What does the verse “Al tira ki ya’ashir ish” mean?

Rabbi Landau explains King David’s words “Al tira ki ya’ashir ish, ki yirbeh kvod beiso” this way: “Don’t be shocked when a man gets rich, it’s because the majesty of his home grew, his bayis, his marriage.” The wealth comes because the home came first.

That is the opposite of how most people see it. You would think a single person, with time, space, and energy, has the perfect setup to make money. “But no, that’s the trap.” Money, he teaches, comes from urgency, and a single person is “too free to fight for freedom.” It is marriage, the responsibility of a home, that creates the push.

So he reads the verse as advice: “First get married, and don’t worry, you’re going to become rich.” His summary: build the home, and then the blessing follows.

Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level

Surface claim

The verse links a man growing rich to the honor of his home growing.

Fear, vulnerability, or tension

A growing household looks like it should drain money. In A Soul at Peace, Rabbi Landau writes that this is exactly the fear the verse tells the young groom not to have.

Deepest human truth

Responsibility comes before the blessing: it is because the home grew that the man grew rich.

More questions from this teaching

• Does getting married help a man build wealth?