Kabbalists Are Not Ascetics

Question: Were there rich and poor Kabbalists, or is the spiritual way conditional on asceticism?

Answer: The spiritual path does not require asceticism.

In the Talmud, there is a story about two famous Kabbalists who were standing and looking at Jerusalem from a distance. One said to the other, “I have enough money to provide heat for this city for three years.”

That was a lot of money, especially 2,500 years ago. The second answered, “I have so much money that I could provide light for three years.” This suggests there were wealthy people among the Kabbalists.

A Kabbalist must work and earn money. At the same time, there is a prohibition against simply giving it away, except for necessary charity. Therefore, people accumulated a lot of money that was mainly donated for education and knowledge.

Jews are the only people who never have been illiterate. Universal education, the opening of schools, was always promoted and was the main concern of the population.
[188563]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 3/27/16