Inheriting Hell for a good deed
A man may feed his father on fattened chickens and inherit Hell, and another may put his father to work treading a mill and inherit the Garden of Eden.
How is it possible that a man might feed his father fattened chickens and inherit Hell?
There was a man who used to feed his father fattened chickens. Once his father said to him: “My son, where did you get these?” He answered: “Old man, old man, shut up and eat, just as dogs shut up when they eat.” Such a man feeds his father fattened chickens, but he inherits Hell.
How is it possible that a man might put his father to work in a mill and still inherit Garden of Eden?
It once happened that a man was working in a mill. The king decreed that his aged father should be brought to work for him. The son said to his father: “Father, go and work in the mill in place of me [and I will go to work for the king]. For it may be [that the workers for the king will be] ill-treated, in which case let me be ill-treated instead of you. And it may be [that the workers for the king will be] beaten, in which case let me be beaten instead of you.” Such a man puts his father to work in a mill, but he inherits Garden of Eden. (Palestinian Talmud, Kiddushin 1:7)
