Image: An accounting ledger page, with numbers (Pixabay)
There are some basic concepts that form the foundation of the teachings of Jewish tradition on money.
First: We hold any possessions we have, including wealth, as stewards for God. We may say, “I earned what is in my bank account” and indeed, we may have worked hard for it. Or we may not have worked at all – perhaps we inherited it. Either way, we are responsible to the Holy One for what we do with our resources, great or small, because it is all part of the larger Creation.
Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case.
Deuteronomy 8:18
Second: Poverty is bad. It is bad in and of itself. It does not serve any good purpose.
There is nothing in the world more horrible than poverty. It is the most terrible of all suffering. Our teachers have said that if every difficulty were on one side and poverty were on the other, poverty would outweigh them all.
Exodus Rabbah 31: 12, 14
Third: Wealth is neutral. It is not bad in and of itself, nor is it good. It must be acquired and used justly.
…And give to us a long life, a life of peace, a life of goodness, a life of blessing, a life of sustenance, a life of strengthening the body, a life that has in it a fear of heaven and a fear of sin, a life that does not have in it shame and disgrace, a life of wealth and honor, a life marked by our love of Torah and a fear of heaven, a life in which the wishes of our heart will be filled for good. Amen.
– Prayer for Rosh Chodesh, Ashkenazi siddur, my translation
They have sold for silver Those whose cause was just, And the needy for a pair of sandals.
Amos 2:6
Jewish tradition envisions a world in which everyone has enough to live, and those who have more than enough are just in their acquisition and use of wealth.
As it is written: “You shall eat, and be satisfied, and bless the Eternal your God for the good land that God has given you.”
Deuteronomy 8:10 (Also in the Birkat Hamazon)
