(י) רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי מְמַעֵט בְּעֵסֶק, וַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה. וֶהֱוֵי שְׁפַל רוּחַ בִּפְנֵי כָל אָדָם. וְאִם בָּטַלְתָּ מִן הַתּוֹרָה, יֶשׁ לְךָ בְטֵלִים הַרְבֵּה כְנֶגְדָּךְ. וְאִם עָמַלְתָּ בַתּוֹרָה, יֶשׁ לוֹ שָׂכָר הַרְבֵּה לִתֶּן לָךְ:
(10) Rabbi Meir said: Engage but little in business, and busy yourself with the Torah. Be of humble spirit before all men. If you have neglected the Torah, you shall have many who bring you to neglect it, but if you have labored at the study of Torah, there is much reward to give unto you
(א) אמר הוי ממעט בסחורה והתמד על התורה... וענין בטלים הרבה כנגדך הוא שיש דברים הרבה המבטלים ויצטרכו למי שנתעסק בהן וכשלא תתעסק בתורה יטרידך הזמן באחד מן הדברים ההם:
(1) He said [to] minimize your business and be constant with the Torah and Be humble of spirit before everyone - meaning to say that you not be humble of spirit in front of the big people alone; indeed in front of every man. [Such] that when you sit with any man that it be, your speaking with him should be as if he is greater than you. And all of this is to flee from pride, as we have elucidated. And the matter of many reasons for neglecting it will be presented to you is that there are many things that cause neglect and require someone to be occupied with them. And when you are not occupied with Torah, time will disturb you with one of those things.
רבי מאיר אומר הוי ממעט בעסק ועסוק בתורה. שתעשה מלאכתך עראי ותורתך קבע:
רוח חיים
הוי ממעט בעסק ועסוק בתורה- להפסידם בבת אחת אי אפשר רק מעט מעט תמעיטם.
(1) Rabbi Meir says: Minimize business and engage in Torah: That you make your work flexible and your Torah fixed.
(2) Be humble of spirit before everyone: This thing is also from the topic of Torah, and so it was said in the midst of his words that were words [about] Torah - and he did not [put] it earlier nor later. And he wanted to say [that] even if you are successful in Torah [study] - which is the true advantage - do not become haughty; and it is not necessary to say that it is not fit to become haughty for all of the other foreign, physical advantages.
(3) Be humble of spirit before everyone: And even before the lowly and the degraded and the inferior - so as to distance oneself from the trait of haughtiness - and it is not necessary to say, before one that is your equal.
(4) If you neglect the Torah, many reasons for neglecting it will be presented to you: These are the evildoers, the bears and the lions, that bring neglect from work - as they are the disciplining staff. And through them the Holy One, blessed be He, punishes those neglectful of Torah study. As He does not want to pay back with His [own] hand, but rather through others - with the trait of punishment.
(5) And if you labor in Torah, [He (God)] has abundant reward to grant you: The Holy One, blessed be He, Himself in the His [full] glory gives the reward for those that are occupied with His Torah - 'not through an angel and not through a messenger.' And with this He is assuring all of those that come to the world that He sends the punishments through His messengers to lighten the matter, 'as not like our Rock is their rock.' But 'great peace is there to those who love His Torah,' and 'goodly reward to those that fear Him' - He pays them by His hand and not through others, in order to increase their reward. There is a parable [relevant to this] about a king for whom a craftsman made a fine vessel. The king commanded and said to his servants that they should take money from his treasury and pay him nicely. And will they not give him less than if the king himself would pay him? As their hearts are not broad like the heart of the king, due to his great wealth and honor; and their nature towards generosity is not like his nature. Even if they give the king's money, their present will be smaller than the king's present. So [too] is, the blessed Holy One, blessed be He, in the trait of goodness - He wants to give with His hand 'to enlarge the reward and elevate it.'
(ט) רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן אוֹמֵר, כָּל הַמְקַיֵּם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה מֵעֹנִי, סוֹפוֹ לְקַיְּמָהּ מֵעשֶׁר. וְכָל הַמְבַטֵּל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה מֵעשֶׁר, סוֹפוֹ לְבַטְּלָהּ מֵעֹנִי:
(9) 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.
(א) רבי יונתן אומר כל המקיים את התורה מעוני. שדוחק שעותיו ומניח מלאכתו הצריכה לפרנסתו כדי לקיים התורה והמצוה והוא לומד ועושה מצות מתוך הדוחק:
(ב) סופו לקיימה מעושר. כי יתעשר ונוסף עוד ויהיו לו שעות מרווחות לעסוק בתורה ולקיים המצות כי פרנסתו תהיה מרובה ולא יצטרך אל יגיע כפיו כי יאכל וילמוד בשמחה ובטוב לבב כי בחכמה יהיה לו כל טוב. כמו שמצינו בשלמה המלך ע"ה ששאל החכמה ולא שאל כסף וזהב כמו שנא' (משלי ל' ח') שוא ודבר כזב הרחק ממני ראש ועשר אל תתן לי הטריפני לחם חקי. משל למלך שאמר לעבדו שאל מה אתן לך. אמר אם אשאל כסף וזהב הנה הוא נותן לי. נכסים וקרקעות הוא נותן לי. אשאל את בת המלך לי לאשה והכל בכלל. כך אמר שלמה ע"ה אשאל את החכמה והכל בכלל כי בצל החכמה בצל הכסף (קהלת ז יב):
(ג) וכל המבטל את התורה מעושר. שכמה פעמים וכמה שעות יש לו פנאי ללמוד ואינו עושה:
(ד) סופו לבטלה מעוני. שיצטרך לטרוח על פרנסתו ולא ימצאנה עד כי לא יהיה לו פנאי לעסוק בתורה גם כי ירצה מדה כנגד מדה. ונמצא יוצא מן העולם בלא תורה:
(1) 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:
(2) 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).
(3) 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]:
(4) 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.
(כו) כל המבטל את התורה מעושר סופו לבטלה מעוני וכל המקיים את התורה מעוני סופו לקיימה מעושר: הגה כשמסיים מסכתא מצוה לשמוח ולעשות סעודה ונקראת סעודת מצוה (נ"י פ' יש נוחלין ומימרא דאביי פ' כל כתבי) ואסור לעסוק בדברי תורה במקומות המטונפים ולכן אמרו שאסור לתלמיד חכם לעמוד במקומות המטונפים מפני שלא יהרהר בדברי תורה (פשוט פ' מי שמתו) ומ"מ מותר ליכנס למרחץ אף מתוך הלכה שאינה פסוקה (ת"ה סי' ס"א) ולא חיישינן שיהרהר דבמרחץ שומר עצמו מהרהור תורה (סברת הרב דלא כמסקנת ת"ה שמגמגם בזה):