Adapted from the Aggadah (Bava Basra 155b)

A youth, who had not even reached his twentieth year, sold his father’s possessions, which he had inherited. Immediately afterwards, he was sorry about the sale and went to Rabbi Rava to have it nullified. The youth’s relations instructed him beforehand, “When you go to Rabbi Rava be sure to eat some dates and shoot the pits right into his face.”

The youth followed this advice and threw the date pits at the great rabbi.

Rabbi Rava regarded him with amazement and compassion. “Poor boy,” he thought. “He is mentally deficient.” So, he nullified the sale.

Before they sat down to draw up the document of nullification, the purchaser secretly instructed the youth to say to the rabbi, “A scribe is paid one gold piece to transcribe the entire Book of Esther. Why then does the rabbi charge one gold piece for just a few words?”

These words the youth repeated to Rabbi Rava, who, when he heard them, said to himself, “In truth, this boy speaks sensibly! In that case, the sale was valid.”

And when the youth’s relations heard how Rabbi Rava had reversed himself, they protested, “The boy didn’t say these words out of his own head! He must have been instructed to say them by the purchaser.”

“In that case,” said Rabbi Rava, closing the hearing, “since the young man has enough sense to remember and to repeat what he is instructed, it’s a sign that he is fully aware of what he’s doing.”

“But Rabbi!” protested the relatives. “Didn’t he throw date pits at you?”

“As for that,” answered Rabbi Rava, “that the youth’s actions in shooting date pits right into Rava’s face was because of excessive impudence that was in him, not mental incompetence!”

May all your tales end with peace and Justice

A Justice Tale shared by the IPS Chaplain

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