אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶן קִסְמָא, פַּעַם אַחַת הָיִיתִי מְהַלֵּךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וּפָגַע בִּי אָדָם אֶחָד, וְנָתַן לִי שָׁלוֹם, וְהֶחֱזַרְתִּי לוֹ שָׁלוֹם. אָמַר לִי, רַבִּי, מֵאֵיזֶה מָקוֹם אַתָּה. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ, מֵעִיר גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁל חֲכָמִים וְשֶׁל סוֹפְרִים אָנִי. אָמַר לִי, רַבִּי, רְצוֹנְךָ שֶׁתָּדוּר עִמָּנוּ בִמְקוֹמֵנוּ, וַאֲנִי אֶתֵּן לְךָ אֶלֶף אֲלָפִים דִּינְרֵי זָהָב וַאֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת וּמַרְגָּלִיּוֹת. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ, בְּנִי, אִם אַתָּה נוֹתֵן לִי כָל כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב וַאֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת וּמַרְגָּלִיּוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, אֵינִי דָר אֶלָּא בִמְקוֹם תּוֹרָה. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא שֶׁבִּשְׁעַת פְּטִירָתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אֵין מְלַוִּין לוֹ לָאָדָם לֹא כֶסֶף וְלֹא זָהָב וְלֹא אֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת וּמַרְגָּלִיּוֹת, אֶלָּא תוֹרָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים בִּלְבַד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי ו) בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ, בְּשָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ, וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ הִיא תְשִׂיחֶךָ. בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, בְּשָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ, בַּקֶּבֶר, וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ הִיא תְשִׂיחֶךָ, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. וְכֵן כָּתוּב בְּסֵפֶר תְּהִלִּים עַל יְדֵי דָוִד מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל (תהלים קיט), טוֹב לִי תוֹרַת פִּיךָ מֵאַלְפֵי זָהָב וָכָסֶף. וְאוֹמֵר (חגי ב) לִי הַכֶּסֶף וְלִי הַזָּהָב אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת:
R. Yossi b. Kisma dijo: "Una vez, mientras caminaba por el camino, un cierto hombre me recibió y me saludó y yo lo saludé a cambio. Él me preguntó: 'Rebbi, ¿de dónde eres?' Respondí: "De una gran ciudad de sabios y escribas". Él respondió: "Rebbi, por favor vive con nosotros en nuestro lugar y te daré miles y miles de dinares dorados y piedras preciosas y perlas". Le dije: 'Hijo mío, si me dieras toda la plata, el oro, las piedras preciosas y las perlas del mundo, viviría solo en un lugar de la Torá. Porque cuando un hombre muere, no lo acompañan ni plata, ni oro, ni piedras preciosas, ni perlas, sino solo Torá y buenas obras ''. Como está escrito (Proverbios 6:22): "Al salir, te conducirá, en si te acuestas, te protegerá y, en tu vigilia, será tu conversación "" Al salir, te guiará "—en este mundo; "en tu acostarte te protegerá"—en la tumba; "en tu vigilia, será tu conversación"—en el mundo por venir Y así está escrito en el libro de los Salmos de David, rey de Israel (Salmos 119: 72): "Mejor para mí la Torá de tu boca que miles en oro y plata" y (Chaggai 2: 8): "Mío es la plata y la mía el oro, dice el Señor de los ejércitos ".
Rashi on Avot
"Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold": Its explanation is [that this is] for his praise and honor, as it is stated (Isaiah 6:3), "the earth is full of His honor."
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Rabbi Yose ben Kisma said: Once I was walking by the way when a man met me, and greeted me and I greeted him. He said to me, “Rabbi, where are you from?” I said to him, “I am from a great city of sages and scribes”. He said to me, “Rabbi, would you consider living with us in our place? I would give you a thousand thousand denarii of gold, and precious stones and pearls.” I said to him: “My son, even if you were to give me all the silver and gold, precious stones and pearls that are in the world, I would not dwell anywhere except in a place of Torah; for when a man passes away there accompany him neither gold nor silver, nor precious stones nor pearls, but Torah and good deeds alone, as it is said, “When you walk it will lead you. When you lie down it will watch over you; and when you are awake it will talk with you” (Proverbs 6:22). “When you walk it will lead you” in this world. “When you lie down it will watch over you” in the grave; “And when you are awake it will talk with you” in the world to come. And thus it is written in the book of Psalms by David, king of Israel, “I prefer the teaching You proclaimed to thousands of pieces of gold and silver” (Psalms 119:71), And it says: “Mine is the silver, and mine the gold, says the Lord of Hosts” (Haggai 2:8). The teaching in this mishnah is similar to the words of Rabbi Nehorai in chapter four, mishnah fourteen, “go as a [voluntary] exile to a place of Torah and say not that it will come after you” Rabbi Nehorai teaches that one should leave a city where one cannot learn Torah to go to a place where one can learn Torah. In our mishnah we see a reverse move: Rabbi Yose ben Kisma will not leave his city which is full of sages, even to go to a place where they will give him all of the money in the world. The wealth of Torah accompanies not only in this world, but to the grave and onwards to the world to come. Note how opposite this idea is from the ancient practice of burying a person with some of his material possessions, which were to go on with him to the world to come. In Judaism what accompanies a person to the world to come are not his material possessions but his spiritual accomplishments: learning Torah and performing good deeds. This is what God truly cares about. Rabbi Yose uses several texts to prove that true wealth belongs to God and is given through His Torah. The wealth of money and jewels cannot tempt Rabbi Yose to leave a life of Torah.
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