עֵת לְבַקֵּשׁ, בִּשְׁעַת שָׁלוֹם. וְעֵת לְאַבֵּד, בִּשְׁעַת מִלְחָמָה. עֵת לִשְׁמוֹר, בְּשָׁעָה טוֹבָה. וְעֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ, בְּשָׁעָה רָעָה. עוֹבָדָא הֲוָה בְּחַד פְּרַגְמָטוֹטִים, דַּהֲוָה אָזֵיל פָּרֵישׁ בְּיַמָּא הוּא וּבְרֵיהּ, וַהֲוָה אַיְיתֵי גַּבֵּיהּ קוֹבִּין דִּנָּרִין, יְהֵיב לֵיהּ מוֹתְבֵיהוֹן בַּאֲפֵלָה, שְׁמַע קָלְהוֹן דְּנַוָּוטַיָא אָמְרִין כַּד עָלְלִין אֲנָא לְפִילָגוֹס אֲנַן קַטְלִין לוֹן וּמַשְׁלִיכִין לוֹן לְיַמָּא וְנָסְבִין הָדֵין מוֹדְלֵיהּ דְּדִּינָרִין מִינֵּיהּ. מָה עֲבַד הַהוּא גַבְרָא, עֲבַד גַּרְמֵיהּ מַצְהִיב עִם בְּרֵיהּ וּנְסַב יַתְהוֹן וּרְמָא יַתְהוֹן לְיַמָּא. כֵּיוָן דַּעֲלוּן לוֹן לִמְדִינְתָּא אֲזַל וּקְבֵיל עֲלֵיהוֹן גַּבֵּי אַנְטִיפּוֹטָא דְּקִסְרִין, וְאַיְיתִינוּן בְּבֵי אֲסִירֵי וַאֲזַדוּן וְחַיָּיבְהוֹן לִתֵּן לֵיהּ מוֹדְלֵיהּ דְּדִּינָרִין. אָמְרִין לֵיהּ מְנָן אַתְּ הָכָא דַּיְּינָא לָן דְּחַיָּיבִין, אֲמַר לוֹן מִשְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, דִּכְתִיב: עֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ וגו'.
“A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to discard” (Ecclesiastes 3:6). “A time to seek,” in peacetime, “and a time to lose,” in wartime; “a time to keep,” at a good time, “and a time to discard,” at a bad time. There was an incident involving a certain merchant who would go and set out to sea, he and his son. He would take with him two kav of dinars. [The captain] gave them a place in a dark [part of the ship]. He [the traveler] heard the navigators’ voices saying: ‘When we are out to sea, we will kill them, cast them into the sea, and take the load of dinars from them.’ What did that man do? He made himself [sound] as though he was quarreling with his son, and he took [the dinars] and cast them into the sea. When they entered the province, they went and filed a complaint to the governor of Caesarea. [The governor] sent [the conspirators] to prison and convicted them for their conspiracy and obligated them to give [the travelers] a load of dinars. They said to him: ‘On what basis do you find us guilty?’ He said to them: ‘On the basis of Solomon, king of Israel, as it is written: “A time to cast…”’