Q:
Why is it that when Jews acquire money, many times they seem to weaken in their service of Hashem?
A:
How is it that people who become wealthy tend to forsake the principles of their fathers?
Now this is something that’s a well known phenomenon. It’s constantly reiterated in the Scriptures, in the Tanach. וישמן ישרון ויבעט – Yeshurun became fat. The righteous nation became fat and began kicking (Devarim 32:15). It’s like a cow. A cow, if you don’t feed it too much, it’s docile. But once you give it too much food, then if you come to milk it, it’ll give you a kick in the face.
And that’s how children are too, by the way. They’re overfed today with too much candy and ice cream. And that’s why they’re so fresh. If they had to go to work in order to support themselves, then you’d see it’ll be a much more decent population.
Money is a great test.
Now, for good people money is a glorious opportunity. They become more grateful to Hashem and they utilize their wealth for the support of the Torah causes; and they become like Rabbi Akiva or like Raban Gamliel or like Rabbi Tarfon or like Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, all the great people of our history who knew how to live with money.
But those that are not trained, those who are not prepared for wealth are ruined by wealth. Like Shlomo HaMelech said: ראש ועשר אל תתן לי – Don’t give me extreme wealth or extreme poverty, הטריפני לחם חקי – Give me just enough (Mishlei 30:8).
And therefore, it’s a great test and very many people have stumbled and have fallen because of this test.
February 1982
