The Rabbis Speak of Wealth

William C. Simpson, Jr.

ur understanding of wealth is too often narrow

and uninformed. For most of us, wealth is a
large amount of money and nothing else. If we
are to come to a theology of wealth it must include an
understanding of wealth that is larger and more inclusive.
Occasionally, we come close to that larger understanding when we speak of a "wealth of information" or
a "wealth of knowledge." Wealth is more than money or
things: it is an abundance of something. When we look
at wealth from this perspective it relates to providence
or blessing where God offers the richness of grace in the
form of something important and valuable to life. The
Book of Proverbs sees wisdom as a greater wealth than
gold or silver (8:10-11). Those who discover how to
deal with true abundance are the ones who discover the
path to joy. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810),
recognized as a tzzadik (righteous one) at an early age,
used to say,
It is a great mitzvah to be happy, but there are those
who are afraid to enjoy what they have today because they
always worry about tomorrow.
Rabbi Nachman often cited the examples of the
three forebears of JudaismAbraham, Isaac, and
Jacobas examples of what a person can be. All of
these were wealthy by the standards of their day, but
this wealth was understood in the broad sweep of God's
blessings. In Genesis 12, we find the promise of God to
Abraham. The wealth God offers to the faithful
Abraham includes the promise of offspring and land,
the preservation of his name through coming generations, and nationhood. There is an additional component to this wealth: Abraham will be a blessing to others; through him all the nations of the earth will be
blessed.
A righteous one conquers evil tendencies towards
pride, power, and domination, and in his humility is,
like God, always on "the side of the oppressed" (Eccl
3:15). Righteousness is always tied to tzedakah, charity,
helping those in need, who have less wealth than oneself. Both stem from tzedek, justice. This concept of justice pertains because all wealth belongs to God. Wealth

40

The Living Pulpit/ April-June 2003

comes from God, the source of all blessing. An even

higher level of justice, according to the Talmud and
quoted by the Rambam, is when one is able to help
another person help himself or herself, such as when
the tzzadik helps someone find a job. Tzedakah is
extended to both the Jew and non-Jew: "When your
brother becomes poor and he slips down among you,
you must come to his aid, [even to] a convert and to a
[non-Jewish] settler, so that he can live with you" (Lev
25:35).
There is always a warning about the results of traditional wealth. The Torah says,
Beware lest you forget God, by not keeping God's
commandments, ordinances, and statutes, which are
commanded to you this day Lest when you have eaten
and are satisfied, and have built good houses and have
dwelled therein, and when your herds and your flocks
multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and
all that you have is multiplied; then your heart may
become haughty and you forget God (Deut 8:11-14).
Jesus, a great rabbi, proclaimed a gospel that built
on this understanding of wealth. An inventory of Jesus'
teachings shows that he spoke perhaps six times more
often about wealth and abundance and its proper use
than he did about prayer. In Matthew 6, the wisdom of
Jesus concerning wealth is clear: "Where your treasure
is, there your heart is also." In language that predates
the Talmud byfivehundred years, Jesus admonishes his
followers, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about
your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or
about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
than food, and the body more than clothing?"(Matt
6:25). An even higher principle of tzedakah for the use
of wealth occurs in Matthew 6:3: "When you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right hand is
doing." This teaching is also expressed in the Talmud.
In the Talmud we find the account of two scholars
of the Torah who were very wealthy. Rabbi Eliezer ben
Charsom inherited a thousand cities and a thousand
trading ships, but to ensure he would not be distracted
from studying, he wandered in anonymity from place
to place with only a flour sack and his Torah for study.

The other wealthy rabbi is Yehuda HaNasi, governor of

the Jewish people, a writer of the Mishna, and one of
the most revered and learned Jewish writers of all time.
We are told that his wealth was so great that the manure
from his horses made his stable-keeper more affluent
than the king of Persia. Unlike Eliezer ben Charsom,
Rabbi HaNasi was not modest in lifestyle. He lived so
well, it is said, that Roman nobles and generals were
jealous of him. On his deathbed he declared,
O Master of the Universe, you know that I used my
tenfingersto exert myself m the Torah, but I did not enjoy
even with my little finger.
The conclusion is that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi existed on such a high spiritual plane that despite his extravagant living he could swear that nothing was ever consumed for his enjoyment. All was for the glory of God!
Christians should understand and value the rich
heritage of the Jewish faith, the source of so much of
our theology of wealth. Wealth is a broad concept, an
approach to life itself, and an understanding of the
world. Those blessed with wealth, whether money,
knowledge, power, or wisdom, always have the responsibility to use it for the glory of the Creator and in service to humanity. Both Torah and Talmud, like the words
of Christ, call us to a just society and an economic
model that remembers the vulnerable portions of our
society. We can never forget the poor, the orphan and
widow, the stranger. Is there not a word for our world
in this view of our heritage?

William C. Simpson, Jr., is District Superintendent of the Rocky

Mount District of the United Methodist Church, North
Carolina Conference His latest book is The Trail of the
Huguenots.

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April-June 2003/The Living Pulpit

41

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