“When thou walkest, it (the law) will guide thee; when thou liest down, it will watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it will converse with thee.”

When thou walkest it will guide thee—­in this world; when thou liest down, it will watch over thee—­in the grave; when thou awakest, it will converse with thee—­in the life to come.

A traveler upon his journey passed through the forest upon a dark and gloomy night.  He journeyed in dread; he feared the robbers who infested the route he was traversing; he feared that he might slip and fall into some unseen ditch or pitfall on the way, and he feared, too, the wild beasts, which he knew were about him.  By chance he discovered a pine torch, and lighted it, and its gleams afforded him great relief.  He no longer feared brambles or pitfalls, for he could see his way before him.  But the dread of robbers and wild beasts was still upon him, nor left him till the morning’s dawn, the coming of the sun.  Still he was uncertain of his way, until he emerged from the forest, and reached the cross-roads, when peace returned unto his heart.

The darkness in which the man walked was the lack of religious knowledge.  The torch he discovered typifies God’s precepts, which aided him on the way until he obtained the blessed sunlight, compared to God’s holy word, the Bible.  Still, while man is in the forest (the world), he is not entirely at peace; his heart is weak, and he may lose the right path; but when he reaches the cross-roads (death), then may we proclaim him truly righteous, and exclaim:—­

“A good name is more fragrant than rich perfume, and the day of death is better than the day of one’s birth.”

Rabbi Jochanan, the son of Broka, and Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Chismah, visited their teacher, Rabbi Josah, and he said to them:—­

“What is the news at the college; what is going on?”

“Nay,” they answered, “we are thy scholars; it is for thee to speak, for us to listen.”

“Nevertheless,” replied Rabbi Josah, “no day passes without some occurrence of note at the college.  Who lectured to-day?”

“Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Azaryah.”

“And what was his subject?”

“He chose this verse from Deuteronomy,” replied the scholar:—­

“‘Assemble the people together, the men, the women, and the children;’ and thus he expounded it:—­

“’The men came to learn, the women to listen; but wherefore the children?  In order that those who brought them might receive a reward for training their children in the fear of the Lord.’

“He also expounded the verse from Ecclesiastes:—­

“’The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails fastened (are the words of) the men of the assemblies, which are given by one shepherd.’