People often build their entire lives around material wealth, placing their hopes in assets while ignoring how temporary these things truly are. This human tragedy deepens either when this illusion is passed down as an inheritance to future generations, or when it shatters only in the final moments of life, leaving no room to fix the damage.
The primary approach among commentators is that this materialistic way of life is rooted in foolishness and gullibility. Wicked individuals cling to this nonsense, boasting about their riches and trusting in them, even though such reliance is nothing but a false hope [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A different perspective, drawing from the sages, understands this condition through a physical metaphor of kidneys covered in fat. In this view, the wicked are actually fully aware that their path leads to ruin. However, the fat covering their kidneys blocks them from receiving good counsel to repent [רש״י, תורה תמימה]. Thus, they continue their endless pursuit of money, perfectly understanding the stupidity of their actions yet unable to stop [אלשיך].
When looking at the aftermath of such a life, there are two main ways to understand what happens next. The primary approach among commentators views this as a tragedy of future generations. The children and grandchildren adopt the exact same mindset, speaking with the same arrogance and boasting about wealth just as they heard from their fathers [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This cycle is often intentional. Fathers actively pass down this worldview, using their final spoken wills to dictate the division of their assets. Their ultimate desire is for their descendants to continue accumulating wealth, generation after generation [אבן עזרא, אלשיך, מלבי״ם]. Alternatively, it may simply be that the later generations will talk about and recount the events that happened to their ancestors [רש״י].
On the other hand, a contrasting approach focuses not on the children, but on the final days of the wicked themselves. According to this line of thought, these individuals constantly talk about the day of their death. Yet, shockingly, they do not fear it and refuse to change their ways [רש״י, תורה תמימה]. A more piercing interpretation paints a picture of their very last moments. As death approaches, they suddenly recognize their end and ask God to grant them eternal life and salvation. However, this plea is entirely superficial. It exists only in their speech, lacking any genuine regret or effort to right their wrongs, such as returning what they have stolen. It is an empty, routine gesture without inner sincerity [המאירי]. In these final breaths, they attempt to appease God and atone for a lifetime of sins using nothing but empty words [אבן עזרא].