Related%20passage for Taanit 40:15

כי הוה כרך ריפתא הוה פתח לבביה ואמר כל מאן דצריך ליתי וליכול אמר רבא כולהו מצינא מקיימנא לבר מהא דלא מצינא למיעבד

R'Adda B'Ahaba asked him: To what do you attribute your longevity? - He replied: I have never displayed any impatience in my house, and I have never walked in front of any man greater than myself, nor have I ever meditated [over the words of the Torah] in any dirty alleys, nor have I ever walked four cubits without [musing over] the Torah or without [wearing] phylacteries, nor have I ever fallen asleep in the Beth Hamidrash for any length of time or even momentarily, nor have I rejoiced at the disgrace of my friends, nor have I ever called my neighbour by a nickname given to him by myself, or, some say by the nickname given to him by others.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Meg., Sonc. ed. p. 170, n. 11.');">⁶</span> Raba said to Rafram B'Papa: Tell me some of the good deeds which R'Huna had done. He replied: Of his childhood I do not recollect anything, but of his old age I do. On cloudy [stormy] days they used to drive him about in a golden carriage and he would survey every part of the city and he would order the demolition of any wall that was unsafe; if the owner was in a position to do so he had to rebuild it himself, but if not, then [R'Huna] would have it rebuilt at his own expense. On the eve of every Sabbath [Friday] he would send a messenger to the market and any vegetables that the [market] gardeners had left over he bought up and had then, thrown into the river. Should he not rather have had these distributed among the poor? - [He was afraid] lest they would then at times be led to rely upon him and would not trouble to buy any for themselves. Why did he not give the vegetables to the domestic animals? - He was of the opinion that food fit for human consumption may not be given to animals<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That would be treating God's food disrespectfully.');">⁷</span> Then why did he purchase them at all? - This would lead [the gardeners] to do wrong in the future [by not providing an adequate supply].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It would cause a rise in prices and the poor would suffer thereby. t,cha');">⁸</span> Whenever he discovered some [new] medicine he would fill a water jug with it and suspend it above the doorstep and proclaim, Whosoever desires it let him come and take of it. Some say, he knew from tradition a medicine for that disease, Sibetha<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' the name of an evil spirit that attacks those who eat food with unwashed hands. Cf. Yoma 77b. Hence R. Huna suspended a jug filled with water in order to warn those whose hands were unwashed to wash them and so save themselves from the power of the evil spirit, v. Rashi ad loc. [R. Hananel takes Sibetha to be the name of a liquid medicine.]');">⁹</span> and he would suspend a jugful of water and proclaim, Whosoever needs it let him come [and wash his hands] so that he may save his life from danger. When he had a meal<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'wrapped bread'. It was the custom to begin a meal with herbs and salt placed between two pieces of bread, hence the phrase.');">¹⁰</span> he would open the door wide and declare, Whosoever is in need let him come and eat. Raba said: All these things I could myself carry out except the last one

Explore related%20passage for Taanit 40:15. In-depth commentary and analysis from classical Jewish sources.