I was fortunate to come upon a book that is a gold mine of
information about money. It's called, WEALTH, A Torah
Approach, by Rabbi Avraham Tzvi Schwartz with
approbations by Rabbis Yechezkel Auerbach and Zev Leff, and
Rabbi Nachman Bulman zt'l.
True to its title, the book gives the Torah perspective on
being rich, being poor, what each means and the obligations
and rewards of each state, how to conduct yourself with
money; in short, a wealth of information. The book quotes
many sources on the various aspects of the spiritual tool of
money. Since both poverty and wealth are to be used as
spirituals tools, whichever you experience is not as relevant
as how you use the experience.
Rabbi Schwartz, who arrived in Israel twenty years ago from
his native Johannesburg, said he dabbled a bit in business in
his early twenties. He sold used cars and antique furniture,
guitars and real estate.
"I think the issue of money is an issue that worries
everyone, whether people speak of it or not," says Rabbi
Schwartz, "and the issue is very important."
In WEALTH, Rabbi Schwartz discusses every topic
related to money: one's occupation, giving tzedoka,
Torah study, spending, choice of lifestyle, mazel,
attitude, business ethics, character traits, Shabbos and
bitachon.
Rabbi Schwartz believes that what's important is attitude,
"Like it says in Pirkei Ovos, the one who is rich is
the one who is happy with his lot. A person's lot doesn't
only mean what he has, but also what he doesn't have:
everything he is and everything Hashem is to him."
Rabbi Schwartz feels that in its present form, the book is
more of a learning book, something you would learn with a
learning partner. He's working on a lighter version that
would be easier reading. Then again, money is a heavy subject
and it weighs heavily on the minds of many people.
"All my books are goal oriented. We have to refine ourselves
constantly. It's like when you steer your car along the road.
You have to keep adjusting your steering. The road changes,
and you have to adjust. As you move, so do you grow, as you
grow, you have new tools and you have to learn to use them,
and in the process, you become a new person."
To continue the analogy, if we are a car and our soul is
steering, and the road is our lives, then money is what we
need to buy gas, service the car and pay the tolls.
Other books by Rabbi Schwartz: A Handful of Light, a
commentary on Iggeres HaRambam; Heavenly Ways,
a set of self-affirmations for happy life, living and
thinking; The Need to Be Great, aimed at a secular
audience, the book deals with the need to feed a person's
hunger for greatness so he'll be happy.
[WEALTH, a Torah Approach, as well as his other books,
can be ordered directly from Rabbi Schwartz at Rechov Meshech
Chochma 27/3, Kiryat Sefer, or by phone: 08-9741-285.]
