Q. One who has limited income – should he rather spend his money on having nicer and more food or drink for Shabbos, or on buying good seforim to learn from (even though he could learn from the sefarim that are available in the beis medrash, he wants to buy sefarim that are not in the beis medrash), or on buying nicer clothing for Shabbos, or something else?
A. Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that it depends on the individual and his particular spiritual condition and requirements for growth in Avodas Hashem.
The Rov compared it to the different answers to the question “bame heerachto yomim,” why did you merit a long life? that was answered differently by various Sages (Megilla 28a).
This question should be better answered by a Rabbi or teacher familiar with the individual.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a