765. He Who Learns Torah in Poverty

“He who learns Torah in poverty will eventually observe it in wealth.” Our sages said, “There is none who is poor except in knowledge” (Nedarim 41). That is, precisely by learning and seeing that he does not understand, where the more he learns, the lower he finds himself to be, without stopping the learning but rather exerting to understand the true meaning, in the end, the Creator will send him true understanding and knowledge, and this is called “wealth.”

This is why it is written that he will eventually observe it, meaning that the Torah will exist in him plentifully, meaning with true understanding and a clear mind.

Also, in the literal, when a person learns out of poverty, meaning that he is pressed on eating, drinking, and sleeping, he will eventually observe it in wealth. Therefore, the sign is that if we see someone who observes the Torah in wealth, he must have observed it first in poverty, and by this he was now rewarded with observing it in wealth.