R. Hanina married a wife who brought him a large dowry of gold and silver and precious stones, while he studied the Torah continually. All his menservants and maidservants waited upon him with respect and supplied him with food and drink of the best that could be had and served him at all times.

After his meals he would say to his wife: "Do not imagine that I have eaten or drunk of anything that belongs to you or that you are supporting me. It is the Lord, blessed be He, who provides me for the sake of the Torah which I study and through the merit of my pupils."

When his wife heard this, she grew very angry, but she did not show it. But women have long skirts and short minds. So one day she said to her servants: "What am I to do with my husband? I give him the best of food all the time, but it is no use, I never get any thanks for it, and he says continually that God gives it to him as a reward for his study of the Torah. I will see whether his Torah will give him anything to eat if I do not feed him."

So saying, she took all the food she had in the house and had it carried away by her servants.

That is why our sages said that it is good that a man should possess a handicraft in addition to the knowledge of the Torah, and one must also know the ways of the world, for the Torah without a craft cannot last.

As R. Hanina was sitting in the bet ha-midrash. and studying, a ship sailing on the sea was in danger of foundering. The people in the ship cried: "O God, blessed be Thy name, Thou in whom R. Hanina believes, help us! If we are saved, we shall give to R. Hanina a tenth part of everything that we have in our ship."

When R. Hanina heard this, he went to the bet ha-midrash and prayed for them.

Before R. Hanina left the bet ha-midrash, the merchants who had been in the ship came and fell at his feet, saying: "Sir, come with us into the ship and take all that belongs to you."

R. Hanina went with them, and they gave him the tenth part of everything that was in the ship, gold and silver and precious stones and food, and he had all of it carried to his house. When he reached his house, he found no one there, nor did he know where they had gone. Then he understood that they had left the house because he had spoken against them concerning his food, having said that it was not his wife who provided for him, but the Lord, for the sake of the Torah which he studied.

Then R. Hanina said to his pupils: "Go and hire menservants and maidservants and let them prepare a good meal."

The pupils carried out his orders. Then he invited many learned men to his banquet to eat and drink with him, and they all came and made merry. When his wife heard of it, she returned home and fell at his feet and begged him to forgive her for having left the house.

Then she said: "Blessed be the Almighty God, who has chosen you to study the Torah." It is true, as the 'Torah says, that "from far does the Torah bring her food" (Prov. 31.14).