From Alexandria to Ashkelon: Talmudic Stories About Yehuda ben Tabbai, Shimon ben Shetah, and Hasidim (Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 2:2, #5-6) - Pt.1
Part #1 - Yehuda ben Tabbai in Alexandria; Past #2 - Story of “Two Hasids in Ashkelon”; “The son of Ma’ayan the tax-collector”
This is the first part of a two part series.
Outline
Part #1 - Yehuda ben Tabbai in Alexandria
Past #2 - Story of “Two Hasids in Ashkelon”; “The son of Ma’ayan the tax-collector”
Part #3 - The Story of the Hasid, and “Miriam, daughter of Onion-leaf”
Part #4 - The Story of Shimon ben Shetah and the Witches of Ashkelon
The Source
Jerusalem_Talmud_Chagigah.2.2.5-6
Part #1 - Yehuda ben Tabbai in Alexandria
In this Talmudic tale, the people of Jerusalem seek to appoint Yehuda ben Tabbai as Patriarch (Nasi) but he flees to Alexandria, a major Roman city in Egypt, evading the position. Subsequently, the community of Jerusalem sends a poignant message to Alexandria, likening themselves to a sorrowful betrothed waiting for their partner. Moved by this message, Yehuda decides to return to Jerusalem.
While preparing to leave on a ship, Yehuda reminisces about a hospitable woman (מרתה דביתא) from their host city. When he inquires about her well-being, his student mentions that she had an injured eye. Yehuda rebukes the student sharply for his comments, accusing him of improper conduct: firstly, for wrongly suspecting Yehuda's intentions in his inquiry about the woman, suggesting a concern for her physical appearance rather than her welfare; and secondly, for inappropriately observing the woman so closely as to notice her injury. Disturbed by this exchange, Yehuda departs (or the student departs, it’s unclear), taking offense. (The Talmud Bavli has this story happening with R’ Yehoshua ben Perahia and Jesus.)
יהודה בן טבאי [הוון בני ירושלים] בעון ממניתיה נשיא בירושלם.
ערק ואזל ליה לאלכסנדריאה
והיו בני ירושלם כותבין:
מירושלם הגדולה לאלכסנדריאה הקטנה, עד מתי ארוסי יושב אצלכם, ואני יושבת עגומה עליו.
פירש מיתי גו אילפא.
אמר: דכורה מרתה דביתא דקבלתן, מה הוות חסירה.
אמר ליה חד מן תלמידוי: רבי, עיינה הוות שברה.
אמר ליה: הא תרתיי גבך, חדא דחשדתני, וחדא דאיסתכלת בה. מה אמרית? יאייא בריוא? לא אמרית אלא בעובדא.
וכעס עלוי ואזל [...]
[The people of Jerusalem] wanted to appoint Yehuda ben Tabbai as Patriarch in Jerusalem.
He escaped to Alexandria.
The people from Jerusalem did write:
“From the great Jerusalem to the small Alexandria: How long still will my betrothed live in your midst and I am sitting sorrowful about him?”1
He took leave and started on a ship.
He said, I remember the lady of the house who received us; what is she missing?
One of his students told him, her eye is damaged.
He told him, you have sinned twice; first that you suspected me, and second that you looked at her. Did I say that she was beautiful in looks? I only said that about her deeds.
He was taking offense and he left.
Past #2 - Story of “Two Hasids in Ashkelon”; “The son of Ma’ayan the tax-collector”
In the story, two pious men (Hasidim - חסידין) in Ashkelon, in Eretz Yisrael, share their lives in close companionship, engaging in eating, drinking, and studying the Torah together. When one of them dies, his funeral is sparsely attended, causing his friend great distress. In stark contrast, when “the son of Ma’ayan the tax collector” (מעין מוכס) dies, the entire city halts its activities to mourn him.
Distraught by the apparent injustice, the surviving pious man questions the divine favor towards those seemingly less righteous. He is then admonished in a dream not to judge God's children harshly. The dream reveals that the overlooked pious man had once made a minor ritual error by placing his head tefillin before his arm tefillin, which was considered a sin, while the publican's son, despite not being known for good deeds, had inadvertently performed acts of charity. In one instance, he allowed the poor to eat a meal intended for the city council (בולבטייא), and in another, he did not reclaim a loaf of bread that fell from him, which a poor person picked up, thereby sparing the person any potential embarrassment.
תרין חסידין הוון באשקלון, אכלין כחדא, ושתיי כחדא, ולעיי באוריתא כחדא.
דמך חד מינהון ולא איתגמל ליה חסד.
מית בריה דמעין מוכס, ובטלת כל־מדינתא מיגמול ליה חסד.
שורי ההוא חסידא מצטער.
אמר: ווי דלית לשנאיהון דישראל כלום.
איתחמי ליה בחילמא, ואמר ליה: לא תיבזי בני מריך.
דין עבד חדא חובא ואזל בה, ודין עבד חדא טיבו ואזל בה.
ומה חובא עבד ההוא חסידא?
[חס] ליה לא עבד חובה מן יומוי,
אלא פעם אחת הקדים תפילין של ראש לתפילין של יד.
ומה טיבו עבד בריה דמעין מוכס?
חס ליה לא עבד טיבו מן יומוי, אלא חד זמן עבד אריסטון לבולבטייא ולא אתון אכלוניה.
אמר: ייכלוניה מיסכינייא דלא יט[לון].
ואית דאמרין: בשוקא הוה עבר ונפל מיניה חד עיגול.
וחמא חד מיסכן ונסב ליה ולא אמר ליה כלום [בגין דלא מסמקי אפויי].
Two pious men were in Ascalon.
They ate together, drank together, and studied Torah together.
One of them died, and nobody attended his funeral.
The son of Ma’ayan the tax collector died; the entire city stopped working to attend his funeral.
The other pious man started crying and said woe, do the haters of Israel have no hope?
He was shown in a dream that it was said to him, do not denigrate your Master’s children.
This one committed one sin and died with it, the other one did one good deed and died with it.
What sin did this pious man commit?
Far be it that he committed a sin, but once he put on his head phylacteries before his arm phylacteries.2
What good deed did the son of publican Ma’ayan do?
Far be it that he ever committed a good deed, but once he prepared a breakfast for the city council but they did not come to eat it.
He said, let the poor eat it, so it should not go to waste.
Some say, he was walking in the street when a loaf fell down from him and a poor person picked it up.
He did not say anything [in order not to embarrass him].
This is the only part of this section of the Talmudic passage in Hebrew. It’s written in a poetic style:
מירושלם הגדולה לאלכסנדריאה הקטנה,
עד מתי ארוסי יושב אצלכם,
ואני יושבת עגומה עליו.
This is the only part of this section of the Talmudic passage in Hebrew.:
פעם אחת הקדים תפילין של ראש לתפילין של יד