Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:

Proverbs 13:22: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.”

The word for “wealth” used here is “chil.”   It is not the usual word for wealth, but it could be used as wealth, but we need to be a little careful with what we mean by wealth.  The most common Hebrew word for wealth is “ashayar.”  That word is used in 13:17:  A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health or healing.”  Beats me, because it should more properly be rendered “a faithful ambassador is wealthy” and Proverbs 13:22 would be more correctly translated as the health of the sinner is laid up for the righteous.    But that is the nature of the Hebrew language, it is up to the individual and what he senses in his own spirit what the correct rendering should be.

But let’s take a look at the word under in 13:17 that means “wealth” (ashayar).  A rabbi once broke the word down.  It is spelled “ayin, shin, yod and resh.”    The ayin begins the word eynayim for eyes, the shin is shinayim for teeth, the yod is ydayim for hands and the resh is raglayim for feet.   Wealth is having eyes to see, teeth to eat, hands to feel, touch and embrace and feet to walk and enjoy the splendor of the world that God created.  So even the Hebrew word for wealth does not necessarily mean money, but physical health. Rockefeller once said: “You spend your health to get your wealth and spend your wealth to get your health.”  He should know, in the later years of his life his health had so deteriorated that he could only eat a spoonful of soup.  He was the wealthiest man in the world but he could not enjoy the fruits of his wealth.  Someone suggested he start to use his wealth for helping others, which he did, he started a foundation, built the Rockefeller Center etc.   Soon he was eating  full course meals again.

The wealth (chil) of the sinner is laid up for the just.  You can translate this as wealth and you would be correct, but it is more than that.  The word “chil” is actually the word for dancing, or twirling,  This is an expression of victory, peace, joy, etc.    The word sinner is “chata” which means to miss the mark.  The word “laid up” is  “sapan” which means to keep watch over.   The wealth and the joy of the ones who miss the mark is carefully watched over or kept in trust for the just.

Now we need to relate this in light of the previous phrase to stay consistent with the poetic nature of this verse.  “A good (In harmony with God) man leaves an inheritance to his children just as the sinner leaves his  wealth for the just.   The Mishnah spells out that a man can assign his estate to his children while he is alive.   You find this in the story of the prodigal son.  There were certain conditions, however.  The son may not sell his deed to the estate until the father dies.  If the son sells his deed before the father dies (as the prodigal son did), the purchaser has made an illegal purchase and all the father has to do is present himself to the purchaser and demand the deed back.  The money changer who purchased the deed from the prodigal son was obligated to return the deed to the father and he had to suffer the loss of the purchase price.  The father was under no obligation to reimburse the money changer. Hence the older son did not have to divide his portion of the inheritance and split it with his brother, the father simply went to the money changer and demanded the return of the deed.  The prodigal did not spend his father’s wealth, he spent the wealth of the money changer.

The enemy can rip us off of our joy,  family, possessions,  health, or our wealth.  But if  the enemy does this, he has acquired it illegally and at anytime Jesus can go to the enemy and say: “Guess what, I’m not dead, give it back.”  In light of  Hebrew Law, as spelled out in the Mishnah, this may be what it means when David says:  “The wealth of the sinner is laid for the just.”

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