shabbat 33

the consequences of sins and slander.

& when you talk badly about the good things the Romans have done for us, need to spend 12 years and 12 months as a disembodied head to learn the healing benefits of marketplaces, bathhouses and money.

(it all gets Monty Python with "what good have the Romans ever done for us..." conversation. R. Shimon bar Yochai is critical of Roman rule, so he and his son  go on the run, they hide in cave, and remain there, buried up to their necks in sand, for 12 years & 12 months. R. Shimon, when finally exiting, wants to repay the miracle done for him by bringing healing to the town. like Ya'acov who healed Shechem by building marketplaces, bathhouses or introducing currency... the very things that R. Shimon was critical of the Romans for building. for english translation of this talmud page, see here)