תהלים, פרק מ״ט, פסוק י׳

Human beings naturally tend to live in an illusion of immortality, acting as if amassed wealth can guarantee permanent existence. The foolish thought of someone chasing riches is that they will somehow go through life without ever meeting death. However, reality constantly proves the pointlessness of relying on material possessions.

The primary approach among commentators is to view this mindset as a target of sharp criticism, posing a rhetorical challenge. How can someone acquiring vast fortunes actually think they will live forever? Even if they live a very long time, death is inevitable, making any trust in wealth completely illogical [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מאירי, מצודת דוד]. Another perspective treats this as a psychological description of human nature. People simply dream up a false reality, telling themselves they will live forever and completely evade death [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Taking a different angle, this dynamic can be seen through the eyes of the wealthy person making excuses to avoid giving charity and redeeming his soul. The rich man understands that charity will not buy physical immortality in this world, since physical death cannot be stopped. When it comes to the afterlife, because he cannot physically see the pit of hell in front of him, he simply ignores the spiritual danger and refuses to offer any financial ransom to God [אלשיך].

On a deeper spiritual level, true eternity has nothing to do with physical time. Instead, it relates to the eternal dimension of the soul and the spiritual realms that exist beyond passing time. Using money to try and save the physical body provides only temporary life, which always ends in the physical grave [מצודת ציון]. If a person were wise enough to dedicate their wealth to redeeming their soul, they would indeed achieve true eternal life and avoid spiritual destruction. The ultimate tragedy is that people fail to pay attention and use their earthly wealth to save their souls from ruin [מלבי״ם].