Community Magazine October 2014

50 Community magazine Mesila presents... RABBI MAX ANTEBY Is IncreasingYour Income a JewishValue? Part I Over the next few articles in our series, we will be exploring various ways that you and/or your spouse can increase your annual income. It is appropriate to introduce this topic by first addressing a vitally important question: While earning lots of money certainly makes you an American “success,” is that something that is equally valued by those who have adopted a traditional Jewish lifestyle? Earning income is about as mundane a pursuit as there can be, yet having the right intentions can transform these activities into a bona fide example of avodat Hashem . Earning income is not merely a means of sustaining yourself and your family – it’s a way to earn a share in the World to Come. The Gemara in Mesechet Berachot (8a) comments that a Gd-fearing person who lives off his own labor is greater than a Gd-fearing person who relies on others for support. Parnasah, earning a livelihood , is not only a means of providing physical sustenance. It also leads to peace of mind, which is a critical factor in healthy relationships and family life. When people are unable to provide for their families, their self-esteem suffers and they can easily fall into depression, or become anxious, irritable, or withdrawn. Unfortunately, even in our own community, many divorces have been directly linked to financial issues, some because of excess, but most because of shortage. Poverty carries with it many spiritual dangers. When a person does not have parnasah , he is liable to violate many Torah prohibitions out of desperation to acquire what he and his family need. He may borrow money that he is unable to repay, which is a form of theft, or he may take interest-bearing loans that are forbidden by the Torah. By earning an adequate income, you make it possible for yourself to learn Torah without the burden of poverty or debt weighing upon you. Furthermore, it enables you to support other people’s Torah study. By supporting your young children, you are constantly involved in hesed . Young children always have needs and demands that they need fulfilled, and providing for their needs is round-the-clock hesed . Every Jew is part of a larger community, and when an individual member of the community succeeds financially, the ripple effects of this success benefit the entire community. When one family is able to pay their tuition on time, their children’s rabbis and teachers get paid, and so does the grocer, and his employees, and so on. In this way, new money earned by the individual members of the Jewish People can have a powerful compounding effect for years to come. If you are blessed to own your own company, you may have the opportunity to hire other Jews, retain the services of other Jews, or buy the products sold by other Jews – and giving other Jews parnasah is the highest form of tzedakah . WhetheryouendupworkingfororwithJews or non-Jews, religious people or irreligious people, you have an opportunity to create a kiddush Hashem every single day. In light of the spiritual opportunities listed above, it is clear that earning income is potentially a way to draw closer to Hashem and fulfill a host of spiritual obligations to your family, your community, and yourself. However, there are also many potential pitfalls...as we will discuss, in next month’s installment. Mesila is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families and businesses in Israel, the US, Canada, and England achieve financial stability and independence. For further information please contact us at info@mesilainternational.org