Rabbi Chanina bar Pappi Flees a Noblewoman
To escape a noblewoman's advances, Rabbi Chanina bar Pappi hides all night in a dangerous building and emerges unharmed, protected by a miracle.
The first was an incident that occurred with Rabbi Chanina bar Pappi. A noblewoman attempted to convince Rabbi Chanina bar Pappi to act immorally with her. Seeing no alternative, he ran into a building filled with physical dangers to escape her. He stayed there until morning, when he left without a scratch. Wondering how he had exited the building unharmed, the rabbis asked him, “Who protected you?” He replied, “Two of the Caesar’s soldiers watched over me the entire night.” They suggested, “Perhaps you overcame a desire to act immorally, for we learned in a beraisa: If a person had the opportunity to act immorally but he held himself back, they perform a miracle for him.”