 |
|
Nov. 25, 2009
JWisdom.com: No God … No You!
Know God, Know You! with Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (8 minutes)
Nov. 24, 2009
JWisdom.com: You are a Philanthropist
with Aliza Bulow (5 minutes)
Nov. 23, 2009
JWisdom.com: Actually, it really is all about you with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff
Nov. 20, 2009
Nov. 19, 2009
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game
with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf
with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith
with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality
with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Nov. 12, 2009
JWisdom.com Does God get tired?
with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven
with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Nov. 21, 2008
/ 23 Mar-Cheshvan 5769
Money matters ...
By
Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz
Or does it? Wise words to consider during trying times
“And Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver ... four hundred shekels of silver ... .”
— Genesis 23:16
After Sarah passed away, Abraham came
to Ephron to purchase a burial plot. According to the
Ramban (ibid., 23:9), Ephron quoted Abraham an exorbitant
price, knowing that Abraham had no choice but to accept his
terms.
The Ramban tells us that Abraham, with the "generosity of
his heart," paid Ephron the entire sum. In what way was generosity
involved? This was a business deal. Ephron was the only one who
had what Abraham needed, and his price reflected that exclusivity.
If Abraham wanted to bury Sarah in Ephron's field, he had no
choice but to pay the price. Was Abraham really being generous?
Abraham's generosity was expressed in the
manner in which he paid for this expensive purchase. He knew
that the proper burial ground for Sarah was in
the Cave of Machpelah, alongside Adam and
Eve, and once he determined that this transaction
was necessary, he did it wholeheartedly and joyously. The
fact that Ephron was extorting an outlandish price and making
an unreasonable profit did not affect Abraham's feelings.
Very often people determine that a certain purchase is proper,
essential, and even profitable. Yet, because they cannot bear to
part with their money, they choose to manage without it. Some times the price may be within reach, but they cannot bear the thought of someone else making a large profit from them. Abraham, however, was unaffected by this small-mindedness. He
gave the money to Ephron with a full heart.
Abraham's actions shed light on the proper attitude we must have toward money. Perhaps if we have a clearer understanding of this outlook, it will help us through economically trying times. Money is a gift from the Divine to be used to fulfill His bidding ( mitzvos) ; therefore it cannot be frivolously spent nor should we withhold spending it when necessary.
The Chazon Ish (Rabbi Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz, 1878-1953) once said that if we decide that it is necessary to buy an object, we should part with a million dollars as easily as with one dollar. Similarly, we should be as careful not to lose one dollar (which could later be used to perform a mitzvah) as we are careful not to lose many. We see this philosophy exemplified in the actions of the forefather Jacob.
In one instance, when Jacoby first met
Rachel, he was absolutely penniless because he had voluntarily
given away his every possession to Esau's son, Elifaz (Rashi, ibid.,
29:11). On the other hand, he retraced his steps to retrieve inexpensive
pottery vessels (Rashi, Genesis 32:25).
Our financial resources do not have intrinsic
importance and our success in life is not to be measured by the
amount we have accumulated in our bank accounts.
The value of material wealth is in the deeds it enables
us to perform, and it must be viewed in that context. If we lose
the perspective that money is only a means to the greater end of
serving the Divine and we fall in love with money for its own sake,
we will drive ourselves into a life of misery and dissatisfaction.
We will never have enough, as our desires constantly outstrip our
wealth. If, however, we stay objectively detached from money, we
will remain a master over it and will not be enslaved by its entrapments. Our lives will be focused on the incomparable glory
and beauty of the Divine's Word and our duties.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes inspiring articles. Sign up for our daily update. It's free. Just click here.
| INSPIRED BY THIS ARTICLE?
BUY THE BOOK ... |
|  at a discount by clicking HERE . |
|
Comment by clicking here.
One of America's senior Torah sages, the late Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz was the dean of the Rabbinical Seminary of America, in Queens, New York for more than 50 years. The institution has branches and affiliates all across North America and Israel.
This article was prepared by two of the sage's disciples, Rabbi Aryeh Striks and Rabbi Shimon Zehnwirth, and excerpted from the just released book, "Pinnacle of Creation: Torah insights into human nature".
Previously:
The Power of Spiritual Inertia
Our Immutable Noble Essence
The 'living dead' are all around us
We have the power to alter another's destiny — use it well
The Crowning Glory of Creation
The Divine's eternal, unconditional love
Perverting sincerity
Do 'clothes make the man'?
Divine vindictiveness?
© 2007, Mesorah Publications, Ltd.
|
