R. Meir lived in Babylon and visited Jerusalem every year. On his way he used to stop at an inn kept by a butcher named Judah. This Judah had a pious wife, who showed R. Meir great honor when he came to stay with them, for he was a worthy man, as we are also told about him in the Gemara. She looked after his food and drink, kept a separate bed for him and provided for all his wants.

Now it so happened that the good woman died and the butcher married another woman. And he instructed her that when R. Meir came, she should show him great honor, as his first wife had done.

R. Meir came, as was his custom every year, and went to stay with the butcher, as he had done hitherto. But he found another woman there, whom he did not know. R. Meir asked where was the wife of the master of the house, and she answered: "She died some time ago and the butcher married me. But he instructed me to take good care of R. Meir when he came and to show him hospitality."

And she was very pleased to do this, she said, even more so than his first wife had been.

When R. Meir heard that the first wife had died, he went out of the house and was very much grieved over the death of his good hostess.

As he was standing outside the door, the butcher came up and, seeing him, said: "Dear Rabbi, why do you not come into the house as before? Why do you stand outside the door? I have instructed my wife to treat you well, as my first wife did."

Thereupon R. Meir entered the house with him. The wife brought into the house

everything that she needed, prepared a meal for R. Meir, gave him good wine to drink, and showed him every respect.

R. Meir was a very handsome man and the butcher's wife fell in love with him. But she did not know how she could entice him to sin with her. One night it happened that there was no one in the house except herself and R. Meir, so she prepared a good meal for him and showed him great honor and drank with him until he became drunk and did not know what he was doing. Then she put him to sleep and lay down beside him. But he did not know of her lying down or her rising up.

In the morning, when he woke up, he said his prayers as usual. After he had finished his prayer, the hostess set the table and ate and drank with him and behaved impudently in her conversation. R. Meir was greatly astonished at the impudence of the woman, was much embarrassed, and could not bear to look at her.

Then the woman said: "My dear Rabbi, why are you so much embarrassed now? You slept with me the whole night and were not embarrassed. Why, then, so much

embarrassment now?"

When R. Meir heard this, he was seized with a very great fear and said: "Surely this is not true."

But the woman described various marks which he had on his body, and he had to believe her. When he found out that, alas! she had spoken the truth, he began to cry bitterly and said : "Woe unto me! What have I done? All my life I have studied the Torah and performed the commandments. Now all my labor is lost and I must suffer in Gehenna."

Then he said, "I will go to the head of the Yeshibah and tell him all the sorrow that has befallen me, and whatever he commands me to do in atonement for the sin, I will willingly do."

And he went home in great grief, rent his mantle and strewed earth upon his head.

His family came to him and asked him what had happened, and he told them all that had befallen him. Then they were seized with great fear and asked him what he intended to do.

And he said: "I will go to the head of the college (Rosh Yeshibah) and confess to him, and whatever he orders me to do I will do."

His friends tried to dissuade him from doing it, seeing that he had not committed the sin willingly and knew nothing about it, the Lord would surely forgive him. He persisted, however, in his determination and went to the Rosh Yeshibah, told him what had happened and asked him to impose some penance upon him.

The head of the Yeshibah replied: "Come tomorrow and I will find some penance for you."

The next morning R. Meir came back, and the Rosh Yeshibah said: "I sought for a fitting penance and have found one. You deserve to be devoured by wild beasts."

R. Meir said: "If that is the law, I willingly submit to it."

Then the Rosh Yeshibah ordered two strong men to take R. Meir into a forest infested with wild beasts and tie him to a tree, while they were to go up to the top of a very high tree and watch from there whether the wild beasts would devour R. Meir or not. Should the wild beasts eat him up, they should bring home the bones, so that the college might mourn for him, since he had taken upon himself the judgment of Heaven. The men took R. Meir into the forest, as the head of the Yeshibah had commanded, and tied him to a tree.

At midnight, a huge lion came roaring, sniffed at R. Meir and went his way. The two men reported to the Rosh Yeshibah that the lion had not touched him, whereupon the Rosh Yeshibah ordered them to leave him there tied to the tree a second night. The lion again appeared, turned R. Meir around on the other side, and went his way again. The men reported to the Rosh Yeshibah. again that the lion had come a second time but had not touched him, whereupon the Rosh Yeshibah ordered that he be tied again and left in the forest a third night. The third night the lion appeared, bit off a rib of R. Meir's body, ate a piece of it no larger than the size of an olive and left him lying on the ground. The two men took R. Meir and brought him to the Rosh Yeshibah, who took care of him until he was healed of his wound.

When he returned to his own home, a voice came forth from heaven, saying: "R. Meir, you are ready for the world to come."

This is the meaning of the biblical verse: "A bad woman is more bitter than death" (Eccl. 7.26). Observe what happened to R. Meir, although he was quite innocent. How much greater then must be the punishment of him who commits a sin deliberately? Therefore everyone should be on his guard lest any such thing, God forbid! should befall him.