Comentário sobre Pirkei Avot 4:9

ANYONE WHO UPHOLDS THE TORAH IN POVERTY [Heb. me`oni]. Rav: he is tight on food and still puts his work aside in order to study Torah. The mishna does not says “anyone who studies” because of the second section. There, the mishna did not want to say “anyone who does not study Torah” because we might understand this to refer to one who does not study Torah out of arrogance on account of his wealth. The mishna therefore says “anyone who leaves aside the Torah because of wealth,” i.e. because he needs to busy himself with it he leaves aside his Torah study. In the first section, as well, when the mishna says “anyone who upholds the Torah in poverty” it means that his business needs do not cause him to cast aside his study; instead, he maintains his study—Maharal in Derech Chaim. If we go with this approach that the first section of the mishna was so worded under the influence of the last section, we can also understand the use of the word me`oni, which really means “because of poverty”. Though it would have been more natural to say be`oni, “in poverty,” the mishna used the me- prefix under the influence of the second section which says me`osher, meaning “because of wealth”.¹⁵⁶Where the meaning really is “because of wealth”, as Maharal has explained.

Rabbi Yonatan says: Anyone who implements the Torah in poverty: Since he compresses his hours and neglects his work needed for his livelihood in order to implement the Torah and the commandment, and [so] he studies and does the commandments in difficulty:

He said that anyone that is occupied with Torah and is poor and needy and - with all of this - pains himself to be occupied with it; in the end he will be occupied with it in wealth, such that there not be anything to disturb him from the reading. And one who is not occupied with Torah because of his multitude of money [so that] his involvement is in eating and in drinking and in rest; in the end he will become impoverished and time will be tight for him - until the reason for his neglect of the reading will be his preoccupation with bread for him to eat.

And that which we did not teach [in this mishnah], "who is involved," is because of the end, that we do not want to teach, "anyone who is not involved." As I would have [then] said [that it is] because of the haughtiness of his heart due to his wealth that he is not involved in Torah [study]. And hence, it is taught, "one who neglects, etc;" meaning to say, on account of his needing to be involved in his [assets, since] this matter causes his neglect of Torah. And so too, this is what he means to say: "One who implements the Torah in poverty" [such that] his [business] affairs do not negate his study, but [rather] he [still] fulfills his [obligation to] study - Derekh Chaim. And according to this, it appears to me that [the wording of the beginning], "me'oni (literally, from poverty), is also in view of the end; as we learn [there, literally] "from wealth;" the explanation of which is as a result of wealth. And [this is the case] even though it should have taught, "be'oni (in poverty).

"One who implements the Torah in poverty": who is pressed for food and abstains from his work to be involved in Torah [studies].

Introduction Rabbi Jonathan was a student of Rabbi Ishmael’s. This is his only statement in the mishnah. These two facts go hand in hand. Rabbi Ishmael was the founder of a bet midrash (study house) that differed from the bet midrash founded by Rabbi Akiva. The Mishnah is the product of Rabbi Akiva’s bet midrash, and therefore sages who were from Rabbi Ishmael’s bet midrash rarely have their statements included in it.

WILL EVENTUALLY UPHOLD IT IN WEALTH. Experience has shown that this is often untrue,¹⁵⁷I.e., that such people don’t always become wealthy. as in the story of the poverty-stricken R. Elazar ben P’dat in Ta`anit 25a, whom G-d asked: “would you like me to remake the world, so that perhaps you will be born in a time of plenty?” Maharal writes in Derech Chaim that our mishna is discussing a person with average luck.¹⁵⁸Heb. mazal, a term with complicated theological connotations. And sometimes this happens to a person so that wealth not take him away from his studies,¹⁵⁹Even though the person in question deserves the wealth promised to him by the mishna, G-d keeps it from him in the knowledge that if he gets to be wealthy he will abandon his Torah study. The mishna’s promise, then, is only fulfilled for the kind of person that will not abandon his studies. as in the midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Mishlei 934): the Torah said before G-d: the verse says “In its left are wealth and honor” (Proverbs 3:16)—why then are there Torah scholars in poverty? G-d answered, “To cause those who love Me to inherit what truly is”¹⁶⁰This seems to be how the midrash is reading the verse. (Proverbs 8:21)—why are they poor in this world? In order that they not busy themselves with other things and forget the Torah, as the verse says “for a wise man praises poverty, and the mindless fool, gifts”¹⁶¹This seems to be how the midrash is reading the verse. Unlike the commentators, who see עשק as the subject and חכם as the object, and understand the verb יהולל to mean something like “make foolish, mad” (from הוללות), the midrash sees עשק as the object and חכם as the subject, and understands the verb יהולל to mean “to praise”. This sets up a nice parallelism for the second half of the verse. (Ecclesiastes 7:7).
And sometimes this is the result of a sin, for which suffering atones. Of such a case King Solmon says, “honor G-d with your wealth, etc”, and immediately afterwards, “do not despise G-d’s disciplining” (Proverbs 3:9, 3:11). Rabbenu Yonah ad loc. explains the juxtaposition of the two verses as follows: if, in doing good, you do not see a life of success, do not doubt G-d and do not despise G-d’s discipline, my son, etc.

his end will be to implement it in wealth: As he will become wealthy. And in addition, he will also have broad hours to be occupied with Torah [study] and to implement the commandments, since his income will be great. And he will not require the toil of his hands, but rather he will eat and study 'in joy and with a good heart.' As through wisdom, he will have all the good. [It is] as we found with King Shlomo, peace be upon him, who asked for wisdom and did not ask for silver and gold, as it is stated (Proverbs 30:8), "Keep lies and false words far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, [but] provide me with my daily bread." There is a parable [relevant to this] about a king that said to his servant, "Ask [for] what I should give you." [The servant] said, "If I ask for silver and gold, he will give [it] to me; for properties and lands, he will give [it] to me. I will ask for the king's daughter for my wife, and everything [else] will be included." So did Shlomo, peace be upon him, say, "I will ask for wisdom and everything [else] is included, 'For to be in the shelter of wisdom is to be in the shelter of money'" (Ecclesiastes 7:12).

"his end, etc.": and even if experience frequently shows the opposite of this, [as does] the story of Rabbi Elazar ben Padat (Taanit 25), "If you want, the world can be destroyed, etc." Derekh Chaim wrote that our mishnah is [dealing with] someone of average circumstance (mazal). And also, [the reason such a person does not always become wealthy is] so that his wealth will not cause him to neglect [his Torah study]. And so [too] in the midrash, "Because of what do the children of the poor, etc. So that they will not get involved in other things and forget the words of Torah, as it is written, 'As oppression makes the wise, silly.'" And also, sometimes it is the consequence of sin - and afflictions cleanse. And see Tosafot Yom Tov.

"One that disregards the Torah in wealth": Due to abundance of his [assets], he needs to put his attention sometimes to this, sometimes to that, and [so] has no free time to be involved in Torah [studies].

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. One who studies Torah despite his poverty and despite the fact that he could earn more money if he worked more, will eventually be rewarded with wealth. In contrast, one who neglects the study of Torah because he is so busy trying to earn more money, will eventually lose his wealth. Some commentators on the mishnah raise a difficulty. Empirically speaking one can observe that this mishnah simply is not true. We often see people who study Torah and yet do not become rich and we see people who do not study Torah and do not grow poor. These commentators therefore interpret it to mean that anyone who studies the Torah out of poverty will continue to keep the Torah even if he becomes wealthy; and anyone who does not study the Torah while wealthy will not study it even if he becomes poor. In other words we should not assume that his Torah study, or lack thereof, is a result of his economic status. Another interpretation is that wealth is not to be taken literally. Rather it refers to the type of wealth mentioned in mishnah one of this chapter, that is being satisfied with one’s portion in life. One who is poor but studies Torah will be satisfied with his life, and thereby will feel himself to be wealthy.

And anyone that disregards the Torah in wealth: Since many times and many hours, he had the free time to study and did not do [it, he]:

will in the end disregard it in poverty: As he will need to exert himself for his livelihood and he will not find it; to the point that, as poetic justice, he will not find free time to be occupied with Torah, even if he wanted. And it comes out that he will leave the world without Torah.