R. Kisma says: "One day, when traveling abroad, I met a man who greeted me and I returned his greeting. Then he asked me: 'Dear rabbi, whence do you come?' I replied, 'I come from a town where there are only scholars and scribes.' Then the man said: 'Would to God that you would dwell in our city, and I would give you 100,000 florins and pearls and precious stones,' Then I replied: 'My dear son, if you would give me all the money and all the jewels that are in the whole world, I would not live in a place in which there is no Torah. I would live only where there is study of the Torah; for when a man dies, there goes with him neither gold nor silver nor precious stones, but the Torah accompanies him to the other world, as we find it written in the verse of the Bible (Prov. 6.22): "When thou goest into the other world, the Torah will guide thee and will follow thee even to thy grave, where she will keep guard over thee, and when thou wakest up, .i, e. in the other world, the Torah will plead for thee before the Lord!" Therefore I ask not for money; as King David said in his book of Psalms. God said unto David: "Thy study of the Law is much dearer to Me than 100,000 florins" (Ps. 119.72). And God says further: "All the silver and all the gold are Mine, and I can make rich whomever I wish" , (Hag. 2.8). Therefore a person should always study the Torah and not run after silver or gold. For even when a person thinks he has much money, God can cause him to lose it in the twinkling of an eye. And when a person studies the Torah, God can make him rich, as we have learned from the two previous stories. Therefore every man should endeavor to increase his knowledge of the Torah and should trust and confide in God Almighty, who can always provide for him.