Rabbi Judah ben Beteira was one day confronted with a
non-Jewish Syrian braggart. He remarked,
“I’ve been to your Temple in Jerusalem and I have even eaten part of the
sacrifice reserved only for Jews which shows you do not have to be Jewish.”
To this Rabbi Judah ben Beteira replied. “I bet you never
had the fat of the tail, though. You
would have known to ask for it and it is reserved as extra special.”
So the next year when this same man went on a pilgrimage to
the Temple, he asked, “I want the fat of the tail.”
The kohanim of the temple were shocked because everyone
knows that this part is for the exclusive use of the kohanim.
“Who told you to ask for this?” they inquired.
When it was revealed that Rabbi Judah ben Beteira had told
him to do so they uncovered the hidden message and put out the imposter. –Talmud
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