Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom

> רָאשׁ עֹשֶׂה כַּף רְמִיָּה וְיַד חָרוּצִים תַּעֲשִׁיר
“A poor man acts with deceitful hands, but the hand of the diligent enriches.”
(Mishlei 10:4)

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Chazal and the Alshich HaKadosh teach that this verse is not merely about working or being idle — it’s about what kind of work matters.

The Alshich explains: it’s not that the poor man is incapable. He chooses poverty, because he refuses to exert himself — not because he’s weak, but because he’s deceptive. He fools others and himself by claiming he’s too tired, too distracted, too anxious — yet when it comes to his own desires, he will endure any hardship, even destroy his body and soul to chase a dollar. But when it comes to Torah, to truth, to Avodas Hashem — suddenly he’s “too busy.”

This is what the verse means by כַּף רְמִיָּה — a “deceitful hand.” It’s not just laziness. It’s a life built on false definitions of effort and value.

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 But what is true laziness?

In today’s world, we praise the man who wakes up at 4:00am, goes to the gym, works 14 hours in finance, builds real estate portfolios, and sacrifices his life for “success.” But if that same man doesn’t daven with kavanah, doesn’t learn Torah, doesn’t raise his children with yiras shamayim — is that called hard-working?

No. That’s called running on a treadmill to nowhere.

Hashem doesn’t count hours on a time clock. He counts what a person does with his bechirah, with his soul. The one who conquers his yetzer hara, who bends his will to Hashem’s Torah, who sits through a blatt Gemara when he’s tired — that’s a harutz. That’s a diligent man.

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 The deception of gashmiyus-driven diligence

A person who kills himself to make more money isn’t necessarily diligent. If he neglects his ruchniyus, he’s lazy in the only realm that matters. Chazal call that a fool who thinks he’s wise. He appears “successful,” but he is spiritually bankrupt.

The Alshich says: a person willing to destroy his body for physical gain — and unwilling to lift a finger for spiritual growth — is living a lie. The Torah exposes this lie and calls it what it is: deception. Not “poor,” not “busy,” not “burnt out” — but רמיה, a deliberate avoidance of truth.

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✅ Who is truly rich?

> “The hand of the diligent enriches.”

Not the man who hoards wealth, but the one who enriches his inner world through Torah and mitzvos. Not the one who built a business empire, but the one who builds himself. That is the only lasting wealth — wealth in Olam HaEmes.

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✍️ Closing Thought

Today’s world has turned terms upside down. Diligence is measured by dollars. Success by material expansion. But the Torah recalibrates our compass:

> ❗ The one who sleeps through harvest (Mishlei 10:5) — that’s not someone who missed a financial opportunity.
️ It’s one who missed his moment to gather ruchniyus, to change, to teach his children, to grow in Torah.

Let’s not be deceived by society’s empty trophies. The only “hard work” that matters is what we bring with us beyond the grave. Everything else is temporary noise.