RICH FRIEND/ POOR FRIEND
RICH FRIEND/ POOR FRIEND
PARASHAT EKEV
I
coach two friends. A rich friend, and a poor friend. In the process of coaching the two, I stumbled on a great book, Rich Dad / Poor Dad, that teaches the difference between the beliefs and behaviors of the rich and poor. In the book, the terms Rich and Poor are not determined by how much money you have. The crucial factor is your mindset. I noticed that all the beliefs and behaviors of the Rich friend were identical to the beliefs and behaviors of the Rich Dad, while the poor friend had the identical belief structure and behaviorisms of the Poor Dad. Amazed, I asked my rich friend if he had read the book. Quite frankly, he said, a friend had given it to him to read, when he was still in Yeshiva. He rattled off most of the beliefs in the book, as if he had just read it. (The concepts that he did not remember were actually those concerning the areas where his performance at business needed some improvement. )He read it 14 years ago. And now, he is way ahead of all my other friends in business. Because he approached business with the Rich dad approach. Do your kids a favor, and give them the book to read before they start working. The younger the easier to adapt the concepts. The books is about financial intelligence, and is a great read.
I would like to add a chapter to that book, and to all the great books out there that teach you how to make money. There is a stinging concept that the Torah teaches us. Man lives not by bread alone, but by the word of G-d does Man live. As people with faith in G-d, we have a different belief system. Fire burns. This is science, like mathematics. It is nature. With world markets, though, with the dynamic of making money, it is different. The world of commerce runs in an unnatural way. It does not run like a river. It swirls like a whirlpool. Even if you change your life and start thinking as the Rich do, adopting their outlooks and approaches, working to – and often over – your limit, it does not add up to $$$$. You can do everything just like the rich, but if G-d does not want you to be Rich, if it is not your destiny, He will S.H.O.C. you. What does S.H.O.C. stand for? S.H.OC. stands for Situation, Happenstance, Occurrence, Circumstance. In other words, Situations change, something Happens, or Occurs. Due to the Circumstances,…”, and G-d is the Great King of all S.H.O.C.
If you want to be rich, follow those get-rich guide books. It is probably your best bet. But, it is still only a bet. The deciding factor is if G-d wants that way of life for you. For even if you know what to do, and you are in the right place, at the right time, with the right amount of money, G-d has limitless S.H.O.C. Ironically, it could very well be that since G-d does not want my Poor friend to become rich, He never allowed him to get around to reading that book….” Because the Rich friend was destined to be Rich, G-d sent Him the book.
The Torah and our Rabbis scatter some secrets, pearls of wisdom, as to how to become rich and how to control your destiny. Before we go on, a message from my Rabbi. The Torah does not view amassing riches as a goal, in itself. Nor is there either a reason or a justification, in the eyes of the Torah, for having so much money that one can never even imagine what to do with it. Money is not a value in and of itself. Rather, money is valued according to what you can do with it. Your worth is not measured by the number on your bank statements, your assets, but by how you use your money, how you live. In the eyes of the Torah, it is a goal to have abundance, to have money to live comfortably, to enjoy this world in a way that we can serve G-d and help others to serve G-d. If G-d gives a person great sums of money, it is usually meant as a big test, and is from the most difficult tests to pass successfully.
The first item – secret 1 – on the list of how to become rich and stay rich is so powerful that G-d says, “Please, test me on this”. I”ll say it in Hebrew, in the word of G-d. “בחנוני נא בזאת “ .עשר בשביל שתתעשר . Give a tenth of your earnings to charity (“proper charity”), so that you will be rich. There is no other way recorded in the Torah that G-d lets you test the truth of His words. Except this test.( Taanit 9a) . Even if one does not become richer when tithing, G-d will prevent him from losing money, from a financial catastrophe, from suffering a great loss. Secret 2. Washing your hands with a lot of water for Netilat Yadaim before eating bread. (Shulhan Aruch O”H 158; 10) Secret 3. Kiddush on Shabbat Morning, each week.(Meggilah 27b) Secret 4. Ketoret, one who brings the Ketoret , and one who recites the Ketoret, the words describing offering it. ( Zohar) Secret 5. Being Sandak at a Brit Milah, (Rama,Yoreh D, 265;1) which is like bringing Ketoret. Secret 6. Working with faith in G-d, knowing that it is G-d who brings man to his success, and thanking Him for it. Secret 7. Prayer. ( 6 and 7 Niddah 70b) Secret 8. Honoring Shabbat, with lavish meals, according to your standards. (Shabbat 119a) Secret 9., staying away from arguments. The Sh’lah writes, that Mahloket, argument, brings about poverty.
So, not always can you control your financial destiny, even though you can control your financial intelligence. However, if you are careful to use these secrets as a practical guide, you may be able to control your financial destiny as well.
