Ibid., fol. 152, col. 2.

Clever answers to puzzling questions like the above, are of frequent occurrence in the Talmud; and we select here a few out of the many specimens of Rabbinical ready wit and repartee.

Turnus Rufus once said to Rabbi Akiva, “If your God is a friend to the poor, why doesn’t he feed them?” To which he promptly replied, “That we by maintaining them may escape the condemnation of Gehenna.”  “On the contrary,” said the Emperor, “the very fact of your maintaining the poor will condemn you to Gehenna.  I will tell thee by a parable whereto this is like.  It is as if a king of our own flesh and blood should imprison a servant who has offended him, and command that neither food nor drink should be given him, and as if one of his subjects in spite of him should go and supply him with both.  When the king hears of it will he not be angry with that man?  And ye are called servants, as it is said (Lev. xxv. 55), ‘For unto me the children of Israel are servants.’” To this Rabbi Akiva replied, “And I too will tell thee a parable whereunto the thing is like.  It is like a king of our own flesh and blood who, being angry with his son, imprisons him, and orders that neither food nor drink be given him, but one goes and gives him both to eat and drink.  When the king hears of it will he not handsomely reward that man?  And we are sons, as it is written (Deut. xiv. 1), ’Ye are the sons of the Lord your God.’” “True,” the Emperor replied, “ye are both sons and servants; sons when ye do the will of God; servants when ye do not; and now ye are not doing the will of God.”

Bava Bathra, fol. 10, col. 1.

Certain philosophers once asked the elders at Rome, “If your God has no pleasure in idolatry, why does He not destroy the objects of it?” “And so He would,” was the reply, “if only such objects were worshiped as the world does not stand in need of; but you idolaters will worship the sun and moon, the stars and the constellations.  Should He destroy the world because of the fools there are in it?  No!  The world goes on as it has done all the same, but they who abuse it will have to answer for their conduct.  On your philosophy, when one steals a measure of wheat and sows it in his field it should by rights produce no crop; nevertheless the world goes on as if no wrong had been done, and they who abuse it will one day smart for it.”

Avoda Zarah, fol. 54, col. 2.

Antoninus Caesar asked Rabbi (the Holy), “Why does the sun rise in the east and set in the west?” “Thou wouldst have asked,” answered the Rabbi, “the same question if the order had been reversed.”  “What I mean,” remarked Antoninus, “is this, is there any special reason why he sets in the west?” “Yes,” replied Rabbi, “to salute his Creator (who is in the east), for it is said (Neh. ix. 6), ’And the host of heaven worship Thee.’”

Sanhedrin, fol. 91, col. 2.