“Whatever path a person wishes to take is the path he is lead upon” (Makkos 10b). So if someone makes his profession the only focus of his life and he toils to amass wealth with all sorts of schemes, then the Holy One brings about numerous expenses and the person thinks to himself, “It’s a good thing that I worked so hard to make money; otherwise, how would I afford all these expenses?” What such a person does not understand is that had he earned less then the Holy One would have also minimized his expenses. Conversely, if a person wishes to make his Torah studies his main occupation and his profession minor, then he is guaranteed that he will not lack the food he needs, for Hashem has already promised that He gives nourishment to all flesh, for His kindness endures forever (Tehillim 136:25). The reason why people work so hard, suffering toil and hardship, to the point that some people have no life in This World and the Next, is all because they chose to go after luxuries and indulgences. This brings ruin to people. Such people eat the “fruit” of their behavior in This World where all they have is vexation and frustration, they rise early and sit up late, eating the bread of sorrows (ibid. 127:2). And the “principle” of what they’ve done will still be waiting for them in the World to Come, when they will have to face their sins, omissions and their neglect of Torah and mitzvos.
