתֵי, וְאָמַר לוֹן, בְּמָטוּ מִנַּיְיכוּ, הָבוּ לִי מְזוֹנָא פִּתָּא דְּנַהֲמָא, דְהַנֵי תְּרֵין יוֹמִין דְּתַעִינָא בְּמַדְבְּרָא, וְלָא אֲכַלְנָא מִדִי. אִשְׁתְּמִיט חַד מֵאִינּוּן תְּרֵי גַּבְרֵי, וְאַפִּיק מְזוֹנֵיהּ דְּאִיהוּ אַיְיתֵי לְאוֹרְחָא, וְיָהִיב לֵיהּ, וְאָכִיל וְאַשְׁקֵי לֵיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ חַבְרֵיהּ, מַה תַּעֲבִיד מִן מְזוֹנָא, דְּהָא אֲנָא דִּידִי אֲכַלְנָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ, וּמֶה עֲלֵי דִּידָךְ, אֲנָא אָזִיל, יָתִיב גַּבֵּיהּ הַהוּא מִסְכְּנָא, עַד דְּאָכַל כָּל מַה דְּהֲוָה גַּבֵּיהּ, וְהַהוּא נָהֲמָא דְּאִשְׁתְּאַר, יָהַב לֵיהּ לְאוֹרְחָא, וְאָזַל לֵיהּ.
As R. Jose and R. Hiya were once travelling together, they saw in front of them two other men going along. They saw a man come up to them and say, I beg of you, give me some food, if only a piece of bread, because for two days I have been wandering in the wilderness without tasting anything. One of the two men thereupon took out the food which he had brought with him for the journey and gave him to eat and drink. Said his companion to him: ‘What will you do for food, for I am going to eat my own?’ He replied: ‘Do I want to eat yours?’ The poor man ate up all that he had save some bread, and this he gave him for the road.
אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא, לָא בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּמִלָּה דָּא יִתְעֲבִיד עַל יְדָן. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי דִּילְמָא דִּינָא אִתְגְּזַר עַל הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, וּבָעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְזַמְּנָא קַמֵּיהּ הַאי, בְּגִין לְשֵׁזָבָא לֵיהּ. עַד דַּהֲווֹ אַזְלֵי, לָאָה הַהוּא גַּבְרָא בְּאוֹרְחָא, אָמַר לֵיהּ חַבְרֵיהּ, וְלָא אֲמֵינָא לָךְ דְּלָא תִּתֵּן נָהֲמָא לְאָחֳרָא. אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא לְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי, הָא מְזוֹנָא גַּבָּן נִיהַב לֵיהּ לְמֵיכַל. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי תִּבְעֵי לְמֵיפַּק מִנֵּיהּ זְכוּתָא, נֵזִיל וְנֶחמֵי, דְּהָא וַדַאי בְּקַפְטוּרֵי דְּדָא טִפְסָא דְּמוֹתָא אִתְאֲחִיד, וּבָעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְזַמְּנָא זְכוּתֵיהּ, בְּגִין לְשֵׁזְבֵיהּ.
Said R. Hiya: ‘God did not desire that this good deed should be done by us.’ R. Jose replied: ‘Perhaps that man was doomed to some punishment, and God sent this man to him so as to deliver him.’ They resumed their journey, and soon after the man who had given his food became faint. Said his companion to him: ‘Did I not tell you not to give your bread away?’ R. Hiya then said to R. Jose: ‘We have bread, let us give him some.’ Said R. Jose to him: ‘Do you want to undo the merit of his good deed? Let us watch a little, for assuredly the pallor of death is on this man’s face, and God prepared some merit for him in order to deliver him.’
אַדְּהָכִי, יָתִיב הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, וְנָאִים תְּחוֹת חַד אִילָנָא, וְחַבְרֵיהּ אִתְרְחִיק מִנֵּיהּ, וְיָתִיב בְּדֶּרֶךְ אָחֳרָא. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי לְרִבִּי חִיָּיא, הַשְׁתָּא נֵיתִיב וְנֶחמֵי, דְּוַדַּאי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעֵי לְמִרְחָשׁ לֵיהּ נִיסָא, קָמוּ וְאוֹרִיכוּ. אַדְּהָכִי חָמוּ חַד טִיפְסָא בְּשַׁלְהוֹבֵי קָאִים גַּבֵּיהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא, וַוי עַל הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, דְּהַשְׁתָּא יָימוּת. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, זַכָּאָה הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יַרְחִישׁ לֵיהּ נִיסָא. אַדְּהָכִי נָחַת מֵאִילָנָא חַד חִוְיָא, וּבָעָא לְמִקְטְלֵיהּ. קָם הַהוּא טִפְסָא עָלֵיהּ וְקַטְלֵיהּ. קִסְטֵּר בְּרֵישֵׁיהּ טִפְסָא, וְאָזַל לֵיהּ.
Meanwhile the man fell asleep under a tree and his companion left him. R. Jose and R. Hiya then saw a fiery adder by him. ‘Alas for that man,’ said R. Hiya; ‘surely he will now be killed.’ R. Jose replied: ‘He deserves that a miracle should be done on his behalf.’ At that point a snake came down from the tree with intent to kill the man, but the adder attacked and killed it, and then turned its head and departed.
אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, וְלָא אֲמֵינָא לְךָ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעָא לְמִרְחָשׁ לֵיהּ נִיסָא, וְלָא תִּיפּוּק זְכוּתֵיהּ מִנֵּיהּ. אַדְּהָכִי אִתְּעַר הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, וְקָם וְאָזִיל לֵיהּ. אֲחִידוּ בֵּיהּ רִבִּי חִיָּיא וְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי, וְיָהֲבוּ לֵיהּ לְמֵיכַל. בָּתַר דְּאָכַל, אַחְוִיאוּ לֵיהּ נִיסָא דְּרָחִישׁ לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא.
Said R. Jose: ‘Did I not tell you that God desired to perform a miracle for him, and that you should not exhaust his merit?’ The man then woke up and began to go. R. Hiya and R. Jose came up to him and gave him food. When he had eaten they informed him of the miracle which God had performed for him.
פָּתַח רִבִּי יוֹסֵי וְאָמַר, (תהילים ל״ז:ג׳) בְּטַח בַּיְיָ' וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב שְׁכָן אֶרֶץ וּרְעֵה אֱמוּנָה, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ דְּעָבִיד טוֹב מִדִּידֵיהּ, דְּהָא אִתְּעַר טוֹב בִּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּבְמָּה. בִּצְדָקָה. דְּכַד אִתְּעַר צְדָקָה, הוּא טוֹב כְּדֵין אִתְּעַר לְגַבֵּי כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב (משלי י׳:ב׳) וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוְת. מַאי טַעְמָא. בְּגִין דִּצְדָקָה אִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי הוּא, וְאִתְּעַר עַל הַהוּא אִילָנָא דְּמוֹתָא, וְנָטִיל אִינּוּן דַּאֲחִידָן בֵּיהּ, וְשֵׁזִיב לוֹן מִן מוֹתָא. מַאן גָּרִים לְהַהוּא אִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי דְּאִתְּעַר לְהַאי, הֲוִי אֵימָא הַהִיא צְדָקָה דְּאִיהוּ עֲבִיד, כִּבְיָכוֹל הוּא עֲבִיד לֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (תהלים קי) עוֹשֵׂה צְדָקָה בְכָל עֵת. וְהָא אִתְּמַר.
R. Jose then quoted the verse: “Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and follow after faithfulness” (Ps. 37, 3). ‘Happy’, he said, ‘is the man who does good with what he hath, because he arouseth good for the Community of Israel, to wit, with righteousness.1Zedakah, i.e. charity. Hence it is written, “Righteousness delivereth from death” (Prov. 10, 2). Why so? Because righteousness is the tree of life, and it rouses itself against the tree of death and takes those who are attached to it and delivers them from death. And what rouses it to do so? You must say, the charity which that man does; as it were, he performs it above also.’