Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom

The Story of the Golden Table Leg (Taanit 25a)

Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, one of the great tzaddikim of the Talmud, lived in deep poverty and simplicity. One day, his wife—distressed by their constant lack—urged him to pray for wealth.

He did, and Heaven answered. A golden table leg miraculously appeared in their home.

That night, however, his wife had a dream: she saw the righteous in the World to Come, each sitting at a three-legged table. But she and her husband were sitting at a table with only two legs.

She understood the message and said to him,

> “Are you content to sit at a wobbly table in the next world while others have a full one?”

Realizing the wealth had come at the cost of their eternal reward, Rabbi Chanina prayed for the leg to be taken back. And it was—an even greater miracle than the first, say Chazal, because Heaven rarely reclaims what it gives.

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 The Deeper Lesson

This story is not a call for poverty. It is a warning:
Don’t pray for excess if it isn’t truly needed.
Don’t trade eternity for comfort.

There’s a fine line:

Praying for what you need—food, housing, education, health—is correct and expected.

But praying for luxury, for excess, for status or indulgence that you don’t need? That’s dangerous. It may be granted—but at a spiritual cost.

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茶 What This Means Practically

1. Pray for your needs
If your income is short, if you can’t pay bills or afford what you truly require—pray without shame. Hashem wants to provide.

2. Don’t chase what wasn’t given
If luxury and wealth haven’t been gifted to you by Heaven, don’t try to force it through prayer. If you do, and you’re a righteous person, Hashem may still listen—but He may subtract it from your Olam Haba.

3. Accept what is given
If Hashem does bless you with abundance through your work, inheritance, or other means—and it doesn’t distract you from Torah or mitzvos—then accept it with humility and responsibility.

4. If you’re lacking, ask why
If you don’t have enough, that may mean:

You must learn to be content with less,

Or you must pray harder—not for luxury, but for just enough.

Or you must do soul-searching, refine your deeds, and become a vessel fit for blessing.

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盛 Supporting Torah Sources

Pirkei Avos 6:4 – “Eat bread with salt, drink water in measure… this is the way of Torah.”

Berachos 5b – “Whomever Hashem loves, He afflicts with suffering”—to cleanse and uplift.

Avodah Zarah 3a – “This world is the hallway; the World to Come is the banquet hall.”

Taanit 25a – Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa’s golden table leg teaches how even a small taste of comfort can cost eternity.

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易 Final Thought

If you’re righteous and ask Hashem for more than you need, He may grant it—but He may deduct it from your portion in the World to Come.

That’s not a gift. That’s a transaction.
Don’t bargain away eternity for a better chair in the waiting room.

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