R. Judah, the Pious, was eighteen years old before he had begun to study. He was a great ignoramus and a boor and did nothing else but shoot with his bow and arrow.

One day, his father Samuel, the Pious, was explaining the halakah (law) in the bet ha-midrash. His pupils grew angry and said to him: "Dear master, all your ancestors were great scholars, like your father R. Kalonymos and your uncle (or father-in-law) R. Efraim, and yet you allow your son to go about shooting with his bow and arrow like an ordinary highwayman."

R. Samuel replied: "You are right, and you will see that I shall henceforth train my boy differently."

When the pupils had gone home, he called his son Judah and said to him: "Dear son, I wish you would study the Torah, for I am ashamed of you."

The son replied: "My dear father, I am perfectly willing to study if you would teach me as you teach the other young men."

So R. Samuel took his son Judah with him to the bet ha-midrash and placed him by his side, while his other son R. Abraham he placed on the other side. Then R. Samuel pronounced the holy name and the whole bet ha-midrash was filled with a great light. Judah was overpowered by the light, covered his face with his mantle and fell to the ground, not being able to look into the light.

R. Samuel then turned to his son Abraham and said to him: "This is a propitious hour for my son Judah, I know that you have been a great scholar all your life, but your brother Judah will learn much more than you. He will know what is taking place in heaven above and what will happen on the earth below, and nothing will be hidden from him. He will not be as great a master in the Torah as you have always been, but he will achieve more than you."

R. Samuel the Pious began to teach his son Judah, and he knew immediately by heart everything he was taught. When the pupils assembled again to hear their master expound the halakah, Judah raised more questions than all the other pupils.

They all looked surprised and said: "This young fellow has never studied in his life and yet he is asking more questions than all of us put together."

When the lecture was finished, Judah went and fetched his bow and arrow and brought it to his father.

R. Samuel took it and broke it before the students, saying at the same time: "My dear son Judah, until now your occupation was shooting with bow and arrow, but now your trade shall be the Torah."

After that he devoted himself to study and became the famous R. Judah, the Pious, many of whose wonderful deeds you will now hear.