Chapter 23 of Mishlei deals with a series of warnings and ethical teachings concerning money, food, drink, and chinuch. In this lesson, we will focus on one verse that contains an entire foundational principle regarding the relationship between Torah and money: "Buy truth and do not sell it."
אֱמֶת קְנֵה וְאַל תִּמְכֹּר, חׇכְמָה וּמוּסָר וּבִינָה. (כ"ג, כ"ג) - Buy truth and do not sell it; wisdom, mussar, and understanding. (23:23)
Rashi: Buy for a Fee - Teach for Free
Rashi explains: "Buy truth" - if you need to learn Torah, to acquire wisdom, even if you must pay for it, buy it. It is worthwhile and rewarding. If you cannot find anyone to teach you for free, study for a fee. But "and do not sell it" - do not say: "Just as I paid to learn, others should pay me as well." No. Pass it along and distribute it for free. To acquire it, be prepared to pay; to pass it on, do not charge a fee.
Ibn Ezra: Books of Truth
Ibn Ezra explains that one word is implied here, which completely transforms our understanding of the verse: "books of." In other words - "Buy books of truth, and do not sell them." In this reading, the verse speaks of something very physical and concrete: If you bought a holy sefer, do not sell it. If you bought a Sefer Torah, do not sell it. Just as one who owns a Sefer Torah may not sell it except under very specific circumstances. This is the intent of the verse according to Ibn Ezra: purchase sacred books, and do not sell them.
Rabbeinu Yonah: What Does It Mean to "Sell" Torah?
Rabbeinu Yonah says: Spend money to acquire wisdom, but do not sell it for any profit. We must understand the difficulty here: If someone "sells" the Torah he has learned, does he no longer possess it? Of course he still has it! It is like software you invented: you sell copies to more and more people, yet you remain the owner and continue to distribute it. "A candle for one is a candle for a hundred." If so, what was actually sold here?
Rabbeinu Yonah explains: "Do not sell" refers to a person who, for the sake of monetary gain, neglects his studies and abandons his engagement in Torah - leaving the shiur or leaving the kollel for financial profit. This is what is called selling: you are selling Torah for money. During that time, you could have been engaged in Torah, and you sold it to make money. Why is this termed "selling"? Because when a person busies himself with other matters, he forgets his Torah - meaning he effectively traded away the Torah in exchange for money and merchandise. Even if you anticipate profits of thousands in gold and silver from your business, one must never sell Torah and exchange it for gold and an abundance of pearls. Even if they promise you millions, do not sell the Torah for financial gain.
"Do You Think a Piece of Paper Will Change My Daily Schedule?"
Rabbi Neugroschel relates a story of a wealthy man who studied with the grandson of Rav Elyashiv. Once, he asked him: "Tell me, would your grandfather be willing to learn with me for one hour a month? Just one hour: I will come, he will learn, I will listen, and if I have a question, I will ask. He would not even need to alter his study seder, only sit with me and explain things to me. And I am willing to pay handsomely for this." The grandson replied: "I feel uncomfortable asking my grandfather such a question, but if you wish, I regularly ask him halachic questions that accumulate over time, and he sits with me. On that occasion, come along with me; I will introduce you as my longtime chavruta, and you can say whatever you wish."
And so it was. They arrived at Rav Elyashiv's home. The grandson asked his questions, and then said: "Grandfather, this is so-and-so, a prominent philanthropist who has learned with me for many years, and he would like to ask the Rav a question." The wealthy man turned to the Rav and said: "Honored Rav, I wish to learn with the Rav for one hour a month, and in return, I am prepared to sponsor the weddings of all the Rav's grandchildren. I have already calculated how many grandchildren there are - and when I say sponsor, I do not mean just the wedding hall, but an apartment for each one." He wrote out a check for tens of millions and handed it to the Rav, so that he would agree to study with him for one hour a month. It is told that Rav Elyashiv handed the check back to him and said: "Do you think this piece of paper will make me change my daily schedule?" And he said nothing more on the matter. In other words: my daily schedule and my learning - "Gold and glass cannot equal it," neither money nor hidden treasures. "Buy truth and do not sell it" - truth is not sold for any amount of money.
"Look How the Holy One, Blessed Be He, Gave Money to Fools"
It is told that the director of a major gemach - an organization facing immense financial hardship while performing boundless acts of chesed - once came to Rav Shteinman accompanied by a certain philanthropist. The director of the gemach said to the Rav: "I have brought so-and-so here, who has just made a generous donation to our gemach." The Rav asked: "How much did he give?" He replied: "Half a million." The philanthropist then turned to the Rav and said: "Honored Rav, I am prepared to double my donation, provided the Rav promises that I will have a share alongside him in Gan Eden." No more, no less: he believed that for half a million dollars one could purchase a seat alongside Rav Shteinman, representing nearly a century of uninterrupted Torah study.
Rav Shteinman turned to the director of the gemach and asked: "How much debt do you have?" He replied: "Six million dollars." The Rav said to the philanthropist: "Cover all their debts - and I will promise you. Then we will have something to discuss." The man said: "No, honored Rav, not such sums, not to that extent..." And with that, the matter ended.
Afterward, the members of the household asked the Rav: "What was the meaning behind all this?" He replied: "First of all, know that I know this man - he is capable of it. If he wanted to, he has the means to produce six million dollars. And look how the Holy One, Blessed Be He, placed money in the hands of fools! A person ought to give everything he owns for such a promise, to live for all eternity in Gan Eden alongside Rav Shteinman. Whatever you possess and whatever you will ever possess in this world is nothing compared to eternity in the World to Come. Who can fathom such greatness, a person who never diverts his mind from Torah, whose entire being is Torah - not for twenty years and not for fifty years, but for a hundred years! So what are you talking about? Are six million dollars what stands in the way?"
And if you have six million dollars, to whom do you ultimately leave it? As the author of Chovos HaLevavos observes: a man leaves his wealth to his wife's next husband. After he lies in the grave, his widow remarries - and he has left her new husband a truly handsome inheritance. What greater foolishness could there be?
They asked the Rav: "And suppose he had agreed and given the money - would the Rav truly have told him, 'I promise you a share alongside me in Gan Eden'? Surely one needs tremendous spiritual authority for that!" Rav Shteinman replied: "If he had given six million dollars, I would have been the one asking to sit with him in Gan Eden! Do you understand the merit of giving such a colossal sum of money to tzedakah?" From this one can appreciate the true value of wisdom versus the value of money, and what genuine virtue and greatness truly are.
"The First Person I Could Not Buy with Money"
A similar story comes to mind. A prominent, wealthy individual once visited Rav Shteinman regarding a dispute within the Shas political party, seeking to have the Rav intervene and broker peace. He said to him: "Honored Rav, I have brought my checkbook; let the Rav tell me how much money is needed, and I am prepared to write a check right here and now." He was ready to write a check for roughly two million shekels to the yeshivah headed by the Rav. Rav Shteinman replied: "Shas has its own Council of Torah Sages, and I do not interfere in what happens there" - and gestured with his hand that the meeting was over. The man departed deeply disappointed, and remarked afterward: "This is the first person I was unable to buy with money. My money means nothing to him; it carries no weight with him at all."
"I Do Not Sell My Learning for Money"
A story is told of Rav Ovadia Yosef - recorded by Rav Shitrit in his book Rabbeinu, a highly authentic daily record that was later published: A man named Niso from Tel Aviv, who had just been blessed with the birth of a son, came and requested that the Rav serve as sandak. At that stage of his life, the Rav no longer traveled to attend brissin or serve as sandak, so as not to forfeit precious time from his study. Anyone who desired the honor would bring the infant to him, to the beit knesset, immediately after sunrise; the ceremony took ten minutes, and the Rav immediately returned to his learning. The man said to him: "The honored Rav will not lose much time; I will arrange a helicopter to pick the Rav up from here and land him directly at the bris. As soon as the bris concludes, the Rav will board the helicopter and return to Jerusalem. And I will donate twenty-five thousand dollars - for whatever the Rav wishes, whether for the party or for himself." It is related that Rav Ovadia Yosef replied: "I do not sell my learning for money. An hour less of Torah study for the sake of a bris, a helicopter, and money? I do not sell my learning for money."
From all this, we come to understand: "Buy truth and do not sell it" means do not pursue money at the expense of acquiring truth and wisdom. If during this time you can acquire truth, acquire wisdom - money is contemptible in comparison, gold is worthless.
The Vilna Gaon: Peshat, Remez, Derash, and Sod
The Vilna Gaon asks regarding the verse: There are four distinct matters mentioned here - truth, wisdom, discipline, and understanding. He answers: *Pardes* contains four components, and the Torah possesses four levels of interpretation - *peshat* (literal meaning), *remez* (allusion), *derash* (homiletical exposition), and *sod* (mystical secret). (As a wit once quipped: There are those who already delve into *sod* before they have even grasped *peshat* - spelling it *S-P-R-D*, starting from the *samech*. The correct order is *Pardes*: *peshat*, *remez*, *derash* - and only after mastering these should one seek anything in *sod*.)
The Vilna Gaon explains: *Peshat* is accessible to everyone - a person reads and understands. By contrast, *remez*, *derash*, and *sod* are far more intricate; they require immense toil, mastering wisdom and discipline, understanding discerning speech, and engaging in deep contemplation. It is not simple to understand the expositions of Chazal, not simple to grasp an allusion, and certainly not simple to comprehend a mystical secret. The straightforward meanings of the Torah are called "truth" - "a verse does not depart from its literal meaning." This is the bedrock truth of the words, their plain sense; while *remez*, *derash*, and *sod* are the garments in which that truth is clothed.
This explains the verse: "Buy truth" - even though the truth is straightforward and does not require exhausting toil to comprehend, since anyone can read and understand, nonetheless: if someone offers to sell you truth, buy it. If someone offers to teach you the literal meaning, buy it. Do not say, "I already understand the *peshat*; you have no need to explain the simple meaning to me." From anyone offering to sell you truth - buy. But "wisdom, discipline, and understanding," which correspond to *remez*, *derash*, and *sod*, even though they demand tremendous toil - "do not sell," but teach them for free. In other words: when buying, acquire everything, even what appears basic, common, and readily available; but when selling, do not sell even those insights that required years of study, depth, and mastery. Do not demand, "Pay me," but impart it freely.
What Is Permitted to Charge?
There was once a rabbi who was asked to deliver a shiur, and he demanded a very substantial fee. Someone asked: The Midrash states that the Holy One, Blessed is He, says, "The Torah I gave is free; just as I gave it for free, so too must you teach it for free." If so, how could he demand such amounts? The humorous reply was: You misread his interpretation; he reads it differently - "What, am I free?! You do it for free!" As if to say, if they do not pay well, I am not coming...
In halachic practice, however, one must know that an individual is permitted to accept compensation for the time invested in preparing the shiur, as well as *sechar batalah* (compensation for loss of work) - for he is taking time away from his trade, during which he could have engaged in other lucrative pursuits, and instead goes to deliver a shiur. And if someone should counter: "But he is charging very large sums!" - know that one who charges substantial sums is someone who could have earned substantial sums during that lost time; that is, he possesses extraordinary talent. If his talent lay in humor, as a television entertainer he could earn tens of thousands of shekels an hour; and if he possesses brilliant rhetorical skill - when even mediocre speakers have earned millions giving lectures, and in an academic setting such a person could command a salary of forty to fifty thousand shekels a month - then what he asked of you is truly pocket change, practically "free."
Thus, strictly according to the law, this is not forbidden. Yet for the actual teaching of Torah itself, for the delivery of the lesson, it is unfitting for a person to charge fees beyond what is necessary strictly for his basic livelihood and sustenance.
In summary: "Buy truth and do not sell; wisdom, discipline, and understanding." Rashi explains: Buy Torah with payment, but teach it to others for free. Ibn Ezra explains: Buy "books of truth" and do not sell them. Rabbeinu Yonah explains: "Do not sell" - do not abandon the engagement in Torah for the sake of monetary gain, even for thousands of gold and silver pieces. The Vilna Gaon explains: "Truth," the plain *peshat*, buy even with money; but wisdom, discipline, and understanding - *remez*, *derash*, and *sod*, which demanded your deep toil - teach for free. And the deeds witnessed among the great sages of Israel, who returned checks of tens of millions declaring, "I will not sell my Torah study for money," are the living embodiment of this verse: a person devoted to the Torah knows that if in this time he can acquire truth and wisdom, money and gold are utterly worthless by comparison.