Finding Money

by Mrs. Lori Palatnik

Ask God, anytime, in any language.

Published: May 11, 2008

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Visitor Comments: 20

(20) SusanE, February 8, 2009 10:21 AM

Found Money - Won Money

62 years ago my father-in-law was in need of money, supporting a wife and 3 year old son, after suffering a back injury. He had given nearly his last bit of money to the collection plate that morning and said "God, what should I do now? We need groceries for dinner tonight.. On his way home from church he found a $5.00 bill in the street. He picked it up and turned around and took $3.00 of it and gave it to the church, and bought some needed groceries with the few dollars left. He has never been in want since that day, and gives first before he spends.

Thank you for the archives. I see that others go through them too and find articles that answer questions today. This article is meaningful to me now, because money doesn't go so far these days but God has seen to it that I had just enough income. I've been praying to find a part time job for extra income. I need it now for 6 weeks to get by. I didn't know that playing the Lottery was acceptable behavior in Judaism. So I just looked up Lottery in Aish.com archives. It mentions it a lot. Who knew?

Thanks, Lori and Aish.com for archives that also answer our questions.

(19) Tsofiya, February 4, 2009 2:56 PM

Thank you

Dear Lori, thank you for these wonderful messages. Suddenly I realized that it's been pretty long time I've not asked anything from G-d, because I thought I should not bother Him, and should solve my problems by myself. But now your speech really encouraged and inspired me to get closer to Him and ask for anything I really need, not just what I want.

(18) Anonymous, January 31, 2009 1:02 PM

To comment # 17

Watch Lori Almost Live video titled, why Do You want It?{a secret to effective prayer}. It helped me,maybe you will also find it to be helpful.

(17) Anonymous, November 23, 2008 1:41 PM

and if the answer is no?

I've learnt that G-d doesn't not answer, just sometimes that the answer is no. But how can it be that He would allow one to go one suffering financially? Money is what we use for our basic human needs - food, clothing, a roof over our heads. It also allows us to explore ourselves in artistic ways - for anyone who is an artist, you know that art isn't free. So, after all my praying, and crying, and begging, why would the answer still remain a resounding no? Often I feel as if G-d came, created the world, and then left us to our own devices

(16) Consuelo Endara, May 26, 2008 12:03 AM

Just ask and trust Him

I know exactly what you are talking about. A few months ago I was in a terrible economic situation. I had tried to find an extra job and nothing came out. But I felt embarrased to ask Hash-m directly for money, so I kept asking Him for an extra job. Finally I reached a point in which I couldnÂ´t handle it anymmore, so I said to Him: I canÂ´t do anything else. I let all this in Your Hands because You are the only one who can help me. Less than 2 months from that moment I got 2 loans from some banks and now, even the budget is very small, I can manage the situation again. So, as you say Lori, just ask! He is always there for us, in one way or another.

(15) jANIS kOHLENBERG, May 17, 2008 6:52 PM

Was keeping the money honest?

Why didn''t the man who found the money try to find the owner, who may have needed the money even more than he did? This bothered me.

(14) Marcella, May 16, 2008 3:42 PM

G-d works through people

I was a college student who didn''t have enough money to get a bus ticket to go home for Thanksgiving. I was the last student out of the dorm, stepped outside and there was EXACTLY enough money on the ground for me to buy a bus ticket and be home for the holiday with my family.

I was so astonished and so appreciative for what I call "a miracle."

Years later I found out it was the security guards from the college who came to check the building to make sure everyone was out, and I was the last one to leave and they inquired as to why I wasn''t gone yet. I told them my circumstances of not having enough money to buy a bus ticket (I worked full-time and went to school full-time). They were my angels from G-d.

That was one Thanksgiving I will ALWAYS remember!!!

(13) Annette, May 16, 2008 2:20 PM

Thank you to Anonymous 8:57am

I appreciate the reply, each of Lori''s videos give us fabulous ''food for thought''
and this one sure made me perk for a bit!
she''s not teaching us anything new, but she is teaching us the good old stuff in a new way, in a great way to relate to Judaism and eachother.
Your reply was just as good! thanks, A.

(12) moshe, May 14, 2008 10:52 PM

please people- the point is the amazing insight of the story!
thank you for sharing it with us lori!

(11) judy, May 14, 2008 1:41 PM

for John

Wondering what you meant by "Jewish people," saying "finders keepers."

(10) Anonymous, May 14, 2008 11:29 AM

Lori says it''s alot easier for G-d to give you money thru a lottery than to slip it under your door. I beg to differ, for G-d it''s just as easy to slip it under your door as to make you win the lottery. EVERYTHING is easy for G-d, you just gotta believe!

(9) ruth housman, May 14, 2008 10:11 AM

one''s Lot in Life and the LOT in Lottery

Dear Lori, I see that others have had comments that relate to what I am going to say Now. I am saying that I am very surprised this man, who YES, needed money and asked God, and also gave of his newfound treasure to another in need, didn''t even once think, maybe someone dropped this money and maybe they are now desperate to find it. Maybe it was an employee en route to put the money in the bank. One day I was walking locally in Newton Centre and a woman was carrying a big wad of bills. A strong wind came up and scattered this money everywhere. I stopped to help her gather them all and she was so grateful. So I am saying that there is another ethical imperative, no matter what others are writing and that is to think of this money as not just "manna" from heaven but that perhaps, God is presenting this as a test of ethical and moral principles and that there should have been a report made and the money kept in escrow, just in case someone was desperate to find what was lost.

I play the lottery a LOT. Why? Because I have a long and increasing tzedakah list and if I win, it''s taken. I have enough. This is for all those worthwhile causes, and there is not enough money in the world to fill this need.

So I am saying yes, there is value in prayer and that God does answer prayers, but that also we must act in moral ways and that the ethical thing to do would be to do exactly what I have said and I don''t care what any rabbi or ethical "counselor" says is "on the books". I think we need to do what''s right and our hearts do tell us, sometimes.

(8) dovid, May 14, 2008 9:01 AM

To John D. Miller

Given that he found money, most likely he can keep it according to jewish law since it was in a publick thoroughfare, and money has no specific identifying marks. Based on the story, it appears that he can keep it. Don''''t believe me. Learn the second chapter of bava metzia that discusses all these laws.

(7) Anonymous, May 14, 2008 8:57 AM

To Annette, re: Finders Keepers

Annette questioned how the man was able to keep the money. True, in Judaism there is great mitzvah of returning lost items to its owner. However, when something is found on public property and there''s no identification at all, it is sometimes okay to keep the item.
If it''s found in a synagogue, or other public place where a limited number of people pass, one can still fulfill the mitzvah by hanging a sign or asking around.
When, as in this case, something is found on a city street without any ID, how does one even begin searching for the owner? You can always check with your Rabbi to see what one is obligated to do according to halacha, but in such cases, it may very well be "finders keepers."

(6) John D. Miller, May 14, 2008 8:10 AM

Finders Keepers?

Since when is it right to find say $200 in the street and keep it?

For someone lost that money in the first instance.

But then Jewish people may say, "Finders Keepers!"

Sad
JohnDM

(5) Menashe Kaltmann, May 14, 2008 1:58 AM

Wonderful story!

Wonderful story!

It''s important to ask for all our needs from Hashem.

Isn''t the biggest need for Klal Yisroel at this time to beseech Hashem to bring Moshiach like the famed Chofetz Chaim Tz''l and other tzadikim used to do? Let''s hope He listens has ''rachmonos'' on ua and answers our prayers speedily!

(4) Yisroel Pollack, May 13, 2008 7:48 PM

The Ambiguity of "Needs"

Mrs. Palatnik tch"y
Thank you for the lovely thought. If I''m not mistaken, you alluded to a blessing we recite in the morning in which we thank G-d for providing us with our needs. I presume you''re referring to the blessing of "she-asa li kal tzarki." But as far as I know, that''s interpreted as an expression of our gratitude to Him for fulfilling, or meeting, our needs (shoes, in particular). So it occurs to me to mention another blessing in which we thank G-d for both giving us needs AND providing us the means of satisfying them. I''m thinking of the blessing we recite after partaking of certain foods: "borei nefashos rabos vechesronam." The word "vechesronam" would appear to connote people''s needs for sustenance which, as the formulation of the blessing goes on to say, G-d fulfills through His wonderful creations.

(3) Ella Adler, May 12, 2008 11:29 PM

example of winning when you ask G-D to help and you trust that he will

I desp. needed a new fridge but our budget wouldnt allow. Our dear friend and tenant Miriam T. ( in her 30''s and single ) knew of our situation. She mentioned to me that she put in a ticket for the new appliances which was one of the grand Yad Batya L''kallah auction prizes. YOu guessed it, WE won! It takes just 1 ticket if you''re meant to win. Lori - you''re a real winner! And I''m sure You will agree, that MIriam T. is our, true, grand prize winner!

(2) Gloria, May 12, 2008 7:22 PM

Lori, thanks for the inspiration. Both my husband and myslef are going through a hard time financially and yes you are right we just need to ask Him!

(1) Annette, May 12, 2008 7:01 PM

really!?

I would have thought ''finders keepers'' was not a Jewish value
when I prayed for parnassa this past winter, I got a call for a job! and took it, it was not what I was looking for, but it''s absolutely perfect ''for now'',
had I found some money, I would have been worried about the person who lost it! and concerned how to find out who lost it.
What is the jewish take on ''finding money''?

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About the Author

Mrs. Lori Palatnik

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Lori Palatnik is a writer and Jewish educator who has appeared on television and radio, and is the author of "Friday Night and Beyond: The Shabbat Experience Step-By-Step," "Remember My Soul - What to do in Memory of a Loved One," and co-author of "Gossip: 10 Pathways to Eliminate It From Your Life and Transform Your Soul." She is a much sought-after international speaker, having lectured in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Central America, South America, South Africa and Israel, including featured talks at Yale, Brown and Penn. She lives in the Washington D.C. area, with her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik. Lori is the Founder of The Jewish Women's Renaissance Project, an international initiative that brings over 1,000 women to Israel each year from ten different countries on highly subsidized programs to inspire them with the beauty and wisdom of their heritage. She is the busy mother of five children, ages 24 to 14; and her son, Zev, just finished serving as a sharpshooter in the IDF. Her weekly video blog, "Lori Almost Live" is a popular feature on aish.com, viewed by over 50,000 people each month.

Follow Lori on Twitter, @LoriAlmostLive

Finding Money

Ask God, anytime, in any language.

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