Take care to honor every man, that ye may thereby be honored, as it is written: ‘For them that honor Me I will honor.’[217] Some people asked a wise man: ‘How is it that we always see thee honor every man?’ He replied: ‘I have not seen a man in whom I do not discover an advantage over me for which I should honor him. If he is old, I say: “This man performed more good deeds than I.” If he is rich, I say: “This man gave more alms than I.” If he is young, I say: “I committed more sins than he.” If he is poor, I say: “This man suffered pain.” If he is wiser than I, I honor him for his wisdom. If he is not wiser than I, I say: “His punishment is lighter than mine.”’ Hear this, and know it for yourselves. Be also careful to love and respect him who reproves you. We thus read in the tractate ‘Arakin, in the chapter _There Are Estimations_: Rabbi Johanan says: ‘I call heaven and earth to testify against me that Akiba was beaten several times on account of me, because I used to complain against him to Rabban Gamaliel; and yet he loved me all the more for that, in order to fulfil that which is written: “Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee.”[218] A wise man has said: ‘Love him who reproves thee, and hate him who lauds thee; for he who reproves thee benefits thee, while he who lauds thee harms thee.’ Consider also that man is a sojourner on earth, his days are counted and he knows not their number; nor does he know when he will be summoned before the King of kings to render account and reckoning of all that he has done. He should therefore perform all the good deeds he can; and let no commandment be too small in his sight, for there is no limit to its reward. In the world to come, when the Lord, who is blessed, pays the righteous their reward, the righteous man will ask: ‘Why do I get such a reward?’ and it will be said unto him: ‘Because thou performedst such and such a good deed on such and such a day.’ Whereupon he will sigh, saying: ‘For such a small thing I get such a great reward! Woe to the days that I wasted, in which I did not occupy myself with good deeds.’ The wise man should therefore take heed not to waste an hour of his life, but should occupy himself with good deeds, and continually meditate in the fear of the Lord and in His service. XXXV. KALONYMOS B. KALONYMOS B. MEIR [Satirical writer and philosopher. He was born at Arles in 1286, and died in the first half of the fourteenth century. He lived for some time in Rome, and acquired fame as an original writer and translator. His best known works are _Eben Bohan_ (Stone of Investigation) and _Masseket Purim_. The former, written in rhymed prose, and modelled to some extent after Jedaiah ha-Bedersi’s _Behinat ‘Olam_, is a sharp criticism of the author himself and of his contemporaries, while the latter is an extremely clever parody of the Talmud. He also translated scientific books into Hebrew.]