Once upon a time the daughter of the Emperor asked Rabbi Yoshua ben Chananiah, “Is it very strange that there is so much Torah (Scriptural learning) and wisdom in you and you are so terribly ugly? So much wisdom in such a disgusting vessel!”
“Let me ask, where do you keep your wine? In what kind of vessels?” Rabbi Yoshua inquired. The daughter of the Emperor answered, “We keep our wine in simple earthenware vessels, because for many years past wine has always been kept in earthen vessels.”
Rabbi Yoshua suggested, “You are very wealthy people, you ought to keep your wine in vessels of silver only, the ordinary people keep it in earthen jars.”
She went and told the Emperor, who poured all the wine into silver jars. Within a short time the wine turned sour, and they reported to the Emperor that all his wine had turned into vinegar. Then the Emperor asked his daughter, “Who advised you to pour the wine into silver jars?”
The princess replied, “Rabbi Yoshua ben Chananiah.” So the Emperor sent for Rabbi Yoshua and asked him, “Why did you give such advice to my daughter so that all my wine has turned to vinegar?” Rabbi Yoshua replied, “As she spoke to me so I spoke to her. She said to me, what a pity such great learning is in such a contemptible vessel. So I said to her, ‘Why do you keep wine in a cheap vessel?’
I also said that as the Torah does not stay with a man of handsome appearance, so wine does not keep in a silver vessel.” The Emperor said, “But there are many good looking men who possess learning.” Then Rabbi Yoshua replied, “If they were not so handsome they would be more learned still, for a man of handsome appearance is not a man of modesty, and therefore he forgets the Torah which he has learned.”
Based on B. Ta 7a-b; B. Ned 50b and Ma’asah Book #35
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