בבא בתרא קכב

One day, a boy passing by a ranch, saw a sign that a donkey was for sale for $100.   The boy entered the ranch barn, looked the donkey over, and told the farmer that he would pay the money if the donkey could be delivered to his house. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day but when he arrived at the boy’s house, there was no donkey.  He told the boy that the donkey had died during the night.  Saddened, the boy asked for his money back.  “I’m afraid that I’ve already spent the money,” the farmer said. “Well, then just give me the donkey,” said the boy.  What are you going to do with a dead donkey?” asked the farmer.  The boy told him that he would think of something, so the farmer delivered the dead donkey the next day.  The next month, the farmer saw the boy and asked him what he ever did with the donkey.  “I made $895 off of that thing,” the boy said. “How could you make that much money off of a dead donkey?” the farmer wanted to know. The boy said: “I didn’t tell anyone he was dead.  I just put up signs around town that said I was going to raffle off a beautiful donkey for five dollars a ticket and I sold 200 tickets.” “Wait a minute,” said the farmer, “you said you made $895 but if you sold 200 tickets at five dollars each that’s $1000.  After you subtract the one hundred dollars that you paid me, you should have made $900.”  “You’re right,” said the boy, “but when the winner found out that the donkey was dead, he was a little upset so I gave him his money back.”

06/10/2021