Mishnayos Avos Perek 6 Mishnah 4
Change text layout:
אבות פרק ו׳ משנה ד׳
Such is the way [of a life] of Torah: you shall eat bread with salt, and rationed water shall you drink; you shall sleep on the ground, your life will be one of privation, and in Torah shall you labor. If you do this, “Happy shall you be and it shall be good for you” (Psalms 128:2): “Happy shall you be” in this world, “and it shall be good for you” in the world to come.
כַּךְ הִיא דַּרְכָּהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה, פַּת בְּמֶלַח תֹּאכַל, וּמַיִם בִּמְשׂוּרָה תִשְׁתֶּה, וְעַל הָאָרֶץ תִּישַׁן, וְחַיֵּי צַעַר תִּחְיֶה, וּבַתּוֹרָה אַתָּה עָמֵל, אִם אַתָּה עֹשֶׂה כֵן, (תהלים קכח) אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְטוֹב לָךְ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא:
Rashi
Eat bread with salt: It is not saying it about the wealthy one that he should place himself in a life of pain in order to study Torah. But rather, this is what it is saying: Even if a person only has bread with salt, etc. and he does not have a pillow and blanket to sleep [on], but rather [must sleep] on the ground, he should not refrain from involvement in [Torah study]; as in the end, he will study it in wealth.
bimesura: a small amount.
פַּת בְּמֶלַח תֹּאכַל. לֹא עַל הֶעָשִׁיר הוּא אוֹמֵר שֶׁיַּעֲמֹד בְּחַיֵּי צַעַר כְּדֵי לִלְמֹד תּוֹרָה, אֶלָּא הָכִי קָאָמַר, אֲפִלּוּ אֵין לָאָדָם אֶלָּא פַּת בְּמֶלַח וְכוּ' וְאֵין לוֹ כַּר וְכֶסֶת לִישֹׁן אֶלָּא עַל הָאָרֶץ, אַל יִמָּנַע מִלַּעֲסֹק בָּהּ, דְּסוֹפוֹ לִלְמֹד אוֹתָהּ מֵעֹשֶׁר:
בִּמְשׂוּרָה. מִדָּה קְטַנָּה: