20. Elisha, son of Abuya, said, “he who teaches a child, is like to one who writes on clean paper; but he who teaches old people, is like to one who writes on blotted paper.” Rabbi José, the son of Judah, of a village near Babylon, said, “to what may he who learns the law from little children be likened? To one who eats unripe grapes and drinks new wine. And to what may he who learns the law from old men be likened? To one who eats ripe grapes and drinks old wine.” Rabbi Meier said, “look not at the flask, but that which is therein, for there are new flasks full of old wine, and old flasks which have not even new wine in them.” 21. Rabbi Eleazer Hakapher said, “envy, lust, and ambition take men out of the world.” 22. He used to say, “those who are born are doomed to die, the dead to live, and the quick to be judged, to make us know, understand, and be informed that He is God. He is the Former, Creator, Omniscient, Judge, Witness, and Claimant, and He will judge thee hereafter, blessed be He; for in His presence there is no unrighteousness, forgetfulness, respect of persons, or acceptance of a bribe, for everything is His. Know also that everything is done according to the account, and let not thine evil imagination persuade thee that the grave is a place of refuge for thee, for against thy will wast thou formed, and against thy will wast thou born, and against thy will dost thou live, and against thy will shalt thou die, and against thy will must thou hereafter render an account and receive judgment in the presence of the King of kings, the Holy God, blessed be He.” Chapter V 1. With ten expressions(494) the world was created. “But wherefore is this taught, since God could have created it with one expression?” “This is to punish the wicked, who destroy the world that was created with ten expressions, and to reward the righteous who establish the world created with ten expressions.” 2. There were ten generations from Adam to Noah, to let us know that God is long-suffering, as all those generations provoked him before he brought the deluge upon them. There were ten generations from Noah to Abraham, to let us know that God is long-suffering, as all those generations provoked him, until Abraham our father came and took the reward of them all. 3. Our father Abraham was proved with ten trials, and in all of them he stood firm; to let us know how great was the love of our father Abraham to God. 4. Ten miracles were wrought for our fathers in Egypt, and ten at the Red Sea. Ten plagues did the blessed God send on the Egyptians in Egypt, and ten at the Red Sea. Ten times did our fathers tempt the blessed God in the wilderness, as is said, “And have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice.”(495)