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The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." Lily Tomlin's tongue-in-cheek comment definitely conveys an accepted truth. It seems to match the general public perception and it seems to be bolstered by newspaper headlines and television pictures of handcuffed CEO's. We watch these Shakespearean-like tragedies in action. We shake our heads, mutter "Tsk, tsk" and murmur about the price of greed. It's easy to be condemnatory of others. It's easy to see their flaws. And when there's a lot of money at stake, our judgment is certainly clouded by envy. There is a glee in the voices of the newscasters as they detail the fate of another fraudulent company and its principals. The important question for us is, "Are we any different?" Is it only the amount of wealth and power that separates us from those front page stories or do we really lead our lives in a more ethical way? This is particularly pertinent every Rosh Hashana. Jews believe that one of the judgments the Almighty makes at this time is our income for the upcoming year. That means that no amount of cheating, extortion, cutting corners, small or outrageous fraud will ultimately change that figure. It means that no amount of selfish hoarding or frivolous spending will change that figure. It means that no amount of ignoring our families to put in long overtime hours will change that figure. It's ALL in His hands. And that's very hard to accept. Of course we have to make a reasonable effort. We have to work enough that our income does not seem overtly miraculous. But beyond that, it's a matter of trust. In fact the only action of ours that could change our financial situation is to give tzedaka, charity. There is a promise in the Torah of "maaser, taaser", loosely translated as "If we really donate to the needy 1/10th of our earnings, God will make us rich." There's a worthwhile experiment!
Other than that, it's out of our hands. It's a funny thing. We seem to recognize that there are many areas of life where God is in charge. We pray to Him when a loved one is ill. We pray to Him to conceive children. And we pray even more as we raise them! But somehow the world of finance is unique. It's definitely an insecure world. And if we are totally dependent on market forces and subject to the cheating and manipulation of others, it is a very frightening one. It's very tempting to adopt an "each man for himself" attitude. Recognizing that the Almighty is in charge frees us from this anxiety. We're not victims. We're not reliant on market fluctuations. We have certainty because we have a trusting relationship with God. In the same way that we wouldn't think of leaving our children without any means of sustenance, the Almighty won't abandon us. Will we get all the riches and opulence we desire? Not necessarily; we'll get exactly the amount we need (and how we allocate our resources is up to us). We may believe we need more. We may even have a list of wonderful mitzvot we'll do with more money and more space. (Okay, and perhaps some new furniture and a little remodeling as well!) But the Almighty may still decide it's not what we need. More is not always better for our spiritual or physical health. When we see the children of the very wealthy with their bodyguards or their distorted sense of privilege and corresponding lack of responsibility (as portrayed in the documentary "Born Rich"), we recognize that it is a very great challenge. And that few people are up to it. In the time of the Talmud, it was understood that sailors and farmers had greater trust in God because they were able to see more clearly and directly His role in their livelihood. The more removed we are from "nature," the more we think it's up to us. There is only one Source of security in this world. And He takes care of us every day, whether we recognize it or not, whether we like it or not (dependence is definitely uncomfortable). On Rosh Hashanah, the Almighty inscribes for us our financial resources for the year. Let's pray that we have the strength of character to use them gratefully and wisely.
Published: Sunday, September 25, 2005
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Hear related audio on this topic
Charitable Experiment
Supposedly John D Rockefeller(or one of the earlier ones that started the empire) tried this experiment,kept a ledger and owes all his fortune that was generated from it(to it).Again supposedly the ledger is on display in a sealed glass case in a lobby somewheres.He started with a dime down in the bowery during rather hard times in the US.
(2) raye 10/2/2005
God -the everflowing source of all supply
I do believe that God lets us have what we need or what we can use. What we do with it is another matter. Money has flowed through my hands wihout my putting any spiritual value to it. Besides giving money to worthy causes, I feel one must also have worthy goals. Alas, coming from a background where money was not used wisely, it is a struggle to know how to use it now. I pray about it. May HaShem show me the way.
(3) Omah 9/29/2005
giving is getting
The attitude of the heart is the key to giving. If we give to get we less the giving. God Makes us a vessel for the funds to pass through. If we let the funds pass through our hand we do get the residuals from the giving. as water through a pipe. The more we give the more residual there is in the pipe. If the water in not running through the pipe the residual water will dry up. As the water runs the pipe becans to get wet first at the opening where the water is coming in and as it runs through the whole pipe gets wet. It is hard to do this in a world where there are so many financial demands on a family. But if God is the provider we should try the experiment and keep doing it until the whole pipe is very wet.