Q&A: Sayings of the Sages
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Sayings of the Sages
Question
Rabbi Tahlifa, the brother of Ravnaya of Hoza’ah, taught: A person’s sustenance is fixed for him from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, except for expenses for the Sabbath, expenses for a Jewish holiday, and expenses for his children’s Torah study—for if he reduces them, they reduce for him; and if he increases them, they increase for him (Beitzah 15b).
What is the Rabbi’s position regarding sayings of this kind?
Answer
They are not correct, and it is doubtful whether those who said them themselves intended them literally.