Once upon a time there lived a rabbi called R. Amnon. He was held in high esteem by the bishop of Mayence, for he was a great man in every way. He was rich, learned, wise, of distinguished family-in short, he had all the good qualities which a good Jew ought to possess, and therefore he was respected and loved by nobles and princes and counts and lords, who loved him very much and delighted in his company, and yet there was none like him in piety.

One day, as he was visiting the bishop in his palace, the nobles said to him: "Master Amnon, if you would only embrace Christianity, our gracious prince would make you his chief counselor, for he is very fond of you. We have often spoken to the prince about you and asked him to give you an honorable post, and he replied that if you would accept his faith, he would give you a post of great honor. Therefore we ask you to embrace the Christian faith."

But R. Amnon refused to listen. One day the bishop himself asked him to join the Christian church, but he declined. This went on day after day, but he refused to listen to them. One day the bishop importuned him urgently to embrace Christianity, and R. Amnon replied: "I will consider the matter, and in three days I will give your

lordship a reply."

He did this merely in order to put the bishop off so as to have respite. When he had left the bishop, he realized what he had done in that he had told the bishop that he

would consider his proposal, as if he had the remotest notion of embracing Christianity and (Heaven forbid!) deny his own God. This weighed heavily upon his heart, and he went home sad and despondent and would not be comforted.

His wife asked him what he had done or what had happened to him, for it was not usual for him to be sad, but he would not tell his family anything, and said to himself: "I cannot rest until I have expiated the sin, or I will go down in sorrow to the grave."

On the third day, the bishop sent for him to hear his decision.

R. Amnon replied that he would not go and that he would have nothing to do with him. The bishop sent for him twice again, but he refused to go. Then the bishop ordered him to be brought to him by force. And when he came, the bishop said to him: "What do you mean by refusing to come after I had sent for you three times? You promised to give me an answer to my proposal in three days. I therefore want your answer now."

The pious man replied ': "I can give you no answer to the question you asked me or are asking now. My thoughtless remark that I would take three days to consider your proposal was tantamount to a denial of my God. I will therefore suggest my own punishment. My tongue, which uttered the words, 'I will consider', shall be cut off."

R. Amnon was anxious to do penance and to sanctify the name of God. Then the wicked bishop replied: "The punishment which you suggest does not appeal to me, for it is by far too light. The tongue which spoke those words, spoke nothing but the truth; but the feet, which refused to come to me, shall be cut off and the other members of your body shall also be tortured."

And he ordered R. Amnon's hands and feet to be cut off, and every time they cut off a limb, they asked him whether he still refused to be converted, and R. Amnon always replied, "I do." And he said: "Make your torture more severe, for I deserve it all for the words which I have spoken."

When the wicked man had accomplished his will and had tortured R. Amnon cruelly, he ordered him to be put into a bed, his severed limbs by his side, and carried to his house. When his wife and children saw him in this state, they raised a pitiful wail, and one can easily imagine how they felt. But R. Amnon said to his wife and children: "My dear wife, I have fully deserved what was done to me, for I was on the point of denying the Lord, but I hope to God that He will let me expiate my sin in this world that I may have a share in the world to come."

When New Year's Day arrived, he asked to be carried in his bed to the synagogue and to be placed close to the reader. When the reader was about to begin the kedushah of the musaf prayer, the saint said to him: "Wait, I want to sanctify the name of God before I die." And he began the hymn, Ubeken leka ta'aleh kedushah, which we still say every year on New Year's Day and the Day of Atonement. Then he recited the hymn, Unetanneh tokef kedushat ha-yom, When he had finished it, he disappeared and no one ever saw him again, for the Lord took him to the other pious men in paradise.

On the third' night after that event, he appeared in a dream to his teacher, R. Kalonymos son of R. Meshullam, and asked him to make a copy of the Unetanneh Tokef hymn, which he had composed on that occasion and to send it to all the communities where Jews dwelt. We still intone the Unetanneh Tokef on New Years' Day and on the Day of Atonement for his sake. May the Lord grant us the benefit of this saint.