◆ Gems
Ep 84Does God Want You to Be Rich? A Biblical View from Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm
1:29

Torah & Jewish outlook · 1:29

A Hong Kong cab driver asked me the secret to Jewish wealth. Here's the real answer.

Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm

Ep 84Dec 25, 2024

Does God Want You to Be Rich? A Biblical View from Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm

with Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm

Joseph's success doesn't come from the fact that he inherits Jacob's fortune. It comes from the fact that he inherits Jacob's values.

Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm

More moments · 4

0:58
Winning the genetic lottery isn't enough. You have to stand for something.
1:10
Everyone says we focus too much on wealth. Here's the real alternative.
1:15
Why do we picture holy people on a rickety wooden chair?
1:30
Search the Jewish money books of the last ten years. You won't find the word 'growth.'

Try this · top 3

Quotes

“The problem with a trust fund baby is that there's no active transmission of value. It's just a bank account.”

Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm

“You can't have an economy without oaths, without being able to trust that somebody is going to do what they say.”

Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm

“If we think that some people are simply better because they're rich, then our souls are rotting and we have to examine something within ourselves.”

Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm

“We never daven for our fellow Jews to be blessed with poverty. We never pray for that.”

Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm

Takeaways

  1. 1 Most Torah money talk is about limits (interest, honest weights). The Torah also has a positive vision: a society that grows, builds and creates.
  2. 2 Being made in God's image means first of all being creative. Building things is part of our purpose, not a distraction from it.
  3. 3 Leaving Eden was a mission as well as a punishment. The Torah starts in a garden and moves toward building a city - work and building are part of the plan.
  4. 4 Avraham's story is organized around wealth (the word rechush appears 7 times in it). He took risks, worked hard, knew success came from God, and used it to help others.
  5. 5 Lot picked the easy, lush land and ended up in Sodom. Avraham picked hill country that needed both effort and prayer for rain. Easy money can pull you away from your values.
  6. 6 Pass down values, not just money. Yosef became the wealthiest brother by inheriting Yaakov's values; a trust fund with no values attached is "just a bank account."
  7. 7 Our schools, Hatzalah, Shomrim and chesed groups exist because of wealth creation. You can criticize showing off and still value growth.
  8. 8 The Torah worries about class division, not wealth. It is a real danger to treat rich people as better people.
  9. 9 Jewish business success rests on trust built by shared values (keeping oaths and your word). Being trustworthy is a financial asset.
  10. 10 Admire sacrifice and firm values, not poverty itself. Both wealth and poverty are tests.

Full episode

Watch on YouTube