Rabbi Jonathan said: whoever fulfills the Torah out of a state of poverty, his end will be to fulfill it out of a state of wealth; And whoever discards the Torah out of a state of wealth, his end will be to discard it out of a state of poverty.
At first glance, Rabbi Jonathan provides a black and white aphorism which promotes the study and fulfilment of Torah as a primary contributor to attaining wealth. If one who is poor studies Torah, he will be rewarded by being able to fulfil Torah with wealth. In contrast, one who has money but neglects Torah, will end up neglecting Torah while poor. These two clauses are presumably to be understood through the prism of reward and punishment. This could be explained either as divine intervention or as Rabbi Simoen ben Zemah Duran suggests, a natural consequence. Studying and following Torah provides intellectual, social, and practical skills transferable for material success.
From the fact that the reward for fulfilling Torah is wealth, Rabbi Jonathan is minimally intimating the value of material success as a motivator and may be even indicating that wealth is a value in its own right. While Rabbi Samuel de Uceda assumes wealth poses bigger religious challenges than poverty, Rabbi Moshe Almosnino, echoing the simple sense of this Mishna, presumes the opposite.
Poverty is not to be glorified. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes, “Poverty humiliates, and a good society will not allow humiliation” (The Dignity of Difference, p. 119). Besides for societal factors that perpetuate poverty, there are additional psychological factors that contribute to the difficulty of breaking free from poverty. In an article “On the Psychology of Poverty,” Johannes Haushofer and Ernst Fehr write that “the evidence indicates that poverty causes stress and negative affective states which in turn may lead to short-sighted and risk-averse decision-making, possibly by limiting attention and favoring habitual behaviors at the expense of goal-directed ones.” For our purposes, it is difficult to serve God properly and learn Torah effectively when distracted by a lack of fulfilment of basic needs for survival. One who can stay committed and connected even during such a difficult challenge, will according to Rabbi Jonathan, be blessed with wealth so he or she would not have to struggle through that trial any longer.
As with any categorical statement related to reward and punishment, many commentaries are bothered by the empirical evidence that contradicts such a reality. There are plenty of poor people who learn Torah, fulfil its precepts, and remain poor. Likewise, many wealthy people neglect Torah yet remain rich. One possibility is to acknowledge that Rabbi Jonathan did not mean his statement as an absolute guarantee, but as a general principle that would allow for exceptions.
One creative explanation by Rabbi de Uceda that ameliorates this conundrum is to suggest that the Mishna is not relating to poverty and wealth in a financial sense but has an intellectual connotation. Someone who is “poor” in terms of their cognitive abilities but demonstrates grit and perseverance will eventually succeed. In contrast, someone who is blessed with the intellectual capacity for in depth Torah analysis but squanders it due to lack of diligence or motivation, will inevitably fail. While also not a guarantee, this “ifà then” consequence may be more empirically persuasive than one related to Torah and wealth.
Rabbi Moshe Alschich takes a different approach, assuming that Rabbi Jonathan is not alluding to external reward and punishment but is describing a particular mindset of success that transcends material reality. Someone who is dedicated to the study and fulfilment of Torah should be committed regardless of external circumstances of wealth or poverty. Someone who is less diligent will find excuses not to learn whether they are rich or poor. As Rabbi Dr. Reuven Bulka writes, “the key factor is the human acceptance, the attitude an individual takes towards circumstance. The individual who affirms Torah, affirms the Torah unconditionally; the individual who rejects the Torah makes a rejection which, as a matter of course, would become unconditional.” Also focusing on a mindset rather than experience, Rabbi Yaakov Emden hearkens back to Ben Zoma’s message that someone who is happy with his lot is considered rich (Avot 4:1). The study of Torah should allow one to transform his or her outlook that even without much money, he will consider himself wealthy.
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