משלי, פרק י״ג, פסוק ז׳

Wealth is often an illusion, and outward appearances rarely tell the whole truth about a person's life. The primary approach among commentators is that society is filled with pretense. Some people put on a show of luxury and pretend to be wealthy, yet they truly have nothing. On the other hand, there are those who live simply and act as though they are poor, even though they possess great financial abundance. This behavior goes beyond money and applies just as much to wisdom. Ignorant individuals often use high-sounding concepts to appear smart, while truly wise people quietly hide their understanding [רלב״ג, עמנואל הרומי].

There is a practical advantage to hiding what one has. Concealing wealth or wisdom protects a person from jealousy, extortion, and the endless demands of powerful people—troubles that typically follow the rich [רלב״ג, אבן עזרא]. Beyond social pretense, the way a person gathers their money matters deeply. Those who try to build wealth through dishonest means, such as robbery, exploitation, or charging interest, will ultimately lose their assets and be left with nothing. In contrast, a person who shares their money with the poor or remains satisfied with a small, honest profit will ultimately receive God's blessing and achieve true abundance [רש״י, מצודת דוד, חומת אנך].

However, success is not always in human hands. Sometimes, a person works tirelessly day and night to gain wealth or wisdom but fails completely, while another puts in very little effort yet achieves massive success due to a divine decree or natural gifts [עמנואל הרומי]. Ultimately, the very concepts of wealth and poverty do not depend on how much money a person has, but on their internal and essential state of being [אלשיך]. On a deeper level, material wealth is entirely temporary. Money can be lost during one's lifetime or left behind after death, meaning that physical assets never truly attach to the soul. A person who simply gathers material goods only appears to be getting rich. True wealth is actually created through acts of kindness and charity. Giving money away might make a person look poorer in this world, but it secures spiritual perfection and builds an eternal, lasting fortune for the soul [מלבי״ם].