ABSTRACT
Fables are also stories involving animals, but the key here is that these stories actually happened. Fables are, by definition, "fabulous" and are not meant to be taken literally. It is interesting to note that even the Biblical episode with Balaam's talking donkey is treated by some commentators as figurative, since donkeys do not talk. However, the Talmud does seem to take it literally. The word demai refers to produce purchased from ignorant people and thus there is a suspicion that the tithes may not have been given. Rabbi Pinchas's legendary donkey was a machmir, stringent with the tithing laws, even more stringent than most people. Many stories of the Talmud involve the dead and the next world. Few stories in this chapter follow a discussion in the Talmud as to whether the dead are aware of the plight of the living.
