WEALTHA
TORAH APPROACH
(320 pages)
Self Esteem
A person
with wealth,
stands up. His wealth gives him a sense of
confidence that allows him to act, a sense of self-worth that fills him
with enthusiasm. He enjoys all that he is and all that he does. He
feels important and this promotes his success. Thus his wealth is a key
to prosperity - a key that opens the doors to his desires.
"The ground
under their feet (Devarim
11.6). This verse, taught R Elazar, refers to a
person’s wealth - it stands him on his feet. (Pesachim
119a) Rav Shmuel bar Nachman
said: When
a man is wealthy, he shows his friend a happy face. (Breishis
Raba 91.5)
R Elazar said: A man who has no
land is no man. (Yevamos 63a)
A beautiful home expands a
person’s thoughts. (Brochos 57b)
Beautiful garments enlarge a
person’s thoughts. (ibid.)
The rich man’s wealth
is his fortress. (Mishle 10.15)
The rich man has many who love
him. (Mishle 14.20)
Wealth adds many friends. (Mishle
19.4)
Healthy Wealth
There is wealth to be had; there is money in the streets. However, a
person needs to want this money, to look carefully for it, and gather
it up. For the Heavens guide a person in the way he wishes to go (Makkos
10b).
True, there are hardships he must endure; he must learn to toil; he
must train himself to wait, patiently. Still, if he wants it, it is
there. The question is though, should he want wealth?
At the
simplest level we may answer that the survival of religious life
depends on wealth. We need money for our Shabbosim and for our
weekdays, for talleisim and for tefillin. We need money for our shuls
and our schools. We need money to create libraries and feed our
scholars. The very survival of a Torah life-style depends on a
financial backing. To raise whole families, a nation who lives with
true values, all requires successful economics. Thus every aspect of
the Torah depends on wealth.
R
Elazar ben Azarya would say: If
there is no flour, there can be no Torah. (Avos 3.21) Food leads to laughter, wine adds
joy to life, and money solves all problems. (Koheles
10.19)
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