Commentary for Shabbat 60:12

. ת"ר לעולם יהא אדם ענוותן כהלל ואל יהא קפדן כשמאי מעשה בשני בני אדם

'Would you like to drink a glass of wine?' asked he. He drank and burst. A certain man came before R. Hiyya and said to him, 'Your mother is my wife and you are my son! Would you like to drink a glass of wine?' asked he. He drank and burst. R. Hiyya observed: Rabbi's prayer was in-so-far effective that his sons were not made illegitimate.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The man's miraculous death proved his accusation unfounded. [The text is not clear. Var. lec.: that he was not made (accused to be) illegitimate unlike R. Hiyya, who was declared by the man to be his son; only the character of Rabbi's son was impugned but not of Rabbi himself]. ');">³²</span> For when Rabbi prayed he used to say, May it be Thy will, O Lord our God, to save me this day from the impudent and from impudence.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Private prayers were added after the Eighteen Benedictions (v. p. 32, n. 3); Elbogen, Der Judische Gottesdienst, p. 75. This prayer has become incorporated in the daily liturgy. Weiss, Dor, II, 192 conjectures, though on insufficient grounds, that it was occasioned by the opposition he met with among the Rabbis. ');">³³</span> 'Matters of learning'-what is that? — As R. Gamaliel sat and lectured, Woman is destined to bear every day, for it is said, the woman conceived and beareth simultaneously.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jer. XXXI, 7. (E.V. 8: the woman with child and her that travaileth with child, together). ');">³⁴</span> But a certain disciple scoffed at him, quoting, 'there is no new thing under the sun.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Eccl. I, 9. ');">³⁵</span> Come, and I will show you its equal in this world,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'This world' is here contrasted with the destined future of change, while generally it is contrasted with the 'world to come'. Whether these two are synonymous it is difficult to say; v. Sanh. p. 601, n. 3. But perhaps the phrase here means, 'the world under present conditions.' ');">³⁶</span> be replied. He went forth and showed him a fowl. On another occasion R. Gamaliel sat and lectured, Trees are destined to yield fruit every day, for it is said, and it shall bring forth boughs and bear fruit:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ezek. XVII, 23. ');">³⁷</span> just as the boughs [exist] every day, so shall there be fruit every day. But a certain disciple scoffed at him, saying, but it is written, 'there is no new thing under the sun!' Come, and I will show you its equal in this world, replied he. He went forth and showed him the caper bush.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jast: of which the various products are eaten successively; v. B.B. 28b. ');">³⁸</span> On another occasion R. Gamaliel sat and expounded, Palestine is destined to bring forth cakes and wool robes, for it is said, There shall be an handful of corn in the land.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LXXII, 16. Rashi: this implies, corn as wide as a handbreadth, i.e., cakes as wide. The Hebrew pissath bar may also be translated pure wool (or, silken) garments'. ');">³⁹</span> But a certain disciple scoffed at him, quoting, 'there is no new thing under the sun!' 'Come, and I will show you their equal in this world,' replied he. He went forth and showed him morels and truffles;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which resemble cakes. ');">⁴⁰</span> and for silk robes [he showed him] the bark of a young palm-shoot.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This has a downy, silk-like substance on the inside. ');">⁴¹</span> Our Rabbis taught: A man should always be gentle like Hillel, and not impatient like Shammai. It once happened that two men

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