אמרי היכי נעביד נעבריה גמירי מעלין בקדש ואין מורידין נדרוש מר חדא שבתא ומר חדא שבתא אתי לקנאויי אלא לדרוש ר"ג תלתא שבתי וראב"ע חדא שבתא והיינו דאמר מר שבת של מי היתה של ראב"ע היתה ואותו תלמיד ר' שמעון בן יוחאי הוה:
They asked, "What shall we do? Shall we depose [R. Eleazar b. 'Azariah] ? We have the tradition, 'We may raise to a higher degree of sanctity but not degrade to a lower degree! ' If we ask one of them to give the discourse on one Sabbath and the other on the next Sabbath, it will lead to jealousy. Let, then, Rabban Gamaliel give the discourse three Sabbaths [in the month] and R. Eleazar b. 'Azariah one Sabbath," That is what the teacher meant who asked, "Whose Sabbath was it? It was R. Eleazar b. 'Azariah's" ] And the disciple was R. Simeon b. Johai.
Sefer HaYashar
A man should occupy himself with the needs of the poor and go to their houses. For there are two good results that will come from this: the first, the reward of the Creator, and the second, the humbling of his arrogance, causing the contriteness of his heart. He should speak warmly to them and help them as much as he is able. And if he has nothing , let him help them with the words of his mouth, by interceding favorably for them and occupying himself with their work. He should repay good for the evil done to him by his enemies. When they come into his power let him not desire to avenge himself, but let him forgive them and do good to them, more than he would have done for them previously. When he begins to come to worship his God, he should not consider it as something which, if he wearies of it, he can put aside and not worry about it. But he should not draw near to the service of his God until he has agreed with his heart to concentrate diligently on it all of his days. And he should begin with a little in order to increase his worship every day, just as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berakhot 28a), “In matters of holiness one ascends rather than descends.”
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