Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom

Yaakov’s blessing was unlike anything Eisav ever understood. The Torah hints to it in the struggle inside Rivkah:

“וַיִּתְרֹצְצוּ הַבָּנִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ” (בראשית כ״ה:כ״ב)

Rashi explains that each child was drawn to a different world:
רש״י שם: “כשהייתה עוברת על פתחי תורה – יעקב מפרכס לצאת… עוברת על פתחי עבודה זרה – עשו מפרכס לצאת.”

Chazal paint the division starkly. Eisav grabbed Olam HaZeh. Yaakov reached for Olam HaBa. But the Baal HaTurim adds a deeper layer:

בעל הטורים בראשית כ״ה:ל״ג:
“מכר היום – זה עולם הזה… לבכורתך – זה עולם הבא… ולקח יעקב שניהם.”

Yaakov was blessed with both worlds, yet he never lost clarity about which one is the עולם האמת.

The Kedushas Levi sharpens the point:

קדושת לוי, וישלח:
“יעקב לקח עולם הבא ועשו עולם הזה. אמנם יש עשירים מישראל… והם מצטערים. אבל אותם העשירים שמשתמשים בעשירותם לעבודת השם — הם נהנים, כי זהו עולם הזה של יעקב, המחובר לעולם הבא.”

In other words: Yaakov inherited Olam HaBa and the parts of Olam HaZeh that serve Olam HaBa. That’s the model for every Torah Jew.

A Torah Jew with means must ask a basic question: למה נתן לי ה׳ את זה? Wealth is not a prize — it is a mission. Torah does not sustain itself. Yeshivos do not run on inspiration. Kollelim, chadarim, mikvaos, tzedakah networks, rabbanim, teachers — all the infrastructure of Torah in this world — survive because certain Jews carry the weight. They take the physical blessings of Olam HaZeh and channel them toward the truth of Olam HaBa.

This is the fulfillment of Yaakov’s inheritance: using the lower world to build the higher one.

Chazal speak openly about the eternal partnership between the supporter and the learner. The Rambam writes:

רמב״ם, מתנות עניים י׳:ז׳–י״ד (עיקר הדין):
“מעלה גדולה שאין למעלה ממנה — להחזיק ביד ישראל… ונותן לו מתנה או הלוואה… עד שיחזק ידו שלא יצטרך לבריות.”

Strengthening Torah institutions is part of that same category — preventing collapse, preserving dignity, and ensuring continuity.

Not everyone can sit and learn full-time. Many must work and support families. But the Torah gives every Jew a path to greatness:
שֵׁשְׁמָה הַלּוֹמֵד וְהַמְּסַעֵד — שָׁבִים בְּשָׂכָר.
(The principle in Sotah 21a and codified by the Rishonim.)

Money used for personal indulgence evaporates. Money used for Torah becomes eternal. It builds students, protects children, strengthens emunah, sustains generations. This is exactly how Yaakov treated both worlds — and why he understood which one is real.

A Torah Jew must follow that same clarity. Use Olam HaZeh to strengthen Olam HaBa. Take the blessing of wealth and turn it into the backbone of Torah and chesed institutions. That is the path of Yaakov — the Jew who held both worlds and knew which one mattered.