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.