The Rabbis taught, that on the day of judgment the rich and the poor will appear before the Lord, blessed be He, in the other world. They will say to the poor man: "Why did you not study the Torah while you were in the world below?"

The poor man will reply: "O God, I was so sorely troubled with my poverty and

anxious about my livelihood that I could not study."

Then God will say to him: "Were you poorer than Hillel?"

For it is told of the old Hillel that he earned one shilling a day, half of which he gave to the porter of the College (bet ha-midrash) and the other half he used to provide for himself, his wife and his children. Yet did he continue to study the Torah. One day he could not earn anything and the porter would not let him in, as he could not pay the entrance fee which everyone who went into the bet ha-midrash had to pay to the porter daily. So he went upon the roof and lay down upon the skylight in order to hear the teaching of Shemaya and Abtalion. It happened to be a Friday in winter, and a heavy snow fell upon him and covered him entirely.

The following morning Shemaya said to Abtalion: "My dear brother, this house is always bright but today it is very dark. It must be a cloudy day."

They looked up toward the skylight and saw the figure of a man lying across it. So they went up to the roof and found Hillel under three feet of snow. They removed the snow, placed him in a warm bath, anointed him and set him near the fire, for the

people said: "A man like him is worthy of having the Sabbath broken for his sake."

Thus a poor, man has no excuse for neglecting the study of the Torah, for though a man be poor, he can very well study.

Then God turns to the rich man on the day of judgment and says: "Why did you not study the Torah?"

The rich man says: "I had much wealth and was constantly busy with my affairs, and therefore I had no time to study the Torah."

God replies to him: "You were surely not richer than Eleazar ben Harsom."

For it is said of him that when his father died he left him a thousand cities on land and a thousand ships on the sea. And yet every day he put a pack on his back and traveled from place to place in order to study the Torah.

One day, he was met by one of his servants who did not recognize him and said to him: "It is your turn today to do a day's work for your master R. Eleazar."

So he said to him: "Please, let me go, I wish to study the Torah;"

But the servant replied: "By the life of R. Eleazar ben Harsom, I will not let you go."

Then R. Eleazar gave him all the money he had with him in order to be allowed to go, but did not make himself known, for he was eager to go and study the Torah. And during all the days of his life he never saw his father's property, cities or ships, but devoted all his time to the study of the Torah.

Then turning to the wicked man, God will say to him: "Why did you not study the Torah?"

He will reply: "I was handsome and my passions troubled me and kept me from the study of the Torah."

Then God will reply: "Were you exposed to greater temptation than the saintly Joseph? Every day the wife of Potiphar sent him beautiful garments to put on. Those he wore in the morning he did not wear in the evening, and the clothes he wore in the evening he did not wear in the morning, and fine clothes lead men into temptation.

Once she said to him: 'Lie with me.'

He said, 'No, I will not lie with you.'

Then she said: 'If you refuse, I will have you put in prison.'

And Joseph replied: ' "The Lord looseth the prisoners", (Ps. 146.7).

Then ,she said to him: 'I will have your stature bent down.'

He replied: '''The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down", (ib. 8).

Then she said: 'I will have your eyes put out.'

He replied: ' ''The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind" (ib.). Therefore I refuse to listen to your wish, the Lord will support me.

She gave him a thousand talents of silver, but he refused, as is said in the Bible: 'He hearkened not unto her to lie by her' " (Gen. 39.10).

Thus the wicked man has no answer either. And thus it is that the old Hillel condemns the poor man, Eleazar condemns the rich man, and the saintly Joseph condemns the wicked man. Therefore everyone shall take warning from the Torah and he will not go to Gehenna.