58. Rabbi Chiya and Rabbi Yosi were walking along the way and chanced upon a mountain. They found two men walking, and at the same time a man coming, who said to them: Please, I pray you, give me a piece of bread. For I have been lost in the desert for two days and have had nothing to eat. One of the men went aside, took out the provision he brought with him for the way and gave it to him; he fed him and gave him drink. His companion said to him: What shall you do when you need food? For as for me, I will eat my own AND SHALL GIVE YOU NOTHING. He said to him: I do not rely upon YOUR FOOD! The poor man sat by him until he had eaten all he had, and he gave the remaining bread to the poor man for the road. And he went away.

59. Rabbi Chiya said: The Holy One, blessed be He, did not wish it to be done by us. Rabbi Yosi said: Perhaps there is an impending sentence upon that man, and the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to put this in his way in order to save him. While they were walking the man became exhausted DUE TO HUNGER. His companion said to him: Did I not tell you not to give your bread to another? Rabbi Chiya said to Rabbi Yosi: We have food with us, let us give him some to eat. Rabbi Yosi said: Do you wish to take away his merit? Let us go and see, for surely death follows in his footsteps - MEANING THAT THE DANGER OF DEATH IS FOLLOWING HIM and the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to prepare a merit for him in order to save him.

60. Meanwhile, the man sat to sleep under a tree. His friend went further and sat in a different place. Rabbi Yosi said to Rabbi Chiya: Let us sit down and watch, for surely the Holy One, blessed be He, intends to perform a miracle by him. They stood up and waited. While they were waiting, they saw a fiery rattlesnake standing by him. Rabbi Chiya said: Woe unto that man, for he is about to die. Rabbi Yosi said: This man is worthy of a miracle of the Holy One, blessed be He. A snake then came down the tree with the intention of killing him. The rattlesnake attacked the snake and killed it. Then the rattlesnake turned his head and went on his way.

61. Rabbi Yosi said: Have I not told you that the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to perform a miracle for him, and you must not take away his merit, THAT HE SHOULD NOT GIVE HIM FOOD. In the meanwhile, the man awoke from his sleep and rose to go. Rabbi Chiya and Rabbi Yosi joined him and gave him food. After he ate, they told him of the miracle the Holy One, blessed be He, performed for him.

62. Rabbi Yosi opened the discussion and said: "Trust in Hashem, and do good; dwell in the land, and enjoy security (also: 'Faith')" (Tehilim 37:3). Happy is the portion of he who does good using what is his, since he stirs good, WHICH IS YESOD, toward the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT. With what DOES HE STIR? With righteousness (Charity), since when Righteousness is stirred, that good stirs toward the Congregation of Yisrael. It is therefore written, "but righteousness delivers from death" (Mishlei 10:2). What is the reason for this? Because Righteousness is the Tree of Life, ZEIR ANPIN. It is aroused against the Tree of Death to take those who are attached to it, and it saves them from death. Who causes the Tree of Life to be stirred to do that? One says: The charity THAT MAN does; it is as if he does it above, IN CAUSING MALCHUT TO BE UNITED WITH THE TREE OF LIFE, as it is written: "and do righteousness at all times" (Tehilim 106:3). We have already explained this.