Another matter, “if your brother will become poor” – that is what is written: “The poor man and the deceitful man [ve’ish tekhakhim] meet” (Proverbs 29:13); “wealthy and poor meet; the Lord is the maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:2). “Poor,” this is one who is poor in Torah. Ve’ish tekhakhim, this is one who studies one or two orders.6Of the six orders of Mishna. Tekhakhim is from the word tavekh, meaning middling or mediocre.
Thus, the phrase ve’ish tekhakhim is rendered, the middling man. If the poor man stands with the middling man and says to him: ‘Teach me one chapter,’ and he teaches him, then “the Lord enlightens the eyes of both of them” (Proverbs 29:13); they acquire this world and the World to Come. “Wealthy and poor meet” – one who is wealthy in Torah and one who is poor in Torah. If that poor man said to the wealthy man: ‘Teach me one chapter,’ but he does not teach him, [but instead] he says to him: ‘What, am I supposed to sit and teach you in: One may irrigate,7These are the opening words of tractate Moed Katan. or: From when?8These are the opening words of tractates Berakhot and Ta’anit.
Study Bible and study Mishna with those who are like you.’ “The Lord is the Maker of them all” – the One who made this one a wise man can make him a fool, and the One who made that one a fool can make him a wise man. Another matter, “poor,” this is one who is poor in terms of property; “ish tekhakhim,” this is one who works for a living. If the poor man stands with the one who earns a living and says to him: ‘Give me a mitzva,’9Give me charity. and he gives him; “the Lord enlightens the eyes of both of them.”
This one acquired life in this world, and this one acquired life in the World to Come. “Wealthy and poor,” – “wealthy,” this is one who is wealthy in terms of property. “Poor,” – this is one who is poor in terms of property. If the poor man stands with the wealthy man and says to him: ‘Give me a mitzva,’ but he does not give to him, “the Lord is the Maker of them all,” the One who made this one a poor man can make him a wealthy man, and the One who made that one a wealthy man can make him a poor man.
If the wealthy man says to that poor man: ‘Do you not go and toil and eat? Look at your thighs, look at your legs, look at your belly, look that you are corpulent.’10The wealthy man accuses the poor man of collecting charity but not really needing it. The Holy One blessed be He says to him: ‘Is it not enough for you that you did not give him anything of yours, but regarding what I gave him, you are introducing an evil eye for him?’
Therefore, “he begets a son and he has nothing in his hand” (Ecclesiastes 5:13). From everything that he has, he will not leave anything to his son, and he brings a blemish upon himself. Therefore, Moses cautions them: “If your brother will become poor.”