Dung souvenir based on holy phraseFollow the link for a video that really ought to have come from Saturday Night Live.
(BBC)
The manager of a tourist centre in the Holy Land has come up with an unusual idea for a souvenir.
Visitors to Menachem Goldberg's tourist compound at Kedem village in Galilee can buy pieces of donkey dung presented in a plastic cube inscribed with religious text.
Mr Goldberg based the idea on a phrase in the Jewish Talmud which says, '"Let the messiah come... may I be worthy to sit in the shadow of his donkey's dung."
Some Googling indicates that b. Sanhedrin 98b is the passage in question, but I don't have the text handy today to verify the reference.
UPDATE (26 December): Yep, that's the passage, and Jacob Neuser e-mails the text from his translation:
I.105 A. Said Ulla, "Let him come, but may I not see him."UPDATE (31 December): More here.
B. Said Rabba, "Let him come, but may I not see him."
C. R. Joseph said, "May he come, and may I have the merit of sitting in the shade of the dung of his ass."
D. Said Abbayye to Rabbah, "What is the reason [that some do not wish to see the coming of the messiah]? Is it because of the turmoil of the Messiah?
E. "And has it not been taught on Tannaite authority:
F. "His disciples asked R. Eliezer, 'What should someone do to save himself from the turmoil of the Messiah?'
G. "[He replied to them], 'Let him engage in study of the Torah and acts of loving kindness.'
H. "And lo, the master [at hand] practices Torah-study and acts of lovingkindness. [So why not want to see him?]"
I. He said to him, "Perhaps he fears sin will cause [him to suffer], in line with what R. Jacob bar Idi said."
J. For R. Jacob bar Idi contrasted two verses of Scripture, as follows: "It is written, 'And behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go'
(Gen. 28:15), and another verse states, 'Then Jacob was greatly afraid' (Gen. 32:8).
K. "[Why the contrast between God's promise and Jacob's fear?] Jacob feared [and thought to himself,] 'Sin which I have done may cause [punishment for me instead].'"
L. That accords with what has been taught on Tannaite authority:
M. "Till your people pass over, O Lord, till your people pass over, that you have acquired" (Ex. 15:16).
N. "Till your people pass over" refers to the first entry into the land [in Joshua's time].
O. "Till your people pass over, that you have acquired" refers to the second entry into the land [in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Thus a miracle was promised not only on the first occasion, but also on the second. But it did not happen the second time around. Why not?]
P. On the basis of this statement, sages have said, "The Israelites were worthy of having a miracle performed for them in the time of Ezra also, just as it had been performed for them in the time of Joshua b. Nun, but sin caused the miracle to be withheld."