וְסַבּוֹתִי אֲנִי לְיַאֵשׁ אֶת לִבִּי, מִלִּיגַע, וְחָזַרְתִּי וְאָמַרְתִּי כְּשֵׁם שֶׁיָּגְעוּ אֲחֵרִים לִי כָּךְ אֲנִי יָגֵעַ לַאֲחֵרִים. אַדְרִיָּאנוֹס שְׁחִיק עֲצָמוֹת הֲוָה עָבַר בְּאִילֵּין שְׁבִילֵי דִטְבֶרְיָא, וַחֲמָא חַד סָבָא קָאֵים חָצֵד חֲצוּבִין לְמִינְצַב נְצִיבִין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ סָבָא סָבָא בַּר כַּמָּה שְׁנִין אַתְּ יוֹמָא דֵין, אֲמַר לֵיהּ בַּר מְאָה שְׁנִין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ וְאַתְּ בַּר מְאָה שְׁנִין קָאֵים חָצֵד חֲצוּבִין לְמִינְצַב נְצִיבִין, סָבוּר אַתְּ דְּאַתְּ אָכֵיל מִנְהוֹן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ אִין זְכִיתִי אֲכָלִית וְאִין לָאו כְּשֵׁם שֶׁיָּגְעוּ לִי אֲבָהָתַי כָּךְ אֲנִי יָגֵעַ לְבָנַי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ בְּחַיָּיךְ, אִין זָכֵית וְאָכֵיל מִנְהוֹן תְּהֵא מוֹדַע לִי. לְסוֹף יוֹמִין עָבְדִין תְּאֵינַיָּא, אֲמַר הָא עָנְתָה נוֹדַע לְמַלְכָּא, מָה עֲבַד מְלָא קַרְטֵילָא תְּאֵינִין וְסָלֵק קָם עַל תְּרַע פָּלָטִין. אָמְרִין לֵיהּ מָה עִיסְקָךְ, אֲמַר לוֹן אִיזְלוּן וְאִמְרוּן לְמַלְכָּא סָבָא יְהוּדָאִי דַּעֲבַרְתְּ עֲלוֹי בָּעֵי מִשְׁאַל בִּשְׁלוֹמָךְ. אָזְלִין אָמְרִין לְמַלְכָּא חַד סַב יְהוּדָאִי בָּעֵי מִשְׁאַל בִּשְׁלוֹמָךְ. אֲמַר לוֹן יַעֲלִין יָתֵיהּ. כֵּיוָן דְּעָל אֲמַר לֵיהּ מָה עִיסְקָךְ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אֲנָא סָבָא דַּעֲבַרְתְּ עֲלַי וַאֲנָא חָצֵב חֲצוּבִין לְמִינְצַב נְצִיבִין, וַאֲמַרְתְּ לִי אִין זָכֵית וְאָכֵיל מִנְהוֹן תְּהֵא מוֹדַע לִי. הָא זָכִיתִי וַאֲכָלִית מִנְהוֹן, וְהָלֵין תְּאֵינַיָּא מִן פֵּירֵיהוֹן. אֲמַר אַדְרִיָּאנוֹס בְּהַהִיא עָנְתָה קָלָווֹנִין אֲנָא דְּתִתְפַּנּוּ הָדֵין קַרְטֵילָא וְתֵימְלוּן יָתֵיהּ לֵיהּ דִּינָרִין. אָמְרִין לֵיהּ עַבְדוֹהִי כָּל מוֹקָרָא תְּיַקְרִינֵהּ לְהָדֵין סָבָא יְהוּדָאִי. אֲמַר לוֹן בָּרְיֵיהּ אוֹקְרֵיהּ וַאֲנָא לָא מוֹקַר לֵיהּ. אִנְתְּתֵיהּ דִּמְגִירָא הֲוַת בְּרַת פַּחִין, אָמְרָה לְבַעֲלָהּ בַּר קִיבְלַיי בַּר קִיבְלַיי, חֲמֵי דַּהֲדָא מַלְכָּא רְחֵימָא תֵּינִין וּמְפַרְגָּא בְּדִינָרִין. מָה עֲבַד מְלָא מַרְעִילֵיהּ תְּאֵינִין וְקָם קֳדָם פָּלָטִין, אָמְרִין לֵיהּ מָה עִיסְקָךְ, אֲמַר לוֹן דִּשְׁמַעִית דְּמַלְכָּא רַחְמֵיהּ תֵּינִין וּמְפַרְגָּא בְּדִינָרִין. עֲלוֹן וְאָמְרִין לְמַלְכָּא חַד סָבָא קָאֵים עַל תְּרַע פָּלָטִין טָעִין מְלֵא מַרְעִילֵיהּ תְּאֵינִין, וְאָמַרְנוּ לוֹ מָה עִיסְקָךְ וַאֲמַר לָנָא שְׁמַעִית דְּמַלְכָּא רָחֵים תֵּינִין וּמְפַרְגָּא בְּדִינָרִין. אֲמַר קָלָווֹנִין אֲנָא דִּתְקִימוּן יָתֵיהּ עַל תְּרַע פָּלָטִין, וְכָל מָאן דְּעָלֵיל וְנָפֵיק יְהֵא טָרֵיהּ עַל אַפֵּיהּ. בְּאַפְתֵּי רַמְשָׁא פַּנּוֹן יָתֵיהּ וַאֲזֵיל לְבֵיתֵיהּ. אֲמַר לְאִינְתְּתֵיהּ כָּל הָדֵין יְקָרָא אֲנָא שְׁלִים לִיךְ. אָמְרָה אִיזֵילִי גְּלִיגִי לְאִימֵיךְ דַּהֲווֹן אִינוּן תְּאֵינִין וְלָא הֲווֹן אֶתְרוֹגִים, דַּהֲווֹן בְּשֵׁלִין וְלָא פְגִינָן.
“I turned my heart to despair regarding all the toil that I toiled under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:20). “I turned my heart to despair” from toiling, but I reconsidered and said: Just as others toiled on my behalf, so, I will toil on behalf of others. Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, was passing on those paths of Tiberias and saw an elderly man digging holes in rocky ground to plant trees. He said to him: ‘Old man, old man, how old are you today?’ He said: ‘I am one hundred years old.’ He said to him: ‘You, one hundred years old, are standing and digging holes in order to plant trees. Do you believe that you will eat of them?’ He said: ‘If I merit, I will eat. If not, just as my ancestors toiled on my behalf, so, I will toil on behalf of my children.’ He said to him: ‘By your life, if you merit and eat of them, let me know.’ After a period of time, it produced figs. He said: The time has come for me to inform the king. What did he do? He filled a basket with figs, ascended, and stood at the gate of the palace. They said to him: ‘What is your business [here]?’ He said to them: ‘Go and say to the king that the old Jewish man whom you passed wishes to greet you.’ They went and told the king: ‘There is an old Jewish man who wishes to greet you.’ He said to them: ‘Show him in.’ When he entered, [Hadrian] said to him: ‘What is your business [here]?’ He said to him: ‘I am the elderly man whom you passed while I was digging holes to plant trees. You said to me: If you merit and eat of them, let me know. I merited and ate of them, and these are figs from their produce.’ Hadrian said at that moment [to his servants]: ‘I command you to empty this basket and fill it with dinars.’ His servants said to him: ‘Are you going to give all this honor to this old Jewish man?’ He said to them: ‘His Creator honors him; will I not honor him?’ His neighbor’s wife was an imbecile. She said to her husband: ‘Senseless one, senseless one, see that this king loves figs and exchanges them for dinars.’ What did he do? He filled his container with figs and stood before the palace. They said to him: ‘What is your business [here]?’ He said to them: ‘I heard that the king loves figs and exchanges them for dinars.’ They entered and said to the king: ‘There is a certain old man standing at the palace gates laden with a container filled with figs. We said to him: What is your business [here]? He said to us: I heard that the king loves figs and exchanges them for dinars.’ [Hadrian] said: ‘I command you to stand him at the palace gates, and anyone who enters or exits will throw one of the figs at his face.’ Toward evening, they released him and he went home. He said to his wife: ‘I have to pay you back for all the honor [that I received at the palace].’ She said to him: ‘Go and boast to your mother that they were figs and they were not citrons, that they were ripe and were not unripe.’