עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר אֶת כָּל תְּבוּאַת זַרְעֶךָ. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: נִבְהָל לַהוֹן אִישׁ רַע עָיִן וְגוֹ' (משלי כח, כב). רַבִּי חֲנִינָא פָּתַר קְרָא בְּעֶפְרוֹן, דְּאָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא, כָּל שְׁקָלִים שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה סְלָעִים, וְשֶׁבַּנְּבִיאִים לִטְרִין, וְשֶׁבַּכְּתוּבִין קַנְטְרִין, בַּר מִשִּׁקְלֵי עֶפְרוֹן דְּאִינוּן קַנְטְרִין, הָדָא דִּכְתִיב: בְּכֶסֶף מָלֵא יִתְּנֶנָּה לִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם לַאֲחֻזַּת קָבֶר (בראשית כג, ט). וְעַל יְדֵי שֶׁהִכְנִיס עַיִן צָרָה בְּמָמוֹנוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם, חִסְּרוֹ הַכָּתוּב ו', הָדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: אֶרֶץ אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף בֵּינִי וּבֵינְךָ מַה הִיא (שם פסוק טו). אָמַר, מַה הוּא לִי. אִי בָּעִית לְמִיתַן לִי אַרְבַּע מָאתַן קַנְטְרִין דְּכֶסֶף, מִן סְחוֹרָה דְּבֵיתָךְ אַתְּ יָכִיל יָהִיב לִי. וְעַל יְדֵי שֶׁהִכְנִיס עַיִן צָרָה בְּמָמוֹנוֹ, חִסְּרוֹ הַכָּתוּב ו', הָדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָהָם אֶל עֶפְרוֹן וַיִּשְׁקֹל אַבְרָהָם לְעֶפְרֹן (שם פסוק טז). עֶפְרֹן תְּנִינָא, חָסֵר כְּתִיב. רַבִּי אָמַר פָּתַח קְרָא בְּשׁוֹאֵל פָּרָה, וְהָיְתָה עֵינוֹ צָרָה לִשְׂכֹּר שְׁתֵּי פָּרוֹת, וְהוּא שׁוֹאֵל אַחַת וְשׂוֹכֵר אַחַת. וְלֹא יֵדַע כִּי חֶסֶר יְבוּאֶנּוּ (משלי כח, כב), דִּכְתִיב: בְּעָלָיו אֵין עִמּוֹ שַׁלֵּם יְשַׁלֵּם (שמות כב, יג). רַבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח קְרָא בָּזֶה שֶׁהוּא מַלְוֶה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרִבִּית, וְהָיְתָה עֵינוֹ צָרָה לְהַלְווֹתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא בְּרִבִּית. וְלֹא יֵדַע כִּי חֶסֶר יְבוֹאֶנּוּ, דִּכְתִיב: מַרְבֶּה הוֹנוֹ בְּנֶשֶׁךְ וּבְתַרְבִּית לְחוֹנֵן דַּלִּים יְקַבְּצֶנּוּ (משלי כח, ח). וְאֵיזֶה הוּא חוֹנֵן דַּלִּים, זֶה עֵשָׂו הָרָשָׁע. חוֹנֵן דַּלִּים, וַהֲלֹא עוֹשֵׁק דַּלִּים הוּא. כְּגוֹן אֵלּוּ אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוּס דְּנַפְקִין לְקִרְיָתָא וּבָזְזִין לַאֲרִיסַיָּא, וְעַלְלִין לִמְדִינָתָא וְאָמְרִין, כַּנְשִׁין מִסְכֵּינַיָּא, דִּבְעִינָן לְמֵיעְבַד עִמְּהוֹן מִצְוָה. וּמַתְלָן אָמַר, בְּחוֹזְרִין, וּמְפַלְגֵיהּ בְּחוֹלִין. (ס״א: מַתְלָא אָמַר, גַּיְיפַיָּא בְּחִזּוּרִין, וּמְפַלְגָּא לְבִּישַׁיָּה). רַבִּי לֵוִי פָּתַר קְרָא, בָּזֶה שֶׁאֵינוֹ מוֹצִיא מַעַשְׂרוֹתָיו כָּרָאוּי. דְּאָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי, מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה מוֹצִיא מַעַשְׂרוֹתָיו כָּרָאוּי, וְהָיְתָה לוֹ שָׂדֶה אַחַת וְהָיְתָה עוֹשָׂה אֶלֶף מִדּוֹת, וְהָיָה מוֹצִיא מַעַשְׂרוֹתָיו מִמֶּנָּה מֵאָה מִדּוֹת לְמַעֲשֵׂר, וּמִן הַמּוֹתָר הָיָה מִתְפַּרְנֵס הוּא וּבָנָיו וּבְנֵי בֵּיתוֹ כָּל יָמָיו. בִּשְׁעַת מִיתָתוֹ קָרָא לִבְנוֹ, אָמַר, בְּנִי, תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ עַל שָׂדֶה, כָּךְ וְכָךְ מִדּוֹת הִיא עוֹשָׂה, וְכָךְ אֲנִי מוֹצִיא מִמֶּנָּה מַעֲשֵׂר, וּמִמֶּנָּה הָיִיתִי מִתְפַּרְנֵס אֲנִי וּבֵיתִי כָּל יָמַי. שָׁנָה רִאשׁוֹנָה, זְרָעָהּ הַבֵּן אוֹתָהּ וְעָשְׂתָה אֶלֶף מִדּוֹת. הוֹצִיא מִמֶּנָּה מֵאָה מִדּוֹת מַעֲשֵׂר. שְׁנִיָּה, נִכְנַס בּוֹ עַיִן רָעָה, וּפָחַת הוּא עֲשָׂרָה, וּפָחֲתָה הִיא מֵאָה. שְׁלִישִׁית, פָּחַת הוּא עֲשָׂרָה, פָּחֲתָה הִיא מֵאָה. וְכֵן רְבִיעִית וַחֲמִישִׁית, עַד שֶׁעָמְדָה עַל מַעַשְׂרוֹתֶיהָ. כְּשֶׁרָאוּ הַקְּרוֹבִים כֵן, עָמְדוּ לָבְשׁוּ בְּגָדִים לְבָנִים וְנִתְעַטְּפוּ לְבָנִים וְנִכְנְסוּ אֶצְלוֹ. אָמַר לָהֶם: לָמָּה בָּאתֶם, לִשְׂמֹחַ עַל אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ שֶׁנִּדּוּהוּ. אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ, חָס וְשָׁלוֹם, לֹא בָּאנוּ אֶלָּא לִשְׂמֹחַ עִמְּךָ. לְשֶׁעָבַר הָיִיתָ בַּעַל הַבַּיִת וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כֹּהֵן, וְעַכְשָׁו נַעֲשֵׂיתָ כֹּהֵן וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בַּעַל הַבַּיִת. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי, מַפְחִית שָׁנָה מִן שָׁנָה עָלַי עִדָּנָא. לְפִיכָךְ מֹשֶׁה מַזְהִיר אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר. (Deut. 14:22:) “You shall surely tithe.” This text is related (to Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person (i.e., a miser) moves quickly after wealth; [and he does not know that loss will come to him].” R. Hanina interpreted the verse with reference to Ephron (of Gen. 23).4Tanh. (Buber), Exod. 6:5; Lev. 9:1; Gen. R. 58:7; Exod. R. 31:17; PRK 10:1; see also BM 87a. Cf. above, Tanh. (Buber), Exod. 6:13, which identifies the man with Cain. For R. Hanina said, “All the shekels mentioned in the Torah are sela, those in the prophets are litrai,5The Greek word means “pounds.” and those in the writings are centenarii,6The Latin word denotes weights of a hundred pounds. except for the shekels of Ephron, which are not centenarii.7For this valuation of the shekel, see yQid. 1:3 (59d), 5 (60c); Bekh. 50a; PR 1:4. This is what is written (in Gen. 23:9), ‘let him give it to me at the full price.’” Because he brought the evil eye (of greed) into Abraham's wealth, the written text lacks the letter waw. This is what is written (in Gen. 23:15), “My lord, listen to me, what is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between you and me?” He said to him, “If you want to give me four hundred centenarii of silver from the goods of your house, you can give it to me.” Because he brought in an evil eye (i.e., of greed) into Abraham's wealth, [his name] is lacking the letter waw, where it is stated (in Gen. 23:16), “So Abraham heeded Ephron, and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron. It is the second Ephron that is written deficient. R. [Ammi] interpreted the verse (Prov. 28:22) with reference to one who borrows a cow. Since he was too miserly to rent two cows, he borrowed one and rented one. And (according to Prov. 28:22) “he does not know that loss will come to him”; that it is written (in Exod. 22:13), “[When someone borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies,] and its owner is not with it, he shall surely pay.” R. Isaac interpreted the verse (Prov. 28:22) with reference to the one who lends to an Israelite at interest and is too miserly to lend it without interest, and (Prov. 8:22) “he does not know that loss will come to him”; that it is written (in Prov. 28:8), “The one who augments his wealth by interest and usury amasses it for one who is generous to the poor.” Who is the one that is generous to the poor? This is Esau the wicked. Is Esau the wicked generous to the poor? Rather does he not oppress the poor? He is like those procurators who go out to the villages and plunder tenants. Then they go back to the capital and say, “Gather the poor, because we want to perform a good act for them.” The [Aramaic] adage says, “[She commits adultery] for apples, and distributes [them] to the sick.” R. Levi interpreted the verse (i.e., Prov. 28:22) with reference to the person who does not take out his tithes properly. To this end R. Levi told a story about someone who did take out his tithes properly: Now he had a certain field that produced a thousand measures every year. So he took a hundred measures from it for his tithes; and from the remainder he and the children of his household sustained themselves all of his days. At the time of his death, he summoned his son. He said to him, “My son, give your attention to this field. It yields such and such [a number of] measures, and I take out such and such a tithe. From it I have sustained myself and my household all my days.” When that son planted it the first year, it produced a thousand measures, and he took out a hundred measures from it for the tithe. For the second year, an evil eye (i.e., of greed) entered within him. So he subtracted ten [measures from the tithe], but [the field] subtracted one hundred [measures from its yield]. Similarly also [on the third, fourth, and fifth [years], until it was reduced to its tithes. When kinfolk and friends saw [what was happening], they put on white (i.e., festive) [tunics] and wrapped themselves in white [mantles]. [When] they came to him, he said to them, “Why have you come? To rejoice over the very one who has been excommunicated [by the Heavens]?” They said to him, “God forbid! We have only come to rejoice with you. In the past you were the owner of the house, and the Holy One, blessed be He, was the priest; but now the Holy One, blessed be He, has become the owner of the house, and you are the priest.” For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22), “You shall surely tithe.”