It was said of Rabbi Tarphon, that though a very wealthy man, he was not
charitable according to his means. One time Rabbi Akiba said to him.
"Shall I invest some money for thee in real estate, in a manner which
will be very profitable?" Rabbi Tarphon answered in the affirmative, and
brought to Rabbi Akiba four thousand denars in gold, to be so applied.
Rabbi Akiba immediately distributed the same among the poor. Some time
after this Rabbi Tarphon met Rabbi Akiba, and asked him where the real
estate which he had bought for him was situated. Akiba led his friend to
the college, and showed him a little boy, who recited for them the 112th
psalm. When he reached the ninth verse, "He distributeth, he giveth to
the needy, his righteousness endureth forever."
"There," said Akiba, "thy property is with David, the king of Israel,
who said, 'he distributeth, he giveth to the needy.'"
"And wherefore hast thou done this?" asked Tarphon.
"Knowest thou not," answered Rabbi Akiba, "how Nakdimon, the son of
Guryon, was punished because he gave not according to his means?"
"Well," returned the other, "why didst thou not tell me this; could I
not have distributed my means without thy aid?"
"Nay," said Akiba, "it is a greater virtue to cause another to give than
to give one's self."
Rabbi Jochanan, the son of Lakkai, was once riding outside of Jerusalem,
and his pupils had followed him. They saw a poor woman collecting the
grain which dropped from the mouths and troughs of some feeding cattle,
belonging to Arabs. When she saw the Rabbi, she addressed him in these
brief words, "O Rabbi, assist me." He replied, "My daughter, whose
daughter art thou?" "I am the daughter of Nakdimon, the son of Guryon,"
she answered.
"Why, what has become of thy father's money?" asked the Rabbi; "the
amount which thou didst receive as a dowry on thy wedding day?"
"Ah," she replied, "is there not a saying in Jerusalem, 'The salt was
wanting to the money?'"
"And thy husband's money," continued the Rabbi; "what of that?"
"That followed the other," she answered; "I have lost them both."