It happened upon one occasion when Rabbi Meir was lecturing in the college, that some students entered and said to him:—
"Thy teacher, Elishah, is riding by on horseback on this holy Sabbath day."
Rabbi Meir left the college, and overtaking Elishah walked along by his horse's side.
The latter saluted him, and asked:—
"What passage of Scripture hast thou been expounding?"
"From the book of Job," replied Rabbi Meir. "'The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning.'"
"And how didst thou explain the verse?" said Elishah.
"That the Lord increased his wealth twofold."
"But thy teacher, Akiba, said not so," returned Elishah. "He said that the Lord blessed the latter days of Job with twofold of penitence and good deeds."
"How," inquired Rabbi Meir, "wouldst thou explain the verse, 'Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.' If a man buys merchandise in his youth and meets with losses, is it likely that he will recover his substance in old age? Or, if a person studies God's law in his youth and forgets it, is it probable that it will return to his memory in his latter days?"