Are you worthy of owning money?

Are you worthy of owning money?  

So many people struggle to pay their bills month to month and don't have a penny to their name.  Why is that?  Is there a shortage of money?  Are they splurging everything on frivolities?

The Talmud and other Jewish sources have some insight that answered the question for me.  It really boils down to the very meaning of "wealth."  How would you define the word?  Does it mean health, or enough money to buy whatever you want?  Maybe it means a nice house or a fancy car?

The Torah teaches that our charity should "fill the lack of the poor person".  The Talmud explains that on the one hand, we should give them enough to live the lifestyle they're used to.  "Even a horse to ride on and servants to wait on them."  On the other hand, charity only needs to fill the lack, not make them rich.

Wait one second.  If a horse to ride on (the biblical equivalent of a Lexus) and servants to wait on them isn't wealth, what is? 

The answer is simple.  A penny in the bank.  Wealth is defined as money that you don't need for your expenses.  Someone who's used to having a horse to ride on and fell on hard times, is even entitled to charity for temporary funding of that lifestyle.  

However, if you're poor and are accepting charity, you can't have money in the bank.  And that's exactly what wealth and poverty is.  The house you live in and car you drive is your "lifestyle" not wealth or poverty.  Many people driving fancy cars are in huge debt.  Many people sitting on millions drive old cars and live in normal houses.  For us simple folks, if you make $20k a year, and spend $19k, you have $1k of wealth.  If you make $500k and spend $600k, you have zero wealth.

The words that resonated with me were "owning money."  So many of us feel entitled to new clothes, cars, houses, gadgets and toys.  It feels good to have nice stuff.  If I don't buy this thing which I deserve right now, the money might disappear, and I won't have the thing I wanted.  

If someone is comfortable with owning less stuff, and in turn, owning the money that they would have spent, that's wealth!

While reading this, you might think it's a bit simplistic, but let me assure you, it's very deep.

This concept is really what Pirkei Avos-Jewish Ethics tells us, "Who is wealthy?  One who is happy with what they have."  This adage is not merely telling us that happiness is more important than wealth.  It's telling us that if we can be happy with what we have, instead of constantly wanting more and more "stuff," then we'll have money to actually own.

May G-d bless us all with an abundance of wealth, happiness and everything good that our hearts desire.

Shabbat Shalom, 

Rabbi Abrams

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