1)

AMAZING STORIES OF RABBI PINCHAS BEN YAIR (Yerushalmi Demai Perek 1 Halachah 3 Daf 4a)

øáé ôéðçñ áï éàéø àæì ìçã àúø àúåï ìâáé' àîøå ìé' òëáøéà àëì òéáåøï âæø òìéäï åöîúåï ùøåï îöôöôéï àîø ìåï éãòéï àúåï îä àéðåï àîøéï àîøå ìé' ìà. àîø ìåï àîøå ãìà îú÷ðä àîøå ìé' òåøáï åòøáåï åìà àðëåï:

(a)

R. Pinchas ben Yair once went to a certain place. The people there came to him and said, "Mice ate our produce!" R. Pinchas decreed that the mice should all gather together. They gathered and all began squeaking. He asked the townspeople, "Do you know what the mice are saying?" The people answered that they did not. He said, "The mice are saying that your produce is not tithed (so they ate it to prevent you transgressing the prohibition of eating Tevel)" They asked if they could appoint R. Pinchas to do this - he separated the tithes for them and the mice never came again to eat it.

[ãó ç òîåã à (òåæ åäãø)] îøâìé îï ãîìëà ñø÷éà ðôìú åáìòú çã òëáø àúà ìâáé ø' ôéðçñ áï éàéø à"ì îä àðà çáø à"ì ìùîê èáà àúéú âæø òìéäåï åöîúåï çîà çã îâáò åàúà àîø âáé ääï ðéäå åâæø òìåé åôìèä.

(b)

The diamond of the king of Yishmael fell and was swallowed by a mouse and the king came to R. Pinchas ben Yair. R. Pinchas said, "Am I a sorcerer that you are coming to me?" The king said, "I am coming because of your great reputation." R. Pinchas decreed and the mice gathered together. He saw that one mouse had what appeared to be a hunchback. He said, "This one has the diamond!" He decreed and the mouse spat it out.

øáé ôéðçñ áï éàéø àæì ìçã àúø àúåï ìâáé' àîøå ìé' ìéú îáåòï îñô÷ ìï àîø ìåï ãéìîà ìà àúåï îú÷ðï àîøå ìé' òåøáï åòøáåï åîñô÷ ìäåï

(c)

R. Pinchas ben Yair once went to a certain place and the people there complained to him that the spring that they use to irrigate their fields wasn't producing enough water. He said to them, "Perhaps you are not tithing your produce?" They asked him to tithe for them and he did, and from that point onwards, the spring always produced enough water for everyone.

øáé ôéðçñ áï éàéø äåä àæì ìáéú ååòã äåä âéðéé âáéø à"ì âéðéé îä àú îðò ìé îï áéú ååòãà åôìéâ ÷åîåé åòáø à"ì úìîéãéå éëìéï àðï òáøéï. àîø ìåï îàï ãéãò áðôùé' ãìà à÷éì ìáø ðù îï éùøàì îï éåîåé éòáåø åìà îðëä

(d)

R. Pinchas ben Yair was once going to the Beis Vaad (study hall) and the river was overflowing its banks. R. Pinchas said to the river, "Why are you stopping me from going to the Beis Vaad?" The river split for him and he crossed it. His students asked him, "Can we also cross it?" and he answered them, "Whoever knows about himself that he has never disgraced another Jew; he may cross and his merit in the next world will not be reduced".

øáé áòé îùøé ùîéèúà ñì÷ øáé ôéðçñ áï éàéø ìâáé' à"ì îä òéáåøé' òáéãéï à"ì òåìùéï éôåú îä òéáåøéà òáéãéï à"ì òåìùéï éôåú åéãò øáé ãìéú äåà îñëîä òîé'

(e)

(Due to the fact that keeping the Shemita laws nowadays is Rabbinic and because of the severe poverty of Klal Yisrael) Rebbi wanted to permit working the land in the Shemitta year. R. Pinchas ben Yair came to Rebbi and Rebbi asked him the state of the produce in the fields. R. Pinchas said that the endives were fine. Rebbi asked him again and he gave the same answer. Rebbi understood that R. Pinchas did not agree with him.

à"ì îéùâä øáé ìîéëì òéîé öéáçø áèì éåîà ãéï à"ì àéï. îé ðçéú çîà îåìååúà ãøáé ÷ééîéï àîø ëì àéìåï éäåãàé æðéï àôùø ãìà çîé ñáø àôåé îï ëãåï àæìéï åàîøåï ìøáé ùìç øáé áòé îôééñúé'

1.

Rebbi invited him to his home to dine with him and R. Pinchas agreed. When he came, he saw the mules of Rebbi's house standing there. He said, "Do all of these Jews (i.e. Rebbi) sustain these mules (that actually damage people)? Better that I don't eat with him and he won't see the look on my face!" When people heard this, they related it to Rebbi. Rebbi sent messengers to appease R. Pinchas.

[ãó ç òîåã á (òåæ åäãø)] îèåï áé âáé ÷øúé àîø áðé ÷øúé ÷åøáéï ìé åðçúå áðé ÷øäúé' åà÷ôåï òìåé àîø ìåï øáé áòé îôééñúé' ùá÷åðé' åàæåì ìåï àîø áðé ãéãé ÷åøáéï ìé ðçúú àéùúà îï ùîéà åà÷ôú òìåé àæìåï åàîøåï ìøáé àîø äåàéì åìà æëéðï ðéùáò îéðé' áòìîà äãéï ðéæëé ðéùáò îéðéä áòìîà ãàúà:

2.

When they came to his city, R. Pinchas asked that the townspeople surround him (so that the messengers would not find him). The messengers told the townspeople that Rebbi had sent them to appease R. Pinchas, so the townspeople dispersed. Fire came down from heaven and surrounded R. Pinchas (so that the messengers could not see him). The messengers went back to Rebbi and told him what happened. Rebbi said, "Since we didn't merit becoming satiated from his goodness in this world, we will merit it in the world to come."

øáé çâé áùí øáé ùîåàì áø ðçîï îòùä áçñéã àçã ùäéä çåôø áåøåú ùéçéï åîòøåú ìòåáøéí åìùáéí ôòí àçú äéúä áúå òåáøú ìéðùà åùèôä ðäø åäååï ëì òîà òììéï ìâáé' áòééï îðçîúéä åìà ÷áéì òìåé îúðçîä.

(f)

(R. Chaggai citing R. Shmuel bar Nachman): There was once a pious man who would dig pits, ditches and caves for the passers-by (to have drinking water). Once, his daughter was passing by to get married and she was washed away by the river. Everyone came to comfort him but he did not accept it.

òàì øáé ôéðçñ áï éàéø ìâáé' áòé îðçîúéä åìà ÷áéì òìåé îúðçîä. àîø ìåï ãéï äåà çñéãëåï. àîøå ìéä øáé ëê åëê äéä òåùä ëê åëê àéøòéï. àîø àôùø ùäéä îëáã àú áåøàå áîéí åäåà î÷ôçå áîéí. îéã ðôì ÷åì äáøä áòéø áàú áúå ùì àåúå äàéù. àéú ãàîøé áñéëúà àéúòøéú åàéú ãàîøé îìàê éøã áãîåú øáé ôéðçñ áï éàéø åäöéìä

1.

R. Pinchas ben Yair went to comfort him and he did not accept it. R. Pinchas said to them, "Is this the pious man that you spoke of? They told him of the man's acts and of what had happened to him. R. Pinchas said, "It's not possible that a person could do something for the sake of heaven and be damaged from it." Immediately a rumor spread throughout the city that the man's daughter had returned. Some say that she grabbed hold of a peg that appeared in the pit and some say that an angel came down in the image of R. Pinchas and saved her.

øáé çðéð' áï ãåñà äåä éúéá àëåì áìéìà ùáú ôçú ôúåøà ÷åîåé àîøå ìé' îäå ëï à"ì úáìéï ùàìúé îùëéðúé åìà òùøúéå åäæëéø úéðééï åòìä äùåìçï îàéìéå

(g)

R. Chanina ben Dosa sat down to eat his Friday night meal and the table in front of him caved in. He asked his wife about why it had happened. She said, "I borrowed spices from my neighbour and I didn't tithe them. R. Chanina made a stipulation that the Maaser should take effect on somewhere else and after Shabbos, the table repaired itself (because he hadn't become angry at his wife).

øáé èøôåï äåä éúéá àëåì åðôéì ôéúåúà îéðé' àîøé ìé' îäå ëï à"ì ÷åøãí ùàìúé åòùéúé òì âáå èäøåú.

(h)

R. Tarfon sat down to eat and the roll he was eating fell from him. They asked what had happened and he said that he had borrowed a hatchet from an Am HaAretz and he had prepared Taharos with it without immersing it in a Mikveh.