Timeless Torah

A consequence of this recognition is the awareness that one’s shekels will undergo examination. When one realizes that his wealth was granted to him by Heaven, he is acutely conscious that his funds must not embarrass the Source from whence they came.

Too many empires have faded into oblivion merely because they forgot this vital truth. Historic Greece never thought of its riches as a loan from the Throne of Glory, neither did the unholy Roman Empire. That is why their imperial treasuries were squandered on vanity, immorality, and conquest. America is the current nation of affluence, and though it harbors its own social ills, America has shown a remarkable propensity of utilizing its almighty dollar in spreading Heaven’s blessings.

With this lesson firmly ingrained in our souls, there emerges a second moral. Assets must not be stored away for their own sake. Riches were bequeathed from Above in order to be used. The great Rabbi Meir had that in mind when he answered his own question of, “Who is rich?” with, “He who enjoys his wealth.” This is an eminently sensible definition of wealth. A rich man who does not enjoy his funds is not really wealthy, for practically he has no money. Wealth is not the amount you have, but the amount you use. If one cannot enjoy his affluence and lugs around his overstuffed bank book, but never gets to open his check book, he is a pauper. This miserly attitude is not limited to money. Our Sages record a fascinating conversation between Moses and his fabulously wealthy antagonist, Korach, who queried, “If one’s home is packed with Torah scrolls and other holy works, does that house still require a Mezuzah?” “Yes,” said Moses, “A mezuzah must still be affixed to the dooropost.” As we know, Korach ridiculed that response.

This was not a simple debate on a minor point of Jewish law. Larger and more weighty issues were being deliberated. The question at hand was the proper use of one’s resources. Korach propounded the theory of hoarding. He felt that it is sufficient that one store himself up with knowledge, to closet oneself in a room full of books. That is all that G-d demands. But Moses countered that wisdom like money must be shared. A warehouse full of books enjoyed by a recluse in the comfort of one’s own home does not satisfy Hashem. One must post a mezuzah at the door, so that one’s learning guides him over the thresholds of life as he interacts and contributes to the rest of society. For if an individual is squirreling away his riches or knowledge, he is misusing the sacred trust assigned to him from on High.

There is one last point that needs to be made that is based on the famous and oft-quoted words of Ben Zoma, “Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot.” Money should be measured, not by the cold objectivity of quantity, but by the subjective criterion of, “How happy am I with what I have?” For some, riches are like saltwater. You drink it to quench your thirst only to find that it increases your appetite for more.
This definition encompasses all others. For who is as rich as the parent whose child can teach him a Torah or Talmud lesson? Who is as rich as the youngster of meager means who discovers an ocean of imagination in a bathtub, or the child trudging through the sandbox thinking himself the ancestor who wandered the ancient Sinai desert with G-d at the helm? Yes, Ben Zoma was right. And best of all, such riches are within the reach of every man.
To summarize: First, man must truly comprehend that all his riches come by the grace of G-d. Second, they are on loan to be utilized. Third, money does not guarantee happiness. Only contentment with material blessings can accomplish that.
Our Rabbis tell us that, “He who sees Ben Zoma in a dream may look forward to the gift of wisdom.” There are many who fantasize about physical wealth, yet when they inevitably wake up from their reverie, they realize that their lives have been based upon an illusion. In their frantic drive for more, they reap less and less. But those who dream of Ben Zoma and his vision of wealth, such men are rich indeed. At the end of their lives, they thank G-d for the gift of wisdom. For wise are your dicta Ben Zoma, and wise are those that follow you, and wiser still are those who dream of you.