Rabbi Yannai and the Well-Dressed Man

Part 1

Rabbi Yannai was once walking along the road, and saw a man who was extremely well dressed.

Rabbi Yannai said to him: Would you like to come over to my house?

The man replied: Yes.

Rabbi Yannai brought him into his home, and gave him food and drink.

Part 2

As they were eating and drinking together, he examined him in his knowledge of Bible, and found out that he had none; examined his knowledge of Mishnah, and realized that he had none; his knowledge of legends, and saw that he had none; his knowledge of Talmud and saw he had none.

Rabbi Yannai then told him: Wash and recite grace.

Said the guest: Let Yannai recite grace in his own home.

Seeing that he could not even recite a blessing, Yannai told him: Can you at least repeat what I say?

Said he: Yes.

Said Rabbi Yannai: repeat the following: 'A dog has eaten Yannai's bread.'

Offended, the man stood up, and grabbed Rabbi Yannai by the coat!

Part 3

He then said: My inheritance is with you, and you are withholding it from me!

Said Rabbi Yannai with puzzlement: What legacy of yours is there with me?

He replied: Once I passed by a school, and I heard the voices of the little children saying:

'Moses gave us the Torah, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.'

They did not say 'the inheritance of the congregation of Yannai,' but the 'congregation of Jacob.'

Rabbi Yannai asked, “How then are you worthy to eat at my table?”

The guest replied, “Never have I heard an evil word spoken against me and returned to argue with the person who spoke it. Never have I seen two people arguing without making peace between them.”

Rabbi Yannai then said, “you have so much Derech Eretz and I called you a dog.”