משלי, פרק כ״ג, פסוק ד׳

The relentless pursuit of material wealth often becomes a trap, enslaving a person and distracting them from life's true priorities. There is a profound warning against exhausting oneself through endless toil merely to accumulate riches [מצודת ציון]. The primary approach among commentators is that a person should avoid overextending themselves in endless business dealings, working to the point of exhaustion just to amass wealth beyond their actual needs. Consequently, one must consciously stop using all their mental energy and intellect solely to scheme and plan how to gather more money [אבן עזרא, עמנואל הרומי, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

However, this loss of intellect can also be understood not as a direct instruction, but as the inevitable consequence of greed. If a person exhausts themselves chasing riches, they will ultimately lose their own understanding. Consuming all of one's time in the pursuit of money causes a person to abandon the contemplation of Torah and wisdom. The true purpose of wealth is to provide the peace of mind and free time necessary to engage in wisdom, rather than serving as an end in itself [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, עמנואל הרומי]. Furthermore, basic common sense dictates that one should abandon the chase for unnecessary funds [אלשיך, מצודת דוד]. There is no lasting benefit in hoarding money, as it will not remain with a person forever and may eventually pass to others [אלשיך]. Material wealth is entirely fleeting, transferred from person to person by God according to His wisdom, and it can vanish in the blink of an eye [עמנואל הרומי].

Beyond the financial realm, this guidance also serves as a metaphor for the proper approach to studying Torah. It cautions a student against trying to become rich in knowledge too quickly. Attempting to master a massive amount of information all at once creates an overload that will ultimately cause the student to forget everything they have learned [רש״י]. Additionally, it serves as a warning to the naturally gifted student who might neglect regular review, assuming their sharp mind will easily fill in the gaps later. Such overconfidence will eventually require exhausting effort to recover the lost wealth of wisdom—a struggle that could have been entirely avoided through steady, proper study and review from the very beginning [עמנואל הרומי].