Shimon ben Shetach was in the hard labor flax trade.
His students said to him: “Rabbi, remove [this work] from yourself,
and we will buy you a donkey and you won’t have to work so hard.”
They went and bought a donkey for him from a Saracen.
When they returned they found a pearl on it .
They came to him and told him:
“From now on you won’t have to work any more!”
He replied:“Why not?
– “We bought you a donkey from a Saracen
and then found on it a pearl.”
Shimon asked: “And did its master know?”
They replied: “No.”
He said: “then go and return it.”
Why they questioned ?:
Did not… Rav [Abba Arikha]: “They said before Rabbi [Yehuda the Prince],
all agree that it is permitted [to retain] that which a none jew lost.’”? [if
Accordingly, why did Shimon ben Shetach return the pearl?]
He replied:
“What do you think,
that Shimon ben Shetach is a barbarian?!
More than Shimon ben Shetach wanted money ,
he wanted to hear [the non-Jew] say
‘Blessed be the God of the Jews.’
