ABSTRACT
Thereonce lived in an Oriental town a wealthy Hebrew, whose name was Elimelech. Being somewhat of an ascetic, he shunned every kind of enjoyment which life offers to well-to-do people, and devoted much of his leisure to the reading of prayers in the synagogue. These frequent devotional exercises occupied his mind so fully that, though a bachelor, he hardly ever noticed his lonely state. But when he got old and infirm in body and mind, he thought that a helpmate would be an excellent thing for him, and being well off, it was easy for him to carry out his intention. He made, however, one serious mistake, which consisted in this, that, instead of uniting himself to a woman of ripe age and experience, he fixed his eye on a young and 17pretty girl, whose name was Tamar. As she was poor and an orphan, too, he easily succeeded in getting her consent to become his wife.
