Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back to day number 23. We're on page 120 in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchos Tzaddikim ... Horevii -- What's the fourth identifier of someone who is humble? If Hashem grants him great wealth and successful children, then Hashem bestows upon him wisdom, wisdom in abundance, understanding and honor. Then a person should be ever more humble and lowly before the creator. Why? Why, then, a person needs to honor others and do even more acts of kindness for others, like Abraham, when the Almighty said to him Do I hold back anything? Do I conceal anything from Abraham? What did Abraham say? Who am I? I hold back anything. Do I conceal anything from Avram Hishbil atzmo v'omar? What did Abraham say? Anochi of avre efer, who am I? I am nothing but dust and ashes. Rav ha-chochmah v'rov. Ha-mamon ba'olam hazeh yi ha-machmas echad mishloshet v'oram.

01:17
The majority of wisdom and the majority of money is a result of the following three things Either it's coming as a good, from the Holy One, or as a trial, as a test, or the third, where God is taking revenge and God is giving you money taking revenge and God is giving you money. So how do you know if the money is coming from a good or from a not good? By the way. Just the fact that someone makes money doesn't mean it's good, I can tell you. Look around the world, look around people you know who have money and the dysfunction that they have in their families and their marriages, with their children, with everything. Everything they touch turns into a mess. They still have money, but everything's a mess. It's a big problem. Is that a blessing? No, oh Chacham Azeh. Or if a wise person, lo Yishchakam Leharah, l'shum Odom B'Chachmos, he doesn't harm anyone with his wisdom, they don't do harm to others, but rather they just elevate and they add to the glory of Hashem, then this wisdom and this wealth, then this wisdom and this wealth, that's a good form of wealth and wisdom that comes from Hashem. And how do we know which one is it? Which one of these three things? If it's a challenge, if it's a curse from the Almighty or if it's a blessing?

03:09
If someone is always worried and concerned that he's going to lose his money, that he'd make money in the stock market, that he'd lose money in the stock market, are people going to cheat me? Some people? They have no pleasure from their money because they're always worried about it. He doesn't even enjoy his own money. Worried about it. He doesn't even enjoy his own money To enjoy it and to eat from it.

03:33
He doesn't help others either with his money and he doesn't take pleasure in it. He's always going after making more money and making more money. He has no what we call menuchas ha'nefesh. He has no mindfulness. He has no peacefulness. He's always running after the next dollar, after the next. You have so much. You have a billion dollars. You need to work for more now. No, they don't enjoy it. They can't buy a car because they don't want to spend too much. I don't.

04:09
We all know people like that, sadly, and he's always worried that he's going to lose it. He doesn't want to give any money because he's afraid if he's going to give, he's not going to have any more. He doesn't have pity or mercy on the poor people. He doesn't feed them and he doesn't dress them. He doesn't clothe them. So, too, with the wise person Yim meishiv rov chachmasa la'olam hazeh letakein tzrachav ve'einu mizchakem lolo rov, lolo tova ilu vadeh l'nisayin hem. He doesn't use his wisdom to help. He doesn't use his wisdom for goodness. Ve'simu hanekama. And how do we know if the money or the wisdom is God's revenge? She' God's revenge.

04:58
Now, this person who has money is only trying to damage others with his money. He's arrogant about his money, he doesn't do charity and he's too busy to take pleasure, like the verse says, joy and gladness, the killing of oxen and the slaughtering of sheep, and the violin and the harp, the drum and the flute and the wine of their feasts. But they do not regard the deeds of Hashem. And he does not fulfill thereby Hashem's charge about that which is written, wealth guarded by its owner, to be to his detriment. Osher shamur, l'oliv l'ra'aso, you don't even enjoy it.

06:03
V'chein Im hechochom, yarim lasos roz v'lo yase tov, if a person uses his wisdom like Mr Nobel, mr Nobel used, he has unbelievable wisdom and he used it to create something that creates bombs, the atom bomb, right, mr Nobel? And he regretted it. He said I used my wisdom for something which is good. I want to use my wisdom for peace, and that's where he created the Nobel Peace Prize. Instead of creating war, he created something which is good, but that's an example. Had he not done that, that would be an example of someone who's using wisdom for a terrible thing. Then his wisdom is only to his detriment.

06:52
Therefore, someone who has proper wisdom, proper understanding, someone who's clever will do something good with his money, something good with his wisdom Lefi rov b'monu v'chachmaso, according to his wealth and according to his intellect, v'yosef ha'achna v'shiflos, v'lo yigba libo. And he'll add humility and he won't feel proud or arrogant. And a person should always, always be careful that the wealth that he has is not the payment, instead of getting his portion of the world to come, because that would really be awful If a person, instead of getting the world to come, is getting his payment here in this world. V'hu me'osam sh'nem ra'alem u'mishalim l'sonov, el ponov la'avido, where it says the verse in Deuteronomy says that Hashem pays His enemies early so that in the next world they don't get any reward. V'gam yid'ag ha'chocham sh'emo hu me'osam sh' וגם ידעג החוכם שמו הוא מעוסם שנמר עליהם חכמים הם להורא ולהטיב לא ידעו.

08:00
That also the same verse, same idea that a wise person doesn't end up getting his reward in the world to come. כי כל עודם חייב להשחקים ולהזבונן להגיע בחוכמו סו למעسم טובים. To get something good out of your wisdom. Do good deeds Till he has no ability, for every man must employ wisdom and thought to attain good deeds to the ultimate extent of his wisdom. So we're concluding now day number 23, and, god willing, tomorrow we will continue day 24.