DEUT1683 Rabbi Dosa ben Horkinas said: … children's talk … removes a man from the world. Pirkei Avot, Perek III, mishnah 14. There is always a wide gulf between the generations. The older father or grandfather represents an age gone by; no one is interested any longer in the way things were done in his time. He is invariably, inevitably "old-fashioned." What, indeed, can he have in common with the younger generation? As a rule, very little, unless, wishing to be "modern" at all costs, he learns to manage "children's talk": he comes to discuss baseball standings, the latest movies, etc. No member of our people, however, need be reduced to such a state. If he gives his children a traditional Jewish education, and they in turn transmit it to their children, he can always talk with the young ones about something ever fresh and timely in Bible or Talmud. Grandchildren and grandparents then have Torah and Jewish life in common. "Ask your father, and he will inform you; your grandfathers, and they will tell you" [this verse]. Indeed, this sharing of values and ideas truly reinstates grandfather, not as the tolerated "old man," but as the revered and respected head of the family, the fountainhead and source of tradition.

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DEUT1684 See [[DEUT1676]] Deuteronomy 32:6 father DUTIES 669-71

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DEUT1688 See [[LEV749]] Leviticus 19:26 eat CHINUCH 157-8

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DEUT1687 See [[DEUT387]] Deuteronomy 8:14 haughty GATES 53-54

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DEUT1685 How ugly and loathsome is the action of the rich man insulting the poor and being insolent towards the Holy One, blessed because He, because of his wealth. This is the quality of the wicked who are insolent towards the Holy One, blessed be He, because of peace and wealth, as it is said, "When they were fed, they became full, they were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore they have forgotten Me" (Hosea 13:6). It is also said (this verse). A wise man said: There are two qualities that are evil, when the donor is proud of his gift and the rich man is haughty in his riches.

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DEUT1686 See [[DEUT220]] Deuteronomy 6:5 love TZADIK 103-7

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DEUT1692 Why man must exert himself to obtain a livelihood. The reason the Creator obliged man to exert himself and search for the means of [obtaining] a livelihood and other necessities is twofold. First, since Divine wisdom demands the trial of the soul with service of God or rebellion against Him, God tries the soul with what will reveal its choice in the matter, namely, with the need and want for that which is external to it--food, drink, clothing, shelter, and sexual relations. He commanded human beings to seek and obtain these requirements through the available means, in specific ways, and at certain times. What the Creator decrees a man should attain of them the man realizes and attains through ample means which are provided him. What the Creator does not decree that he should attain of them he does not attain, and the means are withheld from him. His service or sin is demonstrated through his intent on--and choice of--one to the exclusion of the other, and this then determines reward or punishment, even if he does not carry it out in deed. Second, if a man did not have to trouble and busy himself in seeking means of obtaining his livelihood, he would rebel and chase after what is forbidden, and would pay no attention to what he owes God for His goodness to him, as it says: “They have lyre and harp, timbrel and flute and wine at their feast, and they do not notice God's works, they do not see His handiwork” (Yeshayahu 5:12); “Yeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, thick, and gross. He forsook God Who made him” (Devarim 32:15). [And our Masters], of blessed memory, said: “Excellent is the study of Torah together with a worldly occupation, for labor at both puts sin out of mind. And all Torah without work will in the end be neglected and occasion sin” (Avos 2:2). How much more so is this true of one who has no share in either, who concentrates on neither of these [pursuits]. It is out of His mercy for man that the Creator, May He be exalted, preoccupies him with the affairs of this world and the Hereafter, so that all his life he be absorbed in them and not seek what he does not need and cannot grasp within his intellect—e.g., the matters of the beginning and the end. As the Wise One said, “He has also set the world in their heart, for man will never fathom the work that God has made from beginning to end” (Koheles 3:11). If, however, a person gives priority to the service of God and resolves to fear Him; trust in Him in all his interests, religious and secular; turns away from the despicable things and aspires to good qualities; does not rebel when in comfort nor incline toward leisure; is not swayed by his baser instincts nor seduced by the enchanting things of the world--then he will be relieved of the burden of seeking and searching for a livelihood, since the two reasons [for obliging him to do so] that have been mentioned, trial and rebellion in the midst of prosperity, will have become inapplicable to him. His livelihood will come to him without trouble or weariness, to the extent of his needs and requirements, as it is written: “God will not let the righteous go hungry” (Mishlei 10:3).

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DEUT1691 See [[EXOD356]] Exodus 20:3 other OXFORD 39

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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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