The Torah's Position on Money

 


Yesterday I gave a class that I've been meaning to give for such a long time.  The Torah's advice on money really has transformed Natanya's and my life and it's something that I feel very passionate about sharing.  

Here are the cliff notes with some additions:

  • While health, relationships and happiness are definitely more important than wealth, they are not wealth in the material, literal sense.

  • The definition of "wealth" is money that you don't need for your own needs.  Hence a penny that you don't need is a penny of wealth, just like $100 or $1M that you don't need, is that amount of wealth.  Whether it's $1, $100 or $1,000,000, it is qualitatively the same thing.  Money that you don't need.

  • On the one hand, Hashem guarantees us that we'll always have what we need to live.  On the other hand, we are not entitled to wealth. 

  • Getting excited or anxious about amassing wealth is futile, as it's not really for you anyways.  Your entire life savings might just be destined to support your wife's future husband, stepchild, or your enemy! 

  • Torah doesn't share any magic tricks to make a successful business, but it does advise us how to achieve wealth.

  • The way to achieve wealth is by being happy with what you have.  By not constantly needing more material things, you'll find that you do have extra money that you don't need, wealth.

  • You might even say that it takes a healthy self esteem to achieve wealth.  If I'm not comfortable with myself (and happy with my lot), I will constantly need to buy "stuff" to make me feel better.  If I'm happy with what I have, however, I feel worthy of "owning money" and don't need to spend it.

  • G-d doesn't give many guarantees.  Prayer doesn't always result in a "yes", the wicked sometimes prosper and the righteous sometimes suffer. 

  • Tithing, however, is the only guarantee that we are "allowed" to test G-d with.  G-d guarantees that by giving 10% of your net income (after tax & before expenses) to tzedakah, He will give you wealth, materially.


If you'd like to see the source sheet with Torah excerpts, click here.
If you'd like to watch a replay of the class, click here



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