Nedarim 50a — the Talmud in English

The raising of the mat

Rabbi Yehuda raised the mat upon which he was sitting before the messenger who had brought him the cloak,

and he said to the messenger: “See what there is!” He meant: See how much wealth I have! For a miracle had occurred for him, and that entire place had become filled with gold coins.

See how much wealth I have! ] For a miracle had occurred to him, and that entire place had become filled with gold coins.

However,

Rabbi Yehuda said,

“It is not pleasing to me to benefit in this world”

I do not wish to benefit and receive my reward in this world.

Rabbi Akiva

was a shepherd in the house of one of the wealthy men of Jerusalem, who was known as “Calba Savua” (because anyone who entered his house hungry as a dog would leave satiated).

His daughter became betrothed to him

she became betrothed to him

his daughter

his daughter

of Calba Savua

secretly, since she saw that Rabbi Akiva was modest and good, and he had also agreed to go study Torah.

When

Calba Savua heard

that his daughter had become betrothed to Rabbi Akiva, he expelled her from his house, and

he forbade her by vow to derive benefit from all his property

and forbade her by vow to derive benefit from all his property.

She went and married him in the winter

she went and married Rabbi Akiva during the winter,

they slept among straw

and they slept among the straw, since they had no pillows or cushions.

He would gather straw from her hair

Rabbi Akiva would gather the straw from among her hair.

He said to her, “If I had the possibility

if it were possible for me to become wealthy

I would place upon you

I would make for you a piece of jewelry called “

“Jerusalem of Gold.”

A gold ornament on which the city of Jerusalem is depicted.

Elijah came

Elijah revealed himself to them in order to console them and show them that there were people poorer than they were.

He appeared to them as a man

and appeared to them as a man,

and he called at the doorway

and called at the entrance of their house.

He said to them

to Rabbi Akiva and his wife:

“Give me a little straw

bring me a little straw,

because my wife has given birth

because my wife has given birth,

and I have nothing upon which to lay her

and I have no straw at all upon which to lay her or the infant.

Rabbi Akiva said to his wife

to his wife:

“See

see

a man

there is a man here,

who does not even have straw

who does not even have straw.

She said to him

his wife:

“Go, be in the house of study

go study Torah!

He went for twelve years

he went to study Torah for twelve years

before

before

Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua.

When the twelve years were completed

after he had completed the twelve years that he had studied,

he came to his house

he returned to his house with twelve thousand students.

But before he entered his house,

he heard from behind his house that a certain wicked man was saying to his wife

to his wife:

“Your father acted well toward you

your father did well by forbidding you by vow to derive benefit from his property, for two reasons:

“First, he is not suited to you

Rabbi Akiva is not like you and is not suitable for you, for he is not from as distinguished a family as you.

“And furthermore,

“he left you

“like a living widow all these years” [

he left you alone like a living widow and went to study for so many years without seeing you.

She said to him

his wife said to that wicked man:

“If he had obeyed me

if Rabbi Akiva, my husband, had obeyed me, I would have wanted that

“he remain to study Torah for another twelve years

he remain to study Torah for another twelve years!

Rabbi Akiva heard her words from behind the house, and

said: “Since you have given me permission

since my wife has given me permission,

I shall return behind

I shall return behind, to the house of study, and continue studying.

He returned and went

he returned to the house of study without seeing his wife ,

and was there another twelve years

and was there for another twelve years.

He came

he came to his house after twenty-four years, accompanied

by twenty-four thousand pairs of students.

Everyone went out to greet him

all the people of the city went out to greet him,

and she too

and she too, his wife,

rose to go out to greet him

went out to greet him.

That wicked man said to her

to Rabbi Akiva’s wife,

“And you—where are you going

how are you going to greet him wearing such clothing!?” For she did not have suitable clothing.

She said to him, “A righteous man knows the soul of his animal” (

Proverbs 12): He knows that I suffered for his sake.

She came to appear before him

his wife went to appear before him, fell upon her face, and kissed Rabbi Akiva’s feet.

The Sages were pushing her away

the students who served Rabbi Akiva pushed her away from there.

He said to them

Rabbi Akiva said to his students:

“Leave her

for the study of Torah

“of mine and

the study of Torah

“of yours—

“hers

by her merit

“it is!”

For she gave me the counsel to go study Torah, and by her merit I was privileged to study and teach.

At that moment Calba Savua regretted his vow, without knowing that Rabbi Akiva was his son-in-law who had returned to the city.

Calba Savua heard

that a great man in Torah had arrived in the city, and said: “I shall go to him; perhaps he will be able to release me from my vow by which I forbade my daughter to derive benefit from my property.” But he did not know that this great man was his son-in-law.

He came

he came to Rabbi Akiva

and requested the release of his vow

and requested that his vow be permitted.

Rabbi Akiva said to his father-in-law: (in order to find an opening for his vow if you had known that your son-in-law would become a great man, would you have vowed?

Calba Savua said to Rabbi Akiva: “Even if I had known that my son-in-law would know one chapter, or even one halakha, I would not have forbidden my daughter by vow to derive benefit.”

Rabbi Akiva said to him: “I am your son-in-law!”

And he released it

and he permitted his vow,

and it was released

and the vow was permitted.

Calba Savua fell upon his face, kissed Rabbi Akiva’s feet, and gave him half of his property.

From six things

he became wealthy

Rabbi Akiva .

a.

From Calba Savua—

who gave him half of his property.

b.

From the ram of a ship—

for on every ship they made it in the form of a ram

on every ship they made an image of a wooden ram as a form of divination, and as a sign that the ship should be swift in its movement like a ram. And they would fill the ram with gold coins.

One time

one time

the ship’s people forgot it

the people of the ship forgot that ram

on the seashore

on the seashore

he came

Rabbi Akiva came

and found it

he found it and took it.

c.

And from a chest

from a chest —

for one time

for one time

he gave four dinars to sailors

Rabbi Akiva gave four dinars to those who go down to sea,

he said to them

Rabbi Akiva:

“Bring me something

Bring me, in exchange for these coins, whatever find you may find.

And they found nothing except a chest on the seashore

and they found only a chest that was lying on the seashore.

They brought it to him

they brought that chest to Rabbi Akiva.

They said to him

to Rabbi Akiva,

“Let our master wait for it

let our master wait for it until we bring you something else, for this thing that we brought you is not worth very much.

Rabbi Akiva opened the chest

and it was found to be full of dinars

and it was found to be full of dinars.

And the Gemara explains how the chest with the dinars reached the seashore:

For one time

for one time

a ship sank, and all the merchandise was lying in that chest

and all the money of that ship was lying in that chest, which had been made to conceal within it the money of the people of the ship.

And it was found at that time

and that chest was found at that time, after it had sunk through those sailors, and that chest was

of Ishmaelites

of Ishmaelites .

d.

And from a Roman noblewoman

Roman—a certain time Rabbi Akiva and his students needed money, and they went to a certain noblewoman in order to borrow from her. That noblewoman said to Rabbi Akiva: “I am lending to you, and you will be the borrower, and the Holy One, blessed be He, and the sea will be guarantors for the loan.” Rabbi Akiva set a repayment date for her, and when the repayment date arrived, Rabbi Akiva became ill and was unable to bring the money.

That noblewoman went to the seashore and said: “Master of the Universe, it is revealed and known before You that Rabbi Akiva is ill, and therefore he was unable to repay his debt. See that You are a guarantor in this matter.”

Immediately, at that time, the emperor’s daughter became insane, took a chest full of precious stones and gold coins, and threw it into the sea. The sea brought it to the place where that noblewoman was standing. Immediately, she took the chest and went away.

After some time, Rabbi Akiva recovered and came to that noblewoman, with his money in his hand to repay his debt. She said to him: “I already went to the guarantor, and he repaid the entire debt for me; and here is the surplus that he gave me beyond the amount of the loan.”

And from that money which the noblewoman returned to him, Rabbi Akiva became wealthy.