Vol 20.07 - Lecha 2                       Spanish French Audio  Video

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Chumash-Bereshit-Lech     Zohar
Summary:

(5743) "your reward is exceedingly great" (Gen 15:1) . Explanation of the Torah study of R' Yosi ben Pazi for a "cup of gold"  
 

Translation:

Zohar:
After Rabbi Aba returned from Babylon, he declared that whoever desires to be rich and have a long life
in the world to come should study Torah, and the whole world gathered around him to study Torah. There was a bachelor in his neighborhood. One day he said to Rabbi Aba, "Rabbi, I wish to learn Torah so that I may be wealthy." Rabbi Aba responded, "Why of course, you shall merit much wealth by studying Torah." He asked, "What is your name?" The bachelor responded, "Yosi." Rabbi Aba told his pupils to call the bachelor "Yosi, a man of great wealth and glory." And Yosi delved to the study of Torah.

After a while, as the days passed, Yosi stood before rabbi aba and asked, "Rabbi, where is the wealth?" Rabbi Aba responded, "I can see that he is not learning for the sake of heaven!" And then he went to his room to
consider what to do with Yosi. He then heard a voice that said: Do not punish him, because he shall become a great man!
He returned to him and said: Sit down, my son, sit down. And I shall give you wealth.

In the meantime, a man appeared with a vessel made of pure gold, He showed it to everyone, and its sparkle lit up the house. He said: Rabbi, I wish to merit Torah. Because I myself have not merited the understanding of the Torah,
I am searching for someone who can learn Torah for my sake. I inherited great wealth from my father, who used to set upon his table thirteen of these cups made of pure gold.I wish to achieve the merit of studying Torah, and I shall give my wealth to achieve it.

He said to the bachelor: Study Torah, and this man shall give you wealth! The man gave him the cup of gold.
In relation to him, Rabbi Aba said out loud the verse, "Gold and crystal cannot equal it. And the exchange of it shall not be for vessels of fine gold" (Iyov 28:17). The bachelor then sat down and studied Torah, while the other man gave him wealth.

As days passed, the desire for the Torah entered his bowels. One day he sat down and cried. His Rabbi found him weeping and said to him, "Why are you weeping?' And he replied, "What am I leaving behind for this wealth?
The life in the world to come! I do not want to learn anymore for the sake of this man. But rather merit Torah for myself."
Rabbi Aba said: So now I understand that he is doing it for the sake of heaven.

He called for that man and said to him, "Take your wealth back and share it with the poor and the orphans.
I shall give you a bigger portion in the Torah, from all that we are learning!" Rabbi Yosi returned the cup of gold to him,
and to this very day, the name "the son of gold (Heb. ben pazi)" has not been taken away from him or from his children.
He became the famous Rabbi, Yosi ben Pazi. And he and his sons merited a lot of Torah, because there is no greater reward in the world than to study Torah. and a recompense for it is not necessary. as it is written: "gold and crystal cannot equal it; and the exchange of it shall not be for vessels of fine gold."
 

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