טו וכשם שמודיעין אותו ענשן של מצות כך מודיעין אותו מתן שכרן אומרים לו הוי יודע שהעולם הבא אינו עשוי אלא לצדיקים וישראל בזמן הזה אינם יכולים לקבל
15 but you cannot be trusted so far as to disqualify your grandchildren'. Thus it was also taught elsewhere: R. Judah said, 'A man is trusted in respect [of the status of] his young son but not in respect of that of his grown-up son; and R. Hiyya b. Abba explained in the name of R. Johanan that 'young' does not mean actually a minor and 'grown-up' does not mean one who is actually 'of age', but any young son who has children is regarded as of age while any grown-up son who has no children is deemed to be a minor. And the law is in agreement with R. Nahman b. Isaac.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who regarded the proselyte, on the strength of his own testimony, as an idolater whose evidence is inadmissible even in the case of his own children. ');"><sup>39</sup></span> But, surely, [a Baraitha] was taught in agreement with Rabina!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That a father is to be trusted in respect of a son of his who has no children. The assumption at the moment is that this referred to the case of a proselyte. ');"><sup>40</sup></span> — That statement was made with reference to the law of acknowledgement.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'he shall acknowledge' (Deut. XXI, 17), i.e., the reference is nut to a proselyte but to an Israelite whose word is accepted when he testifies that his sun is either a firstborn, or the sun of a divorced woman or the son of a haluzah. It is in connection with this only that it was stated that the father, being believed in respect of his children, but not his grandchildren, is trusted in the case of his son who has no children, but not in the case of one who has children. ');"><sup>41</sup></span> Our Rabbis taught: If at the present time a man desires<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'who comes'. ');"><sup>42</sup></span> to become a proselyte, he is to be addressed as follows: 'What reason have you for desiring<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'what have you seen that you came'. ');"><sup>43</sup></span> to become a proselyte; do you not know that Israel at the present time are persecuted and oppressed, despised, harassed and overcome by afflictions'? If he replies, 'I know and yet am unworthy',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the privilege of membership of Israel. ');"><sup>44</sup></span> he is accepted forthwith, and is given instruction in some of the minor and some of the major commandments. He is informed of the sin [of the neglect of the commandments of] Gleanings,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra p. 308. n. 8. ');"><sup>45</sup></span> the Forgotten Sheaf,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. loc. cit. n. 9. ');"><sup>46</sup></span> the Corner<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. loc. cit. n. 10. ');"><sup>47</sup></span> and the Poor Man's Tithe.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. loc. cit. n. 11. ');"><sup>48</sup></span> He is also told of the punishment for the transgression of the commandments. Furthermore, he is addressed thus: 'Be it known to you that before you came to this condition, if you had eaten suet<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., forbidden fat. ');"><sup>49</sup></span> you would not have been punishable with <i>kareth</i>, if you had profaned the Sabbath you would not have been punishable with stoning; but now were you to eat suet<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., forbidden fat. ');"><sup>49</sup></span> you would be punished with <i>kareth</i>; were you to profane the Sabbath you would be punished with stoning'. And as he is informed of the punishment for the transgression of the commandments, so is he informed of the reward granted for their fulfilment. He is told, 'Be it known to you that the world to come was made only for the righteous, and that Israel at the present time are unable to bear