"What passage of Scripture hast thou been expounding?"
"From the book of Job," replied Rabbi Meir. "'The Lord blessed the
latter days of Job more than the beginning.'"
"And how didst thou explain the verse?" said Elishah.
"That the Lord increased his wealth twofold."
"But thy teacher, Akiba, said not so," returned Elishah. "He said that
the Lord blessed the latter days of Job with twofold of penitence and
good deeds."
"How," inquired Rabbi Meir, "wouldst thou explain the verse, 'Better is
the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.' If a man buys
merchandise in his youth and meets with losses, is it likely that he
will recover his substance in old age? Or, if a person studies God's law
in his youth and forgets it, is it probable that it will return to his
memory in his latter days?"
"Thy teacher, Akiba, said not so," replied Elishah; "he explained the
verse, 'Better is the end of a thing when the beginning was good.' My
own life proves the soundness of this explanation. On the day when I was
admitted into the covenant of Abraham, my father made a great feast.
Some of his visitors sang, some of them danced, but the Rabbis conversed
upon God's wisdom and His laws. This latter pleased my father, Abuyah,
and he said, 'When my son grows up ye shall teach him and he shall
become like ye; he did not cause me to study for God's sake but only to
make his name famous through me. Therefore, in my latter days have I
become wicked and an apostate; and now, return home.'"
"And wherefore?"
"Because, on the Sabbath day, thou art allowed to go so far and no
farther, and I have reckoned the distance thou hast traveled with me by
the footsteps of my horse."
"If thou art so wise," said Rabbi Meir, "as to reckon the distance I may
travel by the footsteps of thy horse, and so particular for my sake, why
not return to God and repent of thy apostacy?"