DEUT1689 R. Jonathan said: Whoever fulfills the Torah amid poverty, in the end he will yet fulfill it amid wealth; but whoever makes naught of the Torah amid wealth, in the end he shall make naught of it in poverty. Pirkei Avot, Perek IV, mishnah 11. … The interesting thing to note is that R. Jonathan differs radically in his thinking with the basic ideology of the acquisitive or affluent society. It is clear from his words that poverty is not necessarily an ill, nor is wealth automatically a blessing, the mark of success that insures a happy life. But this is, unfortunately, the common view. Should a person's bank balance fail to rise to a certain level, society may regard him, and (more tragically) he may regard himself, as a failure. He may live with a sense of bitterness and anger and frustration. And the affluent man, assured of his bank balance and its steady growth, basking in the status symbols about him, may feel that his life has thus achieved full success. This is all wrong, R. Jonathan implies: Poverty offers a man a golden opportunity for growth; riches may bring corruption in the and decay--not of the bank account, but of something far more lasting and important: the character, the soul, the spiritual self. Long, long before R. Jonathan, Moses our Master sounded the same note of prophetic warning: "Jeshurun [the people Israel] grew fat and kicked; you became fat, you grew thick, you became sleek; then he forsook God who made him, and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation" [this verse]. Moses saw this in a vision as though it had already occurred; he speaks in the past tense. But it is a prophecy: it happens over and over and over again. Riches come, and religion and faith fly out the window. Money seems to give people wings to take off for "greener pastures," leaving Torah far behind. Ultimately, any radical shift in circumstances or environment poses a threat and a challenge to religious life, be it hardship or good fortune. The Hebrew word for poverty, oni, also means affliction, and is often used in Scripture in this sense (E.g. Deuteronomy 26:7, Lamentations 3:19, Psalms 25:18, 44:25, 69:30, 88:16). Obviously money troubles will bring affliction; the spirit will easily become downtrodden, oppressed. And wealth brings its own hazards and perils to the character and destiny of man. This much we learn from R. Jonathan: through either extreme, let a man remain loyal to the Torah, and he will ultimately enjoy in tranquility the fruit of his devotion and loyalty.

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DEUT1690 R. Yannai said: It is not within our ability [to understand or explain] the tranquil well-being of the wicked or the afflictions of the righteous. Pirkei Avot, Perek IV, mishnah 19. … we could interpret our text this way: It is not within our ability to handle either the tranquil well-being of the wicked or the afflictions of the righteous. We probably would not withstand the temptations of good fortune and extreme luxury, which indeed turn many wicked. Nor is it likely that we could bear with equanimity the extreme suffering that befell some of our great Sages and scholars, like the afflictions of Job. We are ordinary people of small spiritual stature. We can do best in a medium "climate of life," with a moderate amount of joy and happiness and a normal amount of trouble. Great woe, massive amounts of suffering, or unbearable burdens can well make a person's faith snap. The crushing pain of poverty, say the Sages, is one of three causes that will drive a man beyond his own good sense and the good sense of his Maker (T.B. Erubin 41b). Similarly, there are few people whose usual belief and easy-going faith could withstand the upheaval and temptation of sudden great wealth. In our written Torah we read, "Jeshurun grew fat and kicked," [this verse] a dire prophecy that with prosperity and affluence the people Israel would kick over the traces to reject its faith. Our prayer to the Almighty should be to give us everything in moderation, and proportions that He knows to be best for us.

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DEUT1695 There is another Jewish disadvantage to becoming wealthy. The wealthier a person gets, the more a person tends to forget about God and to think only about himself. The classic reaction to wealth and the "good life" is in the Torah [this verse], describing the person who "kicked," that is, complained, when he became "fat," that is, successful, as he no longer appreciated God. People who work hard and accumulate riches tend to think that it is through their own efforts alone that they have become wealthy and that therefore, all the wealth belongs to them. The prophet (Chagai 2:8) teaches us that all money belongs to God, and none of it belongs to man. The entire world is God's to begin with (Psalms 24:1) and the more one accumulates, the more one tends to forget this, as power can go to a person's head.

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DEUT1693 … if a man were free from labor and did not have to exert himself for his food, he would be recalcitrant and would pursue transgression, as it is written [this verse]: "And Yeshurun grew fat and he kicked." And our Rabbis of blessed memory have said (Avos 2:2): "The ideal is study of Torah combined with the pursuit of a livelihood, for the exertion required by both causes one to forget transgression." But now the Exalted God has relegated two occupations to man, his own and that of Torah. And a man must follow the middle course between the two occupations and devote specified hours to the work of Torah and to the work of this world respectively.

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DEUT1694 [Among the fundamentals of repentance]: (9) The breaking of desire. One must impress upon himself that desire vitiate all deeds. He must withdraw from luxuries, even those which are permissible. He must follow the ways of separation and eat only to sate his soul and maintain his body. The same applies to his conjugal relations. For as long as a man follows desire, he is influenced by material considerations and is drawn away from the path of reason, at which juncture his evil inclination overpowers him, as it is written [this verse]: "When Yeshurun waxed fat, he kicked," and (Mishlei 30:9): "Lest I be full and deny and say, 'Who is Hashem?'" The desire which is implanted in a man's heart is the root of all his actions. He should, therefore, hasten to properly order his desire, as we have described at length above. And there is another great benefit in the breaking of desire, for through it one demonstrates that his heart is good and just and that he despises the physical nature which causes him to sin. And if one separates himself even from what is permissible, he therefore constructs a great fence against contact with the forbidden, reasoning: "If I do not fulfill my appetite with what is permitted, how, then, can I stretch forth my hand to that which is forbidden?"

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DEUT1696 Therefore, my brother, fix firmly in your heart the meaning of your prayer. Let it correspond with the words you utter. Let both [words and thought] be directed to God alone. Free your body of all motion, and restrain your senses and thoughts from involvement in any worldly matter while you are praying. Take an example from how you would act were you standing in the presence of your sovereign, thanking and praising him and recounting his favors, even though he is ignorant of what is in your heart. Certainly, then, you should act this way toward the Creator, May He be exalted, Who observes your outer life and inner life, your hidden and revealed self. It is a wonder [that you would even consider behaving otherwise], as prayer is given to you by God on trust, a security that He has placed in your hands and under your control; no one can monitor it besides Him. If you pray as God has commanded, you live up to the trust He places in you, and He will accept your prayer. If, however, when you pray you are not sincere--either in your heart or with your tongue-- you will be counted among those who violate God's trust, of whom Scripture says: “For they are a fickle generation, children who are not to be trusted” (Devarim 32:20). But of trustworthy people, who live up to the standards and conditions of a trust, it says: “My eyes are on the most faithful in the land, that they may reside with me” (Tehillim 101:6).

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DEUT1697 (Continued from [[GEN1379]] Genesis 32:13 said GATES 107) So, too, over their deficiencies in serving Hashem; one is counted guilty and blamed over this [failing] as he would be for the gravest of sins, as our Sages, z"l, said (Yerushalmi Chagigah 1:7), "HaKadosh Baruch Hu was willing to overlook the sins of illicit relations and murder, but He was not willing to overlook the sin of the neglect of Torah [study]." [Rabbeinu Yonah is referring to the overall fulfillment of the Divine will as reflected and manifest through Torah study. As such, the concern is not adequately serving Hashem and the neglect of Torah study are one and the same.] Surely [this should be so] for those who are filled with evil, whose primary thoughts and deeds deal with their physical wants and the vanities of the times [I.e., They should certainly be distraught and guilt-ridden over their feelings". Yet, their souls do not come to true fear [of Heaven]; to give serious thoughts about achieving this, within the inner chambers of their hearts [Yechezkel 8:12], at specific times, is beneath them. Torah is not a part of their daily concerns, and within their hearts soul–searching has been lost--they are a people bereft of counsel [this verse], and they are on the lowest moral plane.

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DEUT1698 There are some people who, as a result of their preoccupation with worldly affairs, do not free themselves for the designated times needed for comprehending their end, as the pasuk states (Iyov 4:21), "Their excess journeys [from them], and they die bereft of wisdom." This means: "Their excess"--their money--"journeys" from them when they travel [from this world], for they derive no benefit from it. On the contrary, it has deprived them of much good, since it causes them to "die bereft of wisdom" – – – for they were not wise enough to comprehend their end, to mend their souls, and to prepare provisions for the way, as the pasuk states [this verse], "Were they wise, they would understand this; they would comprehend their end."

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DEUT1699 See [[LEV1115]] Leviticus 26:8 chase WAGS 14

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DEUT1700 What is prerequisite to a person's repentance? I say it is possible for him to repent only after he knows [the following] seven things. … 4. He must know that [his misdeed] is held against him and recorded in the book of his demerits, and that it will not be overlooked, forgotten, or laid aside, as it says: “Is it not stored up with Me, sealed up in My treasures?” (Devarim 32:34); “Each person signs with his own hand, that every man may know his deeds” (Iyov 37:7). For if he thinks that it is dropped and not held against him, he will neither regret it nor ask forgiveness for it, since his punishment is slow in coming, as it says: “Because the sentence for an evil deed is not carried out immediately, they are therefore emboldened to do evil” (Koheles 8:11).

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