אִשָּׁ֣ה תְאָרֵ֗שׂ וְאִ֤ישׁ אַחֵר֙ ישגלנה [יִשְׁכָּבֶ֔נָּה] בַּ֥יִת תִּבְנֶ֖ה וְלֹא־תֵשֵׁ֣ב בּ֑וֹ כֶּ֥רֶם תִּטַּ֖ע וְלֹ֥א תְחַלְּלֶּֽנּוּ׃
אַ װײַב װעסטו פֿאַרקנַסן, און אַן אַנדערער װעט מיט איר זײַן; אַ הױז װעסטו בױען, און װעסט ניט װוֹּינען דערין; אַ װײַנגאָרטן װעסטו פֿלאַנצן, און װעסט אים ניט אָנהײבן.
Mishneh Torah, Human Dispositions
The way of sensible people: A man should first select a permanent vocation out of which to derive a livelihood, then buy a home, and after that take unto himself a wife, as it is said: "And what man is there that built a new house and hath not dedicated it, And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof, And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife and hath not taken her". (Deut. 20.5–7).14The Hebrew text quotes “And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard” first, which is an evident error; Maimonides only emphasizes that marriage should take place only after attaining an established livelihood. G. But fools reverse it by taking a wife first, and after that, if he be able, purchase a home, and after that, in his declining years, he will turn about looking for a vocation, or be supported on charity. Even so is it reversed when pronouncing adversity: "Thou shalt betroth a wife, thou shalt build a house, thou shalt plant a vineyard" (Deut. 28.30), meaning, thy actions shall be reverse so that thou be unsuccessful in thy ways. But of a blessing it is said: "And David acted wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him" (First Samuel. 18.14).15See Pesahim, 50, about one who is supported by his wife’s earnings. G.
Mishneh Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll
But if the scribe wrote defective a word that should be plene or vice versa; or a word traditionally pronounced differently to the way it is written, according to the traditional pronunciation, for example, if he wrote Yishkevenoh instead of Yishgelenoh, or Oovatechorim instead of Oova-apolim, etc.; or if he wrote an "open" section as if it were a closed section or vice versa; or if he wrote one of the Songs like the ordinary prose text, or an ordinary section in the form of one of the Songs, the scroll is unfit for use as a scroll of the Law. It has not the sacredness of a scroll of the Law, but is like any one of the books of the Pentateuch out of which children are taught.