Miserliness is very ugly in all of its manifestations. Concerning the miser, Solomon said, "Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye" (Prov. 23:6).
These are the traits of a miserly person : "He does not give charity, he does not have mercy upon the poor, and in business dealings he is too punctilious and does not yield on a single point. He does not feed or clothe or give pleasure to anyone but himself and he has not trust in Him who gives him his money; he is hated by all creatures. He does not take special pains to carry out the commandments, nor does he acquire a teacher or a companion in study, and thus he remains empty of Torah and good deeds.
If he is miserly with his body, he also is evil and bitter, for he does not act kindly to people. It is an evil greater than all others if he is miserly with his wisdom and with his books, for by loaning these he loses nothing at all. For wisdom is like fire, which never dims even if you light many candles or another fire from it. Of such a miser, it is said, "He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him" (Prov. 11:26). But of the generous man, it is said, "But blessing shall be upon the head of him that supplieth it" (Ibid.). Literally the verse speaks of charity, yet it is a parable for wisdom.
The good in this quality is that the miser does not throw away his money on foolishness and at times is restrained from committing grave sins. Then, too, because he deprives himself of good things, he does not affect the arrogance often found in the generous person who, because of the good that he does and the pleasure that he gets from it, sometimes rebels against his Creator. Therefore, a man should be careful with his wealth; he should be generous where generosity is called for, but where it is not proper for him to give, let him be miserly and niggardly. Let him weigh all this in the scales of the Torah.
Let him learn from Jacob, our father, who was miserly without parallel as it is said, "And Jacob was left alone" (Gen. 32:25), and our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that he had forgotten some small jugs and returned to get them. This teaches us that the righteous value their money more than their bodies, because they do not get their money easily through plunder (Hullin 91a). Behold this great miserliness — that a man as rich as Jacob felt compelled to return for some little jugs. Yet we find in another place that he was genereous without parallel, as our Rabbis taught, "In my grave which I have digged for me" (Gen. 50:5). This teaches us that Jacob took all the silver and gold that he had brought from Laban's house and he made a pile and said to Esau. "Take this for your share in the cave of Machpelah" (Ex. Rabbah 31:17). Was there ever anyone else as liberal as this?
From this a man can learn that he should not squander his money on useless things and to no purpose. However, when it comes to fulfilling a commandment, for example, dispensing charity and other commandments which involve expense, such as acquiring a teacher, a companion or books, he should be very liberal in order to attain lofty qualities. He thereby restores the soul to its place of purity so that it will be bound up in the bond of life, as it is written, "Yet the soul of my Lord shall be bound up in the bond of life" (I Sam. 25:29).
שַׁעַר הַשְּׁמוֹנָה־עָשָׂר – שַׁעַר הַצַּיְקָנוּת
Chapter Eighteen: ON MISERLINESS
הַצַּיְקָנוּת. זֹאת הַמִּדָּה הִיא מְגֻנָּה בְּרוֹב עִנְיָנֶיהָ. וְעַל הַצַּיְקָן אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם (משלי כג ו): ״אַל תִּלְחַם אֶת לֶחֶם רַע עָיִן״.
Miserliness is very ugly in all of its manifestations. Concerning the miser, Solomon said, "Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye" (Prov. 23:6).
וְאֵלֶּה מִדּוֹת צַר הָעַיִן: לֹא יִתֵּן צְדָקָה, וְלֹא יְרַחֵם עַל הָעֲנִיִּים. וּכְשֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ מַשָּׂא וּמַתָּן עִם חֲבֵרוֹ – מְדַקְדֵּק עִמּוֹ יוֹתֵר מִדַּי, וְלֹא יְוַתֵּר לוֹ מְאוּמָה. אֵינוֹ מַאֲכִיל וְאֵינוֹ מַלְבִּישׁ, וְלֹא יֵהָנֶה שׁוּם אָדָם מִמֶּנּוּ. וְאֵין לוֹ בִּטָּחוֹן עַל מִי שֶׁנּוֹתֵן לוֹ הַמָּמוֹן, וְהוּא שָׂנוּא לַבְּרִיּוֹת. אֵינוֹ מְהַדֵּר אַחַר הַמִּצְווֹת, וְלֹא יִקְנֶה לוֹ רַב וְחָבֵר, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ יִשָּׁאֵר רֵיק מִן הַתּוֹרָה וּמִן הַמִּצְוֹת.
These are the traits of a miserly person : "He does not give charity, he does not have mercy upon the poor, and in business dealings he is too punctilious and does not yield on a single point. He does not feed or clothe or give pleasure to anyone but himself and he has not trust in Him who gives him his money; he is hated by all creatures. He does not take special pains to carry out the commandments, nor does he acquire a teacher or a companion in study, and thus he remains empty of Torah and good deeds.
וְאִם הוּא צַיְקָן בְּגוּפוֹ – גַּם הוּא רַע וָמָר, שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשֶׂה חֶסֶד עִם בְּנֵי אָדָם. וְרַע עַל כָּל רָעוֹת אִם הוּא כִּילַי בְּחָכְמָתוֹ אוֹ בִּסְפָרָיו, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהוּא אֵינוֹ חָסֵר בָּזֶה מְאוּמָה: כִּי הַחָכְמָה דּוֹמָה לָאֵשׁ, שֶׁאֵינָהּ חֲסֵרָה אִם מַדְלִיקִים מִמֶּנָּה נֵרוֹת אוֹ אֵשׁ אַחֶרֶת. וְעָלָיו נֶאֱמַר (משלי יא כו): ״מוֹנֵעַ בָּר – יִקְּבוּהוּ לְאוֹם״. אֲבָל בַּנָּדִיב נֶאֱמַר (שם): ״וּבְרָכָה לְרֹאשׁ מַשְׁבִּיר״. וּפְשַׁט הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר בִּצְדָקָה, וְהַמָּשָׁל עַל חָכְמָתוֹ.
If he is miserly with his body, he also is evil and bitter, for he does not act kindly to people. It is an evil greater than all others if he is miserly with his wisdom and with his books, for by loaning these he loses nothing at all. For wisdom is like fire, which never dims even if you light many candles or another fire from it. Of such a miser, it is said, "He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him" (Prov. 11:26). But of the generous man, it is said, "But blessing shall be upon the head of him that supplieth it" (Ibid.). Literally the verse speaks of charity, yet it is a parable for wisdom.
וְהַטּוֹב שֶׁבְּזֹאת הַמִּדָּה: שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַפְסִיד מָמוֹנוֹ בַּהֲבָלִים, וּפְעָמִים נִמְנָע מֵעֲבֵרוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת. וּמֵחֲמַת שֶׁמְּחַסֵּר נַפְשׁוֹ מִטּוֹבָה, מִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ אֵין לוֹ גֵּאוּת כְּמוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לַנָּדִיב, כִּי מֵרֹב טוֹבָה וַהֲנָאָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ לָאָדָם – יִבְעַט בְּיוֹצְרוֹ. לָכֵן יְדַקְדֵּק הָאָדָם בְּעַצְמוֹ, וְיִהְיֶה נָדִיב בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁרָאוּי לוֹ לְהִתְנַדֵּב, וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין רָאוּי לוֹ לְהִתְנַדֵּב יִהְיֶה צַיְקָן וְכִילַי. וְיִשְׁקֹל כָּל זֶה בְּמֹאזְנַיִם שֶׁל תּוֹרָה.
The good in this quality is that the miser does not throw away his money on foolishness and at times is restrained from committing grave sins. Then, too, because he deprives himself of good things, he does not affect the arrogance often found in the generous person who, because of the good that he does and the pleasure that he gets from it, sometimes rebels against his Creator. Therefore, a man should be careful with his wealth; he should be generous where generosity is called for, but where it is not proper for him to give, let him be miserly and niggardly. Let him weigh all this in the scales of the Torah.
וְיִלְמַד מִיַּעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ שֶׁהָיָה צַיְקָן שֶׁאֵין דֻּגְמָתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית לב כה): ״וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ״ – וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, שֶׁשָּׁכַח פַּכִּים קְטַנִּים וְחָזַר עֲלֵיהֶם. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהַצַּדִּיקִים, חָבִיב עֲלֵיהֶם מָמוֹנָם יוֹתֵר מִגּוּפָם, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין פּוֹשְׁטִים יָד בַּגָּזֵל (חולין צא א). רְאֵה הַצַּיְקָנוּת הַגְּדוֹלָה, שֶׁאָדָם עָשִׁיר כְּמוֹ יַעֲקֹב עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, הָיָה לוֹ לַחֲזֹר אַחַר פַּכִּים קְטַנִּים. וּמָצִינוּ בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר שֶׁהָיָה וַתְרָן שֶׁאֵין דֻּגְמָתוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שמות רבה לא יז) ״בְּקִבְרִי אֲשֶׁר כָּרִיתִי לִי״ (בראשית נ ה) – מְלַמֵּד שֶׁנָּטַל יַעֲקֹב כָּל כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב שֶׁהֵבִיא מִבֵּית לָבָן וְעָשָׂה כְּרִי, וְאָמַר לְעֵשָׂו: טוֹל בִּשְׁבִיל חֶלְקֶךָ בַּמְּעָרָה. הַיֵּשׁ וַתְרָן כָּזֶה?!
Let him learn from Jacob, our father, who was miserly without parallel as it is said, "And Jacob was left alone" (Gen. 32:25), and our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that he had forgotten some small jugs and returned to get them. This teaches us that the righteous value their money more than their bodies, because they do not get their money easily through plunder (Hullin 91a). Behold this great miserliness — that a man as rich as Jacob felt compelled to return for some little jugs. Yet we find in another place that he was genereous without parallel, as our Rabbis taught, "In my grave which I have digged for me" (Gen. 50:5). This teaches us that Jacob took all the silver and gold that he had brought from Laban's house and he made a pile and said to Esau. "Take this for your share in the cave of Machpelah" (Ex. Rabbah 31:17). Was there ever anyone else as liberal as this?
לָכֵן מִזֶּה יִלְמַד אָדָם שֶׁלֹּא יְפַזֵּר לָרִיק וְשֶׁלֹּא לְצֹרֶךְ. וּבְמָקוֹם מִצְוָה, כְּגוֹן בִּצְדָקָה וּבִשְׁאָר מִצְווֹת הַתְּלוּיוֹת בְּמָעוֹת, כְּגוֹן לִקְנוֹת רַב וְחָבֵר וּסְפָרִים – יִהְיֶה וַתְרָן גָּדוֹל, כְּדֵי לְהַשִּׂיג מַעֲלוֹת עֶלְיוֹנוֹת, לְהָשִׁיב הַנֶּפֶשׁ לִמְקוֹם טָהֳרָה, שֶׁתְּהֵא צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים, כְּדִכְתִיב (שמואל א כה כט): ״וְהָיְתָה נֶפֶשׁ אֲדֹנִי צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים״.
From this a man can learn that he should not squander his money on useless things and to no purpose. However, when it comes to fulfilling a commandment, for example, dispensing charity and other commandments which involve expense, such as acquiring a teacher, a companion or books, he should be very liberal in order to attain lofty qualities. He thereby restores the soul to its place of purity so that it will be bound up in the bond of life, as it is written, "Yet the soul of my Lord shall be bound up in the bond of life" (I Sam. 25:29).