Chomas Hadas / Ch. 1, Annotation – 116

Before a person sets out on a long journey he normally spends as much time with his family and friends as he can, and even if a business opportunity comes up he will pass on it to enjoy the family he will not see for a long time. We should learn from this how we should appreciate the time we have in this world in which we can speak to Hashem and learn his Torah, because when we leave here we will no longer be free to do so. We should cherish every moment in which we can increase our closeness to Hashem and knowledge of His Torah, for the moments not utilized in this world will not come back, and the reward we will miss will be lacking forever. We should remember this when an opportunity to make money comes up that involves losing out on a lot of Torah learning, we should not be tempted, and this is what our Sages meant when they said, ‘minimize your work and toil in Torah’.