Our Sages said, “Whoever engages in construction grows poor” (Yevamos 63a). This is because when it comes to all other expenditures a person can calculate the expenses involved and then determine whether or not he can afford it. Not so when it comes to construction. A person plans on spending a hundred zuz] but then unexpected expenses drive the cost to two hundred zuz], but since he already began construction, he can’t just stop in the middle and so he risks bankruptcy.
Therefore, anyone considering a construction project should first determine whether he could afford twice the estimated cost, and only then get involved in the construction, but if not, he should avoid it altogether.
When one constructs a building, he should be careful to use money that was earned honestly. When laying its foundation, he should purify his intentions so that his deeds will be for the sake of Heaven. And he should pray. Likewise, after the building has been completed, he should conduct a dedication of the house that includes Torah study and prayer, and then holiness will dwell there.
During construction, on whatever he spends, he should declare that it is for building a home that will be inhabited for the service of Hashem. The more one mentions the Name of Heaven in the course of construction, the better.
One must be careful to place a proper mezuzah on every doorway. One who does all these things is guaranteed that the Divine Presence will rest upon his home, that Hashem will protect his coming and going, and that he will know peace in his home.
In any case, a person should not spend extravagantly on large buildings that are heavily decorated, for “all is futile and a vexation of the spirit” (Koheles1:14). We are but transients in the land; better that one use those funds to build a permanent dwelling in the World to Come — for there is one’s true home.
Even about people who build magnificent synagogues the Sages said that it would have been better had they built a simple synagogue and use the rest of the money to support those who devote themselves to Torah study. If this was said even with regard to the construction of a synagogue, all the more so with regard to someone who builds a home for his own use — better he should spend less on its magnificence and grandeur and instead give the money to those who toil in Torah study.
