[8] Yishmael's teachings were calculated to promote peace and goodwill among all:[1] "Be indulgent with the hoary head;" he would say, "and be kind to the black-haired [the young]; and meet every man with a friendly countenance".
[11] One Friday night, while absorbed in the study of the Bible, he inadvertently turned the wick of a lamp; and he vowed that when the Temple was rebuilt, he would offer there an expiatory sacrifice.
"[14] Yishmael gradually developed a system of halakhic exegesis which, while running parallel with that of Rabbi Akiva, is considered the more logical of the two.
[15][1] Yishmael was of opinion that the Torah was conveyed in the language of man,[16] and that therefore a seemingly superfluous word or syllable cannot be used as a basis for new deductions.
In discussing a hypothetical case with Akiva, he once exclaimed, "Wilt thou indeed decree death by fire on the strength of a single letter?
[1] To consistently carry out his views in this direction, Ishmael formalized a set of 13 hermeneutic rules by which halakha was derived from the Torah.
[17] Even these rules, he would not permit to apply to important questions, such as capital cases in which no express Scriptural warrant for punishment existed; he would not consent to attach a sentence of death, or even a fine, to a crime or misdemeanor on the strength of a mere inference, however logical, where no such punishment is clearly stated in Scripture[18] or to draw a rule from a law itself based on an inference.
The lame one, however, tempted by the precious fruit, suggested to his blind companion that he ascend a tree and pluck some; but the latter pointed to his sightless eyes.