If you win, you will become a sign of life for him, if you don't win, you will become a sign of death for him.
If a person is righteous, then it is said that by studying the Torah, his transgression will be made into something that helps him in his life, or something that destroys his life. But if he is not righteous, as a result of his bad behavior, then it is said that the one who studied and knew the Torah will be punished for his failure.
("This is the Torah that Moses commanded the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 4) - If it is right, you shall make it a name of life, if it is not right, you shall make it a name of death (tongue falls on tongue: name-name)" - Yoma Av Ab"b, and so: "The private sources that were called and came, they did not come out to teach on their own, because if they were to teach on the whole "Come out, for the knowledge has gone up and its end is in it. A man is worthy to be made alive, but he is not worthy to be made dead." - Berdichevski/ Letters, 2, 87)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
זָכָה, נַעֲשֵׂית לוֹ סַם חַיִּים, לֹא זָכָה, נַעֲשֵׂית לוֹ סַם מִיתָה
Definition (Hebrew)
אִם זָכָה הָאָדָם, הֲרֵי שֶׁלִּמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה נַעֲשֵׂית עֲבוּרוֹ כְּדָבָר הַמְּסַיֵּעַ לוֹ בְּחַיָּיו, אוֹ כְּדָבָר הַמַּעֲשִׁיר אֶת חַיָּיו. אַךְ אִם לֹא זָכָה לְכָךְ, עֵקֶב הִתְנַהֲגוּתוֹ הָרָעָה, הֲרֵי שֶׁהַלִּמּוּד וְהַיֶּדַע עָלוּל לְהַכְשִׁילוֹ.
("וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל(דְּבָרִים ד)- זָכָה ,נַעֲשֵׂית לוֹ סַם חַיִּים חַיִּים, לֹא זָכָה, נַעֲשֵׂית לוֹ סַם מִיתָה (לָשׁוֹן נוֹפֵל עַל לָשׁוֹן:שֵׁם-סַם)"- יוֹמָא עַב ע"ב, וְכֵן:"הַמִּקְרִים הַפְּרָטִיִּים הַלָּלוּ שֶׁנִּקְרוּ וְיֶאֱתָיוּ, לֹא לְלַמֵּד עַל עַצְמָם יָצְאוּ, כִּי אִם לְלַמֵּד עַל הַכְּלָל כֻּלּוֹ יָצְאוּ, כִּי הַהַשְׂכָּלָה אַלְיָה וְקוֹץ בָּהּ. זָכָה אָדָם נַעֲשֵׂית לוֹ סַם חַיִּים, לֹא זָכָה נַעֲשֵׂית לוֹ סַם מָוֶת"-בֶּרְדִּיצֶ'בְסְקִי/ כְּתָבִים, ב, 87)