תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף קיא
אמר לה רבי חייא לדביתהו כי אתי עניא אקדימי ליה ריפתא כי היכי דלקדמו לבניך אמרה ליה מילט קא לייטת להו אמר לה קרא קא כתיב כי בגלל הדבר הזה ותנא דבי רבי ישמעאל גלגל הוא שחוזר בעולם
R. Hiyya said to his wife: "When a poor man comes, be quick to offer him bread, so that others may be quick to offer it to your children." She said "You are cursing them [our children]!" He replied, "It is written in the Torah: 'because of [bigelal] this thing', as the School of R. Ishmael taught: It is a wheel [galgal] that revolves in the world."
[Soncino translation, edited for readability and accuracy]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What do you make of Rabbi Hiyya's wife's response? What do you think the next line of the dialogue might be?
2. How would you describe Rabbi Hiyya's attitude to his own grandchildren? To the poor?
3. What does this text say about our influence on the future of those near to us? Far from us?
Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)