(The Mishnah taught (Chulin 101(h)) - And similarly for women - if gentiles said, "Give us one of you and we will violate her and if not, we will violate all of you''; they should allow them all to be violated rather than actively give over one single Jew.) Isn't it logical to say that if one of them was already defiled, that it would be permitted? Isn't it logical to say that if one ofthem was a slave woman, it would be permitted?

Baraisa: If there was a caravan of travellers and gentiles accosted them and said,''Give us one of you and we will kill him; and if not, we will kill all of you!'' - even if all must be killed, they may not give over a single Jew.

But if they designated one particular person, such as Sheva ben Bichri, they may give him over rather than be killed.

(R. Shimon ben Lakish): That's only if the person is anyway liable the death penalty, like Sheva ben Bichri.

(R. Yochanan): Even if he is not liable like Sheva ben Bichri.

Ulla bar Koshav was wanted by the government (for execution). He fled and went to Lod, to R. Yehoshua ben Levi. Soldiers came and surrounded his home. They said, "If you don't turn him in, we will destroy the entire province''.

R. Yehoshua ben Levi went to Ulla bar Koshav and convinced him to hand himself in.

Until then, Eliyahu HaNavi would visit R. Yehoshua ben Levi, but from that point onwards, he didn't come. He fasted many fasts to know why it was that Eliyahu wasn't coming.

Eliyahu finally came and said to him, "Should I reveal myself to those that give over Jews to gentiles?'' R. Yehoshua ben Levi responded, "Didn't I do as was written in the Mishnah?'' Eliyahu said, "But is that the correct behaviour for the pious?''

R. Imi was kidnapped by bandits. R. Yonasan said, "Wrap the dead in his sheet'' (as there's no way to save him). R. Shimon ben Lakish said, "I will go and save him - either I will kill or I'll be killed. I'll go and save him by force.

He went and appeased them and they released him. Reish Lakish said to them, "Come to R. Yochanan the Elder and he will pray for you''. They came to R. Yochanan and he said to them, "Whatever was in your hearts to do to him should befall you''. Before they had reached Apipsirus, they all died.

Zeir bar Chanina was kidnapped by bandits. R. Imi and R. Shmuel went to appease them. Queen Zenavei said to them, "Your Creator often does miracles for you''. While they were talking to her, a Yishmaeli merchant came in brandishing a knife and said to them, "With this knife, Bar Natzar killed the queen's brother''. The queen became so disturbed that Zeir bar Chanina managed to escape.

Once, R. Yochanan said that thieves had stolen his money. He went to the Beis Midrash. R. Shimon ben Lakish asked him questions and he didn't answer. Reish Lakish asked him why this is and he replied that all of the limbs depend on the heart and the heart depends on the pocket. Reish Lakish asked him what he meant and he replied, "Why are you asking? Don't you know what happened? The thieves stole my money!''

Reish Lakish asked him to show him the road they took and R. Yochanan did so. When Reish Lakish saw them from afar, he began to shout at them. They said, "If we took from R. Yochanan, we will return him half''. Reish Lakish replied, "No. By you lives, you will return all of it!'' They returned all of it and he took it from them.

Diklut was a pig shepherd (in Tiveria). The children of (the Beis Midrash of) R. Yehuda HaNasi would hit him. Eventually, he became king in Rome. He went to Pamias (a.k.a. Banias) and sent letters to the Chachamim requiring them to come immediately after Shabbos.

He told the messenger, "Don't give them the message until the sun is almost setting on Friday'' and the messenger did so. R. Yehuda HaNasi and R. Shmuel bar Nachman went to bathe for Shabbos in the bathhouse of Tiveria.

The evil spirit of the bathhouse named Intigris came to them and Rebbi wanted to drive him out. R. Shmuel bar Nachman said, "Leave him be as he sometimes appears for the purpose of a miracle.'' Intigrus asked them, "Why are you troubled?'' They told him the story and he said to them, "Wash yourselves in honor of Shabbos and the Creator will do for you miracles''. After Shabbos, the spirit carried them into the city.

The palace guards told the king that Rabbis were standing outside his palace. The king said, "They may not see my face unless they have bathed''. There was a bathhouse there that they would heat for 7 days and 7 nights so its heat would kill a person. The spirit went and cooled off the bathhouse and the Rabbis bathed there and came and stood before the king.

The king said to them,''Just because your Creator does miracles for you regularly, you are disgracing the king?'' They replied, "We disgraced Diklut the pig shepherd but we didn't disgrace Diklitianus the king! He replied, "Nevertheless, don't disgrace even a simple Roman or a simple Persian, (as any of them might become great)''.