גד גדוד יגודנו. וא"ת כיון שיהיו לו חיילות במה יפרנסם שהרי צריך עושר גדול על כן כתיב אחריו מאשר שמנה לחמו שיהא עשיר יותר מאשר ויוכל להספיק מזון לכל חיילותיו וכי תימא ואשר עצמו מנלן שיהא עשיר ת"ל והוא יתן מעדני מלך שיהא כל כך עשיר שיתן על שלחנו כל מעדני מלך וגם מצינו שפעם אחת שנצטרכו אנשי לודקיא לשמן זית ובא לודקי אחד ונטל ששים רבוא דינרין והלך לארץ ישראל לקנות שמן זית כשבא לשם שאל לאנשי המקום יש כאן אדם שימכור לי בבת אחת שמן בששים רבוא דינרין אמרו לו לך בגוש חלב ושם תמצא יהודי שיוכל למכור יותר ויותר הלך לשם ומצא אותו יהודי בשדה חורש וסלו בידו כפועל עני. תמה אותו עכו"ם ואמר זהו שאומרים עליו שיוכל למכור שמן בהון רב שבידי הלך לו לעיר ומ"מ חזר לו לערב בבית אותו יהודי ומצאו שהיו עבדיו רוחצין ב' רגליו בשמן בשני ספלי זהב לקיים מה שנאמר וטובל בשמן רגלו. שאל לו יש לך למכור שמן בששים רבוא דינר אמר לו הן מדד לו אותו שמן. לאחר שמדד לו אמר לו אם אתה רוצה לקנות יותר אמכור לך אמר לו אין בידי מעות אמר לו אני אקיפך ואלך עמך עד מקומך. קנה לו עוד ממנו בק"נ ריבוא דינרים אמרו עליו שלא הניח לו לא סוס ולא פרד לשכור שלא שכר להביא השמן שקנה ממנו כשבא למקומו שבחוהו על שהביא שמן לספק כל צרכן אמר להם לא תשבחו כי אם ליהודי זה שמכר לי כל זה ועוד אני חייב לו הדמים ועל שניהם נאמר יש מתעשר ואין כל מתרושש והון רב: גד גדוד יגודנו, “Troops will be called up from Gad;” if you were to question how this tribe would secure its livelihood, seeing its men of military age will be conscripted as soldiers? The tribe would obviously have to be blessed with independent wealth in order to succeed. This is why in the next verse we hear about the fertile fields of the tribe of Asher which would supply also the needs of the neighbouring tribe of Gad. The soldiers’ physical needs would be supplied by that tribe, i.e. he would supply the King’s needs, the King having to pay the soldiers.There is an interesting story related in the Talmud, tractate Menachot folio 85, about the people of Laodicea being in need of oil. They appointed an agent and instructed him: “go and purchase for us one hundred measures of oil.” The agent first came to Jerusalem and was told “go to Tyre.” He came to Tyre, and was told: “go to Gush halab.” When he came to Gush Halab, he was told to go to a certain farmer on a certain field. He went there and found the farmer breaking up the earth around his olive trees. When he asked the farmer if he had a hundred measures of oil, he was told that the farmer did have it. He was asked, however, to wait until the farmer had completed the work he was engaged in. After the farmer had finished his work, he threw down his tools and went on his way, removing any stones that were in his way. The agent thought to himself: “has this man really the quantity of oil that I wish to purchase?” He thought that the Jews had tried to make a fool of him. As soon as he reached his hometown, that man’s maidservant brought out a bowl of hot water and he washed his hands and feet. She then brought out to him a golden bowl of oil, and he dipped in it his hands and feet, thus fulfilling the verse “and let him dip his feet in oil.” (Deuteronomy 33,24, Moses’ blessing of Asher) After they had eaten and drunk, the man measured out to the agent a hundred measures of oil, and he asked the agent, if per chance he could use more than that. The agent replied in the affirmative, but added that he had not brought enough money with him for the extra amount. The man said that he would give it to him and would accompany him to his home where he could pay him. He proceeded to measure out for the agent another eighteen thousand measures of oil. It is reported that he hired every horse, mule, camel and ass in the land of Israel. When he reached his hometown, all the people came out and applauded him.” Do not applaud me,” he said; applaud this man, my companion, who measured out for me a hundred measures worth of oil, and to whom I still owe for eighteen thousand measures of oil. This illustrates the meaning of the verse in Proverbs 13,7: “some make themselves rich, yet have nought; another impoverishes himself, but has great wealth.”