ben Azzai died prematurely, worn out by his activities in
mystical and theosophic speculation; ben Zoma became demented
thereby; Elisha, contemptuously referred to as Acher (the
other), became an apostate; but Akiba was unaffected. Ben
Zoma was famous for his wisdom, it being said of him, "Whoever
sees ben Zoma in his dream is assured of scholarship"
(_Berachot_, 57b). With him, it was said, the last of the
interpreters of the Law (_darshanim_) died (_Sotah_, 49b).
His interpretation of the biblical passage "that thou mayest
remember when thou camest forth out of Egypt" is found in the
_Haggadah_ of Passover eve. See Bacher, _Agada der Tanaiten_,
pp. 425-532; Schechter, _Studies_, I, pp. 129-130; H.
Sperling, in _Aspects of the Hebrew Genius_, p. 150.

(2) Ps. CXIX, 9.

(3) Prov. XVI, 32.

(4) Ps. CXXVIII, 2. The discontented rich man, even, is poor.

(5) I Sam. II, 30.

2. Ben Azzai (6) said, "Hasten to do even a slight precept (7), and
flee from transgression; for one virtue leads to another, and
transgression draws transgression in its train; for the recompense of
a virtue is a virtue, and the recompense of a transgression is a
transgression" (8). 3. He used to say, "Despise not any man, and carp
not at any thing (9); for there is not a man that has not his hour,
and there is not a thing that has not its place."