1) Suffering torments such as deficient income, poor health, degradations, failing to accomplish plans, and emotional dissatisfaction.
2) Praying without being answered. Declining when bettering one’s ways, such as avoiding deceiving his friends, and succeeding when worsening one’s ways. One’s sustenance does not come in proper ways, but only by deception, stealing, or desecrating the Shabbat [Sabbath].
3) All of one’s acquaintances who walk on the straight path suffer poverty, ill health, and degradations of all kinds, and one’s wicked acquaintances mock him each day. They are successful, healthy, wealthy, tranquil, and carefree.
4) All of his righteous acquaintances who observe Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] seem to him cruel, egotistical, odd, or innately stupid and impolite, as well as hypocritical. He finds it repulsive to be with them, even in the Garden of Eden, and he cannot bear to be with them even a moment.
1) Reception of abundance and tranquility, obtainment of one’s livelihood with ease and to the fullest. One never feels scarcity or ill health; he is respected wherever he turns, and successfully and easily accomplishes every plan that comes to his mind.
2) When one prays, he is immediately answered. When he betters his ways, he is very successful, and when he worsens his ways, he loses his success.
3) All of one’s acquaintances who walk on the straight path are wealthy, healthy, know no illness, are highly respected by people, and dwell in peace and tranquility. Conversely, acquaintances who do not follow the straight path are of poor income, filled with burdens and sorrow, ill, and contemptible in the eyes of people.
One regards all the righteous acquaintances as clever, reasonable, well-mannered with people, truthful, and so comely that it is most pleasurable to be among them.